Melissa Sweet and Alison Barrett write:
In wrapping up 2024, we reflect on the important issues covered at Croakey over the past year.
From the Northern Territory to Queensland, the United States and elsewhere, elections have led to governments that do not prioritise the health of people or the planet, and actively undermine the health of First Nations people and health equity. In Aotearoa/New Zealand, Māori rights are under attack.
The fractured, polarised and unreliable news and information environment, and the immense power of corporate entities and super-wealthy individuals are undermining democracies, social cohesion and the potential for evidence-informed policy.
The inauguration of President Donald Trump on 20 January 2025 and his appointees is certain to have an impact upon public and political discourse in Australia, as well as policy outcomes. One would hope that health departments, governments and health organisations are actively preparing to deal with an escalating deluge of misinformation and disinformation about health matters, such as vaccination.
In 2025, the Croakey team will be working to elevate evidence and equity across our work, and to ensure a strong focus on health matters at the upcoming Western Australian and federal elections, and more widely.
As the impacts of the climate crisis escalate, we will also continue to highlight the commercial determinants involved, as well as the work being done across the health sector in mitigation and adaptation.
During 2024, our #CroakeyLIVE webinar series marking Medicare’s 40th anniversary investigated some important health issues, including:
- Collective leadership for collective gain: reflections on leading change and addressing health inequities
- Ahead of Voice referendum anniversary, health sector urged to work as if it had been Yes
- New knee osteoarthritis standard highlights need for reform in funding, primary care and prevention
- Scope of practice review is setting a strong course for wide-ranging reforms
- Investment and wide-ranging efforts are needed to improve healthcare for First Nations people in prisons
- Exclusion, discrimination, trauma and preventable illnesses: why oral health inequities need urgent action
The Croakey Conference News Service also contributed to important policy debate, research translation and news this year, with topics including Indigenous health, social prescribing, greening healthcare, allied healthcare, and rural and remote health.
Many of our stories this year have highlighted the immense contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, communities, and organisations to health and healthcare, and in caring for communities and Country.
A highlight in 2024 was the launch of The Zap, a weekly column by health and aged care policy analyst Charles Maskell-Knight. Wide-ranging updates on local and global health were provided in the regular columns, The Health Wrap and ICYMI.
During the year, we made several policy submissions on media-related policy, from misinformation and disinformation to the importance of truth-telling and recommendations for developing a policy framework to support the growth and development of the not for profit public interest journalism sector.
Taking a break
The Croakey team is taking a much-needed break for a few weeks – we will be back on deck from 13 January 2025. In the meantime, we will be re-publishing a selection of articles from 2024.
Before we go, we’d like to thank and acknowledge everyone who is working through the holiday period, whether providing services or in other ways.
We are also thinking of those who have had a tough year, and of those experiencing violence, deprivation and climate injustice in many parts of the world, including Australia.
We pay our respects to everyone who has campaigned and worked towards health equity, justice, peace, environmental protection and care for Country this year, and all the years before too.
We thank our directors, our members, contributors, readers, funders and supporters. We appreciate your commitment to a more informed and healthier public and policy debate.
See you in 2025!
