Latest News
September 2023 News
Call for Abstracts and Registrations Opening Friday 8th September
The Australasian Injury Prevention Network (AIPN) are pleased to invite you to the premier injury prevention conference for Australia, Aotearoa (New Zealand) and the Asia Pacific, the 15th Australasian Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion Conference with the theme:
Weaving knowledges for injury prevention and safety promotion; creating a new way together. 
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​The conference is to be held at the Sir Morrison Howard Centre in Rotorua, Aotearoa New Zealand, 11-13 March, 2024. 
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Abstract submissions and registration will be opening Friday 8th September.
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AIPN Supports Voice to Parliament
The Australasian Injury Prevention Network (AIPN) wholeheartedly supports the YES vote and the establishment of Voice to Parliament at the upcoming referendum on constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The AIPN is an independent, non-government network representing all-age, all-cause injury prevention and safety promotion in the Australasian region. We strive to promote knowledge of the causes of injury and safety promotion to minimise injury-related harm and reduce inequities throughout Australia and New Zealand. Of utmost importance to our network is the recognition, respect for and integration of Indigenous knowledges in the work we do.
The Voice proposal aims to establish a body known as the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. The Voice may make representations to the Parliament and the Australian Government on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This includes advocating for the rights and interests of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities within Australia's democratic framework. The AIPN recognises that this proposal will not disrupt the fundamental institutions of our government system. Instead, a Voice would contribute to enhancing our democracy and build a stronger nation for us all.
We know that to truly address inequities we must acknowledge and prioritise the broad underlying social and cultural determinants that impact upon health and wellbeing which the Voice to Parliament will directly address. The AIPN believes that the establishment of a Voice will contribute to rectifying inequities in areas such as health, education, housing, injustices within the legal system, and policies related to preserving and nurturing Country (lands and waters). A Voice will actively contribute to rectifying social and economic imbalances and disparities and offer a source of enrichment for the future well-being of all individuals.
AIPN also commits to publicly supporting the Voice process and the wider Uluru Statement from the Heart, including its vision as a whole to recognise Truth and Treaty.
As an organisation we are working hard to ensure recognition of First Nations peoples and cultures in our work, especially in the lead up to the 15th Australasian Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion Conference with the theme: Weaving knowledges for injury prevention and safety promotion; creating a new way together. We invite you to join us at this conference and on this journey to create a new way in how we consider and approach injury prevention and safety promotion together.
Supporting the YES vote will empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities to have a voice in self-determining priorities for their own future. We urge the AIPN community to write YES on your ballot paper on October 14th.
Debbie Scott, AIPN President & AIPN Indigenous Sub-Committee
AIPN Member Spotlight
Who you are, where you work/used to work/field/expertise?
My name is Amy Hunter. I am the Principal Policy Officer for Injury Prevention within the Chronic Disease Prevention Directorate at the Western Australian Department of Health. I manage the Injury Prevention Policy team, which leads the development of strategic public health policy, priority areas, issues, and programs on injury prevention. My background is in public health policy, and I really enjoy working with a wide range of stakeholders across multiple sectors to ensure that injury prevention messages are integrated with other healthy lifestyle initiatives.
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How did you get into Injury Prevention?
I previously worked in the Tobacco Policy team, another team sitting alongside Injury Prevention in the Chronic Disease Prevention Directorate. I was always really interested in hearing about the work of the Injury Prevention Policy team, and I could also see that they were a part of a passionate, supportive, and collaborative injury prevention sector. Although working in tobacco policy was incredibly rewarding, when an opportunity to join the injury prevention team arose, I took it!
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What is your favourite part of being involved with the AIPN?
Connecting with injury prevention stakeholders across Australasia. Being relatively new to the sector, this has been incredibly useful.
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A fact about yourself that most people wouldn't know?
I am allergic to the cold. No really – it’s a thing! It’s called cold urticaria, and luckily is easily managed living in the mild Perth climate.
Amy Hunter
Principal Policy Officer – Injury Prevention
Department of Health WA
Congratulations to Professor John Toumbourou who in June was the recipient of The Society for Prevention Research Presidential Award for Prevention Science Lifetime Achievement.
Professor John Toumbourou is the Leader of Translation Science at the Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development (SEED: www.deakin.edu.au/seed) and Chair of Health Psychology at the School of Psychology at Deakin University. He is the ex-Chief Executive Officer and a Director at Communities That Care Ltd and in this role provides advocacy and advice to community coalitions seeking to promote the healthy development of children and young people.
Professor John Toumbourou has been influential internationally & nationally in assisting the development of research & practice in the fields of prevention science & health psychology.
He has contributed to reshaping Australian health policies to measurably reduce adolescent alcohol misuse & related problems including via The Communities That Care Ltd Program.
Upcoming Campaigns & Events
Stay On Your Feet® Remove Hazards Campaign Toolkit
Get involved in the Remove Hazards Campaign from 1st September to 30th November 2023. The Remove Hazards campaign aims to educate older adults and health and community workers on important information around removing potential hazards and creating safe environments to prevent falls and to promote healthy ageing as well as supporting eye and foot health. 
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Download the campaign toolkit here.
A National Approach to Measuring Non-Fatal Crash Outcomes: Stage 2
Information on injurious road crashes is required for prevention. National information on fatal cases has been available for many years, but information on serious non-fatal cases has been lacking.
This webinar will take participants through the outcomes of Stage 2 of an Austroads project commissioned to establish a system to report serious injury cases due to road crashes in a consistent way throughout Australia and over time.
Date: Tuesday 12 September 2023
Location: Online webinar
Time: 1:00 - 2:00pm AEST
Engaging with Politics for Injury Prevention
Do you want to learn more about how engaging in politics can help your work as a public health advocate in WA? Register for our upcoming professional development workshop developed by Curtin University and facilitated by Professor Jonathan Hallett, where you will explore the different levels of government and the intricate process legislation goes through in our parliament. It emphasizes skills needed to effectively engage in advocacy with politicians, ensuring that the voices of the public health community are heard in the corridors of power.
Date: Wednesday 13 September 2023
Location: 137 St George's Terrace, Perth
Time: 9:30 am - 12:30 pm AWST
Launch of the WA Falls Report 2023
Join Injury Matters for the Launch of the WA Falls Report 2023 webinar and be the first to hear the key report findings as well as a panel discussion on the Falls Report 2023 recommendations for WA.
Date: Thursday 21st September
Location: Online Webinar
Time: 10:30 -11:30 am AWST
Reports & Publications
FARE Report: Mandatory alcohol pregnancy health warnings are catching attention
The Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) have reported that new mandatory visible pregnancy health warnings on alcohol products are being noticed by Australians with younger adults most likely to notice the new distinct warnings.
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Public Consultations
National Consumer Engagement Strategy for Health and Wellbeing
NHMRC, guided by its Principal Committee Indigenous Caucus (PCIC), is reviewing the Indigenous Research Excellence Criteria (IREC) through a national consultation.
A discussion paper has been produced to inform the review. It provides information on the IREC and lists the consultation questions.
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Online consultation is now open through their IREC Review Consultation online submission portal. The consultation closes Friday 8 September 2023 17:00 AEDT.
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Questions for the online consultation are detailed in the discussion paper.
Opportunities
Forecast Opportunity - Centres of Research Excellence 2024
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Conferences
The ANZBA meeting theme for 2023 is “Towards Zero”. We all imagine a future with zero burns, zero complications, zero scars, zero inequity, zero patient impact and zero waste. Local and international speakers and delegates will come together to address these ‘towards zero’ themes from a clinical, research, and consumer perspective.
ANZ Burns Association Annual Scientific Meeting 12- 15 September
2023 ASICS Sports Medicine Australia Conference 11-14 October
The 2023 ASICS SMA Conference is a unique multidisciplinary event, and includes representation from medical practitioners, allied health professionals, academics, students, and others interested in sports medicine. The rich array of professions is reflected in the Conference program, and fosters collaboration and knowledge exchange across the disciplines.
The 10th Biennial Australia and New Zealand Falls Prevention Conference (ANZFP) will for the first time be run as a joint conference with the World Congress on Falls and Postural Stability at the Perth Convention Centre, from the 26-28 November 2023. ANZFP is an initiative of the Australian and New Zealand Falls Prevention Society (ANZFPS). The 1st World Congress on Falls and Postural Stability was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in December 2019-joint initiative of the Malaysian Society of Geriatric Medicine and the British Geriatrics Society.
ANZ Falls Prevention Society and World Falls Congress 26-28 November
World Conference on Drowning Prevention 4-7 December
This globally significant event will focus world attention on drowning prevention. WCDP 2023 will gather experts in drowning prevention, lifesaving and water safety with the goal of Shaping Global Strategy and Mobilising for Action.
Australasian Road Safety Conference 19-21 September
Join Australasia’s leading road safety and injury prevention researchers, practitioners and policy makers for the Australasian Road Safety Conference 2023.
ARSC 2023 will be held in Cairns, QLD and online to accommodate delegates from anywhere in the world. This hybrid format will bring together road safety stakeholders and decision-makers from Australasia and international jurisdictions to facilitate collaboration and share information.
15th Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion Conference
The Australasian Injury Prevention Network (AIPN) are pleased to invite you to the premier injury prevention conference for Australia, Aotearoa (New Zealand) and the Asia Pacific, the 15th Australasian Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion Conference with the theme: Weaving knowledges for injury prevention and safety promotion; creating a new way together. The conference is to be held at the Sir Morrison Howard Centre in Rotorua, Aotearoa New Zealand, 11-13 March, 2024.