Hi TIS Teams! In September, I had the opportunity to attend the Australian Public Health Conference on Dharawal Country (Wollongong), alongside a few colleagues from the NBPU TIS. This year’s theme, ‘Leadership and collaboration to connect a divided world’, highlighted how public health leadership, grounded in collaboration and community voice, can tackle complex challenges and reduce health inequities. Throughout the conference, there was a focus on strengthening partnerships, growing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership, and taking systems-based approaches to health promotion.

Take Home Message for TIS Teams

The 2025 Australian Public Health Conference showed what many of us already know: when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices lead, and communities are empowered to shape their own health journeys, outcomes are stronger. The TIS program demonstrates the impact of sustained, locally led community-driven approaches. Ongoing challenges including youth vaping, retailer regulation, and misinformation show the continued need for adaptable, community-focused health promotion – strengths that are already central to the TIS program.

Click on the thumbnail to the right to read Connie’s full update.

For more of Connie the Clever Cockie’s updates, visit the Tobacco Control News page.