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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

The Global Week for #Action on #NCDs is ON. Chronic conditions are the main cause of early death & illness in #Australia. We need leaders to invest in promoting health & better care, & to be accountable. Commitments are just the start; action changes lives! #ActOnNCDs #LeadOnNCDs

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 05/09/2025

Australia may be far from the UN, but chronic disease & mental health are shared global challenges. 40+ orgs have backed a call to the Australian Government to act with ambition, ahead of (& beyond) the UN #HLM4 on #NCDs in 3 weeks. 🔗 www.georgeinstitute.org/our-impact/p... #ActOnNCDs #LeadOnNCDs

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 13/05/2025

One of the highlights & most human moments of @australianlabor.bsky.social swearing in ceremony - watching the Governor General Sam Mostyn usher in Anika Well’s three children to see their mum take up comms & sport portfolios. (🤞 for unhealthy marketing & social media reforms!) @albomp.bsky.social

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 12/05/2025

Always curious to see who sponsors @politico.com London Playbook dispatches according to what is politically salient, usually used to slip tailored messages to political audiences. This one is that they are global & local, economically important & helping British people to reduce sugar consumption 🤔

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

Concluded #Prevention2025 watching the sun set on Parliament House. Thanks @publichealthaus.bsky.social & conference committee for coordinating an interesting program & so many allies to explore how health is political & how that may require alternative approaches to securing solutions to problems.

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

We can’t fix online marketing overnight but we know what needs to be done & have a tobacco act as a model that could be emulated for other sectors (not voluntary). We should also fix an online ad model that thrives in a evolving harmful information ecosystem. #Prevention2025 @kbackholer.bsky.social

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

💡 In public health we often consider power in the sense of power ‘over’ but as a sector we have enormous potential if we lean into the concepts of power ‘with’, power ‘to’ and power ‘despite’. - Anne Marie Thow 💪 🤝⚡️Read more: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... #Prevention2025

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

We have a window of opportunity for public health actors to engage in international trade & investment debates, eg around food. To do this we need to understand & navigate alternative policy paradigms incl through knowledge, legitimacy & public priorities. - Anne Marie Thow #Prevention2025

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

Commercial determinants of health #CDOH are broader than naming products that harm, it’s also less visible ways they operate, incl. through trade & investment policy, incl. at international level, using tactics to ‘chill’ & lobby for specific policy. Anne Marie Thow @sydney.edu.au #Prevention2025

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

Gambling operators aren’t the only ones benefiting in the gambling ecosystem. Charles Livingstone encourages everyone to think broader when mapping stakeholders, to better understand why and how they interact and influence problem definitions and (enable/obstruct) policy responses. #Prevention2025

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

In declaring funding and affiliations before presenting, Charles Livingstone @monashuniversity.bsky.social notes that gambling is nowhere near the list and that: “We need to stop taking money from the people contaminating the evidence.” (Same goes for alcohol, UPFs, etc) #Prevention2025 #CDOH

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

What does potassium enriched salt look and taste like? Ask Terry Slevin, @publichealthaus.bsky.social who received a jar of a faux-Himalayan version from Bruce Neal @georgeinstitute.bsky.social. Updates requested. #Prevention2025

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

Most discretionary salt (~50%) consumed around the world is from salt *added during cooking & at the table*. Ultra processed food is only one part the wider picture. Sodium discussions & solutions must take a wide view of dietary sources. Bruce Neal, @georgeinstitute.bsky.social #Prevention2025

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

A practical & pragmatic way to reduce sodium intake is replacing table salt with low sodium, potassium enriched salt, says Bruce Neal, @georgeinstitute.bsky.social. It’s a very promising intervention, but needs to be navigated carefully. #Prevention2025

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

Bruce Neal from @georgeinstitute.bsky.social: The world eats too much salt. Why does it matter? High sodium diets contribute to high blood pressure. Hypertension is a risk factor for NCDs incl. stroke, cardiovascular & kidney diseases. But reducing sodium intake is proving hard. #Prevention2025

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

On grappling with resistance to change, Fiona Cornworth, ANU, suggests: “slow down to speed up”. Take time to lay the groundwork, gat ducks in order, then move forward. #Prevention2025

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

💯: If you don’t innovate, and look at changing the way you are doing things, you will never change the outcome. - Renee Williams, TorresHealth. #Prevention2025

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

Thanks to the community leadership embedded in the development & implementation of the Tackling Indigenous Smoking initiative, since 2004 23,000 lives have been saved & there are almost 50,000 fewer daily smokers. It’s a demonstrable success. - Prof Tom Calma. #Prevention2025 tacklingsmoking.org.au

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

How are the major parties tracking on commitments to First Nations’ priorities? Tom Calma points to @croakeynews.bsky.social article on 2025 Federal Election scorecards: www.croakey.org/before-votin... Including from ANTAR: antar.org.au/resources/20... #Prevention2025 #AusPol #AustraliaVotes

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

Despite Australia’s health system being renowned as being one of the better ones in the world, Universal Health Coverage (UHC) has *still* not been achieved for Aboriginal and a Torres Strait Islander People. #CloseTheGap - Prof Tom Calma. #Prevention2025

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

Renee williams, TorresHealth prompts delegates to contemplate: What are we willing to give up to move Australia forward? - Renee Williams, Torres Health #Prevention2025

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

The political climate is giving racism permission. But this is not inevitable and must not be tolerated. How to overcome racism & dysfunctional systems, structures & priorities to improve Indigenous health through prevention? Community control works. - Renee Williams, TorresHealth #Prevention2025

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

“Indigenous health is not just a technical issue, it’s a political issue.” Disparities are not accidents. They are results of disposition, underinvestment, and struggles for justice, sovereignty and freedom. - Renee Williams, Torres Health Indigenous Corporation #Prevention2025

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

“True justice demands dismantling all forms of racism” - only then will all people have the chance to achieve full health and wellbeing. Let’s seize this moment so that racism has no place in health & health care systems. - Fiona Cornforth, ANU. #Prevention2025

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

Racism has been getting worse in Australia. Denial of rights, settler colonial privileges, discrimination and harassment… compound intergenerational harms. Indigenous people are burdened with resisting harmful systems while enduring them. - Fiona Cornforth, ANU. #Prevention2025

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

“The media seems to treat racism like a novelty” with stories depicting racism getting disproportionate airtime, over-saturating our world with horrible, hateful, harmful images and ideas. Fiona Cornforth, Yardhura Walani at ANU. #Prevention2025

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 29/04/2025

✅“Put the frame of shame on those causing these issues, not the individuals” says @marianachilton.bsky.social, exposing travesties causing & perpetuating hunger & food insecurity in the US. Insights on why we need to consider & act more on how society functions for & against people #Prevention2025

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 29/04/2025

Rousing presentation at #Prevention2025 from Fiona Bull on the global state of play for physical activity, how well countries are helping people to #BeActive (not well enough!), resources available, & what needs to be done. Check out @who.int’s work on #PhysicalActivity: www.who.int/health-topic...

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 29/04/2025

Great to be supporting a very practical workshop at #Prevention2025, focused on how a political science lens could help bring a national #PhysicalActivity action plan to fruition to help more Aussies to move more. Read ASPA’s call to action here: aspactivity.org/advocacy/a-c...

Peter McCue with a slide welcoming delegates to the workshop on physical activity

Peter McCue presents a slide asking why Australia doesn’t have a Physical Activity Action Plan.

Prof Jo Salmon presents a slide and overview of ASPA’s call to action

Peter McCue displays a slide to explain relationship between research and policy

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 29/04/2025

With the 4th UN High Level Meeting on #NCDs ( #HLM4 ) in NYC in September, it’s energising to hear about the tremendous efforts of Australia’s four state-based health promotion agencies working to #ActOnNCDs prevention. Promising & exciting leadership! #Prevention2025 @publichealthaus.bsky.social

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

Regarding gambling reforms… its baffling how there can be SO much remarkable community support for reforms, and it still won’t get over the #AusPol political line, reflects Dr Richard Di Natale… I think everyone at #Prevention2025 finds this puzzling and incredulous. Too much ceding of power!!

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

It’s OK to have a broad ask, it might not all be feasible, just know what your negotiating compromise is, says @johnspaula.bsky.social. This is also relevant for working on broad coalition issues (eg tax reform), & inserting your ask among many others (eg fruit & veg exemption) #Prevention2025

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

Steven Allender of @deakinuniversity.bsky.social challenges those in public health to embrace #systems thinking - not just focus on ‘what’ the problem is, but also the ‘why?’ and ‘how?’ of the problem to identify options for levers for change. @preventioncentre.bsky.social #Prevention2025

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

Challenges we are navigating in Australia are similar to elsewhere, like those described by @johnspaula.bsky.social from Brazil’s NCD Prevention NGO @actbr.bsky.social. Many of these need broad coalitions to advocate together, like for macro & even global reforms (eg tax & climate) #Prevention2025

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

Live from Brazil @johnspaula.bsky.social from @actbr.bsky.social shares insights from navigating complex politics & contested issues, drawing on lessons from advocating tobacco control & now also looking more at food, alcohol, physical activity & climate change & common challenges. #Prevention2025

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

“Politics isn’t something that happens ‘over there’, it’s everywhere… and there has never been a more important time to engage in our democracy.” Dr Richard Di Natale, at #Prevention2025 @publichealthaus.bsky.social

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

In public health we often stop at ‘here is the evidence’ - but you’ve also got to understand the system dynamics, and, importantly, you’ve got to engage in the politics and macro debates and make system faults visible. Sage advice from Dr Richard di Natal at #Prevention2025

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

Untapped potential for cancer control? #AlcoholPolicy. Dr Isabelle Soerjomataram, IARC, explains how #alcohol kills & injures millions of people every year, but many people don’t realise the health harms (eg cancer), & effective policies aren’t adequately implemented (see SAFER). #Prevention2025

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

Political prioritisation matters to drive progress on preventive health policy - this has been shown repeatedly to save and improve lives… so where’s the untapped potential… (Dr Isabelle Soerjomataram, IARC) #Prevention2025

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

‘Prevention’ means different things to different people, so - What needs to be addressed to turn rhetoric into policy: 🔑 Clarity 🔑 Congruity 🔑 Capacity @paulcairney.bsky.social #Prevention2025

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

What is important in political response to addressing NCDs? framing makes a big difference to how problems are perceived, intervened in and tackled @paulcairney.bsky.social #Prevention2025

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

Super to hear from @paulcairney.bsky.social sharing an introductory definition for ‘what is political’: multiple actors with different interests, beliefs & preferences, & means to manage differences in making decisions. (Kudos & tks for joining live from Scotland at midnight!) #Prevention2025

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

Preventive health is too often funded last rather than first, says Assistant Minister for Health Ged Kearney, detailing some recent National Preventive Health Strategy aligned actions, but noting there is still “much more to do”. Hear hear! #Prevention2025 @publichealthaus.bsky.social

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

PHAA has undertaken a meticulous and objective analysis of political parties’ positions on public health policy priorities - how are the major parties tracking ahead of the upcoming 2025 election? Check out the scorecard below #Prevention2025

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 27/04/2025

In Canberra for @publichealthaus.bsky.social’s #Prevention2025 Conference. Looking forward to connecting with colleagues & friends to explore hot public health issues including the politics of prevention, timely as we approach an #AusPol #FederalElection lacking prioritisation of preventive #health

Image of Parliament House in Canberra at twilight, with reflection in a pond of water

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

At Aus Global Health Alliance 2025 Congress, @brendancrabb.bsky.social reflects: World talks about bold reform a lot; we have great ideas. The time to act on these ideas & bluesky thinking is now, with courage, & not decades down the track. Let’s seize this time to make happen what must be done.

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 26/03/2025

The final elective of my Master of Public Policy & Management, ‘Business & Government’ is reinforcing the value of looking beyond ‘health’ to expand resonance; I’m engaging w familiar & unfamiliar voices & concepts of #power, but not yet encountered the term ‘Commercial Determinants of Health’ #CDOH

University of Melbourne Clock Tower and Reflection Pond

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 24/03/2025

💪 So protein has been having ‘a moment’ (cue health halo food marketing). 🤭 Half joking, my teenage son speculated: ‘fibre will be next’. 🤔 So a challenge - with bowel cancer diagnoses increasingly common in young people, & knowing its broader health benefits… 😎 How do we make fibre cool?

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 21/11/2024

Regret that I can’t be at #ASPA2024 in Perth, but taking solace in the absolute stunner that is #Melbourne today - after too much sitting indoors so far this week, this weather is the best motivation to get outside early to move, recalibrate & re-energise (before sun gets too strong!!) ☀️ 🌊 🧴 😎 🏃🏻‍♀️

A photo of the view from Point Ormond to Melbourne CBD with buildings on the horizon, bright blue sky with a few whispy white clouds, rocks edging a clear turquoise shallow bay of water, on which a single black swan floats.

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Lucy Westerman @lucywesterman.bsky.social · 16/11/2024

✨Hi Bluesky!✨ After 11 years connecting with thousands of people & organisations through Twitter, the time feels right to start connecting with a reenergised community migrating to brighter horizons. I look forward to fresh conversations & perspectives, & co-creating a space even better than before.

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