Systematic review in accordance with PRISMA Guidelines and MOOSE Guidelines for Meta-Analyses and Systematic Reviews of Observational Studies. We searched four databases and one Indigenous-specific website for qualitative, quantitative and mixed-method studies published since Values and ethics was implemented (2003). Included studies were conducted in primary health care services, focused on Indigenous SEWB and were conducted by research teams. Using standard data extraction forms, we identified actions taken (reported by authors or identified by us) relating to Values and ethics and local protocols. A total of 25 studies were included. Authors of two studies explicitly mentioned the Values and ethics document, but neither reported how their actions related to the document's values. In more than half the studies, we identified at least three actions relating to the values. Some actions related to multiple values, including use of culturally sensitive research processes and involving Indigenous representatives in the research team. Local protocols were rarely reported. Addressing Values and ethics appears to improve research projects. The academic community should focus on culturally sensitive research processes, relationship building and developing the Indigenous research workforce, to facilitate acceptable research that affects health outcomes. For Values and ethics to achieve its full impact and to improve learning between research teams, authors should be encouraged to report how the principles are addressed during research, including barriers and enablers that are encountered.

There is often a disconnection between the creation of evidence and its use in policy and practice. Cross-sectoral, multidisciplinary partnership research, founded on shared governance and coproduction, is considered to be one of the most effective means of overcoming this research-policy-practice disconnect. Similar to a number of funding bodies internationally, Australia's National Health and Medical Research Council has introduced Partnership Centres for Better Health: a scheme explicitly designed to encourage coproduced partnership research. In this paper, we describe our experiences of The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre, established in June 2013 to explore the systems, strategies and structures that inform decisions about how to prevent lifestyle-related chronic disease. We present our view on how the Partnership Centre model is working in practice. We comment on the unique features of the Partnership Centre funding model, how these features enable ways of working that are different from both investigator-initiated and commissioned research, and how these ways of working can result in unique outcomes that would otherwise not have been possible. Although not without challenges, the Partnership Centre approach addresses a major gap in the Australian research environment, whereby large-scale, research-policy-practice partnerships are established with sufficient time, resources and flexibility to deliver highly innovative, timely and accessible research that is of use to policy and practice.

The aim of screening an asymptomatic population for cancer is to achieve better health outcomes, particularly a population survival benefit. Australia has three population screening programs: the National Cervical Screening Program (NCSP), BreastScreen Australia and the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP). We reviewed the history and development of the three programs. NCSP: Women have a Pap smear every 2 years from age 18-20, or 2 years after first becoming sexually active, until age 69. Since introduction of the NCSP, the cervical cancer incidence has halved, with an approximate 60% decrease in mortality. The screening participation rate approximates 57%, but is lower for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, women in remote areas, and women with lower socio-economic status. The National HPV (human papillomavirus) Vaccination Program, introduced in 2007, is expected to reduce the incidence of cervical cancer by a further 70% and has already reduced the incidence of high-grade lesions in girls. In 2017, testing for HPV every 5 years starting at age 25 will replace the Pap smear as the principal screening test. BreastScreen Australia: This program targets women aged 50-74. Over 20 years, mortality from breast cancer has decreased by 32% in response to screening and treatment advances. The participation rate is 56%. The major adverse impact of breast screening is overdiagnosis, estimated in Australia to be as low as 8% of detected cancers, but with estimates of up to 30% from some research. Women should be made aware of both the potential benefits and harms from screening. Genetic testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations in high-risk women leads to earlier screening. The NBCSP uses immunochemical faecal occult blood test (iFOBT) kits on stool samples to detect bleeding from the bowel. When rollout is complete in 2020, test kits will be sent every 2 years to people aged 50-74. People who test positive are followed up with a colonoscopy. The participation rate is currently 37%. The positivity rate is 7%, and stage 1 bowel cancer presentations have tripled since the program began. Research needs to focus on reducing mortality through increased screening participation and, in the future, obtaining guidance for customised screening from genomic testing.

In March 2016, the World Health Organization declared the 2014-15 Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak officially over. With around 29 000 cases and 11 000 deaths in 27 months, this EVD outbreak was more than 60 times larger than any before, and unique in its cross-border spread and involvement of urban centres. Local and international responses were slow and initially inadequate, but establishment of the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response, 9 months after the outbreak began, allowed a coordinated effort that slowed and eventually controlled the spread of disease. Internationally, there were fears that EVD would spread widely beyond Africa, despite reassurances from public health authorities. However, after nurses in the US became infected, public fear and concern for the safety of healthcare workers led to political intervention and varied, sometimes excessive, border controls, quarantine arrangements and hospital preparations. Altogether, fewer than 30 EVD cases were managed in countries outside Africa, all but three of which were acquired in West Africa. In Australia, the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee led the internal response, including enhanced screening of incoming passengers at international airports and development of public health and laboratory testing protocols by expert subcommittees. States and territories nominated designated hospitals to care for EVD patients. Development of EVD infection prevention and control (IPC) guidelines was initially poorly coordinated within and between jurisdictions, often with significant discrepancies, causing confusion and fear among healthcare workers. The Infection Prevention and Control Expert Advisory Group was established to develop national IPC guidelines. There were no confirmed cases in Australia, but investigation of several people with suspected EVD provided valuable experience in use of protocols and high-level containment facilities. The Australian Government was initially reluctant to send aid workers to West Africa, but later contracted a private company to staff and manage a treatment centre in Sierra Leone, which treated 91 patients with EVD during 4 months of operation. Among the lessons learnt for Australia was the need to increase awareness of routine IPC practices in hospitals, where significant deficiencies were exposed, and to maintain a high enough level of preparedness to protect healthcare workers and the public from the next, inevitable, infectious disease emergency.

Smoking remains the most preventable cause of early mortality and ill health in Aboriginal people. The Aboriginal Health & Medical Research Council of New South Wales has developed the Aboriginal Tobacco Resistance and Control (ATRAC) Yarning Tool with a range of key stakeholders, to contribute to reducing the prevalence of smoking in Aboriginal communities. The Yarning Tool was adapted from the ATRAC Framework and aims to promote the meaningful discussion, planning and strengthening of tobacco resistance and control activities using a continuous quality improvement (CQI) approach. CQI provides an opportunity to closer align current health service practice with evidence. The Yarning Tool was piloted using focus group testing across four Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs) and three Local Health Districts. Purposive sampling was used to ensure that services engaged were from a diverse range of settings, with representation from metropolitan, regional and rural areas, and services with varying degrees of tobacco control capacity. Overall, feedback on the Yarning Tool and its potential use was positive. Pilot participants consistently reported that the Yarning Tool brought staff from a range of positions together to focus on tackling tobacco for the service and community. The pilot participants agreed that the Yarning Tool could be practical for the planning and reviewing stages of a CQI activity, and recommended that the tool should be completed every 6 months. The Yarning Tool is a simple tool to guide the ATRAC Framework principles into practice, and provides a platform to support Aboriginal community-led efforts, and coordination and integration of tobacco control efforts. The tool shows promise as a mechanism to encourage ACCHSs and other relevant services to use a CQI approach to reduce tobacco use in Aboriginal communities.

More than 12% of Australian women who gave birth in 2012 reported smoking during pregnancy. Smoking during pregnancy may be under-reported as a result of negative societal attitudes towards pregnant women who smoke. This study sought to identify the extent and nature of online news readers' reactions to online news stories reporting Australian celebrity Chrissie Swan's admission of smoking while pregnant, and whether any smoking and pregnancy health information was included. Quantitative media content analysis. Readers' comments posted online in response to Australian online news stories and blogs reporting that Chrissie Swan had admitted smoking while pregnant were coded for inclusion in one of two categories: (1) opposing the judgement of Swan or (2) supporting the judgement of Swan. These comments were then grouped into seven frames. Comments that reflected the readers' own experiences of smoking during pregnancy and the inclusion of any helpful health information were also assessed. Comments that were critical of the judgement of Swan were most frequently found. Specific health facts and quit smoking advice rarely featured. Common frames were 'against making moral judgement' and 'smoking in pregnancy is wrong or harmful'. The lack of comments addressing the misinformation about smoking and quitting during pregnancy suggests a potential role for public health practitioners in future smoking and pregnancy communication programs. The increase in the number of Australians participating in online communities and blogs provides the opportunity for capacity building and resources to enable a proactive and rapid public health response to media opportunities.

Although primary care is at the forefront of delivering healthcare to the population, its role in preventing poor health has varied throughout history. Faced with growing demand on healthcare services and a rise in noncommunicable diseases, some health systems are attempting to integrate healthcare delivery with broader population health and wellbeing interventions. Liverpool has a rich history of taking action to improve population health; this paper discusses a range of interventions that have taken place across the city. There is a renewed opportunity to systematise approaches to primary and secondary prevention, strengthened by the lead that general practitioners now have in commissioning health services and their accountability for improved population health outcomes through clinical commissioning groups. This is strongly articulated in the Healthy Liverpool program, a city-wide plan for health and care services. This paper suggests that four key enablers strengthen delivery of public health priorities through primary care: maximising opportunities to identify risk factors for preventable disease, fully exploiting the data collected in primary care to plan and design services, responding to community needs and assets through community engagement, and addressing wider determinants of health through strong partnerships.

The New South Wales (NSW) Public Health Act 2010 requires water suppliers to implement a drinking water quality assurance program that addresses the 'Framework for management of drinking water quality' in the Australian drinking water guidelines. NSW Health has recognised the importance of a staged implementation of this requirement and the need to support regional water utilities. To date, NSW Health has assisted 74 regional utilities to develop and implement their management systems. The Public Health Act 2010 has increased awareness of drinking water risk management, and offers a systematic process to identify and control risks. This has benefited large utilities, smaller suppliers, and remote and Aboriginal communities. Work is continuing to ensure implementation of the process by private suppliers and water carters.