#PHC2026
Preventive Health Conference 2026
'Sustaining Prevention'
Tuesday 5 to Thursday 7 May 2026
Hotel Grand Chancellor Hobart, Nipaluna Country/Hobart, Tasmania
Food Policy and Regulation Forum
Friday 8 May 2026
7:30am - 3:00pm
Hotel Grand Chancellor Hobart
Program - From Strategy to Delivery: Advancing Australia’s Food & Nutrition Priorities together
7:30am - 8:30am - Breakfast & Networking
8:30am - 8:50am: Opening & Framing
Speaker:
The Hon Julie Collins MP, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Minister for Small Business
8:50am - 9:30am: Strategy Lightning Updates
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Preventive Health Strategy and Obesity Strategy: Mr Ben Mudaliar, Assistant Secretary, Alcohol, Other Drugs and Food Branch, Population Health Division, Primary and Community Care Group, Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing
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Australian Dietary Guidelines: Dr Rosemary Stanton OAM
9:30am - 10:30am: Panel 1 – Advancing Australia’s Food & Nutrition Priorities Together
Understanding the System: Challenges, Constraints and Opportunities
Panel discussion building on the strategy updates, with a focus on deepening understanding of the key challenges, constraints and system processes shaping implementation of Australia’s food and nutrition agenda.
Panelists:
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Mr Ben Mudaliar, Assistant Secretary, Alcohol, Other Drugs and Food Branch, Population Health Division, Primary and Community Care Group, Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing
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Dr Rosemary Stanton OAM
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Dr Sandra Cuthbert, CEO, Food Standards Australia New Zealand
10:30am - 10:40am: Presentation
Speaker:
The Hon Rebecca White MP, Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, Women and Indigenous Health
10:40am - 11:00am: Morning Tea
11:00am - 12:00pm: Breakout Sessions
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Food Security & Equity
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Obesity Prevention & Healthy Food Environments
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Australian Dietary Guidelines: From Evidence to Action
12:00pm - 1:00pm - Lunch
1:00pm - 1:30pm: Breakout Sessions Report Back
1:30pm - 2:30pm: Panel 2 – What Would It Take to Deliver?
Senior representatives from key policy and regulatory institutions reflect on the priority actions emerging from breakout discussions and discuss their feasibility within existing policy and regulatory mechanisms.
Panelists:
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Ms Kitana Mansell, Project coordinator, Palawa Kipli
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Ms Marina Bowshall, Chief Executive, Preventive Health SA
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Ms Christel Leemhuis, General Manager – Public Health, Food Standards Australia New Zealand
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Ms Jane Martin, Executive Manager, Food for Health Alliance (FHA) and Alcohol and Obesity Programs at Cancer Council Victoria
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Ms Liz Munn, Director Population Health Policy & Engagement, Centre for Population Health, NSW Health
2:30pm - 2:50pm: Reflections from Panel 1 participants / lightening strategies
2:50pm - 3:00pm: Forum Close
The program will be updated as confirmed.
Background
Food and nutrition are foundational to protecting and improving the health of populations. However, Australia’s food systems and environments continue to promote dietary patterns that contribute significantly to chronic disease, early mortality, and health inequities. The manufacture, promotion, and availability of energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods remain dominant, with impacts disproportionately affecting disadvantaged communities.
Bi-partisan governments have recognised the importance of food environments through national policy frameworks including the National Preventive Health Strategy 2021–2030 and the National Obesity Strategy 2022–2032. These strategies provide a roadmap for enabling Australians to eat well and for reducing diet-related disease through action across food systems, environments, and health services.
Recent monitoring of these strategies indicates mixed progress. While some preventive health indicators have improved, overall diet-related outcomes have not substantially changed, with obesity prevalence remaining stable and preventive health investment continuing to represent a small proportion of total health expenditure. This highlights ongoing challenges in translating policy commitments into sustained implementation and measurable population health improvements.
Food policy continues to evolve across jurisdictions through reviews of food standards governance, nutrition labelling, and broader food system initiatives. Despite ongoing consultation and policy development across governments, agencies, and stakeholders, many evidence-based interventions to improve food environments remain under consideration or at early stages of implementation. Continued collaboration across government, research, civil society, and the food system will be essential to support sustained progress toward healthier and more equitable food environments.
The PHAA will be running a one-day Food Policy and Regulation Forum in Hobart on Friday 8 May as a satellite event following the Preventive Health Conference (5-7 May). Through a program focused on conversation and workshopping, the Forum aims to build relationships between the stakeholders who are committed to improving nutrition-related health outcomes and discuss solutions for challenges in the current food policy and regulation landscape.
Forum Objectives
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Facilitate cross-sectoral discussion of current priorities in health-related food policy and regulation.
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Strengthen relationships between stakeholders and build shared understanding of emerging challenges and opportunities across research, policy, and government.
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Share perspectives on progress in implementing national food and preventive health policy commitments.
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Explore practical policy options, including barriers and enablers to implementation of evidence-based measures to improve food environments.
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Create opportunities for government agencies to engage with independent expertise, research evidence, and policy analysis.
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Consider future directions for food regulation and governance, including evolving roles across the food system.
Target Audience
The target audience is current and future leaders in health-focused food policy and regulation from a range of sectors including:
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Research (food policy and regulation)
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Civil society (public health, consumer and advocacy organisations)
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Government (Commonwealth, state and territory agencies involved in health, food regulation, and food systems policy)
Registrations
Below is an outline of registration types and costs. The Forum is only open to Face-to-Face attendees.
Please note: The Food Policy and Regulation Forum is not open to any person who has a conflict of interest due to financial relationships, direct or indirect, with the alcohol, gambling and food industry.
Attendees registered to attend the Preventive Health Conference 2026 benefit from a discount on their Food Policy and Regulation Forum 2026. You can register for the Preventive Health Conference on the dedicated page of this website.
Groups of 2+ registrations can use the group registration portal.
PHAA Member
F2F Registration
Standard $475
PHC26 Attendees $375
PHAA Member
Student / Concession
F2F Registration
Standard $375
PHC26 Attendees $275
Non-Member
F2F Registration
Standard $625
PHC26 Attendees $525
Non-Member
Student / Concession
F2F Registration
Standard $525
PHC26 Attendees $425
Sponsors
We would like to thank the following Sponsor for their support of the forum.
The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing is committed to achieving our vision of better health and wellbeing for all Australians, now and for future generations. Our strategic priorities are to drive better health and ageing outcomes for all Australians; deliver an affordable, quality health and aged care system; and promote better sport outcomes.
Our purpose is to support the Government to lead and shape Australia’s health and aged care system and sporting outcomes through evidence-based policy, well targeted programs and best practice regulation. We will achieve this through four outcomes – health policy, access and support; individual health benefits; ageing and aged care regulation, and sport and physical activity.