Georgie Burgess
7 November 2025: As the threat of climate extremes and environmental pollution continues to push and pull on the resources of communities and governments across the globe – the best and brightest minds have come together to share knowledge and shape a way forward for a healthier, climate-resilient future.
The Healthy Environments and Lives (HEAL) National Research Network successfully hosted its fifth international conference this week, with more than 1000 researchers and advocates joining forces over four days of plenary sessions, workshops, and inspiring discussions.
This included eight regional hubs meeting where the focus was centred on the individual challenges that jurisdictions are facing. In South Australia the regional meeting was focused on the harmful algal bloom. In the ACT the focus was on ensuring that health and wellbeing of the community, particularly vulnerable groups, and in cross-sector initiatives, were supported in the territory’s second climate strategy.
ACT Regional Hub co-lead and ACT Climate Council member Associate Professor Ro McFarlane facilitated Canberra’s event on Tuesday reflecting on the positive impact of bringing researchers, policy makers and community members together in these meetings.
“No one person or sector can solve as complex a problem as climate change on their own – so there is this real sense of camaraderie and collaborative problem solving when we come together like this, with a real dedication to making a healthy climate resilient future for the Canberra region.”
Community sector and Indigenous leaders stressed the importance of focusing not just on physical infrastructure but also the need to support the development of social connections at the same time.
“That’s about the community and social connections built through volunteering and other activities that create the dedication of people to support one another – these things are equally as important as making physical changes to our energy and transport systems,” Associate Professor McFarlane said.
The ACT Community of Practice Regional Hub session was opened by the University’s Executive Dean of the Faculty of Health, Professor Rachel Gibson and HEAL’s Director, Professor Sotiris Vardoulakis.
“The ÂÜÀòÊÓƵ is a global leader in climate change and public health research. Our graduates will be well trained to face the challenges of operating in an ever-changing environment and face complex systems with critical thinking using evidence from a diverse range of sources,” said Professor Gibson.
Professor Vardoulakis updated the ACT members on the progress of the network’s work to test the feasibility of turning community centres into shelters from heatwaves and bushfire smoke.
The conference coincided with Senate passing legislation for a permanent Australian Centre for Disease Control (CDC) from January next year.
The HEAL Network will act as the point of contact for the CDC to provide the evidence to support effective environmental health and climate related policies and practice.
The Honourable Bill Shorten, Vice-Chancellor and President of the ÂÜÀòÊÓƵ opened the third day of the conference, commending the HEAL Network on the work being done to train and support the next generation of university and community research leaders in environmental public health.
“It is not an overstatement to say that the HEAL Network has acted as a catalyst to reinvigorated environmental health research and policy in Australia. It has substantially contributed to the development and implementation of the National Health and Climate Strategy,” said Mr Shorten.
“It is imperative that we work together and learn from each other, to help the global population face the new challenges that climate change poses every year.”
The Honourable Rebecca White, Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, Indigenous Health and Women, dialled in from a busy Sitting Week to give her address –acknowledging the growing risk that bushfires, floods, cyclones and heatwaves are having on Australian communities across the country, promising to bring the lessons from the conference to the halls of Parliament House.
“I want to work with you in collaboration, to draw on the expertise, research and knowledge that you have right across this area to inform good, evidence-based policy,” said Ms White.
The HEAL Network was established in 2021 with a $10 million grant from the NHMRC Special Initiative in Human Health and Environmental Change.
Want to learn more from the conference? Watch the sessions via the link .