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Articles by Richard Pullin
Public health measures needed to tackle rise in cannabis-related harms
Introduction by Croakey: As concerns grow about Australia’s booming market for medicinal cannabis, new data has shown a jump in cases of cannabis-related hospital admissions in Victoria over the past decade. Around one million Australians now use medicinal cannabis, although only two of more than 800 products have been approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for specific clinical indications.
Research prompts call to tackle pharmaceutical industry promotion as a commercial determinant of health
Introduction by Croakey: It’s called the ‘gift relationship’ or ‘reciprocity’. You give me something and I feel obliged to pay you back. Pharmaceutical companies spend billions of dollars a year promoting their products. This includes gifts to doctors, such as free meals and travel costs, as well as visits from sales reps and sponsoring events at conferences.
Calling for action to end the pay gap for Indigenous workers
Researchers have put forward five key recommendations for addressing a significant pay gap experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, including requiring employers to take active steps to prevent racism. They also call for flexible work and leave arrangements to be designed for Indigenous employees, with recognition for responsibilities such as kinship care and Sorry Business.
Timely launch for new tool to hold fossil fuel companies and governments to account
Introduction by Croakey: The planned expansion of the largest coal mine in NSW will result in an estimated 462,000 more people being exposed to dangerously high temperatures and 435 additional heat-related deaths in Europe, according to expert calculations.
Preventing domestic and family violence, what will it take?
According to Australian Femicide Watch, 54 Australian women and 21 children have lost their lives to violence so far this year. Experts have called for greater investment in prevention of domestic and family violence, and for implementation of longstanding recommendations by Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) and Indigenous women and communities.
How the Australian Government can act with the urgency demanded by the climate crisis
Introduction by Croakey: A scorching summer across western Europe, wildfires across Canada and the tragic glacial collapse devastating parts of Nepal and Tibet have again underscored the dangers of global warming, and the urgent need to step up effective climate action. A United Nations report this month made clear the world has missed its goal of limiting the rise in global temperatures to 1.5 degrees C, and we are now looking at an ‘overshoot, peak and decline’ pathway.
This place-based approach to addressing poverty brings measurable and wide-ranging health benefits
Introduction by Croakey: Despite being a well-documented health hazard, poverty is generally not treated or prevented with the same urgency as we treat infections, diabetes or hypertension, according to United States paediatrician Professor Mona Hanna. Hanna founded the first universal and unconditional prenatal and infant cash program in the United States, and has been involved in growing the Rx Kids program since its launch in Michigan State in 2024.
Online information is set to become even more unreliable – here’s why
Introduction by Croakey: An investigation by The Guardian recently revealed that Federal Parliamentary inquiry processes are being “flooded with AI-generated material”, with dozens of policy submissions found to incorrectly summarise real research and invent or wrongly cite sources. “In some instances, Google’s AI summary and ChatGPT will also cite the inquiry submission with the fake reference as a source, creating an ongoing cycle of misinformation,” reported The Guardian.
With mass bird deaths becoming more common, expert advice for those in close contact with infected animals
Introduction by Croakey: Although many of the mass bird deaths from avian influenza are occurring in isolated areas, increasing numbers of Australians are seeing birds that have died or are sick from the virus. ABC News published photos this week of residents in the south-west Victorian town of Portland removing carcasses from beaches in the area. Croakey has previously covered some of the wider health impacts of the outbreak, including upon mental health and wellbeing, and rural communities.
As New South Wales supports buyback scheme, expert calls for a broader gun regulation agenda
Introduction by Croakey: In the wake of the 1996 Port Arthur mass shooting, the Howard Government’s gun buyback scheme won strong popular and bipartisan political support, and the backing of all states and territories. A similar scheme announced by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese after last year’s Bondi terror attack will kick off in November, 11 months after the shooting, and only in New South Wales. The plan has been criticised by firearms and rural groups and sparked political opposition.
Lessons from a small town in Arizona about addressing ‘memory care deserts’ in rural areas
Introduction by Croakey: The number of Australians aged 85 and over is projected to triple over the next 40 years – from 603,000 in 2024–25 to 1.9 million in 2065–66, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. The implications for health, community and aged care services are profound, especially in communities who have traditionally been under-served, including those in rural, regional and remote areas.
Amid calls for tighter regulation of AI scribes, what are the issues of concern?
Introduction by Croakey: The Therapeutic Goods Administration expects to soon publish its review of the use of artificial intelligence-powered clinical scribes, along with updated guidance for developers, according to Health Services Daily (paywall).
Along with the joy, FIFA World Cup brings public health risks (and a success story)
Introduction by Croakey: Feelings of joy, national pride, a sense of connection – for travelling fans, the FIFA World Cup has a happiness payoff. But global sporting events also affect public health, from greater infectious disease transmission, promotion of unhealthy products such as alcohol, risks from match-day stress, strain on local healthcare systems and even increased CO2 emissions from private jets.
Why so many cold and flu tablets don’t work – and how else to manage nasal congestion
Introduction by Croakey: United States pharma giant Johnson & Johnson is facing class action lawsuits in Australia and New Zealand over the sale of cold and flu medicines such as Codral and Benadryl. The actions allege the firm breached consumer laws by claiming an active ingredient in the products, phenylephrine, was an effective nasal decongestant, when in fact it is no better than a placebo.
Advancing a framework for analysing and resisting harmful policies targeting trans people
Introduction by Croakey: In South Africa, anti-immigrant campaigns are being framed as acts of community protection, a response to concerns about crime, unemployment and failing public services. In Australia, One Nation’s Pauline Hanson warned 10 years ago that ordinary citizens could find themselves living under Sharia law as the country risked being swamped by Muslims with “a culture and an ideology that is incompatible with our own”.
Tackling online hate requires a systemic focus on prevention
Introduction by Croakey: The European Observatory for Online Hate is funded by the European Union and uses artificial intelligence to identify, analyse and act against hate speech with the aim of “fostering a safer digital environment for all”.
The scale of global challenges demands a new legal order
Introduction by Croakey: In 1838, the Ottoman Empire and major maritime states formed the Superior Council of Health of Constantinople to supervise sanitary regulation of Turkish ports to prevent the spread of cholera. This early application of international law recognised that the world faces problems such as disease that have no respect for national borders. Pandemics show that this challenge remains; and the world now faces climate change.
One Nation’s anti‑abortion turn shows MAGA’s creep in Australia
Introduction by Croakey: Remember Donald Trump and the rumours of missing pets in Springfield, Ohio? “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs,” now-President Trump said in his first debate with Kamala Harris. “The people that came in, they’re eating the cats.” It’s a well-worn part of the MAGA playbook: find a minor or localised issue and aggressively escalate it to rally supporters, in this case over immigration.
National housing policy needs much more work
Introduction by Croakey: Social and progressive groups threw their weight behind the Federal Government’s proposed changes to capital gains tax and negative gearing at a two-day Senate hearing this week. The reforms would “make our tax system fairer, improve housing affordability and stability, and are good for the economy”, said the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS), while the Australia Institute said the changes could help unlock the housing system for young people.
Rice feeds billions of people, but its cultivation also fuels climate change
Introduction by Croakey: Rice is one of the world’s staple foods, with crops covering about 11 percent of all arable land. It is also a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Unlike dryland crops such as wheat, barley or chickpeas, rice is traditionally grown in flooded paddies, which create ideal conditions for bacteria to thrive on deteriorating organic matter, releasing methane.
Kids need to play — city design and resources affect their access
Introduction by Croakey: Whether it’s spending time on electronic devices, parental concerns about safety or just the difficulty of finding somewhere suitable, children are spending less time playing outdoors. But outdoor play, particularly in parks and green spaces, offers many benefits beyond simple exercise. Unstructured activity time can involve imagination, problem-solving, socialisation, risk-taking and discovery – all vital for children’s development.
The numbers are in – nature is good for business and health
Introduction by Croakey: For every US$1 the world invests in protecting nature, it spends US$30 on destroying it, according to a recent report by the UN Environment Programme — and yet we all rely on the natural world for our existence. Short-term profit models and environmentally harmful subsidies mean biodiversity loss is accelerating, threatening ecosystems that provide essential services such as crop pollination, water purification, flood protection and carbon sequestration.
Hantavirus and Ebola outbreaks need a One Health research approach
Introduction by Croakey: Global health reforms have failed to keep pace with the rising risk from pandemics, according to a new high-level report that comes in the wake of rare hantavirus cases aboard a cruise ship and a serious Ebola outbreak in West Africa. “Infectious disease outbreaks are becoming more frequent and more consequential,” the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board said in a report on Monday. “The world is not yet meaningfully safer” than a decade ago, it added.
NDIS reforms to give more power to minister, boost automated decision-making
Introduction by Croakey: An “extraordinarily short timeline”, greater ministerial powers and the prospect of automated decision-making have added to fears among disability advocates over the scope and size of the Government’s reform plans for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). As the ABC has reported Labor plans to reduce NDIS participation from 760,000 people currently to 600,000 by 2030 and to cut the cost of the scheme from the current forecast of $70 billion to $55 billion.
As cardiologists sound alarm on ultra‑processed foods, research reveals industry tactics for increasing sales
Introduction by Croakey: A continuing increase in consumption of ultra-processed foods is a leading global public health concern, according to new advice aiming to make cardiologists more aware of associated risks.
Examining the link between tattoos and vision loss
Introduction by Croakey: One in three Australians now has and, as body ink becomes more widespread, interest is rising in the potential health risks. Two European studies have pointed to a slight increase in the risk of lymphoma for people with tattoos, and the EU moved in 2022 to restrict metals and compounds thought to be carcinogenic from tattoo ink.
Stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, 20,000 seafarers face fear, exhaustion and isolation
Introduction by Croakey: As the United States and Iran renew their struggle for control of the Strait of Hormuz, little has changed for the estimated 20,000 sailors stranded aboard some 2,000 ships for the past two months. Unable to get home, living in fear of a missile strike and facing shortages of basic supplies, International Transport Workers Federation maritime coordinator Jacqueline Smith describes their condition as living in “purgatory”.
Australia to mandate controls on infant formula marketing
Introduction by Croakey: Australia is working on legislation to restrict the marketing of infant formula, moving away from a voluntary agreement in a bid to help promote breastfeeding. Breastmilk is good for babies and cheap for parents. Nearly all mothers in Australia start off breastfeeding, but studies point to a rapid drop-off during the early weeks.
Call to make pancreatic cancer a national health priority
Introduction by Croakey: Katie Allen, the paediatrician and former Liberal MP who died last December, only discovered she had pancreatic cancer when her daughter asked her over lunch why Allen’s eyes were so yellow. As a doctor, she realised at once that painless jaundice meant only one thing. Allen died just over two years later from the disease, known for its poor survival rate and the difficulty of early detection.
Preventing deaths from the weapons of war requires better care long after peace is declared
Introduction by Croakey: As we consider the wide-ranging health impacts of the escalating war in the Middle East – in both the short and long term – recent research underscores the need to strengthen emergency, critical and surgical care in conflict-affected areas to reduce preventable deaths. These deaths from landmines and unexploded ordnance sometimes occur decades after war is over, in a reminder that peace does not always bring safety.
Wasting nurses’ skills adds to pressure on general practice
Introduction by Croakey: Too many nurses are still doing the photocopying or emptying the bins rather than providing clinical and health promotion services, even as recent regulatory changes and reform agendas attempt to address constraints on scope of practice in primary healthcare. However, successive reports and reviews have found most nurses working in general practice are not using all their skills, while nurses themselves say they want to do more.
Bulk-billing rates rise, but at what cost?
Introduction by Croakey: In radio interviews today, Health Minister Mark Butler was upbeat about a recently reported increase in bulk-billing rates among GPs, while acknowledging that rates remain relatively low in some areas, including the ACT, Western Australia, Hobart, the Hunter Valley and Newcastle.
Study backs ‘profound autism’ tag for those with highest needs
Introduction by Croakey: The prevalence of autism over the past 30 years in Australia. and greater awareness are leading to more people with average or above-average intelligence and functional language being identified as autistic. This has raised concerns, voiced by the Lancet Commission, that those individuals with severe intellectual disability, minimal or absent language and high daily support needs may be marginalised and miss out on access to services.
New national psychiatry body seeks greater focus on severe complex mental illness
Introduction by Croakey: In the wake of this month’s NSW Coronial report on the Bondi Junction Westfield killings, and debates about the continuity of psychiatric care in Australia, a new professional body is going to lobby for mental health reform.
As health leaders sound alarm over Trump’s latest assault on climate, what are the possibilities in an era of disruption?
Introduction by Croakey: Health and medical experts and organisations are lining up to condemn the Trump Administration’s latest assault on climate action. The repeal on 12 February of the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2009 Endangerment Finding ends the legal basis for EPA regulation of climate pollution to protect public health. “The Endangerment Finding is not a political statement.
Violence at work is a concern beyond healthcare - calls for a national plan to tackle violence against teachers
Introduction by Croakey: From emergency departments to GPs and first responders, rising levels of abuse and violence in the healthcare sector have been well documented. But public education is also under stress. A survey of school principals has revealed a disturbing picture of an environment where threats and attacks are all too common, particularly for women. Some principals said they were hit or bitten, while nearly a third described a critical incident involving a parent.
One Health matters: scientists say rat poison review fails native wildlife
Introduction by Croakey: A review into the use of household rat poisons has disappointed environmental advocates, who say its recommendations will do little to prevent many native animals and birds suffering a slow and painful death. Concerns relate to the use of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs), widely available poisons that kill rats and mice by causing uncontrollable internal bleeding.
Is it time to restrict bull bars in our cities?
Introduction by Croakey: Bull bars are designed to protect vehicles from collisions with kangaroos or other animals, but it’s long been known they increase the severity of injuries for pedestrians and cyclists in accidents. There’s been plenty of over the past 30 years about more stringent regulations, with significant pushback from the rural and off-road users. However, the latest road toll data for Australia shows pedestrian deaths hit an 18-year high in 2025 and cyclist deaths jumped.
One Health matters: social activity in whales and dolphins shapes spread of infectious diseases
Introduction by Croakey: Wildlife diseases are on the rise, driven by factors such as the globalisation of trade, habitat loss and pollution. Bird flu has devasted both wild populations and the poultry industry, while the new Australian Centre for Disease Control notes that of the 30 new human pathogens detected in the past three decades, three-quarters started in animals.
Why communications dropped out during Victoria’s devastating bushfires
Introduction by Croakey: Australians have embraced their mobile phones, using them for everything from communications, to news and entertainment and banking – as well as emergency warnings. Yet during Victoria’s recent devastating fires, some rural residents were left without access to official warnings, emergency apps or broadcast guidance due to power outages and the destruction of telecommunications infrastructure.
Tackling acute food insecurity - from crises to supply chains and lessons from Brazil
Introduction by Croakey: The world produces enough food to feed nearly 1.5 times the global population, yet more than 300 million people face crisis levels of hunger or worse next year – double the number from 2019. In a new report, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) warn of a narrowing window to prevent millions more people slipping into acute food insecurity.
Figures don’t support “youth crime crisis” claims
Introduction by Croakey: Victoria has followed Queensland and the Northern Territory in legislative changes that will see more children tried in adult courts, amid media reports and of a “youth crime crisis”. The changes follow high-profile media coverage of home invasions and gang fights in Melbourne shopping centres, putting pressure on the State Government to act ahead of an election next year, but have been condemned by children’s rights and Aboriginal groups.
Law reform needed to ensure safety of LGBTQIA+ students and teachers
Introduction by Croakey: Reducing traumatic experiences during childhood is essential for suicide prevention and for contributing to lifelong wellbeing, according a report released this week by Suicide Prevention Australia. The report makes clear that the education sector has an important role in preventing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and ensuring trauma-informed responses, and makes a number of related recommendations.
Drug driving is dangerous; here’s a toolkit for reducing its toll
Introduction by Croakey: “If you drink, then drive, you’re a bloody idiot” is regarded as one of Australia’s most successful anti-drink drive slogans. First aired in 1989, it helped change cultural norms, making drink driving socially unacceptable and contributing to the country’s success in cutting down alcohol-related road deaths. New figures, however, show drugs are now involved in more fatal crashes than alcohol.
Plane and car crash safety still skewed to “average man”, putting women at risk
Introduction by Croakey: From uncomfortably cold offices, to ill-fitting stab vests and undiagnosed heart disease, women have long sat on the wrong side of the gender gap in a world that tends to focus on the male perspective. The examples above result from setting office temperatures on the metabolic resting rate of the average man, designing personal protective equipment to male body types, and under-recognising differences in male and female clinical presentations for heart disease.
On the lasting trauma of major storms, and a call for collective recovery
Introduction by Croakey: News reports of last week’s devastating hurricane in the Caribbean have turned inevitably to talk of the clean-up challenge, updated death tolls and the size of insured losses. Hurricane Melissa’s rampage affected nearly six million people in Haiti, Cuba and Jamaica, causing extensive damage and loss of life. Relief efforts are focused on providing food and shelter for hardest hit families.
Climate change: a crisis of intergenerational justice
Introduction by Croakey: As Australia’s divided Liberal Party looks to be shifting away from net zero by 2050, under pressure from the Nationals, expect to hear more about the issue of intergenerational justice. A moderate Liberal Senator crossed the floor of Parliament last week to support a bill – swiftly defeated – that would have forced governments to consider the health and wellbeing of children and future generations when evaluating projects that could worsen climate change.
Food insecurity worse for those with poor mental health
Introduction by Croakey: Food insecurity is increasingly recognised as a public health issue with social and psychological dimensions. A new study has provided the first empirical evidence from regional Australia linking the problem with poor mental health and diagnosed mental illness. The research found that more than one in three people across the Illawarra and Shoalhaven regions of New South Wales had struggled to afford food in the past year.
A ban on combustion engines may be a tough ask - but it’s needed
Introduction by Croakey: The Electric Vehicle Council called this month for an end to the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in Australia by 2035 to help speed up the transition to electric vehicles (EVs). It would be a bold step for the Government, which has yet to even set an EV sales target, with Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen relying instead on market forces and investment in EV charging to drive change.
Public hospital health and safety reforms vital despite funding crisis
Introduction by Croakey: Severe financial constraints have left Australia’s public hospital system battling to satisfy the expectations of both patients and staff. State and territory leaders say the latest offer on funding from the Commonwealth will lead to a shortfall of billions of dollars. At the same time, hospitals must meet newly introduced work health and safety reforms. Professor Leanne Rowe says complying with the new requirements is not optional and is urgently needed.
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