Improving sleep health – an advocacy update

May 14 2021 

ASA is working alongside the Sleep Health Foundation to plan the next phase of our advocacy work to improve sleep health in Australia. 

The story so far

The two organisations achieved success together in securing the federal parliamentary Inquiry into Sleep Health in Australia. The inquiry’s final report, Bedtime Reading, included 11 valuable recommendations to achieve positive change for better sleep health. 

While the report was tabled in parliament in April 2019, there has been no response from the Government in the intervening years. 

It was thought that the National Preventive Health Strategy currently in development might include some kind of response to the report’s recommendations. However, the Draft National Preventive Health Strategy was recently released for public comment, and there was virtually no mention of sleep. 

The ASA and Sleep Health Foundation prepared submissions to the consultation, and encouraged members to also make submissions to correct this important omission. Many individuals and key research bodies did so, and we will now see whether those submissions have any effect on the final version of the strategy.

If you could change two things to improve sleep health, what would they be?

We’re working on developing the next phase of our advocacy work, and we want to hear from you.

There’ll be opportunities in coming weeks for more comprehensive feedback, but our first question is straightforward: If you could change two things to improve sleep health, what would they be?

To give us your initial top two action issues, you can email Marcia Balzer or visit our new discussion forum in the members’ section of the website.  You can find the forum by logging in to the website and navigating to: Members area> Discussion forum.

Other news

In other advocacy news, our New Zealand Branch has been hard at work preparing a report on sleep health in Māori populations, and was able to secure a grant to support this project. Once completed, the report will provide a solid evidence base for advocacy on Māori sleep health issues.

The Sleep Health Foundation last week released its latest report: Rise and try to shine: the social and economic costs of sleep disorders prepared by Deloitte Access Economics. It updates the estimated cost of sleep problems to the Australian economy and community.

Got questions? 

Contact Marcia Balzer or visit our new discussion forum on the ASA website.