Initiated in early 2007 by Ruth Colagiuri and Justice Terry Sheahan from the NSW Land and Environment Court (formerly President of the NSW Worker’s Compensation Commission), Law + Health became OxHA’s sixth workstream.

In preparation for input into the OxHA 2008 Sydney Summit, the primary task of the Group was to explore the scope and power of the law to reduce potentially harmful health behaviours on a population basis by modifying the environment. To this end, two Oxford Dialogue meetings were held on the topic of law and health in relation to the workplace and the physical environment.

Summaries of Dialogue meetings are available here:

• Sydney Dialogue February 2007
• Melbourne Dialogue June 2007

The Law + Health Group was further assisted by Associate Professor Roger Magnusson from The University of Sydney’s Faculty of Law, and Professor Larry Gostin from Johns Hopkins University who provided invaluable insights into how the law might be applied to promote and protect health.

In early 2008 the Medical Journal of Australia published The law and chronic disease prevention: possibilities and politics, authored by Roger Magnusson and Ruth Colagiuri exploring the role of the law in changing average behaviour.

Since the OxHA 2008 Sydney Summit, a number of individuals, groups, governments and organisations, notably in the US and Europe, are actively pursuing the huge potential of the law to creating healthy places – urban design, a healthy food environment, healthy business practices and workplaces, health promoting joined-up public policy and healthy societies.

The application of the law to improving global and national governance for good health and making positive changes to average population behaviour to mitigate health risks is an exciting notion and is a pivotal strategy for implementing the five points of The Sydney Resolution. Examples include tobacco taxes, advertising and sale restrictions, and using zoning laws to reduce the density of fast food outlets.

How you can help - Donations in support of the Law + Health Working Group

The Law + Health Working Group has the guidance and commitment of highly regarded senior lawyers in Australia and the advice of world recognised international public health lawyers. What we need now is funding to establish a Law + Health International Network for sharing examples, models and frameworks for applying the law to benefit the health of people and the health of the planet.

If you would like to help by making a donation, please contact Renee Slade.