Australia’s health 2026 and a snapshot of The Social Deck’s work in health

July 29, 2026

Read more posts Illustration of a diverse group of people standing together, including a woman wearing a hijab, a woman using a wheelchair, an older woman with grey hair, and a pregnant woman, representing different ages, ethnicities, body types, and abilities.

Illustration of a diverse group of people standing together, including a woman wearing a hijab, a woman using a wheelchair, an older woman with grey hair, and a pregnant woman, representing different ages, ethnicities, body types, and abilities.

Australia’s health report card for 2026 has arrived – our lives are longer, but 3 in 5 Australians live with at least one chronic condition¹.

For The Social Deck, this report, released on 9 July 2026, is a fascinating and familiar read. As an organisation working all over the country on issues that affect Australians, Australia’s health 2026 closely reflects our experiences and learnings, particular from our work in health and wellbeing.

In Australia’s health 2026 key findings, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) identifies a few key areas we’ve been working and that are issues close to our heart.

Dementia is now the leading cause of death in Australia

In 2024, the Australian Government released the National Dementia Action Plan. It is a 10-year policy framework which aims to improve the lives and care of people living with dementia, their carers and families. We helped to make sure the action plan was in plain English and accessible for communities as part of our partnership with MP Consulting.

For 2 years we worked with the Department of Health to engage with people all over the country to share information about aged care reforms and learn about what people will need, and what they are concerned about, as they age. From needing clear information about aged care facilities to investment in dementia care, including additional Specialist Dementia Care Program units, reforms are part of building a strong and sustainable ageing and aged care system.

Preventative actions could reduce Australia’s disease burden by 36%

As behaviour change experts, we’re passionate about prevention and community-wide action. A few years ago, we supported the Department of Health’s cervical cancer prevention efforts. We developed and tested communications materials for under- or never-screened people to prompt and motivate them to book a screening appointment. We then worked on resources to communicate a new self-collection option for cervical screening to targeted audiences such as multicultural and First Nations communities.

Two National Cervical Screening Program information sheets for culturally and linguistically diverse communities, shown overlapping. The front sheet, 'Cervical Screening Test – your choices explained', uses numbered illustrated steps to explain what cervical screening is, who should have it, and the choice between a clinician-collected or self-collected sample, alongside a diagram of the cervix and contact details for booking an appointment or accessing an interpreter. The sheet behind, 'Cervical Screening Test – how to collect your own sample', shows step-by-step illustrated instructions for self-collection. Both feature the Australian Government crest and purple branding with a dot-pattern border.

Cancer outcomes are improving, due to advances in diagnosis and treatment

In an area close to our hearts, we were thrilled this year to support MBC Action Australia to launch the MBC Hub, a one-stop-shop for credible information and resources about metastatic breast cancer. The Hub was co-designed so that it truly meets the needs of patients and their families. We look forward to maintaining, improving, and promoting the MBC Hub as it develops into a world-class resource.

Use of First Nations-specific care is increasing

Our team is passionate about supporting the health and wellbeing of First Nations people and communities. We recently wrapped up a 2-year communications and engagement partnership with the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission to help communicate and embed quality and safety standards in First Nations aged care. Led by our First Nations Engagement Manager, we co-designed resources with First Nations providers, stakeholders and community members.

Flip chart page from an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander aged care resource. Text reads 'You have rights. Your connection to family, community and Country must be respected. It's your aged care, your way.' Illustrations show a First Nations Elder reading with children, an Elder embracing a young child, and a family walking together under trees. Aboriginal dot-painting artwork borders the page, with navigation tabs at the bottom for 'Explaining aged care options' (selected), 'Planning your home care', 'Planning your residential aged care', and 'Speaking up'. Page 3

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Mental health conditions affect many Australians

Since 2024, we’ve provided ongoing strategic communications support to Embrace Multicultural Mental Health. Embrace works across the mental health sector to strengthen culturally responsive service delivery, while also equipping communities with resources and guidance to navigate mental health systems.

We’ve seen the impact that purpose-driven community engagement, social research, and strategic communications can have on health outcomes all over Australia. And we’re grateful to have Australia’s health 2026 as a valuable resource to help inform our work in health moving forward.

If you’re working on projects to tackle Australia’s health challenges and improve the health of Australians, we’re here to help. Get in touch with our Director of Impact and Engagement, Mel Butcher, to find out more about how we can support you.

How can we help?

Email: team@thesocialdeck.com
Call: 0491 617 118