The era of top down communication is dead and, it was observed in discussion, governments have not yet come to terms with this fairly dramatic change with huge implications for policy development.

For us in workplace health and safety (WHS) it means the days of thinking that developing and issuing a guidance note is an effective way to spend our time and money are well and truly over.

Meanwhile our colleagues in public health have been grappling with “systems thinking”. This has been in response to the development of knowledge on the social determinants of health – the recognition that health outcomes, such as obesity, are complex.. This is due to a myriad of interacting health risks (and opportunities) arising from personal and social and physical environmental factors.