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Objective: Government inquiries present a policy window for advocates to influence policy. Evidence on how to write influential submissions, however, is sparse. We aimed to identify features of successful written submissions to the Parliament of Australia's Inquiry into Food Pricing and Food Security in Remote Indigenous Communities (Inquiry)., Method: A scoping review was conducted to identify influential features of written submissions to government inquiries. A content analysis of a sub-sample of government Inquiry submissions and their recommendations was then coded for influential features. The frequency of submission recommendations incorporated into the final Inquiry report was recorded, as was their link to influential features., Results: Thirty features were identified. Results from 21 submissions indicate that when writing a submission to a government inquiry, advocates should: (1) ensure their submission is clear and concise; (2) convey the authority of both the writer and supporting evidence; and (3) where possible, align submission recommendations with the government agenda., Conclusions: We encourage future research to test the framework of influential features on other inquiry topics and in other countries to increase the reliability of results., Implications for Public Health: This study consolidates and presents a list of features that advocates can consider incorporating when writing a submission to a government inquiry., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest Adam Delaine works for the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care. However this paper is in no way affiliated with the Department’s views or policies. All other authors disclose no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Many of the most effective and equitable policies to reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases threaten the interests of powerful corporations. A first step for public health advocates seeking to challenge powerful corporate interests is to understand the nature and extent of corporate political practices. This scoping review explored public health research on two political practices in Australia: lobbying and political donations., Methods: We searched six databases, two Google Advanced searches and 11 Australian public health websites. We screened 2866 documents in total, and extracted information about political practices, industry actors and datasets., Results: 62 studies published between 1980 and 2021 were identified, analysing public health advocacy, policy submissions, direct engagement with government representatives and political donations. We extracted data from 14 studies that focused on direct engagement and/or political donations. Most focused on 'unhealthy commodity industries.', Conclusions: Analysis of lobbying and political contributions in Australia is a nascent but expanding area of public health research. We discuss opportunities for future research to strengthen the evidence base and support public health advocacy to counter harmful corporate practices and promote and protect population health., Implications for Public Health: Countering powerful commercial interests requires greater investment in understanding corporate political activities., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: This article aims to examine the framing of the issue of food security in very remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in print media and press releases during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020., Methods: Newspaper articles were identified following a systematic search of the Factiva database, and press releases were identified from manual search of key stakeholder websites from January to June 2020 and analysed using a combined adapted framework of the Bacchi's What's the Problem Represented to be? Framework and the Narrative Policy Framework., Results: A food delivery "problem" dominated representations in press releases, and food supply at store level had prominence in print media. Both presented the cause of food insecurity as a singular, identifiable point in time, framed the issue as one of helplessness and lack of control, and proposed policy action., Conclusions: The issue of food security was represented in the media as a simple issue requiring an immediate fix, as opposed to a complex issue requiring a systems-level and sustained policy response., Implications for Public Health: This study will help to guide future media dialogue to impact on both immediate and longer-term solutions to food insecurity in very remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Australia., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest The authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The roles of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in regulating harmful commodity industries (HCIs) are understudied. The aim of this paper is to identify the NGOs and the roles that they play in the governance of the ultra-processed food and alcohol industries in Australia., Methods: We undertook an exploratory descriptive analysis of NGOs identified from an online search based on the typology we developed of type, issue area and governance function., Results: A total of 134 relevant Australian NGOs were identified: 38 work on food issues, 61 with alcohol issues and 35 are active in both. In the food domain, 90% of NGOs engage in agenda setting, 88% in capacity building, 15% in implementation and 12% in monitoring. In the alcohol domain, 92% of NGOs are active in agenda setting, 72% in capacity building, 35% in implementation and 8% in monitoring., Conclusions: Australian NGOs are active actors in the food and alcohol governance system., Implications for Public Health: There are many opportunities for NGOs to regulate HCI practices, building on their relative strengths in agenda setting and capacity building, and expanding their activities in monitoring and implementation. A more detailed examination is needed of strategies that can be used by NGOs to be effective regulators in the governance system., (© 2022 The Authors.)

Objective: Media framing of nutrition policy issues has been said to play a critical role in influencing public and political support for these issues. We examined the coverage of nutrition policy issues in the Australian news media to determine the key frames and expert sources used by the media., Methods: News articles published in Australia between 2008 and 2018 were retrieved from key media databases. Content analysis was used to identify nutrition policy issues reported and expert sources used. Frames were identified using a theoretical framework., Results: Seven nutrition policy categories were identified. Expert sources included representatives from public health, food industry and politicians. Six dominant frames were identified: government responsibility, industry responsibility, societal frame, individual responsibility, parental responsibility and nanny state frame. Nutrition experts tended to use thematic frames while government and food industry sources used episodic frames to deflect responsibility onto individuals., Conclusions: Despite high media representation of thematic frames and government responsibility in addressing nutrition policy issues, limited regulatory policy action has occurred in Australia. Implications for public health: Further research is needed to better understand different frames and their effectiveness in influencing public and political opinion. Greater coherence amongst health advocates would be beneficial to ensure a collective, recognised voice on issues., (© 2021 The Authors.)