Environmental Health Australia – Strengthening Global Environmental Health

Marking the signing of an historic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between CIEH and Environmental Health Australia (EHA), EHA President Melissa Burn has written this blog in which she talks about EHA, the challenges they faced and the difference the MoU will make to people working in the profession...

Environmental Health Australia (EHA) is the peak professional body representing environmental health practitioners across Australia. EHA provides national leadership for the profession and supports the development of its members. Our mission is to enhance environmental health and safety in communities through advocacy, promotion, education, and collaboration.

In short: “We protect people from hazards in their environment.”

EHA members work in a wide range of settings — from local, state, and territory governments to academia, research institutions, private industry, and the defence force.

Founded in 1936, EHA has undergone several evolutions to reflect the changing nature of the profession and its growing impact. We are also a proud founding member of the International Federation of Environmental Health (IFEH), alongside 45 other global environmental health organisations, including the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH).

EHA operates as a national not-for-profit entity, governed by a board of representatives from each state and territory association. These include Queensland, New South Wales (incorporating the ACT), Tasmania, South Australia, and Western Australia (also representing the Northern Territory).

Each state and territory association supports members locally through professional development, annual conferences, regional and special interest groups, and ongoing leadership initiatives.

Championing Environmental Health in Australia

EHA’s core focus is to enhance public health through the promotion and practice of environmental health. We support our members with access to training, accreditation programs, conferences, and policy development tools — and play a critical role in representing the profession both nationally and internationally.

Over the past two years, the EHA National Board has prioritised advocacy in two key areas — with one of them being the Environmental Health workforce.

We’ve been working to elevate the recognition of Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) and improve the supply of qualified professionals through better workforce development pathways.

It’s widely acknowledged that the current supply of Australian university graduates is not meeting the national demand for EHOs. These highly trained, multi-skilled science professionals are essential to health protection in our communities — bridging the gap between environmental science and public health.

Australia and the UK – Facing Common Challenges

Despite being on opposite sides of the world, Australia and the UK face remarkably similar environmental health challenges — including air pollution, climate change, food safety, water quality, and waste management. While our approaches may differ based on local contexts and infrastructure, our commitment to public health is aligned.

To strengthen international collaboration, EHA and CIEH have mapped out the professional accreditation standards in our respective countries. This work led to a significant outcome: the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between EHA and CIEH — establishing formal recognition of environmental health qualifications across Australia and England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

This milestone creates an official pathway for our members to work across borders and enhances professional mobility and growth.

Key benefits of the MoU include:

• Harmonisation of professional standards
• Opportunities to address workforce shortages
• Mutual recognition of qualifications, training, and CPD
• Enhanced leadership capacity in both countries
• A shared commitment to modern, evidence-based practice
• Stronger, more resilient responses to emerging environmental health challenges

Introducing: International Associate Membership

To support international collaboration, EHA has launched a new International Associate Membership category. If you reside outside Australia and hold a qualification in environmental health, we invite you to become part of the EHA community.

To apply, please email: [email protected]  

Benefits of International Associate Membership include:

• Year-round access to professional development webinars
• Discounts on registration for EHA events in Australia
• Subscription to the EHA National Newsletter
• Access to EHA’s online member platform to connect, share insights, and engage with global peers

We look forward to building on the strong foundations between our countries — and continuing our shared progress in protecting and promoting environmental health around the world.