Helen Haines has long ties to public health group

The Public Health Association of Australia has backed Helen Haines after what it called an attack on the independent Member for Indi, saying it was shocked and saddened.

Public Health Association of Australia chief executive Adj Prof Terry Slevin said Haines had a close connection to the organisation, including as a member and a presenter at its conferences. He said the group also regularly engaged with Haines in her political role.

Slevin said Haines was a founding co-convenor of the Parliamentary Friends of Public Health with Dr Mike Freelander MP, which commenced in 2019.

Haines’ public health background

Slevin said Helen Haines trained as a nurse and midwife, earned a Master’s degree in Public Health at the University of New South Wales, and completed a doctoral degree in medical science at Uppsala University in Sweden in 2012.

He said her doctoral thesis was titled “‘No worries’: A longitudinal study of fear, attitudes and beliefs about childbirth from a cohort of Australian and Swedish women”.

In his message of support, Slevin described Haines as “an extraordinary person” and said she remained determined to draw on the best available evidence to promote improved policy.

Slevin said Haines had been a consistent voice for fair and progressive public policy making and an unwavering supporter of strong public health policy and practice. He also wished Haines and her family well over the “challenging days, weeks, and months ahead” and said the association wished her a speedy recovery.

Related: Attack on Helen Haines condemned