Tassie link to national health launch

Attending the launch of the National Parkinson’s Action Plan in Canberra are (from left) Menzies director Professor Tracey Dickson, Professor Michele Callisaya, Mike Whitehouse, Dr Harley Stanton, Professor Jane Alty, Claire Myers and Dr Barbara de Graaff

Published on: 10 April 2026

Author: Duncan Abey - The Mercury

A national strategy to tackle the world’s fastest-growing neurological disease has celebrated its Tasmanian origins during a “watershed” launch in Canberra.

The National Parkinson’s Action Plan is a government- supported blueprint focused on earlier diagnosis, improved data, workforce capability, and equitable access to care and support.

NPAP was shaped by grassroots advocacy that began in Tasmania and led to the National Parkinson’s Alliance – a body that, in 2024, received $800,000 in federal funding to deliver Australia’s first co-ordinated action plan. In Australia, a person is diagnosed with the condition every 40 minutes.

National Parkinson’s Alliance director, Youngtown’s Dr Harley Stanton, described the NPAP as a “giant step” for people living with the disease, and said it offered the chance for Australia to become a global leader in medical research.

“This will be a game- changer if the government is willing to support the implementation of the plan, one of only a handful in the world,” Dr Stanton, a retired World Health Organisation public health scientist, said.

“It will ensure earlier diagnosis, better care, treatment and support for research and prevention.”

Dr Stanton, who was himself diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2019, was joined at the Canberra launch by fellow Tasmanian NPA directors Professor Jane Alty, Professor Michele Callisaya, and Claire Myers from Parkinson’s Tasmania.

“The Action Plan will help to ensure people living with Parkinson’s and their families receive fair and equitable access, and address unmet needs,” University of Tasmania neurologist Prof Alty said.

Ms Myers described the NPAP as a watershed moment for the community.

“The plan promises a national framework for consistent care so that from the moment a person is diagnosed, they feel supported and empowered to navigate their condition knowing it is informed by best practice and equitably implemented across Australia,” she said.

“This promises to be a game-changer, especially for Tasmania, where we face inequities due to our regional and remote ecosystem of care and support.”

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Rules for online conduct

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· Content that defames, harasses or threatens others;

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· Force headers or otherwise interfere with or manipulate identifiers in any way that disguises the origin of any communication transmitted through the Courses;

· Interfere with or disrupt the operation of servers or networks connected to the Courses or Sites or breach any regulations, policies or procedures of networks connected to the Courses or Sites.

UTAS may remove offensive or disruptive material whether or not it is prohibited content or a prohibited activity, and may cancel a Participant’s participation, block a Visitor’s access and remove a User Profile at any time with or without notice.

Claims of copyright infringement

If you believe, in good faith, that your content or materials are available on the Sites in such a way that constitute a copyright infringement, or a breach of an agreed licence or contract, please notify us via the Copyright Infringement Notification Form or alternatively address your notification to:

University of Tasmania

Private Bag 25 HOBART TAS 7001

utas.copyright@utas.edu.au

Your notification must include (a) sufficient information to enable us to identify the copyrighted work that is the subject of the claimed infringement or, if multiple copyrighted works are involved, a representative list of such works, (b) information reasonably sufficient to permit us to locate and access such material, (c) information reasonably sufficient to permit us to contact you, such as your name, address, telephone number and email address, (d) an indication of whether you are the owner of the content, or if you are acting on their behalf (details of all parties must be supplied including the relationship between them), and (e) an indication of the name of the law (including country) you believe is being transgressed.

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To the extent permitted by law, UTAS provides no warranty with regard to the suitability of the Course Content for any particular purpose.

Limitation of liability

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Indemnity

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Termination rights

You agree that UTAS, in its sole discretion may terminate your participation in the Courses and/or use of the Sites for any reason or no reason and UTAS, its affiliates and/or licensors shall have no liability to you for any such action.

Rights transfer or assignment

UTAS reserves the right to transfer or assign, in whole or in part, its rights and to delegate its obligations under these Terms and Conditions. You agree that you will not delegate, transfer or assign, by operation of law or otherwise any portion of your obligations under these Terms and Conditions without prior written consent from UTAS.

Waiver and severance of terms

A provision of these Terms and Conditions or a right created under it may not be waived or varied except by agreement in writing by the parties. A failure of a party to exercise a right arising out of these Terms and Conditions does not constitute a waiver of that right or other rights existing under these Terms and Conditions. If any provision of these Terms and Conditions is void, voidable or unenforceable but would not be void, voidable or unenforceable if it were read down or is capable of being read down, it must be read down accordingly.

Jurisdiction

These Terms and Conditions are governed by the laws of Tasmania and each party submits to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Tasmania.

Contacting UTAS

You may contact UTAS in relation to any of your personal information collected when using UTAS MOOC websites by sending an email to mooc@utas.edu.au

Last updated: Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +1100