Dear members  and enthustists,

I hope you had the chance to recharge over the Easter and school holiday period. It’s often a time when we can catch our breath – but as always, a lot has been happening behind the scenes at the AIOH.

Over the past month, we’ve commenced formal consultation with our committee chairs and members as part of the Project 45 restructure. This work is designed to ensure our governance structure remains fit for purpose as we continue to grow and evolve as an organisation. These conversations have been constructive and energising, and I want to thank everyone who’s already contributed. We’re on track to finalise the revised structure by early June.

Elsewhere, the chairs of Professional Development & Education Committee (PD&E), Membership & Qualifications Committee (M&Q), and Certification Board, along with our university accreditation representatives, have combined to conduct a thorough review of the AIOH membership application guidelines. This is no small undertaking – it’s a substantial body of work that will ultimately make it clearer and fairer for applicants while also ensuring alignment with the AIOH’s criteria and expectations for our professional level. We greatly appreciate the collaborative efforts of these groups and look forward to sharing the outcomes in due course.

The Ethics Committee has also been active, exploring new ways to support members in maintaining and enhancing their professional integrity. One key area of focus has been ongoing ethics education, and we’re currently identifying accessible and practical options for members to undertake ethics training.

On the events front, the Conference Committee is powering ahead. Planning for our upcoming conference in Sydney later this year is in full swing.  The abstract portal is open and already receiving submissions. If you’ve been considering putting in an abstract – now’s the time!  Chapter meetings are also seeing strong attendance across the board, which highlights the value of connection and shared knowledge at a local level. Our Basic Principles Courses (BPC) that we have run have been at capacity this year.  It is a clear sign of how highly regarded this foundational training is and how it helps play a part in shaping tomorrows hygienists.

Our Media Ambassadors are also making an impact.  They’ve recently released a fantastic article in Mining Safe to Work, shining a light on the range of actions miners can take to combat outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease on-site.  I encourage you to give it a read and share it within your networks – these types of features help raise awareness and build credibility for the work we all do.

The Workplace Exposure Assessment Committee (WEAC) and the External Affairs Committee (EAC) have also been hard at work. Both groups have been deeply engaged in developing new position papers and progressing our advocacy efforts across industry and government. These are vital conversations, and I thank our volunteers who bring both their time and expertise to ensure the voice of the profession is being heard and respected.

Understandably, many of our members have been closely following the recent news regarding the deep funding cuts to the National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH). The AIOH stands in full support of the efforts to reverse this decision.

Before I close, we extend our best wishes and safe travels to our Professional Development Award winners – Andy McCarthy, Jason Green, and Lee Cherry, as they prepare to travel to international conferences over the coming months. We know they’ll represent the AIOH with pride, and we look forward to the new ideas, learnings, and global insights they’ll bring back and share with us all.

All the above reinforces what I’ve said before—this is a busy time, but it’s also an exciting and positive one. We’re making important progress together – and there’s much more to come.

My parting note for this month is from William Faulkner an American writer in the early 20th century who coined the phrase, “You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore.”

As always, thank you for all that you do.
Sincerely,

Aleks Todorovic
President 2025