Practices of Trans-National Corporations: The Need to Change Global Economic and Political Norms Comment on "National Public Health Surveillance of Corporations in Key Unhealthy Commodity Industries - A Scoping Review and Framework Synthesis".

Trans-national corporations (TNCs) are recognised as having an adverse impact on public health through the marketing and sale of unhealthy products. In addition to this some of their practices affect health, including taxation avoidance, lobbying politicians to gain favourable legislative and regulatory environments for their operations, and failure to abide by occupational health and safety standards. We argue that while considering the individual practices of commercial actors is crucial the true public health harms are only evident when the synergistic impacts of the practices are considered.

Health and equity impacts of global consultancy firms.

Background: Concern is growing over the power, influence, and threats to health and equity from the operations of large global consultancy firms. Collectively, these firms support a neoliberal policy environment promoting business interests ahead of public health. Global consultancy firms act as commercial determinants of health, an evolving area of research over recent years.

Privatisation of government services in Australia: what is known about health and equity impacts.

Background: Historically in Australia, all levels of government created collective wealth by owning and operating infrastructure, and managing natural assets, key public goods and essential services while being answerable to the public. This strong state tradition was challenged in the 1980s when privatisation became a widespread government approach globally. Privatisation involves displacing the public sector through modes of financing, ownership, management and product or service delivery.

A World Beyond Transnational Corporations: Meeting Human Rather Than Corporate Need Comment on "'Part of the Solution': Food Corporation Strategies for Regulatory Capture and Legitimacy".

This paper provides a commentary on Lacy-Nichols and Williams' analysis of the emerging tactics of the ultraprocessed food transnational corporations (TNCs). Our paper provides an overview of the growth in power and influence of TNCs in the past three decades and considers how this change impacts on health and health equity. We examine how wealth inequities have increased dramatically and how many of the health harms are externalised to governments or individuals.

Assessing the health impacts of transnational corporations: a case study of Carlton and United Breweries in Australia.

Background: The practices of transnational corporations (TNCs) affect population health through unhealthy products, shaping social determinants of health, or influencing the regulatory structures governing their activities. There has been limited research on community exposures to TNC policies and practices. The aim of this paper was to adapt existing Health Impact Assessment methods that were previously used for both a fast food and an extractives industry corporation in order to assess Carlton and United Breweries (CUB) operations within Australia.

Equity consideration in palliative care policies, programs, and evaluation: an analysis of selected federal and South Australian documents.

Background: Inequity in access to palliative care and symptom relief is one of the greatest disparities in global health care. A public health approach to palliative care is underpinned by the social view of health that puts an emphasis on equity, community engagement and empowerment, a supportive policy environment, and social determinants of health. Consideration of equity in policy is critical so that it can be translated into equitable services.

'Sweet talk': framing the merits of a sugar tax in Australia.

Although rising rates of obesity are recognized as a major concern for Australian public health, debate on what (if any) responsive action should be undertaken is conceptually and normatively complex. It is shaped by diverse values and interests; different representations of the problem; and many options for action by government, the private sector or individuals. This paper presents research documenting arguments for and against implementing a sugar tax in Australia.

Civil society action against transnational corporations: implications for health promotion.

Transnational corporations (TNCs) shape population health both positively and negatively through their national and international social, political and economic power and influence; and are a vital commercial determinant of health. Individual and group advocacy and activism in response to corporate products, practices or policy influences can mediate negative health impacts. This paper discusses the unequal power relations existing between TNCs that promote their own financial interests, and activists and advocates who support population and environmental health by challenging corporate power.

The health impacts of extractive industry transnational corporations: a study of Rio Tinto in Australia and Southern Africa.

Background: Operations of transnational corporations (TNCs) affect population health through production methods, shaping social determinants of health, or by influencing regulation of their activities. Research on community exposures to TNC practices and policies has been limited. Our research on extractive industries examined Rio Tinto in Australia and Southern Africa to test methods for assessing the health impacts of corporates in high and middle income jurisdictions with different regulatory frameworks.

A citizens' jury on regulation of McDonald's products and operations in Australia in response to a corporate health impact assessment.

Objectives: 1) To report outcomes from a citizens' jury examining regulatory responses to the health impacts of McDonald's Australia; 2) To determine the value of using citizens' juries to develop policy recommendations based on the findings of health impact assessment of transnational corporations (TNCs).

Methods: A citizens' jury engaged 15 randomly selected and demographically representative jurors from metropolitan Adelaide to deliberate on the findings of a Corporate Health Impact Assessment, and to decide on appropriate policy actions.

Results: Jurors unanimously called for government regulation to ensure that transnational fast food corporations pay taxes on profits in the country of income.

Assessing the health impact of transnational corporations: a case study on McDonald's Australia.

Background: The practices of transnational corporations affect population health through production methods, shaping social determinants of health, or influencing the regulatory structures governing their activities. There has been limited research on community exposures to TNC policies and practices. Our pilot research used McDonald's Australia to test methods for assessing the health impacts of one TNC within Australia.

Assessing the health impact of transnational corporations: its importance and a framework.

Background: The adverse health and equity impacts of transnational corporations' (TNCs) practices have become central public health concerns as TNCs increasingly dominate global trade and investment and shape national economies. Despite this, methodologies have been lacking with which to study the health equity impacts of individual corporations and thus to inform actions to mitigate or reverse negative and increase positive impacts.

Methods: This paper reports on a framework designed to conduct corporate health impact assessment (CHIA), developed at a meeting held at the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center in May 2015.

Factors shaping intersectoral action in primary health care services.

Objective: To examine case studies of good practice in intersectoral action for health as one part of evaluating comprehensive primary health care in six sites in South Australia and the Northern Territory.

Methods: Interviews with primary health care workers, collaborating agency staff and service users (Total N=33); augmented by relevant documents from the services and collaborating partners.

Results: The value of intersectoral action for health and the importance of partner relationships to primary health care services were both strongly endorsed.

The interplay between structure and agency in shaping the mental health consequences of job loss.

Background: Job loss is a discrete life event, with multiple adverse consequences for physical and mental health and implications for agency. Our research explores the consequences of job loss for retrenched workers' mental health by examining the interplay between their agency and the structures shaping their job loss experiences.

Methods: We conducted two waves of in-depth, semi-structured interviews with a sample of 33 of the more than 1000 workers who lost their jobs at Mitsubishi Motors in South Australia during 2004 and 2005 as a result of industry restructuring.

Intimate partner violence in deviant settings--complex needs of women survivors.

Background: Women experiencing intimate violence within deviant settings, including bikie and other gangs and cults, have recently been the focus of research in South Australia. Domestic violence shelters are seeing increasing numbers of these women who are often involved in high risk behaviour and/or situations that pose significant risk to themselves and any accompanying children.

Objective: This article provides an overview of the profiles of women (and their children) escaping intimate partner violence within deviant settings, and the range of complex physical and mental health needs medical practitioners are likely to encounter in these patients.