Launch of Australia’s first National Health Literacy Framework

“Australia is a place where all people and communities are empowered and supported to access, understand and use health information and services to make informed decisions about their health and wellbeing” - Vision from the National Health Literacy Framework, launched Sept 1st 2026

Health literacy refers to both a person’s ability to access, understand and use information and services to make informed decisions about their health and the complexity of the health environment — ie, the design and delivery of health information and services. Health literacy includes understanding how and when to get a screening test or vaccine, as well as knowing where to seek care and how to make sense of treatment options. It also includes organisational health communication policies, practices and protocols that support clear communication, within and beyond the health system — including online platforms, Apps, and AI chatbots.

Improving health literacy is a national priority that supports the National Preventive Health Strategy for improved health and wellbeing in Australia, and the National Health Reform Strategy vision for a person centred, equitable, responsive and sustainable health system. Low health literacy is associated with poorer health outcomes and is common in Australia, with up to 60% of the population struggling to meet the everyday demands of the health system. Lower levels are more common among groups already experiencing disadvantage, including older people, those who speak a language other than English at home, people with lower education and income.

Unsurprisingly, low health literacy places a significant burden on the health system. The Economist estimates that a 25% improvement in health literacy across Australia could generate $7.9 billion in savings. Evidence shows that healthcare environments remain difficult to navigate, with written health information consistently exceeding recommended reading levels despite decades of guidance on clear communication. At the same time, rapid growth in digital health information sources, including social media and AI tools, has created new challenges. In a 2025 survey, 46% of Australians reported using generative AI for health information, and in another national survey, research 91% said they do not fully understand health information found online, and 52% reported difficulty identifying reliable sources.

Strengthening Australia’s health literacy

Fortunately, over the past 20 years we have accumulated substantial evidence of what can work in practice both to strengthen individuals' health literacy capacity and improve communication by health care professionals, and organisational policies and practices that support those with lower health literacy. The Framework has been developed drawing upon this evidence of "what works" alongside extensive consultation with consumers and stakeholders to focus attention on how to strengthen health literacy across and beyond the health system at scale.

The newly-launched Framework comprises a vision underpinned by seven principles and four core aims (see Figure 1). The aims address: systems and policies to support organisational health literacy (Aim 1); the development of health information that is trustworthy, culturally safe and easy to understand across all mediums (Aim 2); health literacy capacity building among the workforce, consumers and the community (Aim 3), and addressing health literacy needs in priority populations (Aim 4). 

With strong input from community organisations and representative groups, the Framework was designed to be flexible and adaptable to different settings and different communities, and to incorporate rapid changes in digital technologies and forms of health communication. Although the Framework sees health literacy activity to be led by the health sector, it recognises that success will require meaningful partnerships across many sectors. This will require buy in from all levels of government, peak and professional organisations, workplaces, educational institutions and service providers including aged care, disability and social services, media and technology, community groups and networks, and research and funding organisations.

Framework launched on September 1 2026

The Framework was developed for the Australian Department of Health Disability and Ageing by researchers at the Sydney Health Literacy Lab at the University of Sydney and policy experts at The Sax Institute. The Advisory Team included national and state representatives, with consumer engagement led by the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Council of Australia (NACCHO), the Foundation of Ethnic Community Councils of Australia (FECCA) and Consumers Health Forum (CHF). 

At the Framework launch The Hon Rebecca White MP, Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, said: “Health literacy gives people the confidence to understand their health and make informed decisions about their care. With more health information at our fingertips than ever before, particularly through social media and AI, knowing what information you can trust really matters”.

Strengthening health literacy is not only important for better health outcomes in Australia; it can also help address inequity in healthcare and health outcomes. While there have been pockets of good practice (eg Statewide Health Literacy Hub, HelloTas, First Nations COVID-19 response), for the first time, the Framework explicitly addresses system-wide organisational changes and capacity building to support improved communication and simplified access to services, and identifies the importance of greater attention to priority populations and to support health literacy all across the whole of Australia. 

The launch of the National Health Literacy Framework marks an important milestone for Australia in improving health literacy. We have good evidence of what works on practice, but its impact will depend on action across the health system and beyond. Policymakers, health service leaders, clinicians, educators, researchers, community organisations and frontline staff all have a role to play in creating a health system that is easier to navigate, understand and use. Whether through developing supportive policies, designing clearer information, strengthening workforce capability or improving everyday communication with patients and communities, every action contributes to a more health-literate Australia. Now is the time to embed health literacy into decisions at every level of the system, so that all people in Australia can access, understand and use reliable health information and services to make informed decisions about their health.

Professor Kirsten McCaffery is a professor of behavioural science at the Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney and Director of the Sydney Health Literacy Lab.

A/Prof Danielle Muscat is an Associate Professor and Applied Health Services Research Lead at the Sydney Health Literacy Lab in the Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney.

 A/Prof Carissa Bonner is an Associate Professor of Behavioural Science, Heart Foundation Future Leader Fellow, and Deputy Director of the Sydney Health Literacy Lab in the Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney.

Dr Julie Ayre is a behavioural scientist and Senior Research Fellow at the Sydney Health Literacy Lab in the Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney. She is the Digital Health Literacy theme lead of the Lab.

Professor Don Nutbeam is a Professor of Public Health in the Sydney School of Public Health at the University of Sydney and Executive Director of Sydney Health Partners. 

COI statement: KM, DM, CB and JA are co-directors of Health Literacy Solutions Pty Ltd, which holds a sub-licence for the Health Literacy Editor, a research tool owned by the University of Sydney. The sub-licensing arrangement enables the broader dissemination and public use of the tool. KM, DM, CB and JA receive no personal income or financial benefit from either Health Literacy Solutions Pty Ltd or the Health Literacy Editor.

Acknowledgements: Dr Sian Rudge, Professor Sally Redman, The Sax Institute; The National Health Literacy Framework Advisory Team: Professor Don Nutbeam (Chair), Australian College of Nursing; Australian Commission of Safety Quality (ACSQHC); Consumers Health Forum of Australia (CHF); Royal Australian College of GPs; Federation of Ethnic Community Councils of Australia (FECCA); Healthdirect Australia; LGBTQ+ Australia, National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO); National Rural Health Australia; People with Disability Australia; NSW Health Statewide Health Literacy Hub; Prof Calder (National Consumer Engagement Strategy).