Preventing alcohol-related harm presents a range of challenges including those related to political will, competing interests, and embedded drinking cultures. There are also opportunities for health promotion, including clear evidence on both the extent of the problem and evidence-based responses and growing community support for action. This paper considers: the nature of the challenge; evidence-based approaches; achievements and developments; challenges and obstacles; and the role of health promotion and the health promotion workforce.

Principles of healthy urban design are not being consistently translated into urban planning practice in Australia. This paper outlines the evidence of the association between urban design and chronic diseases and suggests approaches to facilitate the creation of healthy urban environments through improved translation of evidence into policy and practice.

How can health promotion be practiced in an ethically justifiable way? Ethical frameworks, described in this article, can assist. But these are not sufficient. Ethically justifiable practice also requires taking a position on the relationship between citizen and state, and the place of health and health promotion in that relationship.

This article describes how the Australian HIV partnership response moved from a crisis response to a constant and continuously adapting response, with challenges in sustaining the partnership. The experience, including its successes and failures, has lessons applicable across health promotion.

Knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about lung cancer among Chinese, Vietnamese and Arabic-speaking communities in Sydney, New South Wales (NSW) are explored. Focus groups found limited awareness of the signs and symptoms of lung cancer which, combined with cultural perceptions about lung cancer, impacted on attitudes towards help-seeking behaviour.

School achievement is a key social determinant of health. Seventy-four secondary school students were asked to report on their experiences of being suspended. A minority of students received adult supervision while suspended and perceived that their teachers were less helpful post-suspension. Recommendations for improving the process of being suspended and maintaining student–teacher relationships are made.

Parents are key to preventing child uptake of smoking, but they can’t do it alone. When asked what could be done to help, the parents’ views reflected standard tobacco control approaches: build children’s knowledge, reduce access, denormalise smoking, promote health and increase school monitoring of smoking. A more engaging process is needed to elicit innovative and culturally acceptable strategies.