Australian Experience
National programs, digital systems and public health infrastructure, 2012–2025.
Program 1: Prompt Response Network (PRN) & National Signal Register
NCCRED · UNSW Sydney · 2024–2025 · Commonwealth DOHAC contract
Ed managed delivery for the re-establishment of Australia's national drug alert system, coordinating 85 organisations across health, justice, research, and lived experience sectors in all 8 jurisdictions. He delivered the first national Drug Alert Reports in 3 years, grew stakeholder engagement 10× on zero additional budget, and saved an estimated $250K by building the platform in-house rather than going to a vendor. Working with the NCCRED team and national stakeholders, he co-designed an internally owned platform and a five-tier governance model for coordinated national alerting.
What was built
| Deliverable | Detail |
|---|---|
| National Signal Register (NSR) | Migrated from legacy unsupported system to Microsoft Power Platform (Dataverse). Multi-layer automation: REDCap API + Python + Power Automate. Deidentification logic, audit trails, access controls. |
| Five-tier governance model | Co-designed with the NCCRED research team and national stakeholders. Governance tiers based on organisational function, enabling consistent decision-making across 8 jurisdictions while preserving local autonomy. Covered risk thresholds, alert criteria, and escalation pathways. |
| Rapid prototyping | Deployed 2 functional demos within the first year, accelerating co-design and enabling faster stakeholder feedback cycles. |
| PRN Advisory Group | Chaired by a national lived experience organisation. Affected communities hold governance roles — not advisory or consultation-only positions. |
| Communications products | Tiered risk communications for diverse audiences (health, law enforcement, clinical, research, lived experience). Drug Alert Reports 2024 (Annual), Q1 & Q2 2025. First national alerts in 3 years. |
| Stakeholder reach | Zero-budget SEO + RSS optimisation: 10x engagement increase in 2 months. 85 organisations coordinated across all Australian jurisdictions. |
Outcomes
| Metric | Result |
|---|---|
| Est. cost saving | $250K (in-house build vs vendor quote) |
| Organisations coordinated | 85 across all sectors |
| Infrastructure gap closed | 3 years |
| Stakeholder engagement | 10× increase, zero additional budget |
| Jurisdictions covered | All 8 states/territories |
| Co-authored publications (PRN) | 1 co-authored report + 3 drug alert reports (below) |
Program 2: Life in Mind / National Communications Charter (NCC)
Everymind · NSW Health · 2022–2024 · Managed by Mel Benson (founding project lead)
Ed joined Everymind's Life in Mind team — a strong, established group led by founding project lead Mel Benson — and was empowered to deepen national engagement with the Communications Charter. He presented to all 31 PHNs collectively, consolidated Tasmania's separate charter into the national framework, and translated AIHW and ABS data releases into actionable sector guidance. The work was influence without authority: building adoption across government portfolios and independent health networks through relationship and argument, not mandate.
What was delivered
| Deliverable | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tasmania charter consolidation | Tasmania had a separate state-specific charter (also Everymind-developed). Engaged key stakeholders across Tasmanian government portfolios to bring Tasmania's charter content into the national NCC update, unifying two Everymind-developed frameworks into one. Used the 2024 national charter revision to synthesise Tasmania-specific material into national infrastructure. Outcome achieved through relationship and argument, not mandate. |
| PHN presentations, full national reach | Presented NCC content and implementation support to all 31 PHNs. Deepened PHN engagement during tenure, moving from awareness to active involvement in the charter. No central mandate at any stage. |
| Major new signatories | AIHW (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) signed the NCC during this period. Lake Macquarie Council signed; Ed led the media presentation. Organisations signing the charter represents formal commitment to national safe communications standards. |
| AIHW & ABS data releases: knowledge translation | AIHW and ABS were already doing excellent work producing national data. Ed's role was amplification and translation, making it digestible and actionable for the sector. Received data ahead of public release, translated into communications and guidance for frontline practitioners and PHNs. |
| Prevention First Framework: redevelopment | Proposed combining suicide prevention and mental health/wellbeing into a single integrated model, more comprehensive rather than siloing prevention efforts. Tabled but not actioned before departure. |
| Life in Mind Champions network | Facilitated the national Life in Mind Champions network: peer leaders embedded across PHNs and health services. Distributed adoption model: change driven through embedded champions, not central mandate. |
| Big 4 crisis advisory | Crisis advisory for a Big 4 consulting organisation during a sensitive internal incident, applying safe communications frameworks in a corporate context. |
| Governance & policy | Co-authored governance evidence brief with University of Melbourne informing national mental health strategy. Project managed by founding lead Mel Benson. Ed joined the team as the charter moved into deepened national rollout. |
Outcomes
| Metric | Result |
|---|---|
| PHNs presented to | 31/31, full national reach |
| Tasmania charter consolidation | Separate state charter stopped. Tasmania content integrated into national NCC update |
| Major signatories during tenure | AIHW · Lake Macquarie Council (media presentation led) |
| Data translation | AIHW & ABS releases translated ahead of public; sector guidance produced |
| Champions network | National Life in Mind Champions operational across PHN system |
| Governance publications | 1 co-authored evidence brief (University of Melbourne) |
Program 3: UNSW Governance, Legal & ICT Management
NCCRED · UNSW Sydney · 2024–2025
Within the NCCRED PM role, Ed managed program governance across three areas:
Research Compliance
UNSW research and operational governance frameworks. Ethical obligations for sensitive health data. Commonwealth DOHAC reporting. Research-to-practice translation governance.
Data Governance
Privacy-by-design architecture for NSR. Deidentification protocols, access controls, audit trails. Data sharing agreements across jurisdictions. Commonwealth data sovereignty compliance.
Platform Procurement
In-house vs vendor decision (est. $250K saving). Platform migration project management. Change management for 85-org stakeholder base. REDCap + Power Platform + Python integration architecture.
Published Outputs
The publications below are outputs of the three programs above, not a separate research track. Two co-authored commissioned reports, one acknowledged contribution, and three nationally circulated drug alert reports.
Commissioned Reports & Evidence Briefs
Emerging best practices in the design and dissemination of public drug warnings
NCCRED, UNSW Sydney, 2025.
Synthesises emerging international best practice for the design and communication of public drug warnings. Covers tiered risk communication frameworks, audience segmentation (clinical, law enforcement, lived experience), and dissemination architecture. Directly informed the communications products built for the PRN re-launch, including Q1 and Q2 2025 Drug Alert Reports.
Evidence Brief Enabler 1: Governance and collaboration across governments and portfolios
University of Melbourne, 2023.
Policy brief underpinning the National Communications Charter for safe mental health communication. Co-authored with University of Melbourne to inform national mental health strategy. The brief addressed how federated health networks (PHNs) can adopt a consistent national standard while preserving local autonomy — a challenge Ed contributed to addressing operationally across 31 PHNs.
Acknowledged Contributions
Co-design of the Australian Prompt Response Network for a public-health focused intersectoral approach to information sharing on emerging drugs of concern
Frontiers in Public Health, 2025.
Documents the architecture and governance design of the re-established Australian Prompt Response Network: a national intersectoral alert system for emerging drugs of concern. Covers co-design methodology, stakeholder engagement across 85 organisations, and federated governance model across 8 jurisdictions. Ed contributed to the operational delivery and stakeholder coordination described in this paper, for which he was personally thanked by the authors.
Operational Reports
Alongside the commissioned reports above, Ed co-authored operational reports that function as nationally circulated public health documents, read by harm reduction services, law enforcement, and clinical teams across Australia.
| Report | Outlet | Year | Reach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prompt Response Network Drug Alert Report 2024 | NCCRED, UNSW Sydney | 2024 | 85 subscriber organisations, all Australian jurisdictions |
| Prompt Response Network Drug Alert Report Q1 2025 | NCCRED, UNSW Sydney | 2025 | 85 subscriber organisations, all Australian jurisdictions |
| Prompt Response Network Drug Alert Report Q2 2025 | NCCRED, UNSW Sydney | 2025 | 85 subscriber organisations, all Australian jurisdictions |
The 2024 report was the first coordinated national drug alert communication delivered in Australia in 3 years, followed by quarterly reports in 2025.