Now available
CAPHIA Public Health Graduate Competency Framework
For Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, and Papua New Guinea
The Council of Academic Public Health Institutions Australasia (CAPHIA) is proud to launch the CAPHIA Public Health Graduate Competency Framework for Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, and Papua New Guinea – a regional framework that articulates the capabilities graduates need to strengthen public health systems and improve population health across our diverse region.
Developed across multiple years through one of the most extensive collaborations undertaken in public health education across the Australasia, the Framework represents a shared vision for the future of public health education and workforce development. It brings together the expertise of educators, practitioners, employers, professional leaders and hundreds of stakeholders from across Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia, Fiji and Papua New Guinea to establish a common foundation for graduate capability while recognising the unique contexts, priorities and strengths of each country.
As Associate Professor Julie Saunders, Chair of CAPHIA, notes in her foreword:
“Universities do more than prepare graduates for employment—they shape the future of the profession itself.“
The Framework is a shared regional vision for a workforce that is technically capable while also thinking critically, collaborating across disciplines and sectors, engaging respectfully with communities, and leading with cultural humility, integrity and purpose. The Framework has been developed by and for the region, providing a shared foundation that supports innovation, respects institutional diversity, and enables programs to evolve alongside evidence, workforce expectations and community needs.
A framework designed for education and practice
Rather than prescribing a single curriculum or workforce model, the Framework provides a flexible reference point that supports:
- curriculum design and review
- assessment planning
- benchmarking
- workforce development
- professional learning
- graduate role expectations
- regional dialogue across education, government, employers and the profession.
It recognises that public health practice is shaped by place, history, culture, Indigenous authority, governance, health systems and the broader social, political, commercial and environmental determinants of health. Cross-cutting principles – including health equity, cultural safety, Indigenous knowledges, decolonisation, systems thinking, ethics, accountability and human rights – are embedded throughout the Framework rather than treated as standalone concepts.
The 10 Public Health Domains
The Framework organises graduate capabilities across ten interconnected domains:
- Population health, equity and systems
- Culturally safe and ethical practice
- Communication
- Collaboration
- Evidence, research and informatics
- Public health action
- Policy and advocacy
- Disease prevention and health protection
- Climate, place and health
- Leadership and governance.
Together these domains reflect the contemporary knowledge, skills, behaviours and applied capabilities required of graduates entering an increasingly complex public health environment.
What happens next?
CAPHIA is now supporting universities, educators and workforce partners to implement the Framework across the region.
- Read the Framework
Download the full CAPHIA Public Health Graduate Competency Framework and explore how it can inform curriculum design, workforce capability and professional development.
- Attend the implementation workshop
Join CAPHIA’s Pre-Forum Competency Framework Implementation Workshop on 11 November 2026 in Perth, where participants will explore practical strategies for embedding the Framework into teaching, assessment and curriculum renewal. Register here.
- Start planning your curriculum review
Universities are encouraged to begin reviewing existing curricula against the Framework and identifying opportunities to strengthen graduate capability. CAPHIA will progressively release implementation resources and practical guidance to support member institutions throughout this process. If your institution would like assistance with curriculum mapping or implementation, please contact the CAPHIA team.