Honouring 20 Years of the Ian Webster Oration: Advancing Health for All

UNSW International Centre for Future Health Systems (ICFHS) is proud to celebrate two decades of the Ian Webster Oration with a new publication, Ian Webster Oration: Health for All. The commemorative booklet shines a light on the Oration’s powerful influence on health research, policy, and practice — and the remarkable keynote speakers who have shaped its legacy over the last 20 years.

The publication honours Professor Ian Webster AO, Emeritus Professor of Public Health and Community Medicine at UNSW Sydney, whose extraordinary career as a clinician, educator, researcher and tireless advocate for equity has transformed the health landscape in Australia. The Oration carries his name as a tribute to his enduring leadership in public health, social justice, and primary health care, particularly for populations experiencing vulnerability.

Through reflections and summaries from past orators, the booklet traces the evolution of the Ian Webster Oration and the ideas that have driven lasting change in health systems. Since its establishment in 2006, the Oration has provided a platform for bold thinking about primary health care and the pursuit of universal access — inspired by the “Health for All” vision of the 1978 Alma-Ata Declaration.

Over the past two decades, leading thinkers and innovators from Australia and around the world have stepped onto the Oration stage to challenge convention and provoke action on prevention, reform, and equity. Their insights continue to shape policy, practice, and the national conversation on how to build a fairer, more resilient health system.

This commemorative booklet celebrates not only the legacy of the Oration, but the passionate community that has kept this tradition alive. The story continues in 2025 with the Inaugural UNSW ICFHS Ian Webster Oration being held in November — a new chapter for an enduring commitment to achieving health for all.