CMO highlights hypertension as a major public health priority at National Summit
18 Dec 2025
Acknowledging the Kaurna people as traditional custodians of the land, Professor Kidd highlighted that hypertension affects one in three Australian adults, yet only about half know they have it, and just 32% have their blood pressure under control. He stressed that untreated hypertension contributes to heart disease, stroke, pregnancy complications, kidney disease, and dementia.
Professor Kidd praised the work of the National Hypertension Taskforce, launched in 2022, for promoting a coordinated approach across primary care, including GPs, nurses, pharmacists, allied health professionals, and Aboriginal community-controlled health organisations. He reinforced the role of GPs in opportunistic and systematic blood pressure screening, noting that general practice provides the ideal setting to detect and manage hypertension.
The CMO highlighted the importance of lifestyle interventions, patient education, and adherence to medication, including the benefits of single-pill combination therapies and 60-day dispensing, which can improve treatment outcomes and save costs. He also called for addressing social determinants of health and reaching people who are less engaged with healthcare services.
Professor Kidd concluded by emphasising collaboration, respectful debate, and innovation as key to achieving the Taskforce’s goal of improving hypertension control to 70% by 2030, ultimately reducing preventable illness and saving lives.
Source: Australian Government Department of Health – Chief Medical Officer, Address to National Hypertension Summit 2025, Adelaide, 9 December 2025.
