Be Wound Aware Education Series launched by A/Minister Rebecca White in Hobart
Thursday, 1 October 2026

Thank you to Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care Rebecca White MP for launching the Be Wound Aware Education Series in Hobart this week. Minister White said the Australian Government was proud to have supported Wounds Australia to produce training that would allow consumers and families could use at home to better understand and manage their wounds. 

Thank you also to Senator Carol Brown, Senator for Tasmania, who attended the event at the GP Collective clinic in Bathurst Street and had engaged conversations with local clinicians, industry partners and other invited guests. 

The series is part of a broader suite of free educational resources designed for consumers called the Be Wound Aware campaign and is available now at woundaware.org. Be Wound Aware was funded alongside the Chronic Wound Consumables Scheme in 2023 and has reached millions of Australians with evidence-based information on preventing and caring for chronic wounds. 

Pictured, top, L-R: Senator Brown, Professor Fiona Wood and Assistant Minister White.

Education to minimise suffering

Isabella Fitzgibbon spoke at the event, sharing her experience of caring for her grandmother, Shirley, in her battle with terminal mouth cancer. Ms Fitzgibbon said she had not expected the array of wounds, such as pressure injuries and skin tears, her grandmother developed alongside her cancer, and explained she struggled to find advice on products and treatments that would have helped her relieve Shirley's final months.

"Since then I have found Wounds Australia and I've done what I can to share my experiences to encourage others to speak up about their wounds, and also to support education so that other non-clinical carers like myself can improve their knowledge and better help their loved ones," Ms Fitzgibbon said. "I've been through the [Be Wound Aware Education Series] training and what I learned about prevention measures like twice-daily moisturisation and product choice would have definitely helped me."

Pictured: Isabella Fitzgibbon and Prof. Wood at the launch in Hobart on 30 September 2026.

Improving healing for more Australians

Wound Awareness Week Ambassador Professor Fiona Wood AO said health literacy was crucial to effecting better healing. 

"Knowledge is power when it comes to chronic wounds, so if we can empower carers and consumers with good, solid evidence that is easily accessible, then why wouldn't we?" Prof. Wood said. "And any improvement for the individual is an improvement for all because it reduces the burden on the system." 

Wounds Australia thanks Assistant Minister White and Senator Brown for attending; Dr Mark Baldock and Gill Powell and team for generously hosting us at GP Collective; our Ambassor Prof. Wood; Wound Awareness Week sponsors and Platinum Partners Solventum, Smith+Nephew and Mölnlycke, and Essity, for their ongoing support; and training presenters Hayley Ryan, Lusi Sheehan and Melissa Freeman and other clinicians and guests for attending. We will be writing more about the event in the Wounds Australia News Centre in coming weeks. 

Explore the training

You can access the four training modules by clicking here. While you're there, sign up to our online newsletter and explore previous issues on bewoundaware.org.

About Wound Awareness Week

Wound Awareness Week is the annual initiative of Wounds Australia, the national peak body, and a chance to spotlight 450,000 Australians living with chronic wounds and the clinicians who care for them. Explore the week.