The Dietary Guidelines Community Panel (the Community Panel) advises on the communication of the guidelines to the public. The Community Panel reports to the Dietary Guidelines Expert Committee (the Expert Committee) as part of the revision of the Australian Dietary Guidelines (the Guidelines).

About the Guidelines

During scoping work for the revision of the 2013 Guidelines, accessibility of the Guidelines was identified as a priority. This means making sure the Guidelines are easy for the general public to understand. Consumer review and involvement is essential to ensure this, and so the Community Panel was established to provide advice from a consumer perspective.

More information on the Guideline revision is available at the Review of the 2013 Australian Dietary Guidelines. 

The Community Panel will provide advice for the Expert Committee to consider while developing the Guidelines.

Terms of reference

The Community Panel will:

  1. provide advice on the wording and clarity of the Guidelines in relation to the target audience (the general public)
  2. provide advice on the messaging of Guidelines and associated resources from a consumer perspective
  3. provide suggestions on the dissemination and implementation of the Guidelines that can be provided to the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing to assist in these activities.

The drafting and development of guideline recommendations is outside the scope of the Community Panel. This remains the responsibility of the Expert Committee.

The Community Panel will report to the Expert Committee, through the Dietary Guidelines project team. The Chair of the Community Panel is Adjunct Associate Professor Trevor Webb, who is a member of the Expert Committee.

The Community Panel term of office commenced on 1 April 2026 and will conclude on 30 June 2027.

Appointment process

In February 2024, expressions of interest were sought via the Consumer Health Forum.

NHMRC was looking for individuals with previous consumer engagement experience from a variety of backgrounds. Applicants could not be involved in the food industry or have a background in nutrition or dietetics.

Member information and disclosure of interests

12 members were appointed to the Community Panel. Members come from all around Australia, and represent a broad range of genders, ages and cultural backgrounds.

Before joining the Community Panel, NHMRC checked if any member had any possible conflicts of interest. None of the Panel members declared interests that might be considered conflicts of interest. Panel members are expected to tell NHMRC and the other Panel members if this changes.

Page last updated 3 June 2026