What is Drop the Jargon Day?

Starting in 2014, Drop the Jargon Day is an annual campaign initiated by the Centre for Culture, Ethnicity and Health (CEH) that puts a spotlight on the language employed by professionals working in healthcare, community services and government sectors. Often the language used is not understood by clients, particularly those who come from migrant and/or refugee backgrounds. Drop the Jargon Day advocates for professionals in these sectors to use PLAIN LANGUAGE to facilitate communication, which in turn improves health outcomes.  This campaign coincides with Health Literacy Month* which runs annually every October.  

Since its inception, Drop the Jargon Day has reached thousands of dedicated practitioners and organisations throughout Australia who have pledged to Drop the Jargon in their workplaces. It began when many organisations interested in clear communication were looking to build on the work they had done at CEH as graduates of the Health Literacy Course. Thanks to this enthusiasm and CEH’s aim to reduce health inequalities & improve health outcomes for people from migrant & refugee backgrounds, Drop the Jargon (DTJ) was born.

It’s never been more important that all Australians have access to, not only accurate health and well-being information, but also easy-to-understand information, regardless of what language they speak.

*Health Literacy Month Celebrating 20 years of health literacy in 2020, this is a time for organizations and individuals to promote the importance of understandable health information. This annual, awareness-raising event has been going strong ever since Helen Osborne founded it in 1999.