 Systems thinking has been proposed as a potential solution to public health issues, but its application and practice remains limited. A recent case study of the Australian Prevention Centre suggests that there may be some success in translating this approach into action, but significant barriers still exist. These include a lack of buy-in from senior policymakers and a lack of clear action following on from a commitment to systems thinking. This article was authored by John Boswell, Janice Baird and Ravada Tahim.