2011–12 marks the first 25 years in the history of the AIHW. The Institute was established in 1987, initially as the Australian Institute of Health, with the welfare role added in July 1992. In hindsight, it was an inspired decision to introduce greater transparency and public accountability in health, housing and community services reporting across the nation, in a manner that has developed considerable trust and confidence in the reliability of the information provided.
Beginning with a modest budget of less than $4 million and 68 staff accommodated on grounds now occupied by the National Museum of Australia, the Institute now has revenues of over $52 million and 386 staff, though they are treated to less scenic views! The AIHW now has a much broader range of information to contribute than was possible in its early days or perhaps even just 10 years ago.
Some things have not changed—the AIHW’s robust governance arrangements have stood the test of time. The success of the ‘AIHW model’ is also being considered in other contexts, such as reporting on Australia’s cities and our environment.
This was another productive year for the AIHW, with the successful launch of our two flagship biennial publications—Australia’s welfare 2011 and Australia’s health 2012. These reports not only detail current information in formats designed to be as clear, accessible and interesting as possible but also point to remaining information gaps—a subject dear to the hearts of staff dedicated to further improving the evidence base for policy. Simultaneously with each report launch, the AIHW held a conference—as has become tradition—to encourage greater public debate on the issues discussed in the reports. A number of high-profile and influential thinkers provided thoughtful contributions and I am very grateful for their attendance and efforts.
Over the past year, the AIHW produced 141 reports based on the broad span of data we hold, with innovations introduced in the breadth and style of our reporting.
- We transformed our previously annual and printed reporting of mental health services into a web-based, interactive format with updates occurring more frequently throughout the year as data on particular aspects of mental health services become available.
- We published projections for data on both cancer and end-stage kidney disease through to 2020.
- We reported the results for the first quarter’s data from our new Specialist Homelessness Services Collection that began on 1 July 2011.
- We reported new information on the MyHospitals web site, including for ‘golden staph’ infections, hand hygiene compliance and cancer elective surgery waiting times.
- Increasingly, we used web snapshots and summaries to help those who want to access key findings easily.
- We are developing confidentialised data cubes and other web-based interactive devices to allow skilled analysts to derive detailed information, while we ensure confidential data are protected.
The AIHW continues its never-ending task of improving the quality and timeliness of information.
- We delivered the annual elective surgery waiting times data earlier than in previous years.
- In our Commonwealth budget reporting, we have committed to further improvements in the timeliness of our annually-reported data collections.
- We extended our data quality statements to provide users with explanations of data issues so they will be better able to undertake fair analysis and assessment of AIHW data.
- We are carrying out much new data development, particularly in relation to child protection and disability services. Enhancements in the latter will be useful for National Disability Insurance Scheme information requirements.
Essential to the long-term future of the AIHW are the business relationships we have built. Over the past year, the Institute earned $33.7 million in fees for service activity from a variety of sources in the Australian Government, state and territory governments, and non-government organisations. This is nearly double our guaranteed financial year appropriation from the Australian Parliament ($17.4 million).
A strategically important development during the year was our accreditation as a Commonwealth integrating authority. This will allow us to build on our current experience and expertise in data integration (data linkage) and carry out work deemed high risk on Commonwealth data under stringent criteria. We have established the Data Integration Services Centre within the AIHW to provide the infrastructure necessary for highly secure data processes. This will make a significant contribution to ensuring that information can be used more effectively for statistical and research purposes.
These activities build on key strengths of the AIHW: the breadth of our information collections and our expertise. The AIHW is a very special organisation. It is able to report on particular aspects of health or welfare in great depth and to analyse key determinants of disadvantage or survival, as well as create major links between the health and welfare domains.
Over the past year, I have seen how the capable and expert staff at the AIHW succeed in undertaking new activities in response to new opportunities. Having a flexible and adaptable workforce is critical for the AIHW, in circumstances where our funding for particular tasks can change from year to year.
During 2011–12, we began to introduce tools that will support more active management and better monitoring of the progress of our products and other projects. This will help us achieve our objective of improving the quality, timeliness and standardisation of our internal processes and produce our products at the lowest cost possible.
The AIHW’s reporting task is complex and often difficult. It is the culmination of considerable activity, from data collection through to analysis and presentation of information. We receive particular support from those who supply health and welfare information, including all Australian governments and non-government service providers. In carrying out its work the AIHW draws upon the expertise and efforts of our staff, and I want to publicly record my appreciation to them—whether those working in the statistical groups or the corporate groups—for their commitment to excellence and to helping the AIHW achieve its mission of providing authoritative information and statistics to promote better health and wellbeing.
I would also like to record my appreciation for the support and guidance received from the AIHW Board. This very productive relationship demonstrates the value of the prevailing governance structures for an organisation with complex relationships across the government and non-government sectors.
David Kalisch
Director