Who we are and what we do
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare was established as a Commonwealth statutory authority in 1987.
The Institute's governing legislation is the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Act 1987 (AIHW Act). The AIHW Act and its Regulations are reproduced in Appendix 1.
The main functions of the AIHW are to collect, analyse and disseminate health- and welfare-related information and statistics. These functions are specified in s. 5 of the AIHW Act and require information to be developed, collected and reported in the following areas:
- health
- aged care services
- child care services (including services designed to encourage or support participation by parents in educational courses, training and the labour force)
- services for people with disabilities
- housing assistance (including programs designed to provide access to short-term crisis accommodation)
- child welfare services (including, in particular, child protection and substitute care services)
- other community services.
The AIHW provides authoritative and timely information and analysis to governments, other organisations and the community in these subject areas, drawn from the national data collections it manages. The AIHW produces many public reports and actively promotes its work in the community.
Additionally, the AIHW provides leadership and necessary infrastructure for the development, maintenance and promotion of information standards to ensure that data are nationally consistent and appropriate for their purpose.
Our key directions
During 2011–12, the AIHW's strategic directions (SDs) were:
SD1 Further strengthen our policy relevance
SD2 Improve the availability of information for the community and our stakeholders
SD3 Improve information quality, protecting privacy
SD4 Capitalise on the contemporary information environment
SD5 Cultivate and value a skilled, engaged and versatile workforce.
Our achievements
As outlined in Highlights, and further expanded here, the AIHW completed a range of significant activities during 2011–12.
SD1 Further strengthen our policy relevance
- Provided data and data quality statements for all AIHW data supplied for the COAG national agreements performance indicators.
- Contributed to review of performance indicators in the areas of disability, hospitals, homelessness, housing, early childhood development, Indigenous-specific primary health care, aged care, diabetes and chronic kidney disease for the following national agreements:
- National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness
- National Healthcare Agreement
- National Disability Agreement
- National Affordable Housing Agreement
- National Indigenous Reform Agreement.
- Released a report on the first quarter of data from the Specialist Homelessness Services Collection.
- Developed two significant reports on cancer and on treated end-stage kidney disease containing data projections to 2020.
- Published, for the first time, national statistics about Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia infections in hospitals.
- Provided data on male health issues.
SD2 Improve the availability of information for the community and our stakeholders
- Produced user-friendly, accessible web-based snapshots of information and statistics on subjects such as allergic rhinitis, asthma, child protection, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, male health, prisoner health and chronic kidney disease.
- Launched the Mental health services in Australia web pages, which give a comprehensive picture of mental health services and resources provided by governments.
- Published and launched Australia's welfare 2011 and Australia's health 2012 and their related Australia's welfare 2011—in brief and Australia's health 2012—in brief publications.
- Applied Creative Commons 3.0 licensing to AIHW publications.
SD3 Improve information quality, protecting privacy
- Achieved accreditation as an integrating authority for the integration of Commonwealth data.
- Continued to develop data quality statements for all data reported by the AIHW, including for the Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision's (SCRGSP's) Report on government services 2012.
- Agreed with jurisdictions, a new national minimum data set for child protection to be implemented from 1 July 2013.
- Successfully engaged with relevant stakeholders to update several hospital national minimum data sets to meet contemporary health reform needs.
- Developed national minimum data sets for non-government mental health establishments and the Australian Cancer Database.
- Developed an agreed Radiotherapy Waiting Times Data Set Specification for consideration by governments.
- Began the redevelopment of the Disability Services National Minimum Data Set and a standard disability identifier for use in national administrative data collections.
- Completed work required to implement the Validata™ tool and a statistical linkage key for the Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Services National Minimum Data Set collection in 2012–13.
SD4 Capitalise on the contemporary information environment
- Delivered annual elective surgery waiting times data much earlier than in previous years, enabled by the Institute's Validata™.
SD5 Cultivate and value a skilled, engaged and versatile workforce
- Participated in staff exchanges with the Canadian Institute for Health Information, and secondment arrangements with the Curtin University and the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA).
Further information about the AIHW's achievements can be found in Chapter 1 Our performance, with reference to four of the AIHW's strategic directions, and in Chapter 3 Our operating units, on a work group basis. The 'spotlights' listed in an index on page 263 also provide more information about the AIHW's achievements and products.
Our financial performance
The AIHW's financial results since 2007–08 are summarised in Table 1. Revenue in 2011–12 was $52.2 million, a decrease of 3.2% compared with 2010–11. Expenses in 2011–12 were slightly higher than in 2010–11.
In 2011–12, the AIHW reported a deficit of $1,849,000. This compares with a surplus of $134,000 in 2010–11.
The deficit comprised an operating loss of just under $1.0 million and an increase in the value of staff long service leave liabilities of just under $0.9 million arising from the decrease in the 10-year government bond rate. The operating deficit and the leave liability adjustment were approved by the Department of Finance and Deregulation. The deficit is the result of non-recurring items and comes after 3 years of surpluses totalling $2.45 million.
Total equity decreased between 2010–11 and 2011–12.
Table 1: Financial results, 2007–08 to 2011–12 ($'000)
|
2007–08 |
2008–09 |
2009–10 |
2010–11 |
Change 2010–11 to 2011–12 |
2011–12 |
| Revenue |
29,600 |
32,347 |
46,445 |
53,952 |
 |
52,237 |
| Expenditure |
30,364 |
32,208 |
44,268 |
53,818 |
 |
54,086 |
| Surplus (or deficit) |
(764) |
139 |
2,177 |
134 |
|
(1,849) |
| Total assets |
16,527 |
20,731 |
31,901 |
30,676 |
|
31,848 |
| Total liabilities |
15,113 |
19,178 |
25,916 |
24,557 |
|
27,578 |
| Total equity |
1,414 |
1,553 |
5,985 |
6,119 |
|
4,270 |
The AIHW's revenue comprises income received as appropriation funding from the Australian Parliament and income received from external sources. The latter is provided mainly for specific project work undertaken for government departments and ministerial councils.
The relative importance of these two income types, including budgeted revenue for the next 4 years, is shown in Figure 1. The proportion of the AIHW's revenue from appropriation gradually decreased to 29% in 2008–09. In 2009–10, the proportion increased to 45% because in the May 2009 Federal Budget the AIHW received a significant increase in its appropriation for the following 4 years. Part of this increase was for data development for COAG reporting. This data development funding has now ceased.
In 2011–12, the proportion of the AIHW's revenue from appropriation comprised 33% of total revenue.
Further information about the AIHW's financial performance can be found in Our financial performance.
How we are governed
The AIHW Act establishes the AIHW Board as the Institute's governing body. The role and composition of the AIHW Board are specified in s. 8(1).
The Board is accountable to the Parliament of Australia through the Minister for Health and is responsible for setting the overall policy and strategic direction of the Institute.
The AIHW's Charter of Corporate Governance adopted by the AIHW Board provides the basis for its operations (see Appendix 2).
The Director of the AIHW manages the day-to-day affairs of the Institute.
An accountability framework for the AIHW (see Figure 5) describes the legislative and reporting relationships that ensure that the Institute's operations and funding contribute to the achievement of AIHW's objectives and outcomes.
The Portfolio Budget Statements for the Health and Ageing portfolio is one of the reporting components of the accountability framework for the AIHW (see Chapter 1 Our performance). The AIHW's outcome—intended results for, benefits to or consequences for the Australian community—as stated in the Portfolio Budget Statements 2011–12 is:
A robust evidence base for the health, housing and community sectors, including through developing and disseminating comparable health and welfare information and statistics.
The AIHW has one program:
Develop, collect, analyse and report high-quality national health and welfare information and statistics for governments and the community.
The AIHW prepares a set of annual financial statements as required by the Finance Minister's Orders made pursuant to the Commonwealth Authorities and Companies Act 1997—under which the Institute operates—and the Australian Accounting Standards. These financial statements are audited by the Australian National Audit Office. The financial statements and the Australian National Audit Office's report are provided in Appendix 9.
Other components of the accountability framework include the AIHW's Strategic directions 2011–2014 and the annual work plans.
Our minister
The Hon. Tanya Plibersek, MP
Minister for Health
Our key relationships
The health and welfare information collected, analysed and disseminated by the AIHW is managed in accordance with the Institute's legal and ethical obligations relating to privacy, confidentiality and objectivity. This information must also meet the current and emerging needs of governments and the community. Work undertaken by the AIHW commonly crosses federal, state, territory and private sector areas of responsibility, so engagement and relationships based on mutual trust with its stakeholders are vital. These relationships are also critical to developing nationally consistent and comparable information across jurisdictions.
Within this context, the AIHW has traditionally adopted a strongly collaborative approach to its work, developing relationship networks with the Australian, state and territory governments, and the education and broader private sectors. This is reflected in the AIHW's formal arrangements with other organisations, the various national information agreements, and in the AIHW's active participation in numerous national committees.
The AIHW's key relationships at the federal level include the Department of Health and Ageing, in relation to which the AIHW is a portfolio agency; the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS); the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA); the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR); and the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA).
Additionally, the AIHW funds work plans, supported by data-sharing agreements, with a number of Australian universities. These collaborations enable the AIHW to draw on the expertise of these bodies in specialist areas of data and information.
Further information on the AIHW's governance arrangements and external relationships can be found in Chapter 2 Governance and the organisation.
Our people
The AIHW relies on highly skilled and competent staff to support its strategic directions. It strives to provide a workplace that offers fulfilling and challenging work, as well as promoting the professional and personal development of its employees.
Strategies to support, attract and retain the AIHW's valued staff are central to one of the strategic directions: SD5 Cultivate and value a skilled, engaged and versatile workforce.
At the end of the reporting period, the AIHW employed 386 staff, equating to a full-time equivalent of 357.1 staff. Figure 2 shows changes in staff numbers since 2003. There has been a marginal decrease in the number of staff (0.9% on a full-time equivalent basis) since 30 June 2011.
The AIHW is a highly sought-after place to work, with a strong work–life balance, in which the interests of both the organisation and the individual are valued.
Further information about the AIHW's staff, human resource services, facilities services and occupational health and safety can be found in Chapter 4 Our people.
Our communications
The AIHW communicates its information and statistics to the public, its stakeholders and clients in a variety of ways, including:
- printed reports and accompanying report profiles, summaries and media releases
- web publications and online snapshots
- an education corner comprising classroom worksheets and interactive online quizzes
- stand-alone websites and 'satellite' web pages for specific purposes
- online data sets.
All AIHW publications are available free of charge on the AIHW's website in a variety of formats to suit individual users' needs, including versions suitable for people with impaired vision and other accessibility requirements.
In 2011–12, the AIHW released 141 publications in traditional report format and produced 82 media releases (Figure 3). This was more than the 135 publications and 71 media releases published in 2010–11. Although production volume of paper-based publications has fluctuated from year to year when measured in these terms, there has been an overall rising trend over the past decade. This trend has continued, even as output types other than traditional publications have increased.
Visits to the AIHW's website increased by 19.9% during the year to 1.67 million visits (see Figure 8).
Further information about the AIHW's publications and online information and data can be found in Chapter 5 Our communications.
Our future
Special events such as the AIHW's 25th birthday celebrations (see Celebrating 25 years) provided an opportunity to reflect on past progress and achievements. Looking forward, the AIHW will continue its mission by providing the best available evidence about Australia's health and welfare to help governments and organisations shape policy responses and service delivery strategies.
The AIHW will change further
In recent years, the AIHW has increased resourcing devoted to disability information, early childhood data developments and the new homelessness services collection. Resourcing for the latter has now decreased, reflecting the development cycle for the collection.
The AIHW expects to change further. Most notably, the number of staff working in different areas will fluctuate as external funding for particular activities changes over time. Some of these variations can be anticipated with the following changes or potential changes.
- More complex analytical work may be carried out using a new data integration capability, especially given the very diverse data sets held by the AIHW and its reputation for effective management of sensitive personal information.
- External funding sources may become more diverse, with new relationships being built with other agencies, particularly related to health reform, and more funded work in the areas of mental health, disability, aged care, early childhood, Indigenous health and hospital reporting.
- Other sectors may wish to use the AIHW's expert capabilities in collating data, monitoring performance, providing information and communicating messages.
- Investments in business transformation and improving project management will help staff to better manage their work, remove overlapping processes, standardise some of the manually intensive tasks and reduce the risks of errors, thus improving the timeliness and quality of AIHW products.
The AIHW will actively influence its future
The AIHW has been at the forefront of developments in innovative reporting of information via the internet, analysis of the impact of Indigenous health initiatives, mental health reporting and the latest aged care reform measures.
The AIHW aims to have its voice heard where it can provide useful, authoritative messages for the community and for policy debates, and has expertise in specific data-related matters.
- Maintaining the AIHW's reputation among key stakeholders is critical to being heard, to the ongoing provision to AIHW of sensitive data, and for the external income that finances the majority of the AIHW's operations.
- Emphasising the AIHW's unique capabilities in providing the vision for health and welfare information desired by other agencies and the details of how to best deliver and report that information will be important.
- Working respectfully in partnership with other agencies is critical, with clear gains derived from collaboration.
- Building the AIHW's reputation as a quality provider of information will remain critical.
- Providing data quality statements will continue to demonstrate the AIHW's perspectives on the quality of the information that the AIHW reports.
- Actively managing circumstances where external perspectives or delays disrupt information delivery will help external stakeholders contribute to the AIHW's processes in a timely manner.