The Menzies Centre for Health Policy will provide the Australian people with a better understanding of their health system and what it provides for them. It will encourage informed debate about how Australians can influence health policy to ensure that it is consistent with their values and priorities and is able to deliver safe, high quality health care that is sustainable in the long term.

The work of the Centre will assist in providing better public accountability for public policy decisions in health. It will help us know whether we are investing in the best prevention and care and whether our policies are working.

The Centre will:

• undertake research to understand better the implications of various health policies in terms of their effectiveness and efficiency;
• research and define policy approaches which might deliver better health care while making the best use of available health resources;
• undertake research into the health policy implications of an ageing population;
• identify approaches to the prevention and management of serious and continuing illnesses;
• make use of a range of databases to understand better existing health care patterns and their outcomes for patients, and identify gaps in the national data collections;
• promote and inform public debate on health policy to assist Australia in establishing health care priorities in terms of affordability, access, equity, safety and quality of services, outcomes for patients and efficiency of resource allocation;
• work with governments and others involved in health on particular policy issues;
• contribute to the international understanding of global health policy issues.