The Current Policy Environment and Predictions for the Future

Abstract

A brief overview of the Australian health system is followed by an outline of current health policy, focusing on the Government's reform agenda and its commitment to women's health. The growing emphasis on an evidence-based approach to policy development, and collaborations across health and other sectors, is discussed. The focus is on Australia's response to a particular women's health issue as an example of evidence-based policy development. Any predictions for the future must recognise that many of the causal factors of ill health lie outside the control of the health system, and take into account the growing opportunities for change through innovations and reforms in the health system, and through collaborations with other sectors.