Health impact assessment in Australia: A review and directions for progress
- Research Fellow, Centre for Health Equity Training, Research and Evaluation, Part of the Centres for Primary Health Care and Equity, UNSW, Locked Mail Bag 7103, Liverpool BC, NSW 1871 (Australia)
- WHO Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health Impact Assessment, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University of Technology, GPO Box U1987 Perth, Western Australia (Australia)
This article provides an overview of Health Impact Assessment (HIA) within Australia. We discuss the development and current position of HIA and offer some directions for HIA's progression. Since the early 1990s HIA activity in Australia has increased and diversified in application and practice. This article first highlights the emergent streams of HIA practice across environmental, policy and health equity foci, and how these have developed within Australia. The article then provides summaries of current practice provided by each Australian state and territory. We then offer some insight into current issues that require further progression or resolution if HIA is to progress effectively in Australia. This progress rests both on developing broad system support for HIA across government, led by the health sector, and developing system capacity to undertake, commission or review HIAs. We argue that a unified and clear HIA approach is required as a prerequisite to gaining the understanding and support for HIA in the public and private sectors and the wider community.
- OSTI ID:
- 21499697
- Journal Information:
- Environmental Impact Assessment Review, Vol. 31, Issue 4; Other Information: DOI: 10.1016/j.eiar.2010.03.002; PII: S0195-9255(10)00041-7; Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, All rights reserved.; ISSN 0195-9255
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Equity-focused health impact assessment: A tool to assist policy makers in addressing health inequalities
Health impact assessment in Latin American countries: Current practice and prospects