Australian Centre for Health Research

Subject to successful contractual negotiations, the Commonwealth Government will provide funding of $500,000 to the Australian Centre for Health Research (ACHR) for its work.

Australia has a good record in medical research. The Government wants health policy research to match our scientific and medical research in reputation and quality.

The ACHR will consider measures that could be taken to improve the delivery of health services and boost the quality of the performance of the health system.

It is headed by a former national president of the ALP, Neil Batt. A former federal Coalition health minister, Michael Wooldridge, is on its research committee.

The grant to the ACHR should help to establish a critical mass of practical heath policy that can subsequently be supported by competitive NHMRC grants.

The ACHR was established in 2005 as a research body that is representative of the entire health sector. It aims to produce independent, quality research to advance the effectiveness of health services in Australia.