This report presents a collection of eleven, in-depth and original web articles on selected health topics, with a focus on the importance of a strong evidence base for supporting the health of Australians.

High-quality data and information are essential for monitoring all types of population health challenges, enabling long-term planning, the development of health-care policies, promotion of health equity, support for research and innovation and improved delivery and quality of healthcare services.

The report explores current activities to improve the evidence base available to support decision making – such as national data linkage projects, which bring together information from multiple data sources to provide more detailed health information about Australia’s population.