This paper argues that Australian governments would be better at policy reform if they prioritised their agenda better. The report suggests that governments should look for the reforms that will make more of a difference while minimising the political cost. This means assessing both the value and feasibility of potential initiatives.

This report analyses the skills and capacities governments need to strengthen evidence-informed policy-making (EIPM) and identifies a range of possible interventions that are available to foster greater uptake of evidence.

An evidence hierarchy is a useful tool to help decision-makers quickly identify the best available research evidence of ‘what works’ in their field. This factsheet explains what an evidence hierarchy is and how it can be used to help you search for and appraise research evidence.

The Intervention Scalability Assessment Tool (ISAT) facilitates assessment and decision-making on the potential scalability of population health interventions and demonstrates its potential for use in real-world settings. This study tested the utility of the ISAT with real-world interventions considered for scale-up in the Australian context.

While many governments already do rely on public health experts for advice and public messaging in health policy-making, studies such as this one provide experimentally validated evidence for the efficacy of involving trusted sources in health policy development, as well as public communication about health-saving behaviours.