Our impact

Through a broad range of policy-related activities, we engage with and influence a wide variety of organisations, policymakers, researchers and members of the public. 

Our events have secured research funding for participants, our published resources have received commendation from government, business and university collaborators, our training is consistently found to be useful, and our policy commentary is regularly featured in media outlets.

Browse below for highlights of our footprint across 2021 and 2022.


 

2021 at a glance

 

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The first half of 2022 at a glance

 

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Holding stimulating public events on policy themes

Three photos taken at UWA Public Policy Institute events

 

From healthcare to gender equity and suburbanisation, we hold free, public events on vital policy topics, with the view to amplify and promote UWA research to the wider community. Read feedback from audiences from a range of events below.

The future of suburbanisation, spaces and infrastructure in WA (28 April 2022)

"Good articulation of the many issues surrounding this broad topic."

"Good choice of panellists."

"I think you covered it all very well and found it insightful. I'm a current candidate for the Master of Urban Design from Bunbury, and thank you for having the session online!"

In Conversation with Omar Khorshid: The future of healthcare in WA (31 March 2022)

"As an Allied Health practitioner – Physiotherapist – I found this absolutely enlightening. Omar speaks exceptionally well and clearly (I am also hearing impaired). I am very grateful to have had this opportunity and look forward to many more."

"You have done great! Well done team PPI."

"Great conversation."

"Focussed on some key call to actions."

Researcher training: How to work with government (Feb 2022)

"I very much enjoyed hearing all the different perspectives, from those of the academics, to the public servant, to the elected politician, all bringing different perspectives and ideas to enrich public policy. I found it incredibly useful to hear from a public servant about the 'behind the scenes' in government."

"The opportunity to hear real examples from people on both sides of the government/academic relationship was really useful, and particularly the opportunity to hear from both parties about the same project. The practical advice given by all about negotiating contracts (publication rights, adequate objectives/methods), approaching new contacts etc. was also great. The variety of experiences was also helpful."

"I would like to see more events of this nature, perhaps with a focus on bringing together industry, government and academia."

Women on top: Progression, not participation, in Australia's top jobs (25 November 2021)

"It was a professional panel discussion in all respects!  Congratulations to the organisers and to the presenters!"

"I thought it was really insightful and personally am really glad that I attended."

"Thank you. Sensational topic. Great tips and advice from speakers in the top seat."

 
COVID myth-busting: Power, rights and the law (27 October 2021)

"Thank you for your calm moderation and insights in circumstances where members of the public have strong and varied views on these topics."

"The panel members gave comprehensive and thoughtful answers and dealt with conflicting views respectfully."

"Thank you to the panellists for maintaining their composure and integrity throughout the more heated discussions facilitated by the audience. The dissemination of correct and legally sound information is so important during these times."

 
Fortress Australia: How long can we stay closed? (9 September 2021)

"I like this kind of panel format mix of academic and industry/community representatives."

"Very well presented and panel members spoke clearly and deliberately with little, if any, bias or self-interest."

"Good diversity of panel members. Highly complementary to each other. Very good host/chairperson."

"Excellent. Conclusions are logic and forward-looking."

 
Researcher workshop: How to work with government (19 Aug 2021)

"Love these Lunch and Learns!"

"Please repeat this session."

"I wish this could have been one-day event."

 
COVID myth-busting: The vaccination edition (20 July 2021)

"I thought it was a wonderful session, and it was great to hear from such knowledgeable panellists. Thank you!"

"Very good presentation. Useful and interesting information I look forward to sharing with my peers."

"When will the YouTube video of this presentation be available to the public? It was excellent and I would like to share it with people around me who are sceptical about the vaccine."

"The moderator was absolutely fantastic and gave the webinar great structure and flow. Special thanks go to Dr Katie Atwell and Dr Barbara Nattabi for their clear, informative and concise explanations. I can't wait til the Fortress Australia webinar."

 

 

Training researchers to develop policy and government-engagement skills

Holding training sessions on how to work with government

Researchers in classroom doing trainingMost valuable things participants said they learned from one of our researcher training sessions:

  • Specific avenues to reach out and start relationships/collaborations in gov bodies/boards
  • Strategies for building a public profile and engage with stakeholders in government
  • Viewing research impact from the perspective of relation building
  • Having different perspectives on the relationship between academic research, public policies and the government
  • Importance of building long term relationships / communicating appropriately
  • Structures of government

 

Producing valuable policy resources

Public Policy Engagement Guide: A toolbox for UWA researchers (PDF 1.62MB)

Josh Wilson"This is really good. Sometimes an institute will produce something like this - I read a lot of these kinds of things, and some of them are better than others. This is good. I read this and thought wow, I wish more people who came to see me had read something like this first... The 'Dos and don'ts' on page 13 are spot on. The section outlining the range of ways that feed into policymaking is also really important."
–Josh Wilson MP, Federal Member for Fremantle (pictured right)

“A really nice resource, it explains a complex set of institutions and relationships in a very accessible way.”
–Professor David Gilchrist, UWA Business School and Fellow of WA Parliament

“I found it useful.  It accurately described the bits of the policy process that I am familiar with, and so that gave me confidence the unfamiliar bits were on-point too.”
–Professor Raymond da Silva Rosa, Chair of UWA Academic Board and Council

“This is a great initiative, and a really useful document.”
–Professor Ben Reilly

 


 

Fostering connections and networks in WA and the region

 

Elizabeth Lang“At Diversity Focus, we have been fortunate to collaborate with the UWA Public Policy Institute. We participated in a webinar along fellow service providers, academics and industry leaders in the area of domestic and family violence to explore contemporary issues and challenges facing diverse communities, particularly communities with refugee and humanitarian backgrounds. 

Our engagement in the family and domestic violence webinar allowed us to gain valuable perspectives and insights from various viewpoints while facilitating networking opportunities vital to our work in diversity, equity, and inclusion research, consulting, and training. The UWA Public Policy Institute is critical in facilitating such opportunities for engagement and collaboration, bridging the gap between academia, public policy and service provision.” 

--Elizabeth Lang, CEO and Lead Consultant of Diversity Focus

 

 

Michelle Lam"The UWA Public Policy Institute has been an enthusiastic supporter of AASYP since Day 1 and has been committed to promoting and cultivating people-to-people relationships between young people in the ASEAN-Australia region. With their extensive expertise and knowledge in public policy, diplomacy, and international affairs, the UWA PPI bridges the gap between academia, public policy and practical skills and continues to do important work at the forefront of critical regional issues.

UWA PPI provided invaluable expertise in AASYP's annual ASEAN-Australia Young Leaders Forum. Through their high-quality speakers such as Professor Shamit Saggar, Dr Chris Lin, and former Foreign Minister of Australia Stephen Smith, UWA PPI brought a broad range of knowledge and insight; from skills in foreign diplomacy, the barriers between regional cooperation, and even intercultural storytelling."

--Michelle Lam, Co-CEO of ASEAN-Australia Strategic Youth Partnership

 


 

Securing funding for policy researchers

 

Dr Julie JiResearcher: Dr Julie Ji, Forrest Postdoctoral Fellow, UWA School of Psychological Science
Project title: Investigating the role of visual mental imagery in maternal vaccination delay and refusal
Funder: WA Child Research Fund, Department of Health (WA)
Total funding received: $150,000
Awarded: October 2021

"My grant, funded by the WA Child Research Fund, is a direct result of the UWA Public Policy’s fantastic public outreach and research engagement activities.

The Institute has the capacity to facilitate and galvanise these critical interdisciplinary and cross-industry connections that are crucial to securing support from external funders in an increasingly competitive and impact-focused funding landscape."

 

 

Dr Caleb GoodsResearcher: Dr Caleb Goods, UWA Business School
Project title: Climate, Work, Community and Just Transition 
Funders: University of Sydney Business School Industry Partnership Grant in partnership with the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union Western Australia 
Total funding received: $22,636
Awarded: November 2021

"When initially scoping the feasibility of this research project, the UWA Public Policy Institute proved vital to gaining access to key stakeholders within the Western Australian Government.

It is clear that the Institute's positive relationship with policymakers allowed trust to be quickly built between the research team and key actors with the state government. In concert, this allowed the research team to swiftly understand the policy issues at hand, the feasibility of the study we were hoping to undertake and gave us confidence that we could undertake the research project with support of key stakeholders.

The overall outcome is the securing of important seed funding to undertake the research project with the longer term aim of apply for a larger ARC funded project."

   

 

Commenting on trending policy topics through public media channels 

 

Collection of screenshots of media pieces by the UWA Public Policy Institute

 

 

Media mentions in 2022

 Online articles are available at the links; figures in brackets indicate audience reach where available.