The AIHW is an independent statutory Australian Government agency with more than 30 years of experience working with health and welfare data.

Our role is to provide meaningful information and statistics for the benefit of the Australian people by:

developing, maintaining and promoting statistical information standards for the health, community services and housing assistance sectors
collecting and managing data on health and welfare issues, including from state, territory and federal government agencies
analysing and releasing a range of health and welfare products (data and reports) to key policy areas, to support better policy and service delivery decisions
enhancing data resources with the addition of new health and welfare data assets to the AIHW’s data holdings to fill data gaps in the health and welfare sectors
modernising the presentation and availability of national health and welfare products to meet the needs of diverse audiences such as state, territory and federal government agencies, universities, research centres, and non-government organisations.
Our vision
Our vision is to provide stronger evidence (data and information) for better decisions and improved health and welfare.

Our strategic goals

1. A trusted leader in health and welfare data and analysis

We will:

proactively inform and respond to emerging policy issues
build our reputation as an authoritative source of health and welfare data and analysis
lead the adoption of best practice in data collection, presentation, and analysis

2. Innovative producers of data sets and analysis

We will:

invest in capability and systems to respond quickly to emerging issues and deliver an innovative approach to data and analysis to meet stakeholder needs
identify and fill priority data gaps
facilitate sustainable and secure access to timely, relevant and fit-for-purpose data and analysis

3. A strong strategic partner

We will:

expand and deepen our partnerships
enhance our engagement and communications to increase the impact of our work

4. Recognised for our organisational excellence

We will:

grow our capability and support a high-performing and adaptable workforce
expand our program of renewal to ensure provision of high quality technology and tools to deliver our data and analysis
View our Strategic directions 2022–2026.

Our Corporate plan sets out the key priorities and activities we will pursue to achieve these strategic goals.

Our stakeholders
We work with a broad range of stakeholders — with some of our relationships dating back to our establishment in 1987.

We convene or participate in around 100 committees with experts from many different subject areas, meaning we're informed by contemporary best practice and a wide range of perspectives, including:

Australian Bureau of Statistics and other Australian Government agencies
state & territory governments
local governments
universities
research centres
non-government organisations
international organisations.
We also have in place many partnership agreements and memorandums of understanding, including with:

Department of Health
Department of Social Services
Cancer Australia
Australian Institute of Family Studies.
The AIHW chairs, is a member of, or provides secretariat services to, a large number of national committees.