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The objective of this assignment is to build an understanding of the challenges of communicating public health needs and objectives to decision makers outside the health sector. This is often necessary in the field of public health, where public health professionals seek to improve health through changing actions occurring outside the health sector,
You will select one of the topics below, research the topic, and prepare a brief to a government minister that identifies the public health problem associated with that topic, why it is relevant and an issue the Minister should act on in their portfolio, and recommend actions the Minister should take. You are NOT allowed to brief a Health Minister – this brief needs to be prepared for a Minister responsible for a portfolio other than health.
Topic 2: Reducing impacts of bushfires on public health.
brief to ACT Emergency Services Agency.
The policy brief is required to have the following:
- A clear title
- A clear statement identifying who it is prepared for/intended audience (e.g. a subheading that says ‘Brief prepared for Minister of Agriculture in the Australian Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment’). Be precise – name the specific government department whose Minister you are briefing. While policy briefs can be written for a range of audiences, for this assignment you are briefing a Government Minister, and need to identify which Government Department and Minister you are briefing. You can brief a Minister of an Australian (state, territory or federal) or international government.
- A summary (which has a subheading ‘Summary’ or ‘Executive Summary’, is around 1-3 paragraphs long, and summarises the brief)
- Clear subsections, with appropriate subheadings (see links below for examples of subheadings).
- Ensure that the brief includes clear information on:
o What is the problem/issue/challenge
o Why does the Minister need to do something about it
o What the Minister should do and why
- Conclude with clear implications and recommendations for action, which can be stated in a short paragraph or dotpoints under a heading of ‘recommendations’ or ‘implications and recommendations’
- Provide a list at the end of ‘Consulted or recommended sources’ that you have used to inform your brief. Use Vancouver or APA referencing. Where you have drawn directly from any of these sources in the main text of the brief, you need to provide referencing in the brief of the source of your claim.
- Writing must be simple and clear, and easily understood by a person with little or no
background knowledge of the topic.
You are encouraged to make use of infographics and other visual aids, but do not need to – include these if they help you communicate your key points in a succinct, easy to understand manner.
Examples of good policy briefs:
https://www.odi.org/sites/odi.org.uk/files/odi-assets/publications-opinion-files/2555.pdf
https://www.icpolicyadvocacy.org/sites/icpa/files/downloads/icpa_policy_briefs_essential_guide.pdf
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