Please see below an email from a PHD student keen to research HIA in
local government.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject:        HIA in local government
Date:   Mon, 10 Jan 2005 13:53:31 +1100
From:   Grace Blau <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To:       Grace Blau <[log in to unmask]>
To:     [log in to unmask]



This email is a request for support from list members who may have recent
personal experience in positioning and/or applying HIA within local
government or who may know of anyone who has this experience. I am a
Research Fellow in the Health Impact Assessment Research Unit at Deakin
University, Melbourne, Australia and am currently undertaking a 12-month
research project that aims to understand the contextual and operational
conditions needed for the inclusion of health impact assessment within
local government planning processes in our state of Victoria.

My research covers the following three broad areas of exploration:
the positioning of HIA within local government;
a framework for the application of HIA within local government; and
management issues linked to both positioning and application.

Some key research questions that I am particularly interested to answer are:
What role can HIA play at local government level?
What conditions are necessary for HIA to be applied within local government?
What barriers might preclude the use of HIA within local government? How
can these barriers be overcome?
What methods, tools or approaches should be used at local government level?

>From the literature, I am aware that various HIA methods have been applied
to a range of policies and projects at local government level in several
countries, but I am particularly interested in any insights into the
realities of introducing a new concept and a new process into a
bureaucracy. I am keen to examine the process of introducing, positioning
and applying HIA into a local level of government where health may not
necessarily be on the agenda.

I would greatly appreciate any advice or assistance and can be contacted by
email ([log in to unmask]) or by telephone (+61 3 9251 7215).





--
Caroline Keir
Health Impact Assessment Development Manager
Yorkshire and Humber Public Health Observatory
01904 724592