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).