13th Health Services Research Association of Australia & NZ Conference

Health Services Research Association of Australia and New Zealand (HSRAANZ) President, Dr Alison Pearce; Conference Co-Chairs and Convenors; delegates; distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen.

 

I begin by acknowledging Uncle Billy Cummings and the Original Custodians of the lands around Brisbane, the Turrbal and Jagera people, and pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and to any First Nations people here this morning.

 

I was delighted to receive the invitation to officially open this 13th conference of the Health Services Research Association of Australia and New Zealand and to welcome the Conference back to Brisbane for the first time since 2009.

 

As you are all very much aware, the 15 years since then have produced significant challenges for health services and systems in Australia and New Zealand, and for the researchers working to improve them.

 

In 2001, when a group of farsighted researchers, policymakers and practitioners first identified the need for an association to promote health services research in Australia and New Zealand, I was the Director of Medical Services at the Princess Alexandra Hospital here in Brisbane.

 

Overseeing the delivery of healthcare in one of Queensland's major hospitals showed me just how vital it was to have networks of scientists who focused on interdisciplinary, evidence-based research that could make a real difference to health services policy and practice.

 

Four years later, I was able to take that invaluable lesson into my role as Queensland’s Chief Health Officer, and when I look back on the trends and crises that emerged in my 16 years in that role, the importance of the collaborative research conducted by the members of this Association is very clear.

 

Over that time, the population of Queensland grew rapidly. In addition to keeping pace with this growth in major centres, health service providers have to find better ways of delivering care to rural and remote areas and Indigenous communities.

 

The incidence of chronic diseases increased, as did the demand for mental health services, and the ageing population had begun to put pressures on healthcare infrastructure.

 

Overlaying all of this were the threats of diminishing resources and climate change, and growing awareness of the potential disruption that both would cause to both infrastructure and delivery.

 

The very last thing we needed in this situation was COVID-19, but, thanks to the efforts of researchers like the members of this Association, we ultimately emerged a safer, healthier Queensland – with stronger public health campaigns, a sharper focus on preventive care and greater use of technology.

 

By bringing together disciplines as varied as medicine, economics, epidemiology and informatics, this Association today continues to play a vital role in building and maintaining more sustainable and responsive health systems in Australia and New Zealand and, on behalf of Queensland’s five and a half million residents, I thank you for that.

 

It is now my pleasure to officially open this Conference and to wish you all an enjoyable three days of productive networking, new ideas, and inspiration.