This assessment addresses the following learning outcomes:
1. Analyse different theories and approaches to policy agenda setting
2. Apply knowledge of policy development to a public health policy issue
3. Analyse issues in contemporary Australian health care policy
4. Analyse evidence-based policy and knowledge translation issues

Instructions:
In this Assignment, you will engage in policy analysis. Choose a health policy (either current or past),
either at the state or federal level, to analyse in this Assignment (eg, mental health policy, women’s
health policy, preventative health policy, men’s health policy, the Northern Territory intervention).
The Assignment should be approximately 2,500 words presented in essay form. Address the
following questions in your Assignment but please do not answer the questions as a series of short
answers:
The Problem and Context
 Describe the current and historical policy context of the problem.
 What is the problem which the policy seeks to address? What problems are highlighted?
 What problems have been overlooked?
Frame of Reference/Dominant Discourse
 What is the common frame of reference or dominant discourse evidence within this
policy?
 Are certain words and phrases commonly used?
 Are there any underlying assumptions behind these?
Targets, Stakeholders and their Representation
 Who is the target of the policy (the subject of the discourse)?
 Who are the other stakeholders identified in the policy? Describe key institutional
structures, agencies and workforce capacity building.
 How are the subjects of the policy being represented?
 How are different social groups portrayed in this policy and what implications does this
have?
 Are there any moral judgements expressed in this representation?
Policy process
 Who were the stakeholders involved in the development of the policy? Who was
overlooked?
 Whose interests were represented in the development of the policy? Which voices were
not heard?
 What were the potential competing interests and power differentials of those involved in
the development of the policy?
 What was the motivation for stakeholders in creating this policy?
 Were there any particular windows of opportunity that enabled the development of this
policy?

Policy Solutions
 What solutions are put forward to address the problems? What alternative solutions
might have been overlooked?
 Are there any social/power/ethical implications of this policy?
PUBH6001_Assessment Brief 3 Page 3 of 7
Effectiveness
 Consider the implementation of the policy. How effectively do you think the current
policy has been implemented?
 What are the accountability processes for the policy?
 Consider evaluation measures (indictors) and any evaluation which has been undertaken.
How effective has the policy proven to be?
Assessment Criteria:
 Knowledge and understanding of the policy issue (20%)
 Critical analysis of the problem, frames of reference used, the policy process and policy
solutions (20%)
 Application and synthesis of knowledge about policy theories (20%)
 Analysis of ethical/moral issues arising from the policy, the policy process, or the way in
which problems and subjects of the policy are framed (20%)
 Use of academic conventions including appropriate resources and referencing (20%)