About APO

APO. It's good policy.

APO is an open access evidence platform – making public policy research and resources accessible and useable. As a unique public good with a trusted reputation, we champion open access and evidence-informed decision-making.

APO’s mission is to become an indispensable tool for the public service in delivering evidence-based policymaking.

We believe that the best way to improve outcomes is for the best available research evidence to be integrated into decision-making. And the best way to achieve evidence-informed decision-making is to make research and policy freely available through open access.

APO is a not-for-profit public good and we have been providing a free service to the public since 2002.

Our story

Founded in 2002 as Australian Policy Online and hosted by Swinburne University of Technology for 21 years, APO began as an online database for academic research. Initially, the aim was to collate and disseminate research reports and other grey literature that was proliferating online with the arrival of the digital age.

With 300,000 website users from Australia and New Zealand each year and more than 15,000 newsletter subscribers, APO has grown to become a leading public policy repository in Australasia and the world.

APO covers the gamut of public policy – from health, education and social and First Nations issues to the natural and built environment, technology and communications. This essential service provides a bridge between researchers and policymakers in government, not-for-profits and industry.

Milestones and achievements

2002: APO is established by researchers at Swinburne University of Technology.
2014: Awarded ‘Best Information Website’ at the 2014 Australia & New Zealand Internet Awards.
2017: We changed our name from Australian Policy Online to Analysis & Policy Observatory (APO).
2017: Awarded a $2m grant from the Australian Research Council Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment and Facilities (LIEF) program to fund the Linked Semantic Platforms project.
2018: Named a ‘Change Maker’ by Swinburne University for success in demonstrating real-world impact on society and industry.
2020: My APO+ membership service is launched.
2022: We celebrated APO's 20th Anniversary, with an event Democratising the policy process with research evidence and lived experience.
2023: After 21 years at Swinburne University of Technology, APO announced a new partnership with McKinnon to continue to provide open access to policy and research published by organisations.
2024: APO re-establishes operations at McKinnon’s Melbourne office.
2025: We launched our new brand to reflect our alignment with McKinnon and changed our name back to Australian Policy Online. We also launch APOgov to support Australian public servants to use research evidence in their work.

What our users say

'Both as a senior public servant, and in the years since, I have found the APO of remarkable value in helping me stay abreast of the wide variety of reports that address public policy issues in Australia. It has been my go-to source for keeping up to date. It has often alerted me to resources that I would not otherwise have discovered for many months.'
Professor Peter Shergold AC

'APO just saves me tons of time. It's a really convenient, fantastic way to find out what's going on. It's all about making research more visible and more usable. The difference is that you find much more current work and you find a wider range of diverse research resources.'
Professor Julian Thomas, RMIT

'I use APO to find the evidence base for issues that I'm interested in knowing about. Every week, every month it's becoming more and more authoritative in the number of articles, and research pieces, and white papers and grey papers they pull together from across Australia from thousands of sources.'
Karen Mahlab AM, Pro Bono Australia

‘Thank you for providing such an unbiased and informative service. In a world of social media, clickbait, fake news, deepfakes, corporate owned news giants and decline of expertise, APO is a light at the end of the tunnel for me.’
Subscriber Survey respondent, October 2019

Major partners and governance

APO is a collaborative not-for-profit public good that receives funding from a variety of sources.

Partner

In 2024, APO partnered with McKinnon to ensure this vital public resource could continue operating.

Founder

APO was founded in 2002 and supported until 2023 by Swinburne University of Technology.

Sponsor APO

Do you also champion open access to policy and research and evidence-informed decision-making for better outcomes? Find out more about sponsoring APO.

APO Advisory Board

The APO Advisory Board provides stewardship and oversight of our strategic direction and supports us to continue to be an essential resource for public policy. The APO Advisory Board brings together experienced leaders in public policy and research from across the government, education and not-for-profit sectors.

'For policymakers, APO is a unique resource giving easy access to key collections of research and evaluation. For researchers, it’s a brilliant tool to make direct connection with policymakers by publishing their research reports.'
Professor Jane Farmer, Foundation Director, Social Innovation Research Institute, Swinburne University of Technology

'I couldn’t have lived a day without APO when I was running a social policy shop in government and I was delighted to renew a close relationship via ANZSOG. We have very complementary goals and audiences, disseminating and curating knowledge, evidence and ideas in useable ways to achieve better policy and better outcomes.'
Simon Kent, Principal Policy Adviser, Commonwealth Minister for Skills and Training

'In every role I have held inside and outside of government, I have been struck by the importance and value of connecting people working on similar issues but in different contexts. APO is so critical to bridge the gap between policy and research and ideally to provide a space to build relationships and trust in pursuit of better policy.'
Monica Pfeffer, Consultant and PhD candidate at The Australian National University

'I lead a lot of projects that involve examining the available research and evidence. Policymakers need evidence that is timely, accessible, gets to the crux of the issue and cuts through. Government-funded organisations also need to be equipped with evidence for practice.'
Eliza Strapp, First Assistant Secretary, Residential and Flexible Aged Care Division, Department of Health

'I am keen to help APO rise to the challenge of carving out a sustainable future. Great government service delivery and good policy needs responsive resources like APO.'
Dr Dave Trudinger
Director, Behavioural Insights Unit, Department of Customer Service (NSW)

'The APO plays a critical role connecting policy-makers with the latest research evidence to help deliver better public policy. The goals and aims of the APO and the Sax Institute are closely aligned and we can support and learn from each other to further enhance evidence-based decision-making in Australia.'
Justin Eccleston
Head, Business Services Transformation, Sax Institute

APO team

Camilo Jorquera, Web & Information Manager
Camilo has built and maintained APO’s web and information systems since 2012. He works with open-source technologies in educational and library environments, and is responsible for maintaining, upgrading, and securing the APO platform including the information architecture.

Antje Dun, Editor – Research to Policy
Antje manages APO’s curated collections service and supports organisations by curating an evidence base to achieve their goals. Antje is an information manager with 20 years' experience. She has expertise in special libraries and is committed to working with a values aligned organisation using information and knowledge for the public good.

Belinda Strickland, Editor – Content and Newsletters
Belinda is responsible for daily curation and APO’s nine generalist and subject-based newsletters. She also manages external contributors to APO and our advertising services. Belinda is an experienced content creator, manager and editor with a background encompassing architecture, education, editing and the not-for-profit sector. Prior to APO, Belinda was employed at the Australian Institute of Architects for 12 years where she was the National Editor, Knowledge Services.

Fiona Parsons, Communications Specialist, McKinnon
Fiona's degree in Communications and Marketing and experience in business development and as a project manager set her in good stead for this role. Fiona joined in 2024 and contributes to APO’s online and social presence and supports the team to bring APO’s goals to life.