Health services research in Australia.

The long-awaited Wills Implementation Committee Report (CoA 2000), which was completed by November last year, has now been released. Wills’ earlier Report (CoA 1998) identified the need for the development of health services research capacity in Australia, and this new Report recommends how this should be done, through the establishment and support of several large multi-disciplinary centres. These should be based around health services, health policy, health economics, public health and clinical practice and these are required to give scientific leadership to Australia’s efforts in priority-driven research. They are to be funded through NHMRC, with funds rising to $10m per annum.