The Susan McKinnon Foundation (SMF) is proud to announce it will partner with the Analysis & Policy Observatory (APO) to ensure the vital public resource can continue operating.
APO curates a free online library of articles, research reports, evaluations, policy briefs and white papers to help organisations including government, not-for-profits, universities and think tanks access reliable information and keep abreast of public policy issues.
APO has been owned and funded by Swinburne University of Technology for 21 years but had announced it would close at the end of this year due to funding ceasing. The Susan McKinnon Foundation has today announced it will step in to fill the gap and help improve APO’s offering to the community.
“The Susan McKinnon Foundation’s mission is to boost the capability of our democratic institutions and government. Partnering with APO is a perfect complement to our existing work,” said SMF founder Grant Rule.
“APO has performed a vital role in facilitating evidence-based decision-making and public policy improvement. We want to help further strengthen APO’s work and make a significant contribution to better policy outcomes for Australians.”
APO Director Brigid van Wanrooy said APO was delighted with the new partnership.
“The Susan McKinnon Foundation is an esteemed organisation which shares our values and aims,” Associate Professor van Wanrooy said.
“This collaboration secures our future, allowing us to continue informing good policy decisions by making research and policy freely available through open access.”
SMF Advisory Committee Member Peter Shergold said APO would now continue to be an indispensable resource for researchers and policymakers alike.
“As a public servant, and in the years since, I’ve personally found APO to be of remarkable value. It helps those of us engaged in public policy work stay abreast of the breadth of relevant research. I’m very pleased to see this essential tool funded to provide this public good.”
The Deed of Assignment transferring APO ownership from Swinburne University of Technology to the Susan Mckinnon Foundation will come into effect on Thursday 21 December.
To stay up to date on public policy research and APO’s next steps visit https://apo.org.au/ and sign up to the newsletter.
About APO
Established in 2002 and hosted at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, APO (formerly ‘Australian Policy Online’) began as an online database for academic research. It has grown to become a leading public policy repository in Australasia and the world – with over 800,000 website users each year and 15,000 newsletter subscribers.
About the SMF
Founded by tech entrepreneur Grant Rule and his wife Dr Sophie Oh, the SMF is an incubator, funder and implementer of bold ideas and practical initiatives to improve public administration and strengthen Australia’s democracy. The non-partisan foundation partners with people and organisations with good ideas driving positive results, regardless of political affiliation.
