Meeting Communiqué: Indigenous Evaluation Committee, 1 March 2019

The Indigenous Evaluation Committee’s third meeting was held in Canberra on 1 March 2019.

Key discussions

• The Policy Analysis and Evaluation Branch provided updates on:
  • the Australian National Audit Office’s audit of the Indigenous Advancement Strategy (IAS) Evaluation Framework
  • progress made towards refining the process for developing future IAS Annual Evaluation Work Plans
  • the status of evaluation strategies in the IAS 2018-19 Evaluation Work Plan.
• The Health and Wellbeing Branch presented the evaluation of the Link-Up Services Program for discussion.
• The Policy Analysis and Evaluation Branch presented on implications for data collection in early childhood evaluations.
• The Indigenous Health Division, Department of Health, spoke about the four year overarching evaluation of the Australian Government’s Investment in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care through the Indigenous Australians’ Health Programme.

Key message

The Committee highlighted the importance of ensuring all evaluations are published in a timely manner.

Other business

• The Committee proposed that at the next Committee meeting updates are provided on the following:
  • development of the 2019-20 Annual Evaluation Work Plan
  • development of IAS Guidance Materials
  • update from a First Assistant Secretary on the evaluation culture and activities in one of the IAG Programme Division areas
  • implications of monitoring and evaluation data for early childhood.

Next meeting

• The Committee’s next meeting will be held in Canberra on 7th June 2019.

Prof. Maggie Walter
IEC Chair