Community Based Participatory Research: An Australian Government Perspective
Air quality problems usually involve the community. Equally the community should have the opportunity to be involved in management of the air quality issues. Australian government agencies often find it difficult to address growing community concerns regarding the health impacts of air pollution, usually due to insufficient air quality information being readily available. By actively engaging the community in the collection and interpretation of air quality data, the community develops a better understanding of air quality issues as well as joint ownership of the air quality management process.
Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) aims to achieve this by addressing issues of community concern through the involvement of the community in the entire research process, from the initial development of the research questions to the interpretation and dissemination of project results. Unlike traditional research, CBPR focuses on the issues identified by the community. Most importantly, in CBPR, the research findings are also communicated by the participating community to the broader community so they may be utilised to effect changes in environmental and health policy to improve current conditions.
As part of the Australian Department of Environment and Heritage’s Clean Air Research Program, the Department of Environment and Conservation (WA) is developing a generic CBPR program for air quality research in Australia. The following paper will discuss the development of the WA program and issues encountered by government agencies in the implementation of CBPR programs and highlight possible solutions to resolving such issues.