Poor public sector productivity is a drag on the economy but now La Trobe U and partners have the chance to do something about it in the $327bn care economy.
The stated intent is to “lead Australia’s productivity growth by integrating critical enabling technologies to diversify and transform care services.”
The Care Economy Cooperative Research Centre to be based at LT U was announced Thursday, during caretaker (but that is another story). It has $35m in Commonwealth funding and $94m from partners, including Griffith U, Holmesglen TAFE, James Cook U, Macquarie U and Uni Sydney, over ten years.
According to its pre-announcement site, the CRC will run three research programs:
- Technology solutions: including wearable sensors, social-care robotics, medical devices and “assistive technologies”
- Data analytics: such as, automation in care delivery and workforce modelling to improve service efficiencies and sustainability
- Workforce innovation: “adopting latest care technologies into practice and promoting interdisciplinary collaboration and undo career silos in training.”
More than 1.8 million Australians work in the Care Economy in aged care, disability services, social housing, family services, mental health services, child care and other areas. The new CRC will be the largest of its kind in the world – and has much to do, forecasting $1.4 billion in benefits over the next 15 years.
The CRC is starting from a low base. According to the Productivity Commission last December, labour productivity across the economy was pretty-much where it was in 2014, but the public sector was eight points below the base year.
The PC warns that methodological limitations may make figures look worse than they are (no hospital prices for public patients). Even so, any improvements in a $327bn industry will help.
