Australian Policy Online

Analysis and policy observatory (also known as APO) is an open access subject repository or digital library, specialising in public policy and practice grey literature and journal articles, mainly from Australia and New Zealand, with some coverage of other countries. Formally known as Australian Policy Online, as of 2017, the not-for-profit underwent a name change in order to match the growing number of coverage internationally.

APO was established in 2002 by the Swinburne Institute for Social Research, at Swinburne University in Melbourne. It was intended as a way to collate and disseminate academic research reports and other grey literature that was increasingly proliferating online. It has since established itself as a notable resource for people involved in policy research in Australia and New Zealand.

It now sits as part of the Centre of Urban Transitions within Swinburne University of Technology.

APP is a not-for-profit organisation supported by partnerships with academic institutions and government agencies, grants donations and advertising revenue. Partners include the Australian National Data Service, ANZSOG, the University of Canberra, the Henry Halloran Trust at the University of Sydney, and the University of South Australia. APO has also been an awarded a number of Australian Research Council grants.

Policy Online was established to address the transformation of the means of production for publications brought about by the internet. Frustrations with the limitations of the academic publishing system – long delays, lack of access or audience – were causing producers of academic and other content to move online and increasingly produce grey literature (informally published written material, such as reports, that may be difficult to trace via conventional channels). The informal channels used to disseminate digital grey literature have meant that libraries and other services have only been able to collect it in an ad hoc manner. Policy Online aims to make digital research content that is relevant to Australian policy debates more easily discoverable, accessible and able to be managed.

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