PhD Scholarship Opportunity - Informing the Future of Work Disability Policy in Australia Using Community Preference Methods
Job No.: 697659
Location: Monash University, 509 St. Kilda Rd, Melbourne VIC 3004 (as of October 2026, remote until then)
Contract Type: Full time
Duration: 4-year fixed-term appointment
Remuneration: Upon enrolment, the successful applicant will receive a Research Living Allowance, at current value of $40,000AUD per annum 2026 full-time rate (tax-free stipend), indexed plus allowances as per RTP stipend scholarship conditions at: www.monash.edu/graduate-research/future-students/scholarships/scholarship-policy-and-procedures.
About the project
Work disability systems are fundamental components of social safety nets across countries. Australia has two main work disability compensation mechanisms i) worker’s compensation, ii) disability support pension and unemployment payments. These mechanisms, particularly the workers’ compensation system, are fragmented with 11 different states/territories systems, implemented under different conditions. Whilst a single Commonwealth social security system exists for unemployment payments and the disability support pension, the underpinning principles and structures of the system has not kept up with the current changes to the structure of the labour force in Australia. There is good evidence that the fragmentation and complexity of Australia’s work disability support systems negatively impacts the health and employment of a large number of citizens seeking support through these systems. Other high-income countries have very different approaches to the provision of financial support to people with work disability, providing a set of alternative policy options that may be transferrable to the Australian context in the mid 21st century.
This PhD project will work within a group of researchers using evidence synthesis, stated preference, participatory research and deliberative democracy methods to explore futuristic designs for Australia's workers’ compensation and disability support policies. Using a mixed methods approach we aim to critically explore, analyse and reimagine the workers’ compensation and disability support systems and policies in Australia, integrating global best practices, public, regulatory and industry inputs.
As part of the broader research program, the PhD student will undertake a comprehensive review and evidence synthesis of how features of work disability support policies and systems (e.g. income replacement/supplement, conditions, employer/worker obligations etc.) affect behavioural and system outcomes globally. Outcomes may include (but not restricted to) system-specific outcomes such as volume and duration of claims, return-to-work rates, system costs etc. and individual health and labour market outcomes of workers.
Evidence from this review will contribute to the next stage of the project, exploring how key system actors (e.g. employers, regulators, insurers, unions, government agencies etc.) perceive/value different policy features of workers’ compensation and disability support systems and trade-offs, focussing on feasibility and implementation constraints. Stated-preference studies (e.g. best worst scaling or discrete choice experiments) and complementary qualitative components such as in-depth interviews/focus groups, will be used at this stage.
Finally, a national citizens’ jury will be convened, to present the comprehensive research outputs across the multiple research activities, in order to elicit informed and deliberative public recommendations on the design and reform of Australia’s workers’ compensation and disability support systems.
Team overview
As part of the Healthy Working Lives Group within the School of Public Health and Preventative Medicine, this PhD is supported by an Australian Laureate Fellowship program, Reforming Work Disability Benefit Systems for Contemporary Australian Society. This team aims to strengthen the evidence base on how these systems function, are experienced, and can be improved to better support individuals, employers, and society. Work disability benefit systems are a key part of Australia’s social safety net, assisting people whose ability to work is affected by injury or illness.
The program comprises three interconnected streams: Program 1 identifies how work disability develops through a national cohort study; Program 2 examines participant experiences of benefit systems; and Program 3 informs system redesign using community preference models. Together, they form an integrated agenda linking prevention, lived experience, and policy reform. All research is supported by a Community of Practice and informs real-world outcomes including a National Training program.
The successful candidate will be part of Program 3 and will be within a multidisciplinary cohort of researchers and students at the Healthy Working Lives Research Group based at the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine.
Supervisory team
The principal supervisors will be Professor Alex Collie, Dr Udeni De Silva Perera, and Dr Jemimah Ride.
Professor Collie is a leading public health and social policy scholar, Director of the Healthy Working Lives Research Group (HWLR Group) and the Division of Health Systems, Services and Policy in the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University. His research focuses on work injury rehabilitation, occupational health, and social protection systems, using multidisciplinary and mixed-methods approaches across Australian and international contexts. He is an Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow and serves as President of the Scientific Committee on Work Disability Prevention at the International Commission on Occupational Health.
Dr De Silva Perera is a Research Fellow at the HWLR Group-Health Systems, Services and Policy unit, Monash School of Public Health and Preventative Medicine. She completed her PhD in Applied Econometrics from Monash University and has worked as a Research Fellow at the Centre for Health Economics- Monash University and School of Psychology, Deakin University, prior to returning back to her current role at Monash University. As a statistician and health economist with a background in occupational mental health, work quality, and health policy research, Dr Perera has a strong interest in how workplace conditions shape wellbeing. She is currently leading the development of a new psychosocial job exposure matrix for Australia, and contributes to national research examining the impact of work quality on mental health using preference-based methods, and large administrative datasets. She has extensive experience in longitudinal data analysis and health preference research, including choice modelling and person trade-off studies to inform healthcare decision-making.
Dr Ride is a Senior Research Fellow at the Health Economics Group-Monash School of Public Health and Preventative Medicine. She is a health economist with a background as a medical doctor and in health policy. She completed her PhD in health economics at Monash University in 2018 and has worked at the University of York and University of Melbourne as Research Fellow and Senior Research Fellow before returning to join the Monash University Health Economics Group. Her research focuses on mental health and preferences for healthcare and other goods or services that affect health. At the intersection of these two areas of work is her special interest in the role of mental health and psychological states in choice and decision making. She holds a Discovery Early Career Researcher Fellowship from the Australian Research Council to investigate incentives for employers to invest in workplace mental health.
Eligibility Requirements:
Prospective applicants must satisfy Monash University PhD entry requirements as outlined in the Monash Graduate Research Admission Procedure, this includes:
- Being able to demonstrate and present valid and current Australian work rights; and
- A bachelor’s degree of at least four years in a relevant discipline (health economics, health policy, social policy, health service research, public health), which includes a research thesis or project, with a minimum overall average grade of an Honours degree equivalent to the First Class Honours Division A; or
- A master's degree in a relevant discipline which includes a research thesis or project equivalent to at least 25 percent of one year of full-time study, with a minimum overall average grade of honours equivalent to the First Class Honours Division A; or
- A qualification, or combination of qualifications and relevant professional or research experience, deemed equivalent by the Graduate Research Committee (or delegate); and
- Relevant disciplines include health economics, labour economics, economics, econometrics, and other quantitative fields such as data science, mathematical statistics, health policy, public health, or psychology with strong statistical training.
- Preferably, be available to commence as a full-time, on-campus PhD candidate.
- Demonstrated training and/or experience in stated preference research (e.g. discrete choice experiments, best worst scaling experiments, etc.) and/or deliberative democracy methods (e.g. citizens’ jury method) will be highly desirable.
Please note: this scholarship does not cover tuition fees.
How to apply:
To apply please follow the following steps:
- Check your eligibility following this link. Only continue if eligible.
- Submit your CV along with a cover letter outlining your interest in the project and explaining why you believe you are a strong fit, to melinda.mccabe@monash.edu.
- Selected candidates will be invited to take part in an interviews (either in person or via ZOOM)
- The successful candidate will be provided an invitation to apply, along with further instructions, and will then need to submit an application for candidature only via the online portal. Upon successful enrolment the associated scholarship will be awarded.
Enquiries: Further enquiries about the scholarship or application process should be directed to; Melinda (Millie) McCabe, Senior Project Co-ordinator, E: melinda.mccabe@monash.edu.
Applications Close: Sunday 20 September 2026, 11:55pm AEST
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