Writer
Charles Maskell-Knight
Charles Maskell-Knight PSM worked as a senior public servant in the Department of Health for over 25 years before retiring in early 2021.
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The States can act now on ‘broken’ GP system
State and territory first ministers are again pressing national cabinet to consider health care reform as its top priority at the first meeting for 2023. We have heard this song before. Continue reading »
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The corporatisation of General Practice
Proposals to reform how Medicare supports primary care need to take account of the changed ownership structure of general practice as well as changing health needs. Continue reading »
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Robodebt: can you recall a greater failure of public administration?
Federal Court Justice Bernard Murphy described Robodebt as “a massive failure of public administration”. So far the Royal Commission has made little progress is establishing how it happened, given contrary legal advice and warnings from mid-level public servants of the policy dangers. Continue reading »
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Medicare compliance review unlikely to succeed
Minister for Health Mark Butler has given in to pressure from some media outlets and on 5 November announced an independent review into Medicare compliance to report in four months – a requirement which means it will struggle to deliver on its main terms of reference. Continue reading »
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Medicare “rorts”ridiculous, but reform still needed
Suggestions that Medicare is being “rorted” to the extent of $8 billion a year are ridiculous. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a need for reform in how Medicare pays GPs. Continue reading »
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We need more than an Auditor-General’s report on COVID-19 vaccination
The recent Auditor-General’s report on the COVID-19 vaccine rollout gave the Department of Health a C-minus – late starting work, not paying close attention to the curriculum, but scrambling to catch up and deliver an adequate but not wholly satisfactory performance. However, the aged care vaccine rollout raises a fundamental issue outside the scope of Continue reading »
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Hospitals and general practice reform
Reducing the pressure on hospitals from patients who don’t require urgent and complex care requires reform of general practice. Continue reading »
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The erosion of Medicare
Large out-of-pocket costs for specialist consultations driven by inadequate indexations are undermining Medicare. Continue reading »
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Priorities for a new health minister
After almost a decade of health policy stagnation, what are the three most important issues for a new health minister to address? Continue reading »
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The Commonwealth Department of Health has never really done health policy.
As the Department of Health’s policy capability has waned, central agencies have taken over more and more of the health policy workload. Continue reading »
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Why the Department of Health has proven tragically inept
The Health Department’s Covid response was filled with missteps due to its indifferent minister, structural deficiencies and reliance on consultants. Continue reading »
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The Budget falsely claims to make health insurance cheaper through lower premium rebates
The Ministry of Truth has apparently taken over the preparation of Department of Health Budget “fact” sheets. A decision which will increase the cost of private health insurance for thousands of Australians is presented as “making private health insurance simpler and more affordable”. Continue reading »
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The unfortunate reality for private health insurance premiums
On 21 December last year, Health Minister Greg Hunt announced “the lowest annual average [private health insurance] premium change for consumers since 2001”. However, the affordability of private health insurance for many consumers continues to decline and is likely to get worse. Continue reading »
