4 March 2025

Bulk-billing incentives should be the start of something bigger

The federal government’s new $8.5 billion investment in general practice is a powerful painkiller. It will bring welcome relief to patients facing GP fees, and to a primary care system that’s under pressure. But it won’t cure the system’s underlying problems.

15 September 2024

Giving Medicare teeth is a chance to fix its flaws

Doctors tried to stop it at first, but half a century later Medicare is an untouchable brand in Australian healthcare and politics. While we’re lucky to have it, Medicare isn’t perfect. Expanding it to cover dental care is long overdue, but that shouldn’t mean repeating Medicare’s mistakes.

2 September 2024

End the private hospital blame game by exposing the cost of care

The federal Department of Health will soon finish a “health check” of private hospital finances. Warnings of an emerging crisis sparked the review, with private hospital closures, claims that more hospitals are on the brink of collapse, and high-profile disputes between private hospital companies and health insurers.

6 May 2024

The food industry can’t be trusted to make the rules

In 1964, the first US Surgeon-General’s report on smoking and health was published. The tobacco industry could veto the proposed members of the committee set up to write it. Today, the idea of giving the tobacco industry power over government processes would cause outrage. Likewise, the idea of big businesses or unions setting tax policy is absurd.

22 February 2024

The three tests Australias new Centre for Disease Control must pass

Earlier this month, Reserve Bank Governor Michele Bullock fronted journalists for a media conference. The opportunity to grill the Governor was new. Previously, the media could only divine the Banks views after each meeting by scrutinising its monetary policy statements.

16 January 2024

COVID unmasked an unfair health system. Now we can change it

People in the poorest areas of Australia are dying 2.5 times more often from the disease than those in the richest areas.

4 December 2023

National Cabinet should fire the starting gun on national health reform

In April, National Cabinet agreed to hold a dedicated meeting on health reform by the end of the year. Based on media coverage this week, it might be a battle about NDIS and GST funding instead. Who pays for what is important, but it will be a missed opportunity if a funding fight displaces discussion of health reform. National Cabinets mandate is to tackle issues of national significance with genuine partnership. Health reform certainly fits the bill. The system is groaning under pressure everywhere from GP clinics to emergency departments. And federal and state governments hold different pieces of...

27 November 2023

Australia isnt giving everyone a fair shot

Giving all adults the chance to get vaccinated should be easy. Vaccines slash the risk of severe illness. They are very safe for people who are recommended to get them. Best of all, compared to other ways to improve our health, vaccination is quick, cheap, and easy.

6 June 2023

The real world shatters the myth of personal choice

When a government proposes a policy to improve our diet, it can trigger a gag reflex. Some people feel that deciding what to eat is purely a personal choice, and the nanny state should stay out of the way. No-one wants to be lectured, shamed, or forced to eat their greens. Perhaps it goes all the way back to battles for autonomy when we were toddlers, strapped into a high-chair and being force-fed peas.

2 May 2023

Cuts to preventive health are a false economy: they lead to sicker people and sicker budgets

The nation is bracing for austere budgets. Grim foreshadowing has prepared us for a challenging federal budget. The Victorian Premier has warned of very difficult measures in his states budget, and NSW has delayed its budget while the new cabinet grapples with tough choices.