Labor took the axe to private health insurance when they were in government and now they want to dismantle it. What Labor has announced today is nothing more than a smokescreen to distract from their plans which will actually see premiums skyrocket. They’re making policy up on the run. This isn’t a plan for lower…
World Cancer Day is an opportunity to raise awareness and consider what actions we can all take to tackle this disease. Australia has very good cancer survival rates but of course we can and must do better – and we’re continuing to strive to do this. And while medical research, better screening, diagnosis and treatment…
To help protect our youngest Australians from the devastating consequences of meningococcal, the Turnbull Government will add a quad-strain vaccine to the National Immunisation Program (NIP). The new vaccine (Nimenrix) covers against A, C, W and Y strains (MenACWY) and will be added to the NIP ahead of the next peak meningococcal season which, based…
E&OE… Topics: Adding the new meningococcal quad-strain vaccine to the National Immunisation Program; codeine; Bill Shorten; Batman by-election GREG HUNT: Look, I’m delighted to be here today in Queanbeyan with the chief medical officer, Professor Brendan Murphy, and obviously, to…
More than 5,000 Australians every year who suffer from relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis will benefit from affordable access to a major new life-changing medicine from today. It’s part of the Turnbull Government’s rock solid commitment to guaranteeing Medicare – which includes ensuring Australian patients have access to medicines when they need it. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is…
Following the unanimous advice of the Advisory Committee on Medicines Scheduling in August 2015, an important change that will help save lives comes into effect today for medicines containing codeine. Codeine is an opioid drug that can cause opioid tolerance, dependence, toxicity and in high doses, death. Many people also develop severe health issues due…
The Turnbull Government is boosting its commitment to preventive health by providing $10 million for new research projects that focus on preventing disease and keeping people out of hospital. These projects are the first investments under the Medical Research Future Fund in the Australian Prevention Partnership Centre. It’s part of the Turnbull Government’s unprecedented commitment…
The Turnbull Government has today launched a new national strategy to help tackle asthma, while also providing an additional $1 million for an asthma support program in schools. One in ten Australians suffer from asthma and it is one of the most common chronic conditions among children. This is a significant health challenge for individuals…
E&OE… Topics: Launch of the National Asthma Strategy, Bill Shorten’s plan to hurt 13 million Australians with private health insurance, codeine, cabinet records, Ron Walker GREG HUNT: I’m delighted to launch the National Asthma Strategy today. We know that there are 2.5 million Australians…
Modelling by Deloitte shows that Labor’s plan to scrap lower-cost policies would result in a 16 per cent increase in private health insurance premiums for millions of Australians. That would make cover unaffordable for many individuals, families and pensioners. Labor has always hated private health insurance. In Government, Labor cut $4 billion from the rebate…