Australians are getting fatter. More than one in four adults are classified as obese, up from one in ten in the early 1980s. About 7 per cent of children are now obese. Obesity is predominantly caused by people eating too much unhealthy processed food, often at...

Strong primary care is central to an efficient, equitable and effective health system. Australia has good-quality primary care by international standards, but this report shows that it can and should be better. Too many poorer Australians still can’t afford to go to a...

Good primary care is vital for good health. But Australian primary care is failing in one crucial area: the prevention and management of chronic disease. Australia’s health system was designed to deal with infectious disease, wars and accidents. But the most...

Primary care in Australia is a renovator’s opportunity. Avoidable hospital admissions cost the health system more than $320 million each year. Providing better care for people with diabetes, asthma, heart disease and other chronic conditions could save a significant...

This report is about how, where and with whom we die. The baby boomers are growing old, and in the next 25 years the number of Australians who die each year will double. People want to die comfortably at home, supported by family and friends and effective services....

Our report on dental care argues that Australia should introduce a Medicare-style universal insurance scheme for primary dental care, to ensure all Australians can go to the dentist when they need to. A universal scheme would cost an extra $5.6 billion a year, could...

The Royal Commission into Aged Quality and Safety is in its early stages. In my presentation to the Commission in Adelaide on the 21st of March, I was asked to outline concerns with Australian aged care and potential solutions. Here is the high level summary of...

Quality and access to long term care are a major cause for concern. Things are not going well for the Commonwealth. There are currently separate Royal Commissions into aged care and disability services.  The National Disability Insurance Scheme is significantly...