Australian Health Care Reform Alliance

01/03/2026

One Year of HHS Under Secretary Kennedy: An Assessment of Outcomes

It has been just over a year since Robert F Kennedy Jr was confirmed as Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). His initial address to staff outlined goals of restoring public trust through transparency, unbiassed science, and ethical leadership.

A review of the subsequent twelve months published by the Lancet, indicates a significant divergence from those objectives. https://tinyurl.com/53y7xbck

The operational changes within HHS have been substantial. The department rescinded a long-standing policy that allowed for public comment on new regulations, reducing stakeholder input. There have been numerous staff departures among advisors and experts, and a reported whistleblower was dismissed. Policy announcements have occasionally been communicated through platforms with restricted access.

These administrative shifts have coincided with notable changes in scientific and public health priorities:

Research Direction: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) discontinued certain programs, including studies on the health effects of air pollution. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) withdrew previously issued warnings regarding products promoted for unapproved uses.

Guidance and Recommendations: Federal guidelines on various health topics have been revised in ways that diverge from long-standing scientific consensus. This has contributed to 26 states opting to deviate from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) standard vaccine guidance.

Grant Oversight: The CDC awarded a $1.6 million grant for an international vaccine study that has raised ethical questions among researchers, citing concerns about exposing participants to preventable risks.

The management of public health data has also been affected. Thousands of datasets, including those tracking drug overdoses, maternal mortality, and food security, are currently unavailable to the public.

This limits the capacity of researchers and public health officials, both in the US and internationally, to monitor emerging trends and prepare for potential health crises. This data gap is occurring alongside the current spread of communicable diseases, including measles, pertussis, and the recent identification of a human case of H5N5 avian influenza.

From a broader international perspective, the changes at US health agencies have consequences well beyond American borders. The US has historically been a central contributor to global health research, disease surveillance, and scientific collaboration. It has attracted the best and brightest global researchers to its universities and laboratories which are now feeling the loss as that expertise seeks better and more inviting locations.

The current reduction in publicly available data and the shift in research priorities may affect the ability of the US and other nations to inform public health strategies. International partners who rely on collaboration with the NIH, FDA, and CDC face a period of uncertainty regarding the accuracy, consistency and accessibility of US scientific output. When questioned by Congress on these matters, Secretary Kennedy's responses have been described by observers as evasive.

With calls for his resignation reportedly numbering in the thousands, the focus now turns to Congress. The legislative branch's oversight role presents a mechanism to assess whether the current trajectory of HHS aligns with its mandate to protect public health, or whether alternative measures are necessary to address the long-term implications for science and health security in the US and abroad. AHCRA agrees with the Lancet.

24/02/2026

New Closing the Gap Plan released

The Federal Government has officially released its new Closing the Gap implementation plan for 2026, setting out a comprehensive roadmap to accelerate progress for First Nations communities. https://apo.org.au/node/333531

This year’s plan focuses on driving change in critical areas where gaps remain - including employment, housing, health, education, and community safety - with concrete funding and programs attached to each commitment.

The Prime Minister emphasised the Government’s commitment to urgent and meaningful action. “Our government approaches the work of closing the gap with urgency, determination and optimism,” he said. “Across different states and territories, we can see real and encouraging progress, from healthy birthweight and early childhood education through to employment. That success offers us cause for hope and valuable opportunities to learn and scale what works.”

The plan will be delivered through a whole-of-government approach, coordinated by a cross-portfolio ministerial working group in partnership with First Nations organisations and community peaks.

Key initiatives in the 2026 plan include:
- Improving access to safe, secure, and affordable housing through targeted investment and construction programs
- Expanding the Remote Jobs and Economic Development program to double the number of jobs created to provide meaningful employment in remote communities
- $31 million for the TAFE Technology Fund to deliver mobile vocational and educational training in remote locations.
- Finalising the First Nations Education Policy in partnership with peaks, states, and territories to ensure culturally appropriate learning pathways
- Expanding the Low-Cost Essentials Subsidy Scheme
- $44.4 million to continue and expand Birthing on Country units across Australia, supporting Indigenous-led maternity care
- $20 million to deliver free community Wi-Fi in up to 50 remote First Nations communities, improving digital access and connectivity
- Establishing a new national framework to better protect families against domestic and family violence.

“The 2026 implementation plan demonstrates that our government is determined to invest in what works,” the PM said. “We are focusing on areas where the Commonwealth can have the greatest impact: jobs and economic opportunities, access to essential services, community safety, and long-term wellbeing.”

Running alongside the implementation plan is the broader National Agreement on Closing the Gap, which is built on four priority reforms:
- Building formal partnerships and shared decision-making with First Nations people
- Strengthening the community-controlled sector to deliver services
- Transforming government organisations to be more responsive and accountable
- Improving shared access to data and information at a regional level to track progress

The 2026 plan represents a continued, determined effort to close the gap and ensure First Nations people have the same opportunities as all Australians.

20/02/2026

The Australian Centre for Disease Control

AHCRA has been a long-term advocate for a CDC and principles such as "Health in all Policies".

The inaugural Director-General of the Australian Centre for Disease Control, Professor Zoe Wainer, is due to start in the role

20/02/2026

A Royal Commission is not a panacea

Dr Anna Howe writes and begins with: Recommendations of a Royal Commission are just that, recommendations: they are not binding on government.

Five years after the Royal Commission on Quality and Safety in Aged Care reported, its legacy offers hard-earned lessons about reform, funding, implementation and the limits of inquiry-led change.

18/02/2026

Falling child vaccination rates herald severe illness risks

AHCRA strongly supports government action to respond to this emerging public health crisis with a new national vaccination strategy.

Before COVID, Australia reached its target of 95% of one-year-olds fully immunised. Now, lower coverage means more babies are at risk of whooping cough and measles.

07/02/2026

Whooping cough is back — and it’s hitting harder

Australia has recorded its highest number of whooping cough cases in 35 years, with more than 82,000 infections across 2024–25. This isn’t just a nasty cough — it’s a serious, highly contagious illness that can be life-threatening for babies, and it’s putting real pressure on families and the health system.

So what’s driving the surge? Why are infants still so vulnerable? And what can adults do to protect themselves — and the people around them?

This evidence-based explainer from The Conversation breaks down what’s happening, how immunity wanes, the role of COVID disruptions, and why vaccination at every age really matters. https://theconversation.com/whooping-cough-cases-are-at-their-highest-level-in-35-years-so-why-the-surge-275082

It's an important read - especially for parents, grandparents, carers, and anyone who spends time around young children.

This debilitating disease is particularly dangerous for babies, but can affect people at any age. Vaccination remains a key line of defence.

31/01/2026

$25 billion for public hospitals — but patients still pay the price

The Federal Government’s announcement of a record $25 billion for public hospitals has been framed as a major win. But peak health and social policy bodies are warning that headline figures don’t fix systemic underfunding — or growing patient harm. https://tinyurl.com/ytmc438u

As Doctors Reform Society President Dr Tim Woodruff bluntly puts it: this is smoke and mirrors. Population growth, an ageing society, and rising complexity mean any increase will be a “record”. What really matters is whether the Commonwealth is finally lifting its share of hospital funding back toward the 50% benchmark it once accepted responsibility for. On current projections, it’s still hovering just above 40%. https://tinyurl.com/4phptwaa

The Australian Healthcare & Hospitals Association (AHHA) has repeatedly warned that activity-based funding alone cannot keep pace with demand, especially as hospitals absorb the failures of aged care and primary care systems. Hospitals are being forced to do the work of multiple under-resourced sectors — and patients pay the price in delays and overcrowding.

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) has echoed concerns that emergency departments are overwhelmed not because hospitals are inefficient, but because people can’t access timely GP care, community health, or aged care support. Preventable admissions are rising, not falling. https://tinyurl.com/s4fp7nw2

And as ACOSS and other social policy advocates have highlighted, the human cost is clearest in aged care. Around one in ten hospital beds is occupied by someone who no longer needs acute care but has nowhere safe to go. https://tinyurl.com/4y9ncudt

More than 120,000 older Australians remain stuck on the aged care package waiting list — with no serious commitment in this latest announcement to clear it. https://tinyurl.com/4xp9pbvw

There is cautious acknowledgment that underfundiing of primary care drives avoidable hospital demand, and recent federal steps in this space are welcome. But progress remains slow, fragmented, and years behind identified demand.

Big numbers always make good headlines but must be placed into context. Fair funding, system integration, and accountability are what patients really need.

Until governments address aged care bottlenecks, primary care access, and the Commonwealth’s shrinking share of hospital funding, public hospitals will remain in crisis - no matter how large the dollar figure sounds.

29/01/2026

Left behind twice.

Every year, hundreds of Australians diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND( after turning 65 are locked out of the support they urgently need — not because their condition is different, but because their birthday is.

While the NDIS can fast-track support in days, older Australians with MND are pushed into an aged care system never designed for rapidly progressing, terminal neurological disease — with far less funding and far longer waits.

This isn’t a policy glitch. It’s a two-tiered system that values age over need, and it’s leaving families exhausted, unsupported, and running out of time.

MND Australia is calling for urgent reform — because MND can’t wait, and neither should the system. https://www.mndaustralia.org.au/articles/left-behind-twice-older-australians-with-mnd-deserve-equal-support

25/01/2026

WHO statement on notification of withdrawal of the United States

WHO statement on notification of withdrawal of the United States

As a founding member of the World Health Organization (WHO), the United States of America has contributed significantly to many of WHO’s greatest achievements, including the eradication of smallpox, and progress against many other public health threats including polio, HIV, Ebola, influenza, tuberculosis, malaria, neglected tropical diseases, antimicrobial resistance, food safety and more.

WHO therefore regrets the United States’ notification of withdrawal from WHO – a decision that makes both the United States and the world less safe. The notification of withdrawal raises issues that will be considered by the WHO Executive Board at its regular meeting starting on 2 February and by the World Health Assembly at its annual meeting in May 2026.

WHO takes note of statements from the government of the United States that say WHO has “trashed and tarnished” and insulted it, and compromised its independence. The reverse is true. As we do with every Member State, WHO has always sought to engage with the United States in good faith, with full respect for its sovereignty.
In its statements, the United States cited as one of the reasons for its decision, “WHO failures during the COVID-19 pandemic”, including “obstructing the timely and accurate sharing of critical information” and that WHO “concealed those failures”. While no organization or government got everything right, WHO stands by its response to this unprecedented global health crisis. Throughout the pandemic, WHO acted quickly, shared all information it had rapidly and transparently with the world, and advised Member States on the basis of the best available evidence. WHO recommended the use of masks, vaccines and physical distancing, but at no stage recommended mask mandates, vaccine mandates or lockdowns. We supported sovereign governments to make decisions they believed were in the best interests of their people, but the decisions were theirs.

Immediately after receiving the first reports of a cluster of cases of “pneumonia of unknown cause” in Wuhan, China on 31 December 2019, WHO asked China for more information and activated its emergency incident management system. By the time the first death was reported from China on 11 January 2020, WHO had already alerted the world through formal channels, public statements and social media, convened global experts, and published comprehensive guidance for countries on how to protect their populations and health systems. When the WHO Director-General declared COVID-19 a public health emergency of international concern under the International Health Regulations on 30 January 2020 – the highest level of alarm under international health law – outside of China there were fewer than 100 reported cases, and no reported deaths.

In the first weeks and months of the pandemic, the Director-General urged all countries repeatedly to take immediate action to protect their populations, warning that “the window of opportunity is closing”, “this is not a drill” and describing COVID-19 as “public enemy number one”.
In response to the multiple reviews of the COVID-19 pandemic, including of WHO’s performance, WHO has taken steps to strengthen its own work, and to support countries to bolster their own pandemic preparedness and response capacities. The systems we developed and managed before, during and after the emergency phase of the pandemic, and which run 24/7, have contributed to keeping all countries safe, including the United States.

The United States also said in its statements that WHO has “pursued a politicized, bureaucratic agenda driven by nations hostile to American interests”. This is untrue. As a specialized agency of the United Nations, governed by 194 Member States, WHO has always been and remains impartial and exists to serve all countries, with respect for their sovereignty, and without fear or favour.

WHO appreciates the support and continued engagement of all its Member States, which continue to work within the framework of WHO to pursue solutions to the world’s biggest health threats, both communicable and noncommunicable. Most notably, WHO Member States last year adopted the WHO Pandemic Agreement, which once ratified will become a landmark instrument of international law to keep the world safer from future pandemics. Member States are now negotiating an annex to the WHO Pandemic Agreement, the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing system, which if adopted will promote rapid detection and sharing of pathogens with pandemic potential, and equitable and timely access to vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics.

We hope that in the future, the United States will return to active participation in WHO. Meanwhile, WHO remains steadfastly committed to working with all countries in pursuit of its core mission and constitutional mandate: the highest attainable standard of health as a fundamental right for all people.

22/01/2026

Australia has clear evidence on women’s pain: but national policy action is needed

A landmark Victorian inquiry drawing on the experiences of over 13,000 women and girls shows systemic failures in how pain is assessed, treated and understood across the health system — from GPs and paramedics to specialist care.

It reveals widespread dismissal of women’s pain, long-lasting impacts on wellbeing and barriers to care that cost people dearly, both physically and socially.

This article by Ray Bange* argues that with such robust evidence, what’s needed isn’t more reports, but national policy leadership to turn this knowledge into change across Australia’s health system.
https://johnmenadue.com/post/2026/01/australia-evidence-on-womens-pain-policy-challenge-is-to-act/

Read more and join the conversation about why we can’t afford to ignore women’s pain any longer.


*Ray Bange OAM is an Executive Committee Member of AHCRA and an Adjunct Associate Professor of Central Queensland University. He has extensive experience in policy discussions relating to health system reform. This article draws on publicly available research and government reports, and the views expressed are those of the author. There are no known conflicts of interest.

A landmark Victorian inquiry has exposed deep, system-wide failures in how women’s pain is treated. The policy response now requires national leadership.

15/01/2026

Observations on the new US dietary guidelines

Meat and full-fat dairy are in. Ultra-processed foods are out. And there’s a new, inverted food pyramid.

11/01/2026

Why the health news you read matters more than you think.

Ever feel like mainstream health news oversimplifies complex issues? Or get whiplash from the latest influencer-driven health fad?

The media landscape that shapes our health understanding is crowded, conflicted, and often commercialised.

As we head into 2026, this article by Christopher Carter, CEO of the North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network, challenges us to think critically about where we get our health information.

He argues that journalism itself is a social - and commercial - determinant of health. From the "human interest" frames of legacy media to the unfiltered claims on social platforms, what we consume directly influences public behaviour and belief.

So, where can we turn for depth, nuance, and integrity?

Carter makes a compelling case for independent, public interest health journalism like the work done by Croakey Health Media, as an essential counterbalance. It’s journalism driven by community benefit, not profit; by evidence, not hype.

It’s a vital read for anyone working in health, communications, or simply anyone who cares about making informed decisions for themselves and their communities.

Read the full article and join the conversation: Why does independent health journalism matter to you?

Croakey is closed for summer holidays and will resume publishing in the week of 19 January 2026. In the meantime,