Let’s advocate for long-term preventative healthcare and medical research funding this election.
As Australia approaches the federal election on 3 May 2025, healthcare remains a pivotal issue demanding our attention.
The current landscape
The Albanese government has announced an $8.5 billion boost to Medicare and a reduction in the PBS co-payment to $25. The Coalition, under Peter Dutton, has matched these commitments. While these initiatives are commendable, they primarily focus on immediate relief rather than long-term solutions.
The Australian government has also allocated substantial funds toward digital health advancements. In the 2025–2026 budget, an additional $228.7 million was invested to continue the modernisation of the My Health Record system, and further on-going commitments have been made aiming to transform it into a data-rich healthcare platform that has the potential to finally be of assistance to consumers and clinicians wishing to share their healthcare information sharing across care settings.
The need to pivot to preventive care
Chronic diseases continue to rise, affecting nearly half of today’s youth with conditions such as asthma, diabetes, and mental health disorders in addition to the complexities expected as our population ages. These conditions have profound impacts on individuals’ lives, affecting their education, social development, and long-term health outcomes.
The aged care sector is also facing challenges, with workforce shortages and a backlog of 81,000 requests for home care packages. Despite significant reforms, implementation challenges and high costs threaten progress. Long-term preventative intervention is necessary to ensure the elderly maintain their independence and dignity.
Despite these laudable investments and commitments, there remains a need to further consider how to orient our acute healthcare system into one that is more oriented around preventive healthcare. Digital health technologies can play a part, for example with telehealth services, remote monitoring devices, and mobile health applications, all playing a pivotal role in early detection, continuous monitoring.
Long-term investment will still be required to unlock future benefits as our population ages.
The case for long-term investment
It is a positive step that the NHMRC has recently announced over $422 million has been awarded in research grants to support 229 high-performing researchers across Australia, however given the freezes of significant US healthcare research funding, more consistent and increased Australian funding is necessary to address the growing burden of chronic diseases and to support preventive health measures. On-going strategic investment in our own research and infrastructure to support that research is crucial to fund Australia’s medical research sector and to continue delivering health and economic benefits.
Here’s some things we can advocate for:
- Further build and share digital health infrastructure for healthcare and medical research: funding for digital health initiatives that support preventive care, such as remote monitoring tools, telehealth services. Also ensure we have funds and policies to support the building of sharable secure infrastructure, to enable the interoperability and sharing of medical research and healthcare data for patient enrolment in medical trials and to assist patients and clinicians in managing chronic healthcare conditions.
- Support digital literacy programs: educational programs to enhance digital literacy among healthcare providers and patients to ensure healthcare equity.
- Increase our independent Australian healthcare research funding: research grants need to cover the full costs of medical research, including researcher salaries and essential supporting infrastructure. This will ensure the sustainability and growth of Australia’s medical research sector. The turbulent US backdrop with research grant freezes reminds us of the pressing need for our own sustained investment in high quality Australian healthcare research, together with preventative-oriented support for chronic conditions.
- Prioritise preventive health measures: investment in preventive health strategies to address the rising prevalence of chronic conditions. This includes funding for public health campaigns, lifestyle interventions, and early detection programs.
- Ensure we have long-term policies and funding for transforming mental health, aged care and community health: comprehensive policies that address workforce shortages, reduce wait times for care packages, and improve access to mental health services, including support for digital transformation programs, together with well-considered AI adoption into non-risky service areas to increase efficiency and help alleviate workforce shortages particularly in community, regional and remote settings.
The upcoming federal election presents an opportunity to shape the future of healthcare in Australia. By advocating for long-term, evidence-based planning and investment, and a further push towards enhancing our own Australian research and healthcare programs, we can work towards a healthcare system that not only addresses immediate needs, but also ensures the health and well-being of future generations of Australians.
Paul is an independent consultant who has worked in the digital health ecosystem since 2006 and writes this column as a personal opinion.
Have your say with our poll:
Are we doing enough for preventative healthcare?
NO. Improved Socioeconomic factors have the greatest impact on illness prevention.
NO. Funding increased onshore research in healthcare technologies together with positive steps to grow the healthcare workforce, aged care workforce and disabilities care workforces.
No. Addressing early detection and intervention for pathological oedema (whether related to genetics, injury, disease, infection/cellulitis, inflammation, ulcers, surgery, radiation, scarring, chemo, obstruction, fat disorders, vascular disease, immobility, sensory disturbance, etc) as well as on-going non invasive interventions for lifelong oedematous conditions and their sequelae ( eg manual lymphatic drainage, compression therapies, skin/nail care, wound care, exercise, kinesio taping, laser, negative pressure therapies ie. treatments delivered by qualified lymphoedema therapists). Failure to identify and appropriately treat lifelong pathological oedema result in enormous costs to the health system. Inadequately treated oedema can lead to ulceration, skin disorders, tissue thickening/scarring, lymphorrhoea, loss of mobility and subsequent loss of independence, recreational occupations, employment and general quality of life.
No. Teaching individuals about it – early start at home would help.
No. Provide GPs with a useful tool leveraging off trained nurses funded within a general practice to chase and follow up patients of all age groups for prevention activities recognised by NIP , NSCR plus significant CDM eg diabetes for early intervention on getting BP, hbaic under control….ie bring back diabetes incentive of care.
I think these will effectively help reduce the disease burden and outpatient clinics