The Zap: latest health and aged care news, plus key consultations now open

Insights from Texas on primary care reform, occupational health risks, unanswered questions about nurse prescribing, youth justice concerns and gambling harms are among the topics covered this week.

The quotable?

Given that skin cancer is largely preventable, there is a need for enhanced primary prevention efforts to mitigate future clinical and financial repercussions of skin cancer in Australia.”

Melissa Sweet writes:

Health Ministers do like to promote listings of new medicines on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). Related media statements tend to read like pharma promotions rather than level-headed assessments of the potential benefits and harms of new treatments.

A statement from Minister Mark Butler on 29 June was no exception: “July is a bumper month for cheaper medicines with 10 new listings giving Australians expanded access to effective and affordable medicines on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme…

“These medicines will give Australians with cancer and chronic conditions more treatment options to manage their health and provide vital financial relief to Australians battling these conditions.”

Also on 30 June, Minister Butler announced the Government is providing more than $15 million to Monash University and Atisama Therapeutics “to revolutionise” the treatment of chronic lung disease with the clinical development of a novel inhaled RNA medicine.

The inhaled therapy has the potential to transform the management of lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, he said.

The research is to evaluate the inhaled therapy’s safety, tolerability, and effectiveness in humans for the first time, starting with clinical trials. Time will tell whether it actually is revolutionary and transformative.

More from Ministers and Government

On 30 June, Minister Butler announced that a new pneumococcal vaccine for adults would be added to the National Immunisation Program (NIP) to cover more strains of the disease from 1 July, providing free access to more Australians.

Adults 65 years and over can now access the pneumococcal vaccine on the NIP where it was previously available for people 70 years and over. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, adults 25 years and over will be eligible, expanding eligibility from adults aged 50 years and over.

New medical risk categories have also been added to the list of conditions eligible for free NIP pneumococcal vaccines including for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic bronchitis and emphysema, and chronic liver disease.

On 2 July, the Government released its response to the Interim First Nations Aged Care Commissioner’s landmark report, Transforming Aged Care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The response acknowledges “there is much more work to do to make our aged care system one every First Nations Australian can trust, and one that ensures every First Nations person can be cared for in a way that is culturally responsive and suits their choices.

“This includes work to grow the capability of First Nations organisations and workers to deliver assessments and care, to deepen the culturally safe care people can access, and to ensure the broader system is more responsive to the choices and needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.”

Central to this work will be a permanent, independent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aged Care Commissioner. Legislation to establish this position was introduced into Parliament on 2 July.

On 1 July, the Australian Centre for Disease Control released updated National guidance for doctors assessing workers exposed to respirable crystalline silica dust to support doctors to identify and evaluate those most at risk – detecting disease earlier and intervening before further harm occurs.

Key updates include enhanced protocols for identifying and managing silica-related diseases, and revised health monitoring requirements.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare updated Australia’s mothers and babies, including key findings that:

The national birth rate of women of reproductive age (15 to 44 years) in 2023 was 52 per 1,000 women. This is the lowest birth rate in the period from 1998 to 2023, and continues a generally decreasing trend since 2007, when the birth rate was 66 per 1,000 women.
In 2023, First Nations mothers accounted for 5.6 percent (15,802) of women who gave birth. This proportion has increased since 2005 (3.7 percent, 9,868).
In 2023: 41 percent of women had a caesarean section birth (compared with 32 percent in 2010).

Other updated publications included:

On 30 June, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released the latest data on deaths due to acute respiratory infections in Australia, reporting that:

Deaths involving COVID-19 remain at low levels, with 61 deaths in March and 60 in April.
Deaths involving influenza remain at low levels, with 18 deaths in March and 15 in April.
In 2026 so far Victoria has the most deaths from COVID-19 and Queensland from influenza.

On 30 June, the ABS released data on children’s screen time, showing that only one in four children met screen time guidelines in 2023, in having less than two hours of sedentary screen time every day.

On average, older children aged 15–17 years spend over four hours on screen activities every day, while younger children aged 5–8 years spend just under two hours every day.

One in five (18.3 per cent) children aged 5–17 years are meeting the physical activity guidelines of 60 minutes or more every day.

On 3 July, the Australian Bureau of Statistics released latest excess mortality data, showing that in 2024:

Australia recorded lower than expected mortality (-1.7 percent negative excess mortality).
Tasmania was the only jurisdiction to record slightly higher than expected mortality (0.4 percent positive excess mortality).
The Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory both recorded 4.6 percent fewer deaths than expected.

In 2025:

Australia recorded lower than expected mortality (-2.0 percent negative excess mortality).
All states and territories recorded lower than expected mortality with negative excess mortality ranging from -1.3 percent in New South Wales to -10.6 percent in the Northern Territory (note that there are caveats relating to this estimate).

On 2 July, the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care foreshadowed the release this month of the initial draft of the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards (third edition). Feedback on the draft Standards can be provided by an online survey, written submission, or at an information forum.

The Commission also announced that on 16 July it will host a webinar exploring how health services can provide better, more accessible care to people with disability through the collection of self-reported patient information on disability.

The webinar will showcase the Victorian Disability Liaison Officer (DLO) Program Disability Identifier Project, which is a way for people with disability and their carers to tell healthcare staff about any specific needs prior to their visit or stay in hospital.

Consumer and public health groups

COTA Australia marked the introduction on 1 July of a requirement for employers to pay their employees’ super at the same time as their salary and wages. This simple change will make a significant difference to people’s retirement, especially women and people working in lower paid, insecure work, COTA said.

COTA Australia also commented on the Federal Government’s reforms to aged care assessment now including an escalation process to allow increased human oversight as part of determining the right level of support.

“Having an algorithm determine people’s level of care with little opportunity for the assessor or clinician to intervene in the outcomes was always going to create problems,” CEO Patricia Sparrow said.

“While older Australians still need to see the specific details of the changes, including what ‘extenuating circumstances’ means in practice, the focus on having human intervention is a positive step. We’re still waiting to see the details, and of course these changes won’t make the system perfect, but they should make it fairer and more responsive.”

The Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) also welcomed the Government’s commitment to simplifying its aged care Integrated Assessment Tool (IAT), which has been subject to hundreds of complaints from older people, their families and support networks.

On 3 July, National Seniors Australia published an article, Fix housing to improve aged care budget, advocating for the construction of seniors-friendly housing that is modest but attractive to the hundreds of thousands of seniors who don’t have large wealth.

“The first step is understanding what older people want and then creating policies and incentives to ensure this type of housing gets built,” the article said.

On 1 July, the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, QIMR Berghofer and Cancer Council Queensland put out a joint statement about a new study, The costs of diagnosing and treating skin cancer: Findings from the QSkin Study.

The research found that services for diagnosing and treating skin cancer accounted for 2.4 percent of all direct health service costs in a prospective cohort study of 40,338 Queensland residents, using linked healthcare data from the Medical Benefits Scheme (MBS), PBS and Queensland Hospital Admitted Patient Data Collection databases.

“Diagnosing and treating skin cancer in Queensland imposes a substantial economic burden to the healthcare system,” the researchers reported.

“Given that skin cancer is largely preventable, there is a need for enhanced primary prevention efforts to mitigate future clinical and financial repercussions of skin cancer in Australia.”

As reported at Croakey, the Grattan Institute released a policy brief, examining questions associated with moving to blended funding for general practice, including what proportion of funding should be flexible, and how much should remain fee-for-service?

Lung Foundation Australia welcomed changes to the National Immunisation Program (NIP) making pneumococcal vaccination simpler and more accessible for millions of Australians, including for the first time many people living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

CEO Mark Brooke said the changes were an important step forward in protecting Australians from serious respiratory illness.

“Pneumococcal pneumonia is a potentially life-threatening bacterial lung infection. We strongly welcome these changes to adult pneumococcal vaccination and commend the Australian Government for expanding access to more Australians,” he said.

The Lung Foundation Australia also engaged in advocacy around the risks of engineered stone, warning that workers across the country are still being diagnosed with silicosis and other preventable occupational lung diseases.

On 2 July, Lung Foundation Australia joined the Australian Council of Trade Unions and Maurice Blackburn Lawyers at Parliament House in Canberra for an Occupational Lung Disease Lobby Day.

This brought together workers, advocates and industry representatives affected by silicosis and occupational lung disease across tunnelling, quarrying, construction, mining and other high-risk industries.

The manufacture, supply, processing and installation of engineered stone benchtops, panels and slabs was banned from 1 July 2024, with importation also banned from 1 January 2025. While the ban was a critical step forward, Brooke said Australia must not lose momentum.

“Banning engineered stone was an important and hard-fought milestone, but it was never the end of the story,” he said.

“Silicosis is an insidious, incurable and entirely preventable occupational lung disease. We are still seeing workers diagnosed today because of past exposure, and we know the impact of this disease will continue to be felt by individuals, families and communities for years to come.

“That is why ongoing investment in prevention, early detection, research, education and support services is critical.”

ACTU Assistant Secretary, Liam O’Brien said more than 600,000 workers are exposed to silica dust in mining, construction, tunnelling and manufacturing and urged for more to be done to keep workers safe.

On 1 July, MS Australia issued a statement, PBS access to two vital MS treatments under threat as Government decision looms. It said that multiple disease-modifying therapies – Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) and Kesimpta (ofatumumab) – are at risk of being withdrawn from PBS as a consequence of government-driven policy-related price reductions.

First Nations

The National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) launched ‘Strong Inside’, Australia’s first national, community-controlled bowel cancer awareness and screening campaign.

The ACCHO sector will drive the campaign, with assistance from NACCHO-specific bowel campaign materials tailored for communities. The campaign will be supported by in-language radio and video advertisements to ensure a broad reach.

While many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people face barriers to participating in bowel cancer screening, NACCHO said the evidence is clear: when community-controlled health services lead the way, more people take part.

Strong Inside targets community members in the 45-to-74 screening age group through awareness-raising activities and health promotional materials, while supporting health professionals across the ACCHO sector with tools to engage in conversations with community about bowel cancer screening and encourage people to take the test.

People aged 45 to 49 can request their first free kit through a health professional at their local ACCHO. People aged 50 to 74 receive a free kit in the mail every two years or can request one through their local ACCHO.

Across radio, television, social media, and community settings, Strong Inside carries a single message: No shame. Have a yarn. Just check it. These reminders then turn that message into action: Do the kit. Don’t sit on it.

Strong Inside runs throughout July, with ACCHOs adapting it for their own communities. In August, NACCHO will share the stories community creates through the campaign.

Meanwhile, the Australian Indigenous Doctors Association has put out a reminder that abstract submissions for the Pacific Region Indigenous Doctors’ Congress (PRIDoC) 2026 are now open until Tuesday 15 July.

Trade unions

On 3 July, peak medical bodies told a Senate inquiry that youth incarceration is causing lasting harm to vulnerable Australian children.

The Royal Australasian College of Physicians appeared at the Senate Inquiry on Australia’s Youth Justice and Incarceration System, along with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and AIDA.

Doctors are concerned that children as young as 10 are being put in jail as a result of policies implemented by states and territories in recent years, when they should be receiving support for health, development and wellbeing issues.

According to a related statement, President of the RACP’s Paediatrics and Child Health Division, Dr Niroshini Kennedy, said youth incarceration should be a measure of last resort.

“As experts in child health, our message to governments is that they risk failing generations of children,” Kennedy said. “Too many children enter the justice system after years of unmet health, developmental and emotional needs and missed opportunities for early intervention.

“Childhood adversity, trauma, developmental disability, mental illness, substance use and social disadvantage are key drivers of the behaviours that see children become involved in the justice system.

“Governments must focus on the causes of offending, with investment in early intervention, rather than relying on incarceration. Detention itself only causes further physical, psychological and developmental harm.”

Kennedy said Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are vastly overrepresented in youth detention despite decades of inquiries, evidence and commitments to reform.

On 30 June, the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP) issued a statement warning that gambling is driving significant and preventable mental health harm across New South Wales.

NSW Branch Chair Dr Ian Korbel said gambling harm is increasingly presenting in clinical settings and is often closely linked with other addiction-related mental health conditions.

“Gambling harm is a serious mental health and public health issue, often intertwined with conditions such as substance use disorders, mood disorders and trauma,” Korbel said. “In New South Wales, where poker machine density is among the highest in the world, we are seeing the impact on individuals and families firsthand.

“Psychiatrists regularly see the consequences of gambling harm, including depression, anxiety, suicidality, substance use disorders, family breakdown and financial trauma.”

On 30 June, nursing and midwifery leaders from across the country gathered at Parliament House for a ‘hands on’ demonstration of the high-quality, clinical capabilities of Australia’s largest health workforce.

The Parliamentary Friends of Nursing event in the Mural Hall highlighted “the growing role of nurses and midwives in delivering timely, effective healthcare across the community, enabling people to access high-quality care, when and where they need it”.

ANMF Federal Secretary Annie Butler said the event was to demonstrate the impact of nurse and midwife-led models of care on health outcomes when nurses and midwives work to their full scope of practice.

The event featured a series of live demonstrations and exhibits, including advanced assessment and injury management skills, street healthcare services, remote care technology, aged care innovations and regional and remote healthcare models, such as the Women’s Health Mobile Clinic.

On 2 July, the Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association (APNA) welcomed the passage of the Health Legislation Amendment (Prescribing of Pharmaceutical Benefits) Bill 2025 as “a critical step in enabling designated registered nurse prescribers to prescribe under the PBS”.

APNA President Denise Lyons said the change recognised the crucial role of nurses in delivering timely, safe and accessible healthcare, and would provide key benefits for patients, communities and the health system.

“We are looking forward to working with state and territory governments, and other stakeholders to support implementing nurse prescribing safely, effectively and in a way that delivers real benefits to communities across Australia.”

The Australian College of Nursing said the passage of the legislation was “a major milestone that will improve access to equitable, timely, and high-quality medication prescribing across Australia”.

“The introduction of RN prescribing is the most significant advance in nursing’s role in Australia in a generation,” said ACN Chief Executive Officer, Adjunct Professor Kathryn Zeitz. “The Parliament has backed nurses to work to their full scope of practice.”

ACN said the reform was expected to deliver significant benefits for people in rural, regional and remote communities, First Nations populations, palliative care patients, and those seeking sexual and reproductive health services – groups who have long faced barriers to timely, affordable care.

ACN called on the Government to urgently address these outstanding matters:

Funding for primary care and aged care: There is currently no funding mechanism to enable registered nurse prescribing in aged care and primary care settings – where nurses are often the main healthcare professional.

Clarity over formulary: The Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee has been considering which medications designated registered nurse prescribers may prescribe – registered nurses are graduating from prescribing courses, and it is critical they know which medications they are eligible to prescribe.

Access to pathology: Nurse prescribers must be able to order the pathology that safe, high-quality prescribing depends on, with patients and providers able to access the appropriate Medicare rebates.”

Transparency on implementation: Nurses need clear and timely information from the Commonwealth and from states and territories about implementation timelines and the settings in which the endorsement will be supported. This transparency is essential so that nurses can make informed decisions about their careers and about taking up this endorsement.

The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) also welcomed the legislation as an “historic step forward for RNs and their patients”, and said it was likely to be of particular benefit to people in rural and remote communities, aged‑care residents and those managing chronic conditions.

On 1 July, the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) launched the new Code of Ethics for Pharmacists, a contemporary framework to support ethical decision-making and strengthen patient-centred care across the profession.

It applies to all pharmacists and pharmacy students registered with the Pharmacy Board of Australia, and is designed to reflect the expanding roles of pharmacists and the increasingly complex healthcare landscape.

Advanced Pharmacy Australia reported on its policy and advocacy impact in June, with a strong focus on pharmacist prescribing, hospital funding reform and medicines policy.

On 30 June, the Australian Medical Association issued a statement, ‘Under-qualified prescribing of controlled medicines poses risk to public health’, linking to its submission to the Pharmacy Board of Australia’s consultation on endorsement for scheduled medicines for pharmacists.

The Australian Dental Association published an article about the challenges for dental services in March when the Darwin water supply was affected by flooding and a boil water alert was issued, and local dentists were left wondering if they could keep their practices open.

Within 48 hours of the boil water alert, the ADA’s Infection Control Committee had rallied to provide NT members with practical, specific advice to help them respond to the situation and continue their services.

Meanwhile, Occupational Therapy Australia provided a policy and advocacy update, highlighting its contributions to NDIS and aged care reform discussions.

The Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) has opened nominations for its next President, with current President Dr Rod Martin set to conclude his term at the College’s Annual General Meeting in October.

Nominations – also open for Board and College Council roles – close on 31 July, and will be followed by elections. Successful candidates will be announced ahead of ACRRM’s Annual General Meeting in October.

Industry groups

On 3 July, the Medical Technology Association of Australia issued a statement saying that 17 of Australia’s leading innovation, science and technology organisations had signed a joint letter to Treasurer Dr Jim Chalmers calling for urgent consultation on proposed changes to Research and Development Tax Incentives.

They warned the reforms could discourage investment and drive research, development, manufacturing and jobs offshore.

On 30 June, the Pharmacy Guild of Australia issued a statement, ‘Delays in care present the greatest risk to patients’, saying that “Australians are waiting days and sometimes weeks to see a GP for straightforward health issues”.

The statement goes on to critique AMA statements opposing pharmacist prescribing, which the Guild described as safe, effective and increasing access to care.

“At a time when government, health experts and patients are calling for better access to care, it is disappointing to see professional protectionism being placed ahead of practical solutions. Again.”

Of course the Guild could never be accused of professional protectionism…

On 3 July, the Guild welcomed the release of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s new Code of Ethics for Pharmacists, “reinforcing the profession’s commitment to safe, high-quality, patient-centred care”.

Ageing Australia welcomed the Government’s decision to introduce human oversight to the Integrated Assessment Tool, which decides the level of an older person’s Support at Home services.

“When dealing with the complex needs of older people it’s important a machine or algorithm doesn’t have the final say on how much support they receive,” Ageing Australia CEO Tom Symondson said.

“We were able to provide the Government with over 150 examples of older people struggling with the system, thanks to help from our members.”

On 2 July, Catholic Health Australia issued a statement calling for coordinated reform to address bed block, which has soared 60 percent in the past three years, according to new analysis.

The number of days patients were kept in hospital despite being ready for discharge into aged care increased from 286,050 in 2020-21 to 460,122 in 2023-24, costing the health system up to $1.61 billion annually, according to CHA analysis.

CHA says the problem starts outside the hospital. Aged care, disability support and housing are all part of the same system as hospitals, but they are funded and run separately, and patients get caught in the gaps between them when one part can’t take them.

The organisation hosted a parliamentary roundtable in Canberra to look at the issue, chaired by Dr Mike Freelander MP, with the Minister for Aged Care and Seniors, Sam Rae MP, attending.

CHA wants the Federal Government to fund a national pool of around 600 transition beds. These would give patients short-term, non-acute care while they wait for a permanent place in aged care or community support. CHA puts the cost at $429.7 million over the forward estimates.

CHA is also asking for 150 hospital liaison officers and 150 discharge planners to be placed across hospitals, aged care, NDIS and housing, with the authority to move patients through the system.

CHA wants these measures written into the next National Health Reform Agreement, so the Commonwealth and the states share responsibility for getting patients out of hospital safely and on time.

CHA also welcomed the Federal Government’s release of its first private health sector reform consultation paper, which puts forward concrete proposals to improve patient access, support struggling hospitals and deliver better value for consumers.

The paper sets out reforms across Hospital in the Home, maternity care, mental health and access to regional private hospitals, alongside measures to simplify private health insurance products and deliver better value for patients.

In addition to the reforms proposed in this paper, CHA is continuing to advocate for long-term pricing reform and improved data transparency.

On 1 July, Private Healthcare Australia (a peak body representing health insurers) issued a statement, ‘Patient rights and transparency strengthened for private treatment in public hospitals from today’.

Patients considering using their private health insurance in a public hospital will receive clearer, more consistent information about their rights, with the rollout of a new national claim form backed by private health insurers to improve transparency around private patient elections, the statement said.

Public hospitals nationwide will be required to complete and submit the new form to receive payment from private health insurers for treatment provided to privately insured patients.

Meanwhile, Ramsay Healthcare has advised it will conclude its membership of the Australian Private Hospitals Association at the end of 2026, following the required six months’ notice period under the APHA Constitution.

Politicians and parliamentary committees

As Marie McInerney recently reported, health advocates have further opportunities to try to inject some spine into the Federal Government’s gambling reforms, which have come under attack from many quarters.

Indeed, the Prime Minister has achieved a rare feat, uniting the Liberals, Greens and crossbenchers, as well as health organisations and advocates.

When will he read the room?

Regardless of their political leanings, many people want to see leadership to reduce Australians’ exposure to gambling and all the harms that it brings, to individuals, families, and communities.

The Government’s Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026 and National Self-exclusion Register (Cost Recovery Levy) Amendment Bill 2026 were referred last week to a Senate inquiry, which is due to report by 17 August.

The Liberals and Greens are also pushing the Federal Government to scrutinise and strengthen upgrades to Australia’s under-16s social media ban.

A Senate inquiry into the Online Safety Amendment (Strengthening Enforcement for the Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2026 is due to report by 25 August.

International organisations

Regular readers will have noticed Croakey’s ongoing coverage of calls to action for primary care reform.

Some useful insights also come from Texas, in an article published by The Commonwealth Fund.

Ankit Sanghavi, Executive Director of Texas Health Institute, draws upon an assessment of primary care in Texas that shows practices are facing many challenges including a growing administrative burden, and increasing expectations to address patients’ complex health and social needs.

“These pressures are not isolated problems; they are a predictable outcome of a health system that often rewards volume over continuity, adds administrative complexity, and struggles to align financing with the role primary care is expected to play,” he writes.

Meanwhile, the broader system – how primary care is financed, measured, and administered – remains largely oriented toward discrete visits and short-term transactions.

The assessment positions primary care as more than healthcare – “it is part of the broader infrastructure that supports community stability and economic vitality”, with access to primary care influencing where businesses choose to locate and whether local economies can grow and sustain themselves.

Sanghavi says efforts to strengthen primary care often address individual components of the system, like payment models, workforce strategies, and data infrastructure, but are not consistently connected in ways that allow them to function as a coherent whole.

The challenges facing primary care and necessary solutions must extend beyond clinicians and health systems to include policymakers, payers, employers, and community leaders, he said.

The article puts forward three key suggestions:

1. Reduce administrative complexity to restore capacity. Administrative burden is not simply an efficiency issue, it directly affects access to care.

2. Align financing with the role of primary care. Payment models that emphasise volume over continuity limit the ability of primary care to deliver on its full value.

3. Establish a sustained coordinating function. Primary care transformation requires alignment across policy, payment, and delivery systems over time.

“Primary care remains one of the most practical and evidence-based pathways to improving health system performance,” writes Sanghavi. “But its success depends less on what happens within the exam room and more on how the broader system is designed.

“The experiences emerging from Texas suggest that the next phase of reform is not about generating new innovations, but more about aligning financing, policy, administrative structures, and community priorities.”

Sound familiar?

Finally

Our hard-working columnist Charles Maskell-Knight PSM has been taking a break, and will be back on deck next week with all the news, and more.

Consultations and inquiries

Here is our weekly list of requests by government bodies and parliamentary committees for responses to consultations or submissions to inquiries, arranged in order of submission deadlines. Please let us know if there are any to add for next week’s column.

Medical Services Advisory Committee

10 July

Therapeutic Goods Administration
Consultation on increasing transparency of Good Manufacturing Practice inspection outcomes
13 July

Department of Health, Disability and Ageing
Feedback on consumer input on HTA committee agenda items
16 July

Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (and all National Boards except the Medical Board)
Have your say on how practitioners stay up to date and connected with their profession
17 July

Senate inquiry
Aged Care Legislation Amendment (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aged Care Commissioner and Other Measures) Bill 2026
17 July

Department of Health, Disability and Ageing
Consultation on Sunsetting of Narcotic Drugs Regulations
19 July

Food Standards Australia New Zealand
Cell cultured duck (Anas platyrhynchos domesticus) biomass
22 July

Senate inquiry
Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026 and National Self-exclusion Register (Cost Recovery Levy) Amendment Bill 2026
24 July

Senate inquiry
Online Safety Amendment (Strengthening Enforcement for the Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2026
24 July

Therapeutic Goods Administration
Radiopharmaceutical regulation in Australia
31 July

Senate Community Affairs Committee
Support at Home Program
31 July