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Stephen Duckett

Director, Health Program, Grattan Institute

Professor Stephen Duckett is Director of the Health Program at Grattan Institute and Emeritus Professor of Health Policy at La Trobe University. He has held top operational and policy leadership positions in health care in Australia and Canada, including as Secretary of what is now the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing. He has a reputation for creativity, evidence-based innovation and reform in areas ranging from the introduction of activity-based funding for hospitals to new systems of accountability for the safety of hospital care. An economist, he is a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia and of the Academy of Health and Medical Sciences.

We can cut private health insurance costs by fixing how we pay for hip replacements and other implants

Aug 06, 2019 03:52 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy

As we age, were more likely to need a prosthesis to help us function like we used to. It may be a hip or knee prosthesis to replace a worn-out joint, a new lens after a cataract has been removed, or a pacemaker or cardiac...

What are the major parties promising on health this election?

May 07, 2019 03:07 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

The major parties manifestos for the 2019 federal election present voters with starkly contrasting health policies. These policies are shaped and constrained by the overall themes presented by the party leaders, but have...

Morrison’s health handout is bad policy (but might be good politics)

Dec 15, 2018 16:31 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics

The A$1.25 billion Community Health and Hospitals Program Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced this week should be awarded a big policy fail. The move sets back Commonwealth-state relations by decades and its...

Waiting for better care: why Australia’s hospitals and health care is failing

Oct 30, 2018 12:28 pm UTC| Insights & Views Health

This week were exploring nine different policy areas across Australias states, as detailed in Grattan Institutes State Orange Book 2018. Read the other articles in the series here. Australia has a good health system by...

Changes to lure young people into private health insurance won't slow increase in premiums

Oct 13, 2017 09:28 am UTC| Insights & Views Health

Australians will be able to choose lower premiums for higher excess, and insurers required to more clearly categorise their policies, under the federal governments shake up of private health insurance announced...

Why it costs you so much to see a specialist – and what the government should do about it

Aug 13, 2017 23:08 pm UTC| Insights & Views Life

Australians pay too much when they go to medical specialists. The government can and should do more to drive prices down. A current Senate Inquiry on out-of-pocket costs will hopefully lead to some policy action. The...

Don't be fooled, the Medicare Guarantee Fund provides no real guarantee

May 12, 2017 06:04 am UTC| Insights & Views Health Politics

Treasurer Scott Morrison pulled a health-related rabbit out of his hat on budget night, announcing the government will guarantee the future of Medicare. It will do this by allocating any extra revenue from the recently...

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Economy

Dollar Holds Near Two-Month High as Yen Approaches 160

The U.S. dollar remained near a two-month high on Friday, supported by rising Treasury yields and expectations of additional Federal Reserve rate hikes, while the Japanese yen hovered near the closely watched...

Gold Holds Near $4,275 as Rising Treasury Yields Fuel Fed Rate Hike Bets

Gold prices were largely unchanged on Friday but remained headed for a weekly loss of more than 3% as rising U.S. Treasury yields and elevated energy prices strengthened expectations that the Federal Reserve could raise...

Japanese Bank Stocks Surge as Bond Yields Fuel Rate Hike Bets

Japanese bank stocks rallied on Friday as surging government bond yields and expectations for further Bank of Japan interest rate hikes strengthened the outlook for lenders profit margins. Shares of Mizuho Financial Group,...

Asian Stocks Fall as Surging Bond Yields Rattle Markets

Asian stocks mostly declined on Friday as a global bond market selloff drove long-term U.S. Treasury yields to multi-year highs, pressuring risk appetite across regional markets. Investors were also assessing the outcome...

Fed Unveils Stablecoin Rules Under GENIUS Act

The Federal Reserve has proposed a broad regulatory framework for payment stablecoin issuers, moving forward with implementation of the GENIUS Act and efforts to bring dollar-backed digital assets further into the...

Politics

Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan Plan Urgent Defence Talks Over Houthi Attacks

Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan are preparing an urgent high-level defence meeting to discuss support for the kingdom as Houthi missile and drone attacks intensify across Saudi territory. The talks will be held under the...

Ukrainian Drone Attacks Hit Russian Regions, Injuring at Least 12

A series of Ukrainian drone attacks struck several Russian regions on Friday morning, leaving at least one person dead and more than a dozen injured while damaging industrial sites, homes and vehicles, according to Russian...

Najib Razak Seeks Stay of 15-Year 1MDB Prison Sentence

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has asked a court to suspend a 15-year prison sentence linked to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) corruption scandal, his lawyer said Friday, following a royal pardon in a...

What ‘Taiwan Independence’ Means as Xi Presses Trump on US Policy

Chinese President Xi Jinpings call for President Donald Trump to oppose Taiwan independence has renewed attention on the complicated political and historical status of Taiwan and the differing positions held by Beijing,...

Xi Calls for Deeper U.S.-China AI Cooperation in Trump Talks

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for stronger cooperation with the United States on artificial intelligence during his state visit to Washington, highlighting AI safety and human oversight as potential areas for closer...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

SpaceXAI to Double Nvidia Chips at Colossus 2 by Year-End

Elon Musk said SpaceXAI plans to nearly double the number of advanced Nvidia AI chips operating at its Colossus 2 data center by the end of 2026, significantly expanding the computing power behind its artificial...

SoftBank Shares Fall as Oracle Flags Stargate Data Center Delay Risk

SoftBank Group shares dropped on Friday after Oracle moved to protect itself against possible delays at a major New Mexico data center, adding to investor concerns over the financing and execution risks surrounding the...

Jeff Bezos Invests $32 Billion in Blue Origin as Space Firm Targets Major Growth

Jeff Bezos has invested about $32 billion in Blue Origin since founding the space company in 2000, underscoring the Amazon founders long-term commitment to competing in the rapidly expanding commercial space industry....

OpenAI to Preview GPT-6 Cyber AI Model for Cybersecurity

OpenAI is preparing to preview GPT-6 Cyber, a new artificial intelligence model focused on cybersecurity, within days as the company expands its push into AI-powered security tools, according to a Fortune report cited by...

Former OpenAI Data Center Chief Chris Malone Joins Nvidia

Chris Malone, the former head of data centers at OpenAI, has joined Nvidia as vice president of its DSX Platform, strengthening the chipmakers leadership team as demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure continues...