Uncategorized

New PTA-C/26 Report Highlights the Path Forward for Australia’s Healthcare System What will it take to create a more sustainable, preventative and patient-centred healthcare system? The insights from Pathology Technology Australia’s PTA-C/26 Congress point to a clear answer: greater investment in diagnostics, stronger collaboration across the health sector, and policy reform to unlock innovation. Bringing […]

Healthcare Affordability Must Be Paired with Investment in Diagnostic Infrastructure – PTA’s response to the 2026 Federal Health Budget   “Diagnostics inform 70% of medical decisions. Without investment in the pathology services, technology, and infrastructure that enable accurate, timely diagnosis, we risk creating a bottleneck where patients can afford to see their GP but can’t

Genomics Australia Update  PTA participates in regular discussion and updates with Genomics Australia Commissioner Tiffany Boughtwood, and Director Renaye Lucchese.   Here is an update of the current state:  Genomics Australia is setting the vision for health genomics in Australia for the next 10 years. By 2035 Genomics Australia foresees genomics transforming healthcare to focus on

New Licensing Agreement Supports a Maturing Clinical Genomics Infrastructure Landscape. A recently announced licensing agreement between Genomical and Illumina – two PTA members – signals support for the broader shift in how clinical genomic laboratories are approaching workflow integration and data management. For accredited clinical laboratories, timely rollout of new genomic tests can be supported through

New National Framework for Chronic Diseases  11 March 2026  Health Minster Mark Butler announces an investment of $110 million over three years on projects that help prevent chronic conditions. This funding forms part of the newly launched National Strategy Framework for Chronic Conditions 2026-35 (NSFCC).  Over half of all Australian have at least one chronic condition and about 24% have

Tough Federal Budget – signals austere times for healthcare  25 Feb 2026  The Age and SMH report  “no nice-to-haves” in Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s demands for budget austerity, stating that ministers need to find billions in savings for the May budget. https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/no-nice-to-haves-albanese-demands-ministers-find-billions-in-savings-for-may-budget-20260224-p5o53t.html  In discussions with the commonwealth Department of Health Disability and Aging (DHDA), PTA has heard that there is no new money

PTA Member Nutromics publishes important study in Nature Biotechnology    PTA member and Australian Innovator Nutromics are pioneers in the wearable and skin patch diagnostic technology space.   A pilot study of their electrochemical aptamer-based patch for continuous drug monitoring was recently published in Nature Biotechnology. See below for details.  Nutromics are based in Melbourne and have been a members of PTA for

Importance of diagnostic testing in the management of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).  Feb 23 2026  Australia’s CDC has just published the Aura Report, the sixth Australian report on antimicrobial use and resistance in human health.  Here is a link to the full report.  AURA REPORT – Sixth Australian report on antimicrobial use and resistance in human health  In

Same root cause, different impact – HTA PBAC and MSAC have passed their use by date  10th February 2026  This week the ABC reported on the lack of PBS funding for some commonly used medicines. See the link below for the full article.   Essentially the issue boils down to the same root cause as we find for

  Dean Whiting warns Australia has a narrow window to implement systemic change before healthcare becomes unsustainable  January 2025 – Pathology Technology Australia (PTA) CEO Dean Whiting has delivered a sobering assessment of the healthcare sector’s trajectory, warning that critical policy initiatives have stalled despite the government’s return to office earlier this year.  Speaking with Health