News

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…

Joint Statement on the Commencement of Genomics Australia Pathology Technology Australia and the Industry Genomics Network Alliance (InGeNA) warmly welcome the formal establishment of Genomics Australia as a national body under the Department of Health and Aged Care from 1 July. We commend the calibre of the Genomics Australia leadership team, which brings together deep…

The Missing Piece – Why are we not funding these tests to reduce pregnancy risk? “If I had access to a test that could predict my risk for pre-eclampsia I could have prevented a life-threatening situation for me and for my baby” – Sarah, pre-eclampsia survivor. Sarah spent a week in hospital with dangerously high…

Significant delays in diagnostic funding means patients are missing out The path to Medicare funding for new diagnostic technology is a notoriously challenging one, and a recent publication has now quantified the significant delay in Australia’s health technology assessment pathways. The poster, presented at ISPOR—The Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research, a collaborative…