Breaking News, Business, Financial and Economic News, World News from EconoTimes

Become a contributor

Bookmark Econotimes

Wed, Sep 09, 2026 10:01 AM All times are UTC

Follow Series

©Econometrics LLC . All Rights Reserved.

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.

What is the hospital funding agreement politicians are talking about today?

Dec 06, 2023 07:47 am UTC| Politics

National Cabinet meets today to discuss three big issues in Commonwealth-state financial relations: GST allocation, National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) funding, and a Commonwealth government proposal to kick-start...

How does Australia's health system stack up internationally? Not bad, if you're willing to wait for it

Nov 28, 2023 23:15 pm UTC| Health

When things are going bad in the health system, we are reassured weve got one of the best health systems in the world. But were rarely told where we actually stand relative to others. A new report from the Organisation...

When aged care workers earn just $22 an hour, a one-off payment won’t fix the wage problem

Feb 02, 2022 08:57 am UTC| Economy

The federal governments promise of up to A$800 between now and May for aged care workers is a short-term political fix designed to cover over a long-term policy failure. Numerous reports have pointed out Australias more...

Vaccine Rollout 2.0: Australia needs to do 3 things differently

Jul 01, 2021 03:19 am UTC| Health

Australias vaccine rollout started just over four months ago. It has not gone well, to put it mildly. To date, only 24% of the population have had at least one dose of a vaccine, and nearly 5% 1.2 million people have...

New aged care data on hospitalisation rates show significant problem areas in residential aged care

Feb 02, 2021 13:13 pm UTC| Life Health

The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety released new data overnight comparing hospitalisation rates from residential aged care facilities. The report found 36.9% of nursing home residents presented to an...

Young people dropping private health hurts insurers most, not public hospitals

Feb 19, 2020 01:49 am UTC| Insights & Views Health

Young Australians are abandoning private health insurance in droves. And the overall decline in the percentage of the population with private coverage is continuing. New data for the three months to the end of 2019,...

How do you stop the youth exodus from private health insurance? Cut premiums for under-55s

Dec 04, 2019 11:26 am UTC| Insights & Views Business Health

Young people dont see private health insurance as good value for money. And theyre right: the cost of their expected use of private health care is significantly below what they pay in insurance premiums. Unsurprisingly,...

1 2 3

Economy

Iraq Seeks 6 Million Bpd OPEC+ Oil Quota

Iraq is pushing for a substantial increase in its OPEC+ oil production quota, seeking to have future output targets calculated using a production capacity of 6 million barrels per day (bpd), according to Bloomberg, citing...

UK Food Inflation Forecast to Hit 6.4% by Mid-2027

UK food price inflation is expected to accelerate over the coming year, potentially reaching 6.4% by mid-2027 as geopolitical tensions, extreme weather and higher production costs pressure the food industry, according to...

Brent Oil Tops $100 as Middle East Conflict Threatens Supply

Brent crude oil prices climbed above $100 a barrel on Wednesday for the first time since July 24 as escalating Middle East conflict intensified fears of further disruptions to global oil supplies. Benchmark Brent crude...

Japanese Yen Nears Seven-Month High as Oil Approaches $100

The Japanese yen held near its strongest level since February on Wednesday, pressuring the U.S. dollar as escalating Middle East tensions pushed oil prices toward $100 a barrel and investors prepared for major central bank...

US Bans Canadian Alcohol, Motorcycles as Trade War Escalates

The United States has announced sweeping import bans on Canadian alcoholic beverages, motorcycles and some dairy products, escalating a trade dispute between the longtime North American allies. The restrictions, announced...

Politics

Israel Orders UK East Jerusalem Consulate Closure

Israel has ordered the United Kingdom to close its consulate in East Jerusalem within 30 days, escalating a diplomatic dispute after Britain, France and Canada announced new sanctions targeting Israeli settlements in the...

Chris Hipkins Targets Cost-of-Living Relief in New Zealand Election

Former New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins says Labour was too slow to recognize the cost-of-living pressures facing households after the COVID-19 pandemic, as the party seeks to regain urban and middle-income voters...

Trump’s ‘New America’ Proposal Draws Backlash in New Mexico

President Donald Trumps proposal to rename New Mexico as New America has sparked criticism from residents and political leaders who say the move threatens to erase centuries of history and cultural identity. Trump, a...

US Judge Dismisses Imran Ahmed Deportation Lawsuit

A federal judge in New York has dismissed a lawsuit filed by British anti-disinformation campaigner Imran Ahmed challenging the Trump administrations authority to detain and deport him, potentially clearing the way for...

Iran Strikes U.S.-Used Jordan Base as Gulf War Escalates

Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched ballistic missiles at a military base in Jordan used by U.S. forces and said it attacked 10 ships near the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, marking a sharp escalation...

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

OpenAI Targets Specialized Industries as Enterprise AI Demand Grows

OpenAI is expanding its focus on specialized industries such as chip design, life sciences and financial services while lowering AI model prices to compete with cheaper open-source alternatives, Chief Financial Officer...

Kioxia Rules Out SK Hynix Manufacturing Partnership

Kioxia Holdings CEO Hiroo Ota has ruled out closer manufacturing cooperation with South Korean memory chipmaker SK Hynix, pointing to antitrust concerns and complications involving Kioxias existing production partnership...

Qualcomm Stock Jumps on Amazon AI Chip Deal

Qualcomm Technologies (NASDAQ: QCOM) shares surged 9.5% after the chipmaker announced a multi-generational partnership with Amazon to develop custom silicon and high-speed optical connectivity technology for artificial...

Google Revamps EU Search Results to Meet DMA Rules

Alphabets Google has introduced major changes to its search results in Europe as it seeks to comply with European Union antitrust rules under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Google said Tuesday that the overhaul represents...

Australia Plans New Rules Giving Users Control Over Social Media Feeds

Australia has proposed new social media regulations that would give users greater control over the content appearing in their feeds, expanding the governments efforts to strengthen online safety and regulate major...