The Hon Tony Abbott MHR - Media Items

March 2005

02 March 2005

Private health premiums

Increases in private health insurance premiums are due to the increasing use of private hospitals as well as to higher health costs, says the Ministers for Health and Ageing.

03 March 2005

Asthma Information

Medical professionals and people with asthma will have access to the latest information on the problems associated with asthma, including allergies, pain relief, air pollution, diet in early childhood and many other issues.

04 March 2005

2005 Australian Pharmacy Professional Conference and Trade Exhibition

The Minister for Health and Ageing, The Hon Tony Abbott MHR launches the 2005 Australian Pharmacy Professional Conference and Trade Exhibition on the Gold Coast.

07 March 2005

Government to extend free vaccination program

The Government will provide free chickenpox (varicella) vaccine for all babies and for at-risk teenagers and replace oral polio vaccine (OPV) with injectable inactivated polio vaccine (IPV).

07 March 2005

Research finds fewer inequalities in health

Health Minister Tony Abbott today released a government-funded report which found that death rates declined across all socioeconomic groups between the years 1985-1987 and 1998-2000.

11 March 2005

Healthy and active school communities

The Commonwealth Government will send two resource kits to every school to assist them in encouraging students to eat well and be physically active.

14 March 2005

Government childhood immunisation programs

A report issued on 11 March has demonstrated that the Government’s National Immunisation Program has produced the highest ever childhood vaccination rates leading to declining rates of disease in Australian children.

18 March 2005

Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee appointments

Five new members have been appointed to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC), and its Chair, Professor Lloyd Sansom, has been re-appointed for another four years.

18 March 2005

Appointments to the Private Health Insurance Administration Council

Announcement of appointments to the Private Health Insurance Administration Council, the authority responsible for regulating the private health insurance industry.

23 March 2005

Labor's plans to means test Medicare

The Labor Party has revealed it wants to means test Medicare.

29 March 2005

12.5 per cent price cut for generic drugs

The 12.5 per cent mandatory price reduction for new generic drugs will be implemented by agreement with the pharmaceutical industry rather than by legislation.