Media releases

A new report showing that high rates of caesareans and infant medication are placing some infants in Australia at risk of avoidable health problems highlights the importance of ensuring treatment and care is based on best available medical evidence, the Consumers Health Forum says. The Third...

A vibrant voice advocating for consumers is vital to a modern, effective health system and the Consumers Health Forum of Australia welcomes the announcement by the Health Minister, Greg Hunt, of funding for the next three years. “Consumers are exerting an ever more important role in shaping the...

Australia’s health system takes a significant step forward now that Parliament has resolved questions concerning security and privacy of the My Health Record, the Consumers Health Forum says. Australians have until 31 January 2019 to choose to opt out of the personal electronic health record and...

Advances in health care are driving the demand for more effective recognition of patient and consumer-driven health policies for individually-focused services in Australia. This is the finding of a white paper, Shifting Gears – Consumers Transforming Health , released by the Consumers Health Forum...

A national Youth Health Forum has issued a call to action, pressing for more effective services focused on the specific needs of young Australians, particularly in mental health. In a statement released today, 15 November, the Youth Health Forum has proposed immediate steps to strengthen the voice...

Consumer-driven and translational research has been identified as one of the top priorities for Australian medical researchers, an innovation that the Consumers Health Forum heartily welcomes as a breakthrough for the health system. This step forward, announced in the Medical Research Future Fund’s...

The Consumers Health Forum has welcomed the Government’s proposed further reforms to the My Health Record legislation but has called for an extension of next week’s deadline for the full-scale introduction of MHR to give time for debate and settle the significant issues affecting public support of...

The poor diet of many Australians, beginning in childhood, as revealed in a new official report, underlines the need for concerted national action on obesity, the Consumers Health Forum, said today. The report of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare released today shows that Australians...

The release of the report from the Senate Community Affairs References Committee’s inquiry into the My Health Record system highlights again that consumer knowledge, trust and confidence is essential for My Health Record (MHR) to move forward. The potential benefits remain and much of the policy to...

The long-awaited announcement today of the gold, silver, bronze and basic classification for private health insurance products for hospital services should provide greater certainty for consumers and make it simpler to understand what they are covered for in each category. “CHF has long argued for...