A day bushwalking in the Otways. Time in this beautiful part of the world has nourished my soul since I was a boy.

Excellent article highlighting the opportunities & risks of Australia's new CDC by Allen Cheng. We have largely assumed respect for medical & scientific expertise in public health policy for decades. The US experience shows we cannot be complacent. theconversation.com/australia-will…

Growing up in Australia in the 70s & 80s, it seemed that censorship was only to be found in history books. Fast forward to 2025, & even respectful expert discussion of some areas is banned. It's disrespectful & offensive, and corrosive to the institutions that experience it.

This is a big deal - #Dementia now top cause of death in Australia, more than heart disease & cancer, from Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data. This has profound implications for our country - healthcare, families, tax for starters. Main message - confront the risk factors! abc.net.au/news/2025-09-1…

Doctors often see people on their worst days. One of the most important medical skills is to respond to their aggression, hostility & destruction with empathy, reason & expertise. Paediatricians exemplify this precious skill, & those who undermine it are no better than vandals.

Thanks to Kos Samaras & Shireen Morris of John Curtin Research Centre for the invitation to talk on #CurtinsCast this week.

The Australian Healthcare System. Not perfect, but world class.

A little history lesson for those who think medicine and politics are unrelated.

On our latest #CurtinsCast Episode, Stephen Parnis joins us for a deeply personal and thought-provoking conversation on end-of-life care. 🕊️ 💬 Stephen reflects on caring for his father-in-law—now living with him and his wife—and shares why that experience strengthens his reservations

#CurtinsCast dives into how the pandemic shook Dr Stephen Parnis’s faith in a simple, linear idea of progress. He reflects on the global wave of conspiratorial vaccine refusal—and the jaw-dropping claim from Florida’s Chief Medical Officer that “vaccines are a form of modern slavery.”

We live in an era when unethical, extremist actors occupy positions of serious power. News from RFK Jr. is a prime example, & millions will pay a price for the damage being inflicted. We can do a great deal to protect Australian lives & health. #CurtinsCast Kos Samaras John Curtin Research Centre

Governments can be lumbering, unwieldy beasts. But sometimes they can do things that make you proud.

The best evidence about paracetamol in pregnancy comes from Sweden last year. A well-designed study (2.4 million kids, prospective, adjusted for confounding variables) found NO association between autism & paracetamol in pregnancy. RFK's assertions are rubbish.

Trump & Kennedy's arrogant health idiocy will contribute to untold numbers of febrile seizures, vaccine refusal & preventable deaths across not only the USA, but anywhere within the reach of American influence. What they peddle is a despicable affront to healthcare worldwide.

2024 was the deadliest year ever for humanitarian personnel. When the provision of healthcare & aid to so many in desperate need has never been greater, it's sad that the UN General Assembly has to reiterate these basic principles. Protect those who care. reliefweb.int/report/world/d…

Our PM met many international leaders this week. But few are as inspurrational as the one in charge at 10 Downing Street. Larry, if only there were more like you in the corridors of power, the world would be a better place. Larry the Cat Anthony Albanese

Cooperation between politicians & scientists/clinicians can achieve great benefit, or cause profound harm when it fails to occur. It falls to us to defend expertise, evidence & ethics, even at personal/professional risk. And we must call out the vandalism that now rears its head

Australia has almost 800,000 international students here. On many occasions, I have seen them present to hospital with a potentially serious illness, only to refuse or delay treatment over $. This avoidable, tragic death from last year is only one example. We need to do better.

Some wounds will never heal.

The closure of Cohealth's medical services is a disaster for 12500 of the most vulnerable Victorians (homeless, mentally ill, violence victims). They need complex community care, & will now fall through the cracks. Shame. abc.net.au/news/2025-10-1…