Net Zero Healthcare: A prescription for higher costs

a prescription for higher costs

Published: December 024

Author: Nico Louw

Net zero healthcare is a prescription for higher healthcare costs.

The Government has committed to a decarbonisation roadmap for healthcare and aged care, due for release next year, but has released no details and received no scrutiny, leaving many questions unanswered.

The little information released publicly implies that the Government is willing to impose higher healthcare costs and more red tape in the pursuit of its net zero objectives, which could cost the Budget hundreds of millions of dollars and hold back Australian medical manufacturing and research.

The Government has even left open the prospect that reducing emissions across the economy could be more important than “narrowly focused” healthcare or patient outcomes.