Health

For many disability and education advocates it's confirmation of their long-held belief, but new figures appear to suggest students with a disability face an enormous funding gap in Australian schools.

Once it's fully operational, the NDIS will be one of the biggest Government-funded program after Medicare. But where will those funds come from?

A 65 per cent hike in the price of ice-cream might not sound like a great idea, but what if it meant you could live longer? Melbourne researchers say a sugar tax, combined with subsidies for healthy foods, could increase Australians' life expectancy.

Dementia is set to cost Australia an estimated $18 billion a year by 2025, as Alzheimer's Australia calls for a national strategy to combat the disease.

Victoria's residential care system is failing the young people it is set up to care for, a former workers says.

Five-time Paralympian and disability advocate Kurt Fearnley criticises the Federal Government's decision to cut funding to other social services to fund the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

The Victorian Government rejected a report it commissioned which recommended the introduction of compulsory mental health and drug treatment for vulnerable children in the strife-torn child protection and youth justice systems.

Medical professionals are raising concerns about a potential conflict of interest in the widespread practice of pharmaceutical companies sponsoring little-known hospital "journal clubs".

Treasurer Scott Morrison says he will discuss the establishment of a special savings account to quarantine money for the NDIS with the Senate.

A West Australian company hopes to crack into Australia's lucrative wellness market with what they hope will be the next super food to take health conscious consumers by storm — lupin flakes.

There are concerns drug companies will be better able to hide how much they wine and dine doctors under changes to public reporting rules, with one expert labelling the changes a "step backwards" for transparency.

Nearly a third of Australian pharmacists are recommending complementary medicine products that are not supported by hard evidence — so why are chemists stocking them and do your herbal supplements actually work?

Obesity affects almost a quarter of Australians, but help can be almost impossible to find, health specialists say.

Cancer research and treatment is often framed as a 'fight' or 'war' against the disease. But, writes Darren Saunders, we need to tread carefully when taking that language out of the lab.

An ABC investigation finds pharmaceutical companies spent more than $2.6 million on "educational events" for doctors on new-generation blood thinners in just six months in 2015, raising concerns the potentially risky drugs are being prescribed to some patients who may not need them.

More than two million Australians are living under severe financial stress, and it's taking a toll on their health.

Some economists and employment experts are warning against mythologising industries such as car making in favour of promoting growing sectors that are facing looming skills shortages, such as health and aged care.

The Government approves a nearly 5 per cent increase in premiums but the Prime Minister urges people to stick with private health insurance.

The technological world may be on the cusp of a revolution, the extent of which is predicted to mimic the take-up of the smartphone in the late 2000s, but some experts call for caution.