30 January 2026 - Top Stories

Australia’s health tech arc is gathering pace as AI-driven tools and shared data shift from pilot projects to core operations.

In focus this week are two parallel tracks: centralised medicines data and rapid automation across clinics. The moves signal a shift toward interoperable health data and smarter clinical workflows, with clear implications for telehealth, pharmacy systems and patient safety.

Stage one of a national medicines reform requires all online and telehealth prescribers to upload prescribed medicines to the My Health Record, including the clinical reasoning behind each choice. In stage two, Australia will establish a National Medicines Record to register and monitor current prescriptions across the system, enhancing pharmacovigilance and giving clinicians a fuller view of a patient’s medicines.

Zebra Technologies is expanding its APAC leadership to accelerate AI-powered automation in health care and adjacent sectors. Tom Christodoulou becomes Sales Vice President for ANZ, Southeast Asia and Korea, based in Singapore, overseeing a local team and a broader territory. The company frames the changes as a way to reduce frontline strain and modernise workflows that integrate with existing clinical systems.

The Thriving Kids program rollout has been delayed until 2028. A partial start will proceed this year, while the full, $2 billion initiative — designed to ease NDIs pressures and offer early support for developmental delays and autism — is being redesigned within a cross-portfolio funding framework for health, aged care and disability services.

AI scribes are now a real part of Australian clinics after 2025, with about a quarter of GPs using them by mid-year. Clinicians report reduced cognitive load and more time with patients, supported by a drop in NASA-TLX workload scores and positive patient experience metrics at sites such as Gold Coast Health.

Australia’s National Health Reform Agreement has been finalised, delivering an extra $2 billion for Commonwealth hospital funding and lifting total support to $25 billion over five years. The multi-year funding framework is set to shape hospital planning, digital health investments and provider outcomes across the system.

• Two-stage national medicines data reform underway: upload to My Health Record in stage one; National Medicines Record in stage two.
• APAC leadership expansion by Zebra Technologies to accelerate AI automation in healthcare.
• Thriving Kids rollout pushed to 2028; partial start this year amid cross-portfolio funding and planning.
• AI scribes scale in 2025; about 25% of GPs adopted; reduced cognitive load and improved patient engagement observed.
• NHRA finalised with $2b more hospital funding; Commonwealth support now $25b over five years.
• TGA tightens safety guidance on melatonin imports to strengthen pharmacovigilance.