TERRY BARNES – CURRICULUM VITAE
Contact details
Terry Barnes
Principal
Cormorant Policy Advice
PO Box 607
PATTERSON LAKES VIC 3130
AUSTRALIA
Phone:
Fax:
61 3 9894 1805
61 3 9894 1793
Mobile: 61 408 140 817
Email: terry.barnes@cormorant.net.au
Business website: www.cormorant.net.au
Career history
Current
2007
Principal, Cormorant Policy Advice (originally 1805 Consulting) – since December
Using my professional and academic expertise and experience, under
the Cormorant banner I advise corporate and political clients on
strategic and social policy issues, including government engagement
and relationship management, health, healthcare
and private health industry matters. This includes needs analysis and regulatory
analysis.
The business’s primary emphasis is on healthcare provision, regulation
and policy, but is increasingly reaching into other social policy areas
including aged care and welfare.
Clients include:

Private healthcare businesses (including in the
pharmaceutical, diagnostics, private health insurance and
retirement living industries),
 Industry associations, including health insurance and private
hospitals groups.

Merchant banks, private equity firms and industry
analysts, and other organisations.

The Liberal Party of Australia on health and social policy
issues, especially contributions to developing and finalising
2010 federal election policy.
1
2013-14
Author, Australian Centre for Health Research discussion paper on GP
co-payments
In 2013-14 I developed, wrote and promoted a controversial discussion
paper on charging co-payments for bulk-billed GP services for a think-tank
client.
This paper attracted wide media and public interest and largely started a
policy debate that has continued ever since. It also influenced measures
adopted by the Abbott government in its 2014-15 Budget, although it
differed in key respects to the Government’s plan.
Nevertheless, the co-payment debate gave me an opportunity to
participate in the policy debate and to comment in newspapers and on
radio and television. It has also accelerated my public profile an expert
policy expert and commentator.
The co-payment debate has led to my being commissioned to pursue
other topical issues in health policy to help kick-start debates.
2011
Chief of staff in the Baillieu Victorian government
Contracted to provide initial leadership to the offices of two new ministers: The
Hon Mary Wooldridge MLA (Minister for Community Services, Mental Health
and Women’s Affairs) and the Hon Wendy Lovell MLC (Minister for Housing,
Children and Early Childhood Development).
This included involvement in settling staffing, establishing the terms of engagement with
portfolio Departments, establishing office culture, procedures and processes and, most
importantly, assisting both Ministers and their staffs through the Government’s first
Budget, including negotiating portfolio budgets with central agency ministers and
preparing for parliamentary Estimates hearings.
2010-13
Honorary board role: HeartKids Australia
Appointed honorary Adviser to and subsequently a Director of a national not-for-profit
charity supporting children with congenital and acquired heart disease and their families.
Drawing on my political and policy experience, my principal role as a board member was
to provide pro-bono advice and to assist with advocacy with ministers, parliamentarians
and government agencies. It also involved advising on promoting greater community
awareness of childhood heart disease and HeartKids.
2008-
General professional roles
Regular speaker and presenter at conferences on healthcare practice and policy,
particularly on private health insurance and the pharmaceutical industry.
Voluntary ad hoc adviser to several not-for-profit organisations on policy issues.
2
2008-
Freelance writer and commentator
Author of newspaper and opinion website articles on current health, social policy,
general political issues and topical subjects. Print and online publications include The
Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian Financial Review, The Australian, The
Herald-Sun, The Courier-Mail, The Spectator Australia, The Drum and Quadrant Online.
In addition to my writing, I am regularly interviewed on radio and television as a policy
expert and current affairs commentator, including on ABC and commercial radio, ABC
News 24 and Sky News.
2008
Volunteer adviser on the Liberal Party’s Western Australia election campaign team
Responsible for devising and drafting the Party’s major health and hospitals election
policy statement, which formed the basis of the incoming Barnett government’s health
platform.
2007
Policy Unit, Liberal Party Federal Campaign Headquarters (CHQ)
As in 2004, worked as policy adviser on the 2007 election campaign, especially on health
and ageing issues.
2004
Policy Unit, Liberal Party CHQ
Responsible for coordinating the Coalition's2004 health campaign policy and analysing
and responding to the ALP's health policy announcements.
In this role, and drawing on my own expertise and industry networks, I successfully
conducted and coordinated the deconstruction of the Australian Labor Party’s Medicare
Gold policy that led to the exposure of its weaknesses and gross under-costing, turning a
potential election winner for Mark Latham and the ALP into a key factor in their loss.
2003-07
Senior Adviser to the Minister for Health and Ageing (the Hon Tony Abbott MP)
Responsibilities included Commonwealth-State relations; health system improvement
and reform; Australian Health care Agreements; policies affecting public and private
hospitals’ capital development and service delivery ; private health and private health
insurance including major regulatory and Broader Health Cover reforms of 2006-07;
diagnostics including radiology and pathology services and funding; and general health
policy, legislation, regulatory and political matters.
My role also involved working closely with the Prime Minister’s and Treasurer’s offices
on Budget and policy ideas and proposals and, on occasion, directly advising both the PM
and the Treasurer.
In 2007 I had specific responsibility for planning and executing the Commonwealth’s
takeover of the Mersey Hospital in Tasmania, including negotiations with Tasmania, the
logistics of the transfer and ensuring that the handover was completed before the
federal election.
3
2003
Government and Regulatory Affairs Manager, Medibank Private, Melbourne
Advised the CEO and board on relations between Medibank Private and the
Commonwealth Government as sole shareholder and industry regulator.
Managed a major and well-received economic modelling and analysis project by
Professor Ian Harper and Chris Murphy on the economic effects of the 30 per cent
private health insurance rebate.
Left to join the Minister for Health’s office after being specifically asked to return to
government, but continued to advise informally on the rebate project until its
completion.
2003
Senior Policy Adviser (Human Services), Social Policy Branch, Victorian Department of
the Premier and Cabinet (DPC)
Advised the (ALP) Premier and DPC Secretary on the negotiation of the 2003-08
Australian Health Care Agreements and was part of the Victorian negotiating team with
the Commonwealth.
Also generally advised the Premier and Secretary on Human Services and Housing
matters, including sitting on the steering committee for the Royal Women’s and
Children’s Hospital redevelopments. Led a small team of policy officers dealing with DHS
issues.
Coordinated and drafted issues analysis and Cabinet briefings within my portfolio.
Worked directly with ministers, senior advisers and top departmental officials in the
Premiers, Treasury and Human Services portfolios.
End 2002
Moved to Melbourne from Canberra
4
2000-02
Acting Assistant Secretary, Financing and Analysis Branch,
Department of Health and Ageing
Had policy and administrative responsibility for the Australian Health Care Agreements
as the principal vehicles for distributing Commonwealth public hospital funding to the
States and monitoring State’s performance in delivering public hospital services.
Also managed the relationship between the Department and the Health Insurance
Commission, Medicare eligibility for Australians and foreign visitors, and Medicare
statistics collections. This included approving the monthly release of funds to the
Medicare account so that rebates could be paid.
Managed a branch of over 40 people and an operating budget of about $2 million a year.
Including the Australian Health Care Agreements, I had administrative responsibility for
programme budgets of several billion dollars of administered funds, not including
Medicare outlays.
Worked closely with the Department of Health’s private health insurance branch to
harmonise policy and programme development for both the public and private hospital
sectors.
Responsible for protecting the Commonwealth’s financial interest in public hospital
funding, including investigating and taking appropriate action against identified costshifting breaches of the Australian Health Care Agreements.
Responsible for administering reciprocal public hospital access agreements with other
countries, and working with States and territories to deal with any problems arising from
these international obligations.
Initiated and led research and analysis on a wide range of issues affecting health
financing, anticipating demand and provision trends and intended to give cutting-edge
advice to ministers and top departmental officials (also see below).
Dealt with staffing and IR problems within my responsibility, including managing
underperforming staff.
2000-01
Director, Financing and Analysis Branch, Department of Health and Aged Care
Led a small team that managed policy projects and analysis relating to the Australian
health care Agreements and health financing.
A major analytical project completed while I ran this unit looked at using data linked to
public hospitals’ surrounding postcodes to pinpoint or forecast hospital-level costshifting. The results demonstrated that cost-shifting, especially for work-up and stepdown medical services, was detectable. The analysis informed planning for Australian
Health Care Agreement negotiations.
5
1999-2000 Secretary to the National Competition Policy Review of Pharmacy Legislation (the
Wilkinson Review) and co-author of review report
The Wilkinson Report was used by Commonwealth and State governments as a basis for
considering changes to legislation regulating pharmacy practice, registration and
professional services, while retaining regulatory restrictions in the sensitive areas of
pharmacy ownership and location. Under the guidance of the reviewer, Warwick
Wilkinson AO, I drafted the review report.
The report and its key recommendations were at the time was well-received, meeting
the Government’s political need if not being policy pure.
In 1996-97, while still in Dr Wooldridge’s office, I was also very heavily involved in
negotiating the Commonwealth-State arrangements that allowed for a single national
review rather than individual State and Territory review that politically would have been
very difficult to manage. I was appointed to run the review after my return to the Public
Service.
1998-99
Executive Officer, Higher Education Council, National Board of Employment, Education
and Training
Main task was to oversee the abolition of the Council as part of implementing the
Coalition’s 1996 election commitments to dismantle the National Board structure in
favour of other advisory arrangements. This involved extensive and delicate
negotiations with internal and external interests to bring about the result with minimal
disruption and political controversy.
1996-97
Senior Adviser to the Minister for Health and Family Services (The Hon Michael
Wooldridge MP)
Had a range of policy and issue responsibilities, including private health insurance,
Commonwealth-State, pharmacy regulation and PBS matters. Developed and pursued a
special interest in HIV/AIDS policy and programmes. Liaised and negotiated extensively
with a wide range of individuals and interest groups, as well as within the Parliament.
Acted as chief of staff to help establish the ministerial office in March-June 1996.
1996
Health and aged policy adviser for the Federal election campaign, based in Melbourne
Worked on the Federal campaign while outposted in Dr Wooldridge’s office.
Contributed significantly to the main A Healthy Future policy document authored by Dr
Wooldridge but directly developed a breakout package of targeted lifestyle and public
health measures called Health Throughout Life.
6
1993-96
Portfolio Adviser and Press Secretary to the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and
Shadow Minister for Education, Employment and Training; and subsequently Shadow
Minister for Community Services and Aged Care and Health and Human Services
(Dr Michael Wooldridge MP).
Assisted Dr Wooldridge in developing and writing the Coalition’s successful 1996 election
health policy (in which the Coalition finally embraced Medicare), and engaged with the
Leader of the Opposition, government ministers and their offices, Coalition MPs,
professional and industry associations, and portfolio interest groups.
The major project in that time was negotiating the complex settlement around the
Keating government’s 1995 introduction of purchaser-provider contracting into private
health insurance so that it struck a better balance between insurers and providers (often
called the Lawrence legislation after the minister of the day).
My major personal policy achievement was advocating internally with Dr Wooldridge to
incorporate better and more genuine support for carers of the elderly, chronically ill and
people with disabilities into the Coalition’s policy platform. He then persuaded Mr
Howard as Leader, which in turn led to an election policy statement on carers that
became the basis of the Howard government’s extensive transformation of support for
carers over its time in office – and it was retained and built on by the Rudd and Gillard
governments.
I consider the carers initiative to be the most valuable and lasting personal contribution
that I have made in my entire career. It made a genuine difference for many vulnerable
and under-recognised people.
Pre 1993 positions - summary
1992-93
Senior policy officer, Higher Education Division, Department of Employment, Education
and Training
1990-92
Executive Assistant to the Secretary to the Department of Employment, Education and
Training (Greg Taylor AO).
1988-90
Research Officer and Assistant Director, Council of Overseas Professional
Qualifications/National Office of Overseas Skills Recognition.
1987
Assistant Research Officer, Department of Immigration and Ethnic Affairs.
1984-86
Full-time study.
1980-84
Clerk, Department of Defence.
Education and professional
1980-86
Bachelor of Arts in politics and history, Australian National University and University of
California at Santa Barbara.
7
Selection of published articles
An unhealthy system, The Age, 24 April 2008
Health funds fight back after Labor’s king-hit, The Australian Financial Review, 13 June 2008
Rudd’s health policy basket case, The Australian Financial Review, 10 September 2008
All patients have the right to know, The Age, 15 September 2008
Share the pain, ease the agony, The Australian, 12 January 2009
Ailing policy slows rise in health cover, The Australian Financial Review, 20 May 2009
Good health, a responsibility not just a right, The Age, 29 September 2009
Reform poses more questions, The Australian Financial Review, 16 February 2010
Can feds be trusted with our health?, The Examiner (Launceston), 4 March 2010
Health reform a bitter pill for Victoria, The Age, 5 March 2010
Abbott must take initiative in health debate, The Australian Financial Review, 25 March 2010
Abbott may have boosted his credibility, The Age, 20 May 2010
Lament from a childless voter, National Times, 23 July 2010
The key to competitiveness (it's all in our imagination), The Australian Financial Review, 10 August
2010 (with Tania de Jong)
Abbott needs fingers off the Tigger trigger, The Age, 30 August 2010
It's business as unusual in federal parliament, The Age, 1 September 2010 (with Tania de Jong)
Health reform in need of a fresh start, The Australian Financial Review, 5 October 2010
Health can be Baillieu's trump card, National Times, 6 October 2010
Policy is the key for Coalition success, National Times, 1 November 2010
Spare a thought for the childless at Christmas, National Times, 24 December 2010
Dispensary monopoly is very bad medicine, The Australian Financial Review, 13 January 2011
Disaster fund would leave us better prepared for rainy days, The Age, 18 January 2011
A prescription for privilege, MJA Insight, 6 June 2011
Heartfelt words from a politician? Oh, Canada! The Age, 20 September 2011
The generous pay rise for police risks hurting the vulnerable, The Age, 3 November 2011
8
Abbott's time to occupy high moral ground, The Age, 29 November 2011
Asylum seeker impasse highlights leadership vacuum, The Drum, 6 January 2012
What if you wanted a baby and your partner didn't?, The Age, 11 January 2012
It's time to bust open the pharmacists closed shop, The Australian, 25 January 2012
A prescription for pharmacy reform, Policy, Summer 2011-12 (February 2012)
Staffers deserve more support, The Australian Financial Review, 4 October 2012
The Honourable Tony Abbott, Quadrant Online, 14 October 2012
Deaf to our better angels, Quadrant Online, 18 December 2012
Material obsessions with the spirit, The Age, 5 January 2013
Lights out in Kath and Kim country, The Spectator Australia, 5 January 2013
Curing the latest hospital funding stoush, Quadrant Online, 8 February 2013
Media regulation starts at home, The Spectator Australia, 23 March 2013
Lazy and lacking: NDIS levy will starve the scheme, The Age, 2 May 2013
With friends like these, Quadrant Online, 9 May 2013
Craig Thomson’s consolation, Quadrant Online, 22 May 2013
Thought bubble trouble, The Spectator Australia, 1 June 2013
Endorsing bad Labor policy will be costly, The Australian, 19 June 2013
The other Fourth of July, Quadrant Online, 4 July 2013
Kev Kardashian not a fraud in suburbs, The Australian, 19 July 2013
A campaign sadly lacking in poetry and vision, The Drum, 21 August 2013
Vote Abbott for the Ashes, The Spectator Australia, 31 August 2013
Tony Abbott, and admirably ordinary bloke, Quadrant Online, 6 September 2013
The more we see of Abbott the more we’ll like him, The Drum, 12 September 2013
Onus on Coalition to step up war on whaling, The Age, 11 October 2013
Reform the right medicine for sick funds, The Australian, 19 October 2013
9
The vision of JFK and Lincoln is lost on Australian politicians, The Age, 19 November 2013
How the PM can make his next 100 days better, The Drum, 16 December 2013
Abbott will pay for this whale of a broken promise, The Age, 28 December 2013
Price signal of $6 is fair for world-class healthcare, The Australian, 1 January 2014
Long overdue debate on Medicare a healthy thing, The Age, 14 January 2014
Diary, The Spectator Australia, 8 February 2014
Hold your nerve: the lesson from Griffith, The Drum, 12 February 2014
Dutton faces tough Medicare reform mission, The Australian Financial Review, 24 February 2014
Paying the price for avoidable health risks, The Drum, 18 March 2014
Audit offers nothing to tame healthcare costs, The Australian Financial Review, 7 May 2014
Shorten’s war cry over Medicare is misguided, The Drum, 16 May 2014
Reforms bite hard, but create avoidable trouble, The Australian Financial Review, 19 May 2014
There is a Plan B for the doctor fee, The Australian Financial Review, 29 May 2014
We’re not perfect but be grateful you’re an Aussie, Herald-Sun, 11 June 2014
AMA cannot claim moral high ground on co-payments, The Australian, 20 June 2014
Tony the Tradie can fix it, The Spectator Australia, 21 June 2014
Big money riding on hopes and dreams of the unwilling childless, The Age, 1 July 2014
Abbott’s unexpected reinvention in the wake of MH17, The Drum, 24 July 2014
Crisis rhetoric is overplayed in healthcare, The Australian Financial Review, 31 July 2014
It’s time to stop funding “elite” sports, The Spectator Australia, 9 August 2014
Doctors have a fat co-payment scheme of their own, The Australian Financial Review, 13 August 2015
The idea behind Medicare is that everyone contributes according to their means, The Courier-Mail,
1 September 2014
The Stalinism on our high streets, The Australian Financial Review, 2 October 2015
But would you have a beer with them?, The Spectator Australia, 4 October 2014
Peris is no more “guilty” than the rest of us, The Drum, 30 October 2014
1
0
Clowns to the Left, Jokers to the right, The Spectator Australia, 1 November 2014
Don’t walk away from the GP co-payment, The Drum, 27 November 2014
Darkness descends on Patterson Lakes, The Spectator Australia, 6 December 2014
Revised GP co-payment plan hits the right notes, The Drum, 10 December 2014
After a ragged year, where to for Abbott?, The Drum, 19 December 2014
Parents don’t own all the compassion, The Age, 26 December 2014
Bill Shorten: the Stephen Bradbury of politics?, The Drum, 2 January 2015
Fair billing, not bulk-billing a healthier choice, The Australian, 9 January 2015
GST debate must be more than thought bubbles, The Drum, 12 January 2015
Abbott damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t, The Drum, 21 January 2015
Abbott needs backing, not the boot, The Drum, 30 January 2015
No Aussie knighthood for Winston, The Spectator Australia, 31 January 2015
Abbott’s Press Club speech buys some time, The Australian Financial Review, 2 February 2015
The Baird factor: a template for the Coalition, The Drum, 25 February 2015
Right wing hunting pack, The Spectator Australia, 28 February 2015
Time to revisit the Medicare reform conversation, The Sydney Morning Herald, 3 March 2015
Intergenerational report’s economic ghost story, The Drum, 5 March 2015
We must tolerate failure if we want courageous leaders, The Australian Financial Review,
26 March 2015 (with Tania de Jong)
Pre-budget advice: get the message straight, The Drum, 1 April 2015
Bill the wealthy to keep Medicare healthy for all, Herald-Sun, 9 April 2015
What can Abbott and Shorten learn from Lincoln?, The Drum 14 April 2015
COAG: Sound and fury, signifying not very much, The Drum, 17 April 2015
1
1
Electronic media
Various radio interviews arising from articles or conference presentations, 2009-11
Interviewed on The 7:30 Report about the 2010 Victorian election, November 2010
Interviewed on ABC News 24 about Victorian politics, March 2013
Interviewed on New Zealand television for a profile on Tony Abbott, August 2013
Regular interviewee on Channel 10 Wake-Up on politics issues, 2013-14
Regularly interviewed on radio and television about politics, policy and GP co-payments, 2013-date,
including ABC TV’s 7:30 and News 24, Channel 7’s Sunrise, ABC radio, Sky TV, 2UE, 2GB, 3AW, 4BC, 6PR.
Regular source of media comment on topical politics, policy and Budget issues, 2014-date – frequent
media mentions as a policy expert.
Book chapter
“Personal responsibility and Health Care” in Gary Johns (editor), Right Social Justice: Better
Ways to Help the Poor, Connor Court Press, 2012.
1
2