Three lessons Canada can learn from Australia’s healthcare system
- Jason M. Sutherland
- 23 hours ago
- 1 min read
A recent international comparison of healthcare systems ranked Australia as the top performer—Canada was ranked seventh.
Jason M. Sutherland 11/11/2025
Healthcare systems across Canada are struggling to provide timely and equitable access to healthcare services—at a time when provincial governments are reining in spending in the midst of economic uncertainty.
Canada needs to find solutions that improve affordability, access and healthcare costs. A promising path is to look to other countries for innovative healthcare policies and practices, beginning with Australia.
Why look to Australia?
Australia shares many similarities with Canada. Both have universal and publicly funded healthcare systems, with responsibility for delivering healthcare resting primarily with Canadian provinces and Australian states.
Both countries are grappling with similar healthcare challenges—affordability, timely access and delivering services in vast rural areas and providing culturally appropriate healthcare for Indigenous populations.
Australia is seeing better results for its spending on healthcare. A recent international comparison of healthcare systems ranked Australia as the top performer. Canada was ranked seventh by the researchers.
Australia’s experiences offer insights for Canada. Here are three lessons that we can learn from them:
