John Deeble

John Stewart Deeble (9 July 1931 – 5 October 2018) was an Australian academic, health economist and the architect of Medicare in Australia.

Early life A native of Wimmera, Deeble grew up near Donald, Victoria, and left school aged 15. His first job was a clerical position at the Peter McCallum Institute in Melbourne. While working he completed a Commerce Degree at Melbourne University and a Diploma of Hospital Administration at the University of New South Wales.

Career In 1965 he started a research position at the Institute of Applied Economic Research at the University of Melbourne. While working there, Deeble and Richard Scotton coauthored proposals for what became known as Medicare.

He also served as First Assistant Secretary in the Commonwealth Department of Health, Founding Director of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, and from 1989 to 2005, Adjunct Professor of Economics at the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health at the Australian National University.

He died in Canberra on 5 October 2018, aged 87. His funeral was held in Canberra on 19 October and he was buried privately in Woodend, Victoria.