Key occasions
What we discovered, Saturday 17 September
And that’s the place we’ll go away you this night. Right here’s what we discovered:
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Prime minister Anthony Albanese has laid a wreath in Inexperienced Park upon arrival to the UK to attend the Queen’s funeral on Monday.
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Unbiased senator for Tasmania Jacqui Lambie spoke on the Competition of Harmful concepts in Sydney. In a session entitled “On blowing issues up” Lambie condemned Labor for refusing to wind again the $243bn stage three tax cuts introduced underneath the Coalition previous to the federal election.
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In his weekly op-ed for the Northern Day by day Chief the previous deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce defended what Labor has known as “pork-barrelling” as delivering important funds to regional Australia.
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Within the newest improvement within the ongoing stoush between the NSW authorities and the rail union, the transport minister, David Elliott, introduced the federal government was headed to court docket in a bid to dam union plans to deactivate Opal readers at practice stations.
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Flood warnings have been issued for inland NSW and northern Victoria. Emergency personnel carried out 11 rescues from floodwaters in a single day on Saturday, with extra wild climate forecast for the weekend.
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Penny Wong, the minister for overseas affairs, described the invention of mass civilian burial websites in Ukraine as “horrific”.
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NSW Well being stated greater than half of NDIS members and aged care residents in public hospitals had exceeded their estimated discharge dates as of August.
NSW Well being says greater than half of NDIS sufferers and aged care residents in hospitals exceeding their estimated discharge dates as of August
Information Corp is reporting that an NDIS affected person has been caught in hospital for greater than 5 years regardless of being medically cleared for discharge three years in the past.
The Day by day Telegraph’s Linda Silmalis writes:
A damning inner NSW Well being report into the disaster has recognized the particular person because the “longest-stay NDIS” affected person in a NSW hospital, having remained 1,068 days “past the estimated date of discharge”.
The affected person was considered one of 557 NDIS sufferers in a NSW hospital as at August 3, with greater than half having stayed previous their discharge dates. The additional pointless days being spent in hospital by the NDIS sufferers was costing taxpayers a staggering $32.8m.
Guardian Australia has not been capable of independently confirm the story. Nonetheless, a NSW Well being spokesperson has stated:
Sufferers might typically stay in hospital regardless of being medically prepared for discharge as they await a spot at a residential aged care facility (RACF) or for Nationwide Incapacity Insurance coverage Scheme (NDIS) providers.
NSW Well being is working with the Australian authorities to try to a discover sustainable longer-term answer for discharge of older individuals from hospital to residential aged care amenities.
As of three August 2022, there have been greater than 1,000 RACF and NDIS sufferers with 620 (58%) exceeding their estimated date of discharge.
Sadly, there was a rising pattern of closures of residential aged care amenities in regional, rural and distant areas in NSW. These closures affect small communities and the acute well being system.
In 2021-22, 17 residential aged care amenities closed in NSW, equating to round 700 aged care beds. This doesn’t embody residential aged care amenities which have lowered their operational mattress numbers however stay open.
Whereas aged care is an Australian authorities accountability, NSW Well being and the Commonwealth Division of Well being and Aged Care are working collaboratively to help the aged care sector to make sure well timed switch into appropriate residential aged care amenities (RACF) primarily based on the extent of care every older particular person requires.
NSW authorities trying to dam NSW rail union Opal motion
The NSW authorities is headed to court docket in a bid to dam union plans to deactivate Opal readers at practice stations as a part of an ongoing industrial stoush, AAP studies.
A bit 418 software has been lodged within the Truthful Work Fee to have the “damaging motion” to show off or short-circuit the machines from Wednesday declared unprotected, the transport minister, David Elliott, stated.
The transfer follows authorized recommendation acquired by the federal government that the proposed motion is prima facie illegal, he stated in a press release on Saturday. Elliott stated:
Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink imagine the notified motion can also be unsafe and will trigger monetary impacts on commuters.
The submission comes after the (Rail, Tram and Bus Union and others) rejected various formal requests from transport officers to withdraw the motion.
Elliott stated the matter was anticipated to be heard inside 48 hours.
Within the meantime, the federal government remained dedicated to bargaining in good religion however would take all measures to make sure taxpayer belongings weren’t tampered with, he stated.
The union plans to go away station gates open because it did final month however this time the Opal readers will even be deactivated, stopping commuters tapping on, quite than giving them an choice to not.
Not all stations have gates, though the motion will even deactivate standalone fee poles at suburban stations.
The Opal system is operated by a personal firm and Elliott stated on Thursday he deliberate to hunt recommendation on whether or not the union motion would end result within the authorities having to pay any penalties underneath its contract.
The RTBU is amongst unions that not too long ago took Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink to the Truthful Work Fee in a bid to maintain negotiating a brand new enterprise settlement and modifications to a fleet of recent intercity trains it says shouldn’t be but secure to function.
The premier, Dominic Perrottet, declared negotiations had been over on the finish of August, after a month of business motion disrupting providers throughout a number of days.
He threatened termination of an enterprise settlement if there was additional industrial motion.
The RTBU NSW secretary, Alex Claassens, stated the federal government and senior bureaucrats had been “those liable for this mess, they’ll now dwell with it”.
Whitehaven permitted for coal search close to Pilliga conservation space
Whitehaven Coal has been granted a licence by the Perrottet authorities to discover a brand new website which may result in the growth of its Narrabri underground coal operations in north-west New South Wales, Guardian Australia’s rural community freelancer Tom Plevey studies.
The Gorman North strategic launch is considered one of eight websites listed as “potential areas for proactive launch for coal exploration underneath the strategic launch framework” (SRF) by former deputy premier John Barilaro.
Highway closures in flood-affected components of western NSW
Flood warnings issued in NSW and northern Victoria
1000’s of NSW residents are underneath flood watch because the Bureau of Meteorology points main warnings throughout the state, AAP studies.
Emergency personnel carried out 11 rescues from flood waters in a single day on Saturday, with extra wild climate forecast for the weekend.
Authorities have additionally issued warnings for communities in northern Victoria alongside the Murray River.
The climate bureau on Saturday issued minor to main flood warnings throughout NSW together with for components of the Higher Murray and the Peel, Macquarie and Lachlan rivers.
Communities together with Tamworth, Gunnedah and Wee Waa are additionally on alert.
The State Emergency Service commissioner, Carlene York, stated the bottom was already saturated from document moist climate in NSW previously two years. As talked about on the weblog earlier, she instructed the ABC:
The dams are at capability, the bottom is saturated, so the water that comes from the sky simply has nowhere to go.
Two adults and a toddler had been rescued from the roof of their automobile in flood waters close to the NSW central west city of Wellington in a single day on Friday.
Spills from the Hume Dam mixed with flood waters from the Kiewa River have additionally brought on renewed and extended flooding alongside the Victorian border.
Rises are occurring alongside the Murray River at Torrumbarry Weir, the place minor flooding is feasible from Sunday, in keeping with Vic Emergency.
An prolonged peak is going on at Barham together with average flooding and minor flooding attainable at Moulamein in NSW over the weekend.
Alongside the Edward River, minor flood waters are slowly easing at Deniliquin. River ranges at Stevens Weir peaked on Tuesday, the place average flooding continues.
Donna Lu
Analysis reveals the psychological well being burden of being a lady
Psychological misery and psychological sickness amongst girls has reached dire ranges in Australia, with issues solely worsened by the pandemic. One in 4 Australian girls reported an anxiousness, despair or substance abuse dysfunction in 2020-21, in contrast with 18% of males.
More and more, analysis means that the double burden of paid work and unpaid home labour could also be elevating the chance of poorer psychological well being in girls. Specialists and policymakers say that redressing the difficulty requires sweeping and lengthy overdue structural and organisational adjustments to enhance gender fairness.
The latest Family, Earnings and Labour Dynamics in Australia (Hilda) survey, launched in December, famous that within the 12 months previous to the Covid-19 pandemic, girls did 21 hours extra unpaid work than males every week, and skilled increased ranges of psychological misery.
Extreme storms growing in Queensland
The bureau of Meteorology is warning Queenslanders within the state’s centre and east of extreme thunderstorms, with damaging winds and enormous hail additionally doubtless.
Thanks Caitlin! I’ll be with you for the remainder of in the present day whether or not you might be following alongside en path to the large recreation or no matter your Saturday afternoon plans.
With that, I’ll bid farewell so I could make it to the Sydney Cricket Floor, leaving you in Natasha Could’s greater than succesful fingers. Go Pies.
NSW’s Burrendong Dam at 131% as floodwaters rise
In New South Wales, the Burrendong Dam, south of Dubbo, has jumped to 131% capability in two days as excessive rainfall hits the area.
Yesterday, a caravan park in Dubbo was issued with a snap evacuation order amid rising waters.
Medical doctors name for money reduction for Northern Rivers healthcare providers
A few of Australia’s high medicos have held an emergency summit in flood-ravaged Lismore to name for extra assist for native well being service suppliers, AAP studies.
The teams, together with the Australian Medical Affiliation and the NSW Rural Medical doctors Community, need fast money reduction to revive healthcare providers within the Northern Rivers area following the damaging floods.
Additionally they used Friday’s summit to name for well being providers to be dubbed important providers to allow them to safe quick monetary reduction after disasters comparable to floods or bushfires.
Floods within the Northern Rivers and Hawkesbury-Nepean areas killed 13 individuals in NSW in February and March.
In Lismore, pharmacists live out of caravans and docs are offering restricted providers six months after floods devastated the realm.
NSW Rural Medical doctors estimate 10 non-government healthcare companies have damages exceeding $500,000 and one other 15 have barely decrease ranges.
That makes grants of $50,000 for small companies and $200,000 for medium companies insufficient, the group stated.
Appearing chief government Mike Edwards stated the summit’s proposal would assist preserve companies open as some think about leaving the realm.
Flood-affected communities will need to have entry to well being providers and well being professionals. These are important providers.