Health News at Your Fingertips

Rafqa Touma

Malcolm Turnbull, former Prime Minister of Australia, puts forward a question about long duration energy storage at the Sydney Energy Forum today.

Dr Larry Marshall of CSIRO says, to address that question, “we need to go beyond the grid”.

We need fuel to transfer massive amounts of energy quickly.

Marshall warns of an expectation that a reliance on gas will persist until 2040.
But he is optimistic that hydrogen will emerge as the solution.

Hydrogen will be able to step in and fill in the gap to reduce the amount of storage needed.

Equivalent to Europe’s use of hydro electric and nuclear energy, “we think we can do … with hydrogen in Australia”.

There were 6,768 new cases in the last reporting period, and 12 people are in intensive care.

Rafqa Touma

Australia needs ‘innovation’ to make clean energy transition

Dr Larry Marshall of CSIRO says “innovation is key” in the transition to clean energy technologies on a panel at the Sydney Energy Forum today.

Our biggest problem [in Australia] is our innovation dilemma.

We can’t make this massive transition, bigger than anything any of us have ever lived through, if we can’t fix that.

Paul Karp

‘Huge opportunity’ for Australia to cooperate with US on defence, Marles says

Earlier, at the Centre for Strategic International Studies the defence minister Richard Marles also spoke about the possibility of greater development cooperation with the United States.

Marles said development was an aspect of the US-Australia alliance that is “underdone” because there “is not the same deep, organic interoperability as in other areas such as defence”.

To be glass half full about it – there’s huge opportunity to develop this and do more.

Marles then gave an extended analogy about how US naval patrols around its territories including Hawaii traversed the exclusive economic zones of other countries, and could alert them to illegal fishing from “grey” vessels “pillaging” their fish. He proposed an audit of existing activities in the Pacific to determine how these could help Pacific neighbours.

Bridi Rice, the chief executive of Development Intelligence Lab, said:

The Australia-US alliance is missing a critical dimension for security and stability in the Pacific – development. It’s about time we heard a defence leader talking about development challenges of our region and as a serious and valuable space for US-Australian cooperation.

While the political commitment to US and Australian development cooperation in the Pacific has ramped up, we fall woefully short when it comes to practice. We don’t have shared assessments, joint cooperation on the ground is scarce. That has got to change if we are going to have an effective alliance in the Pacific.

Luke Henriques-Gomes

Update on the second day of hearings held by the disability royal commission in Alice Springs focused on NDIS for First Nations people

A First Nations woman with disability living has told of a lack of support in Tennant Creek, saying her life has become more difficult since the national disability insurance scheme arrived in town.

Emily, who grew up in Mount Isa, Queensland, but now lives in the Northern Territory, had a stroke in her twenties in 2003 that left her unable to speak.

She told the disability royal commission she uses an electric scooter to get around, but that her front door was too small to bring it inside.

This meant she needed to charge the scooter outside by running a cable through a window. She said she was concerned her scooter would be stolen, as had occurred to others in the town.

Emily also said she had an NDIS plan but that no one had told her how to use her funds. There is no NDIS office in Tennant Creek, meaning she needs to go to a Centrelink office to discuss NDIS issues. That office is not wheelchair accessible, so she can only enter using a walking stick.

When asked by counsel assisting the commission, Avelina Tarrago, whether things had gotten worse since the NDIS started, Emily agreed that they had.

The commission was also played a clip of Emily crossing the Barkly Highway, the main road in Tennant Creek.

Emily said she was often scared crossing the bumpy road on her scooter because there were many trucks which tended to speed along the highway.

Her scooter’s tyres were easily damaged on the rough terrain.

The inquiry is this week investigating the experiences of First Nations people in remote communities in accessing the NDIS.

Adeshola Ore

Minister defied advice on mask mandates

Victoria’s health minister Mary-Anne Thomas has revealed the state government defied the acting chief health officer’s advice to introduce mask mandates in a range of settings including early childhood education and some retail environments.

It comes after the Victorian government last week extended the state’s pandemic declaration for another three months, citing a serious Covid risk to the public.

Speaking to reporters, Thomas said the government had consulted with industry groups and other stakeholders in making its decision:

We want to empower Victorians to make the best decision.

Victoria today joined NSW in reducing the state’s Covid reinfection period to four weeks, as the state government recommends people wear masks indoors and in crowded public places.

Covid-carrying cruise ship under watchful eye of NSW Health

When the Coral Princess cruise ship – carrying over 100 Covid positive cases – arrives in NSW the crew will not be allowed to disembark and passengers will have to return a negative RAT test, NSW Health authorities say:

The vast majority of COVID-19 cases on the ship are currently in crew members.

A small number of passengers have been diagnosed with Covid-19 since boarding the Coral Princess, their infections were most likely acquired prior to boarding and they subsequently tested positive.

The ship is currently en route to the port of Eden on the South Coast of NSWand is also scheduled to be in Sydney for one day on Wednesday, 13 July, before travelling to Brisbane.

NSW Health said it is liaising with the Coral Princess cruise ship to monitor the health of its passengers and crew members:

NSW Health’s assessment is that the COVID-19 risk level for the Coral Princess during this cruise is amber, which indicates a moderate impact to the vessel.

When the ship arrives at the port of Eden, NSW Health says that no crew members will disembark and all passengers disembarking will be requested to return a negative RAT result first:

To further minimise the risk of transmission, passengers on shore tours will also be advised to wear masks when on transport or in other public indoor spaces, physically distance wherever possible and to regularly use hand sanitiser.

‘I want a frank, fair-dinkum review’: Perrottet on flooding

Albanese and Perrottet are speaking about the future of flood-prone areas like Lismore and whether rebuilding should occur.

Albanese said:

I don’t think we’ve had a discussion about relocating the whole of Lismore. But what we have had on a pretty informal basis is discussion about planning. I think we’d have a common view that you can’t continue to commit the same issues and wonder why you get the same outcomes. And quite clearly planning and development in flood planes is something that is primarily the responsibility of state governments, but common sense has got to apply here as well and I’m confident that the premier will be doing just that.

Perrottet said he agreed with the principle that you can’t keep doing the same things the same way and expect a different outcome:

There’s no doubt these events are becoming more prevalent and I have commissioned that review. I expect to receive that review by the end of the month. I have said that I’ll make that review public.

Now, a lot of that will focus on the immediate response to these disasters but there’s no doubt there will be a medium- to long-term focus and our government is already, independently of that review, working through how we plan for the long term.

We need to make sure that we can stand here as leaders in a circumstance where an event like this happens in the future – which it inevitably will – that we have done everything we can to make sure we don’t make the mistakes of the past.

And whether that’s development on flood plains in circumstances where not only does that cost and risk lives, but the impact on properties, homes, and businesses, which the Government, at a Commonwealth and state level will always be there to provide that financial support. That’s our job.

I have said to both Mary O’Kane and Mick Fuller in relation to that review that I don’t want a political review. I want a frank, fair-dinkum review, that the government will take on board and respond. And I’ll make that report public as quickly as possible.

I’ll await the legislation, says PM on assisted dying

Albanese is asked how he would vote on the issue of assisted dying:

We haven’t seen the bill yet. It will be a private member’s bill. I’ll look at the details of the bill. I’ve been on the record previously – I was an opponent of the Andrews bill when it occurred.

The Labor Party has a conscience vote on these issues and so I’ll await the legislation that I read is being introduced by Luke Gosling from the Northern Territory and Alicia Payne from the ACT.

Albanese says there are two issues at play:

The issue of substance and also the issue of the right of territory governments to be able to determine their own legislation as well. That’s something that, in my view, people in Australia should not be treated any differently and with less rights if they happen to live in Canberra compared with living in Queanbeyan in the state of New South Wales, and similar issues apply to the Northern Territory.

Throw out your thongs, say farmers

AAP reports that farmers are urging travellers from Bali to throw out their thongs before arriving in Australia, to help stop the highly contagious foot and mouth disease. It’s been estimated the arrival of FMD in Australia could cost the agriculture industry $80b.

National farmers federation president Fiona Simson said people throwing away their old footwear would be given a voucher towards a new pair of shoes. “Ringers Western will give them a 30% voucher on their return,” she said. “I never thought we’d be helping people buy new shoes to keep my cattle safe, but here we are.”

Last week, biosecurity measures were strengthened at Australian airports. Detector dogs are operating at Darwin and Cairns airports and biosecurity officers are boarding flights from Indonesia to do checks of travellers arriving from Indonesia.

– with AAP

NSW flood relief payments being fast-tracked: PM

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is emphasising the payments are being fast-tracked to prioritise support for victims over auditing the process. However, both he and the premier are imploring people to only apply if they are eligible:

The costs so far to the commonwealth has been $514m , so this joint funding is separate from that as well.

I make this point – we’re making the payments. We’re not holding them up in order to audit in advance. But we will be auditing in retrospect as well.

So only people who are eligible for these payments should apply for these payments, but we didn’t want to be in a circumstance whereby people were not able to receive support because some of these people have lost everything.

So the idea that you can go through and check every application before payments are made would have had a severe impact on people and would have added to the trauma which people are experiencing.

Perrottet has affirmed the audit will be performed in due course and any false claims will be identified:

Whether it’s through Covid payments or disaster payments, there are always people who fraudulently put registrations and applications in who are not eligible and that is disgraceful.

If you do that, we will catch you out … But from a state and Commonwealth perspective, it is most important right now that we provide that assistance as quickly as possible to those who need it and, as the Prime Minister has said, significant audits will be in place following this period.

Further flood support details

NSW treasurer, Matt Kean, is providing more details on what the additional funding will go towards:

Today, we’re announcing significant financial assistance for those impacted by these recent floods and it’s a joint initiative with the commonwealth government.

This includes grants to councils that will help with things like urgent repairs to infrastructure and helping them employ additional people to help with the flood recovery.

In addition to that, we’ve committed funding for the clean-up, primary producer and small business grants and boots on the ground to assess… the recovery process.

We’re at the start of the recovery and our two governments will make the necessary financial commitments to get these communities back on their feet as soon as possible.

Flood support extended to eight further LGAs

Murray Watt, the federal minister for emergency management, has announced an additional eight local government areas will receive support.

We’re also pleased to announce today that we’ve extended that support to a further eight local government areas in addition to the 29 that had been previously announced. So there’s now a total of 37.

The extra eight LGAs are Cumberland, mid-Coast, Muswellbrook, Nambucca, Newcastle, Port Stephens, Randwick and Warren, a total of 37 LGAs around New South Wales that will be eligible for those payments and they will also be eligible for the payments that have been announced by the Prime Minister and the Premier today.

Perrottet pledges grants, $1m of flood support per council

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet says the additional supports will be available by the end of the week:

The assistance that we’re announcing today … will be available for registration by the end of the week through Service New South Wales for the business grant of up to $50,000.

The primary producer grant, through the rural assistance authority of up to $75,000.

With regards the council grants:

This financial support today of $1m per council impacted is in addition to that financial support that we have provided in the past and we’ll continue to work with our local government areas right across the state to ensure they have the financial support they need to get their communities back on track as quickly as possible.

Prime minister Anthony Albanese is announcing additional funding to support flood victims in NSW to help get people’s lives “back on track.”

Clean-up immediate assistance and an initial estimated cost of $80m with an estimated commonwealth contribution of half that amount.

Primary producer recovery grants of up to $75,000 at an additional estimated cost of $55m with an estimated commonwealth contribution of half that.

Small businesses and nonprofit organisation recovery grants of up to $50,000 with half of the amount coming to a cost of $27m, shared between the commonwealth and New South Wales.

At-flood property assessment program at an estimated initial cost of some $36m.

We’ll also be providing $1m grants to each council in the 37 disaster-related declared LGAs to assist with their immediate social built economic and environmental needs.

Rafqa Touma

Push to replace gas with renewables amidst war in Ukraine at Sydney Energy Forum

Answering a question from the audience on whether a need to reduce dependence on Russian gas amid war in Ukraine increases a need for greater investment in gas from other countries at the Sydney Energy Forum today, Dr Fatih Birol, executive director of International Energy Agency says:

I put a big question mark on if those investments will be profitable.

“We have to bring gas, oil demand down,” he said, pointing to a plethora of possible alternatives.

We can replace gas with renewables, with nuclear power, with energy efficiency.

There are already available gas reservoirs … We can increase production from there.

There is a huge amount of methane emissions today escaping many countries around the world exporting gas … If we catch this methane, we can help to replace Russian gas.

For the latest in Australian politics join Poll the Position webinar at 1pm

Guardian’s Essential poll shows the prime minister Anthony Albanese’s approval is wavering as the honeymoon period fades.

You can find out more about what the latest poll shows by joining Guardian’s political editor Katherine Murphy and Peter Lewis at the the live version at 1PM today following the below link.

Rafqa Touma

Asian Development Bank president addresses Sydney Energy Forum

Masatsugu Asakawa, Asian Development Bank president, said “we all need to pick up the scale and pace of energy transition” at the Sydney Energy Forum today.

My friends, we know transformation [to clean energy grid] is far from complete. The world needs to decarbonise. Asia and the Pacific are responsible for more than 50% of global greenhouse emissions. And it impacts small nations and the most vulnerable population.

Asakawa points to a need for “collective action” on innovative solutions to “turn the tide”, urging leaders to “invest to get us on the path to a net zero future”.
“In the role of new technologies … access will be the key.”

The transition to clean and efficient energy is fully compatible with robust economic growth.

Minister defied advice on mask mandate

Mary-Anne Thomas, the Victorian health minister, reveals she went against health advice not mandating masks indoors for several settings.