Health News at Your Fingertips

PK has asked Bandt what he makes of the report Perrottet is also pushing for extended powers.

“This is a balancing act that we’ve all had to go through and as the Greens, we have always been very concerned about making sure that there’s not Government overreach when it comes to these powers.

“That in New South Wales, but also in victoria, is exactly the debate that we’ve been engaging in parliament to ensure that there’s some more civil liberties protections built-in but at the same time that we protect public health.

“I think the community is now used to that debate and saying that it’s something that should result in people being hanged is just contemptible.”

And Adam Bandt is on Afternoon Briefingright now with Patricia Karvelas.

PK has asked about the protests in Vicotria the last few days, which have been exceptionally violent in rhetoric and symbolism.

“When people are bringing nooses and gallows to parliament and giving speeches about how they want to see people hanged it doesn’t matter what part of the political spectrum the MP they are talking about is from, that should be condemned.

“We have heard nothing from the Prime Minister on this. He was very, very quick to come out and condemn BlackLives Matter protesters who were trying their hardest to be peaceful but we have heard not a whisper.

“This needs to be condemned by all political leaders and I think in terms of the frustration that you are feeling, there has been a lot of misinformation about the legislation that’s been proposed, there’s been a lot of fearmongering.”

And it’s been announced today that living legend/ national treasure Ernie Dingo will tour Western Australia, to encourage people to get the Covid vaccine.

There are fears some aboriginal communities will be left vulnerable when WA opens up to the rest of the country next year, as only 32.6% of the popoualtion have had both jabs.

The feds are funding the two-month tour.

“I know that we can beat hesitation around vaccines and needles with this approach — that’s why I’m packing up and heading up North to have a yarn with local influencers and elders in each community,” Dingo said.

“I’ll be having a cuppa and a yarn with countrymen over brekkie barbecues, listening to their concerns and encouraging them to be ready for the jab when the health teams come through the towns again.

“It’s about knowledge, about making our communities feel ready for the vaccine when it comes around.”

From AAP:

Unions are fighting the NSW government’s “cheap and nasty” plan to roll back a special COVID-19 protection for frontline workers who kept the state going at the height of the pandemic.

Unions NSW secretary Mark Morey urged the government to abandon its repeal of automatic COVID workers’ compensation coverage for exposed workers.

Failing that, he’s calling on crossbench MPs to “block the attack on workers’ rights”.

“This is a mean and nasty piece of legislation that is saying to every worker that kept the economy going: ‘You are on your own’,” he said.

Premier Dominic Perrottet this week announced his intention to scrap a provision in the Workers Compensation Act allowing for the presumption that frontline workers who test positive caught the virus while on duty.

The government estimates keeping the protection could invite 25,000 extra claims over the next 12 months, forcing insurance premiums up by an average of $950.

COVID-19 claims could cost the workers compensation system as much as $638 million in the coming year.

And wham – NSW joins the fray.

And it is still a very wet November – in fact, it is fast becoming the wettest on record. Grab yer’ brollies people!

Philip Lowe was speaking earlier today – the RBA governor said he doesn’t expect interest rates to rise until 2024.

Given the global and domestic forces I have discussed, the inflation outlook is more uncertain than it has been for some time, but our central scenario is the underlying inflation reaches the middle of the target by 2023.

If this comes to pass, it would be the first time in nearly seven years that we will be at the midpoint of the target range.

This by itself does not warrant an increase in the cash rate. As I have said, much will depend on the trajectory of the economy and inflation at the time, so it is still plausible that the first increase in the cash rate will not be before 2024.

Australia’s frontier history is still being pieced together, errors are still being corrected and new information is coming to light, according to the emeritus professor of history Lyndall Ryan and her research team at the University of Newcastle’s massacre map project.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in western Victoria, where Ryan says the “mass of dots” denoting massacre sites has remained, despite researchers correcting locations and even removing some sites from the map.

The Australian Medical Association has released a statement about the attorneys general agreeing to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 12.

Much like many advocacy groups, they say it is still far too young to put people in prison.

“Last week’s meeting was a missed opportunity to make real progress in stopping harms to children,” the AMA president, Dr Omar Khorshid, said.

“Agreement by MAG to consider a proposal that would raise the age to 12 falls well short of what is needed. It will result in more children being locked up and ignores the expert medical, legal and social advice on the real harm of the current laws, which in reality make kids more likely to reoffend.

“Evidence shows the younger a child is at first contact with the justice system, the higher the rate of recidivism and children in contact with the criminal justice system at a young age are less likely to complete their education, find employment and are more likely to die an early death.”

According to AIHW data, 456 out of the 499 children under 14 in prison in 2019-20 were aged 12 to 13 years old.

“Raising the age of criminal responsibility only to 12 will do little to lower the number of children locked away behind bars.”

The federal MP Andrew Hastie has announced the birth of his third child.

“Ruth and I are delighted to welcome a beautiful baby girl into the world, Jemimah Faith Hastie!” the assistant minister for defence told party supporters in an email.

“Jemimah was born at 11.11am yesterday, 3kgs, 49cm.

“Mum and baby are both doing well.

“Thank you to everyone who has offered their prayers and support over the last few months.”

In South Australia, a vaccine mandate is being introduced that will force all staff and volunteers at schools and childcare centres to at least have their first vaccine by 10 December.

Exceptions include people with medical exemptions, students, parents or carers that are dropping off/picking up children and incidental visitors at school.

The government also says masks will remain optional for adults and high school students in school.

The education minister, John Gardner, made the announcement, saying it was an important move to “ensure that we will be able to keep our children safe”.