Health News at Your Fingertips

The Antipoverty Centre has welcomed the federal government announcement of a jobs summit to take place in September while expressing fears unemployed advocates will be left out of key conversations.

Around 100 people will be invited from unions, community sector, government, business and industry, with the invitation list to be issued next month.

Spokesperson and JobSeeker recipient Jay Coonan said the he was glad the promised summit would go ahead and the prime minister had expressed commitment to address barriers to employment.

[But] Jobs and Skills Australia will never fulfil its purpose if the government excludes unemployed advocates, as it did with the design and rollout of Workforce Australia. It is not enough to limit their consultation to peak bodies, charities and service providers.

The prime minister has said he is determined to deliver solutions and to do that he must take seriously those of us who are locked in to poverty wages or locked out of the labour market entirely. The real experts are those experiencing poverty and the barriers to employment we face.

Long-term unemployed, people with disability, First Nations people, trans folks and others who are marginalised are massively over-represented on unemployment payments, and any solutions must respond to the structural issues keeping us in poverty. We deserve a better future too.

Sopoaga: Australia must accelerate climate action to gain trust of Pacific Island leaders

Whilst the commitment announced by the new government of Australia is encouraging, I think in order to get and gain the trust of the Pacific Island leaders on the commitment and actions of Australia, [Australia] needs to do more.

He also expresses disappointment Kiribati has decided to withdraw from the Pacific Islands Forum.

I’m on record in suggesting that as early as last year, at the beginning of last year, this matter has to be properly handled by the Pacific Island leaders. And it is very sad to hear that one of our founding members of the Pacific Island Forum is leaving us as a family. We don’t have this often in the Pacific. We need to reach out and find ways to bring all the family members together. Do not allow others to divide us and these influencers to rule over us.

We are 14 members of the United Nations, 16 including Australia and New Zealand, and I certainly hope the leaders …. restore the collectivity amongst Pacific Island countries.

Former Tuvalu PM Sopoaga: good to hear Australia’s climate commitment after years of ‘dragging its feet’

Former prime minister of Tuvalu and climate campaigner Enele Sopoaga is appearing on the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing as the Pacific Islands Forum gets under way.

Sopoaga says it is positive Australia’s new government is committed to climate action but for the past several years the nation has “dragged its feet”.

I think right now the key word would be urgency [on climate action]; the need for urgent actions to be done. Actions that are meaningful and concrete. And that would provide the long-term security for the survival of Pacific Island peoples and communities.

This is the continuing message that we have been calling out. We, the Pacific Island leaders and peoples … I’m very pleased that the leaders, after almost three years because of Covid, have finally come together in Suva, Fiji, to talk and continue to collaborate more on how we can achieve these urgent actions of addressing climate change.

I think we need to see much more ambitious actions from the new elected government of Australia. So it is a positive to hear that the Albanese government is really committing to step up Australia’s actions on climate change. This is quite promising and encouraging. But we know that Australia over the past several years have dragged its feet, sidetracked its targets from meeting its emission reductions target and
especially continued a coal-based economy … we know that.

Queensland remains firm on Covid reinfection period

The Queensland government hasn’t reduced the Covid reinfection period from 12 weeks to 28 days as the ACT and Western Australia have announced today.

Instead, the premier is urging eligible Queenslanders to get their booster in response to rising case numbers.

Catcalling in Canberra

The ACT Government has released a deeply disturbing list of registered Canberran cat names including, among others, “Catrick Swayze”, “Romi Princess Sass Sooky La La Hissy Pants” and “Chorizo”.

As a dog person, it disgusts me.

Read the top ten cat names here.

Rock fisher dies in Wollongong

A rock fisher has died after being swept away at Wollongong Harbour this afternoon.

NSW Police said about 12.50pm, emergency services were called to Belmore Basin following reports a man had been swept off the rocks.

They said another man in a small boat went to his aid before a constable jumped in to assist.

The 73-year-old man was brought back to shore, but he was unable to be revived and died at the scene.

Police have started an investigation and a report will be prepared for the coroner.

WA reduces Covid reinfection period

Western Australia has also reduced the reinfection period from Covid-19 down to 28 days in line with a recommendation from the AHPPC late last week.

In a statement, the WA government confirmed Western Australians who had recovered from Covid-19 would need to test again from 12 weeks down to 28 days after recovery if experiencing symptoms:

With increasing cases of new Covid-19 variants spreading in the community, the chance of reinfection is now more likely.

For this reason, the window for potential reinfection of Covid-19 has been reduced from after 12 weeks to after four weeks … based on the latest expert advice from the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee.

This means that effective immediately, recovered Covid-19 cases will be required to test for Covid-19 after 28 days if experiencing symptoms, and follow the relevant advice if they test positive.

Understandably, this may have an impact on people and local businesses throughout the community, with more people expected to be isolating in the coming months.

PM describes Shinzo Abe as ‘good friend’ of Australia

Still in Canberra, the prime minister has left a condolence message following the assassination of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, describing him as a “significant global leader” and a “good friend” of Australia.

Previously, Anthony Albanese confirmed official flags would fly at half mast in Australia on the day of Abe’s funeral, while monuments across the nation have been lit up in red and yellow in tribute to the former politician.

Covid reinfection period reduced in Canberra

In the ACT, chief health officer Dr Kerryn Coleman has announced the official reinfection period for people who have Covid will be reduced from 12 weeks to 28 days from 11.59 tonight.

She said it reflected “emerging evidence” people could become reinfected as early as 28 days after a previous infection:

Please do not ignore symptoms after this time. Wear a mask when you are in crowded indoor environments where it is difficult to physically distance from others, and wash and sanitise your hands regularly.

It comes as Coleman urged Canberrans to brace for an increase in Covid cases in coming weeks, projecting daily numbers of up to 3,000 infections per day in late July and early August:

Canberrans should take steps to help reduce the spread and lessen the impact of Covid-19. This new wave … combined with the ACT’s first influenza season in three years and increases in other respiratory illnesses, are already impacting our community and workplaces.

Coleman said the new wave was being driven by the rise of BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants, which were quickly becoming the dominant strains:

These subvariants are ‘escaping’ some of the immune defences we have developed to Covid-19, making them more transmissible. We are coming into a very challenging period and we need Canberrans to share the responsibility of minimising the impact within our community … it is now time that we all refocus our efforts.

Many thanks Natasha May, I’ll be with you for the rest of the evening.

With that much-needed dog content on a Monday afternoon, I hand you back over to Caitlin Cassidy.

‘Round of a-paws’ for SES after dog rescue

As the flood response moves to the recovery phase, the SES has indicated that animal rescues make up a big part of their work.

The emergency service has shared images of Savvy and Marley’s rescue, along with some excellent dog puns.

Cold front on the way for Australia’s south-east

If you’re in the south-east don’t put those hot water bottles away, a cold front is expected in the coming days.

The Bureau of Meteorology has predicted a “wintry mix” of snow, brisk winds and showers in the east.

Koala deaths investigated

Sixteen koalas have died at a Victorian tree plantation and investigators don’t know why, AAP reports.

Victoria’s conservation regulator launched an investigation after the bodies of 13 koalas were found at a plantation on 14 June. The regulator has said it was alerted to the deaths by the plantation’s operator.

The bodies of three more koalas have since been found in an unharvested area on the site, with various stages of decomposition ranging from an estimated two weeks to 12 months, it the regulator said today.

Adam Morton

What will Labor do about coalmine applications?

The Albanese government could face decisions on whether to approve up to 27 coalmining developments, based on applications lodged under national environment laws.

An analysis by the Sunrise Project, a climate activist group, found 13 greenfield coalmines and 14 extensions of existing mines had been referred to the federal government for assessment under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act.

Not all proposals are likely to come across the desk of the environment minister, Tanya Plibersek – some are paused, others still require approval from state authorities – but the analysis of fossil fuel proposals suggests it could be a significant issue in this term of parliament.

Victoria commits $13.7m to regional mental health program

The Victorian state government has committed $13.7m to improve regional mental health, with grants available to address service gaps in remote areas.

The minister for mental health, Gabrielle Williams, said the program would aim to attract and retain workers in state-funded mental health and alcohol and other drug (AOD) services across rural and regional Victoria.

Regional mental health workforce incentive grants will provide up to $20,000 with the aim of attracting metropolitan Melburnian, interstate and overseas workers to the regions, covering costs including accommodation, relocation, childcare, school fees and vehicle costs.

The program comes in response to the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System, which recommended addressing significant workforce gaps in regional and rural areas.