SYDNEY — A cross-party committee says better coordination and more affordable services are needed to improve mental health and suicide prevention. An interim report by a federal parliamentary committee looking into the issue said coordination between levels of government had arisen as an issue to be addressed. “A gap has been identified in coordination, funding, and communication between Commonwealth, state and territory governments relating to mental health services,” the report said. As well, affordability was a “significant and ongoing barrier” to accessing mental health services. The inquiry heard one of the most challenging aspects of the system was the gap payment…
Author: zenger.news
KARRATHA, Australia — Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has flagged new measures to combat climate change in next month’s federal budget, admitting natural disasters have tested the nation’s resilience. Morrison, on April 16, continued his charm offensive in Western Australia, addressing a business breakfast in the mining epicenter of Karratha in the state’s Pilbara region. He was later due to visit an ammonia plant before heading to Kalbarri to inspect the widespread damage inflicted by Tropical Cyclone Seroja. Morrison claims the nation had faced significant challenges, with Seroja preceded by floods and bushfires across much of the country. “We have gone…
ADELAIDE, Australia — The Australian state of South Australia will aggressively target wine exports to the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and other markets to “buffer” issues with sales to China, Premier Steven Marshall says. The premier has confirmed he raised the issue of recently imposed tariffs on local wines with the Chinese ambassador to Australia during a recent visit to Adelaide. “We expressed our disappointment because South Australia was disproportionately hit compared to other states because we make up the vast bulk of that premium wine exported from Australia,” Marshall said on April 16. “He understood that.” The premier…
SYDNEY OLYMPIC PARK, Australia — With recent rain creating ideal conditions for mushrooms to pop up in the wild, health authorities advise against the foraging trend, warning that eating wild fungi can be fatal. “We strongly advise against foraging for mushrooms and encourage people to only eat store-bought mushrooms,” said Genevieve Adamo, Poisons Information Centre at New South Wales. Mushrooms found in the wild or the backyard are not safe to eat. The center has already received 155 calls about mushroom consumption this year. More than 80 percent of accidental exposures occurred in children under five. “Alarmingly, there were 33 calls regarding adults…
SYDNEY — Climate experts call for much stronger emissions reduction targets for Australia to ensure global warming remains well below 2 degrees Celsius (35.6 degrees Fahrenheit). Global temperatures are currently about 1.1 degrees Celsius (33.98 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than the pre-industrial era average. The Climate Council expects 1.5 degrees Celsius (34.7 degrees Fahrenheit) of warming to occur during the 2030s unless large amounts of greenhouse gases are removed from the atmosphere. The council has looked at the latest science and observations to recommend aiming for net-zero emissions by 2035. A midway target of reducing emissions by 75 percent on 2005 levels by 2030 is also recommended in the…
SYDNEY — More than five people a day lost their lives to drugs in Australia in 2019, new research from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre shows. The study, “Ten emerging drug trends in 2019,” said that the number of drug-induced deaths involving cocaine has more than doubled since 2016 (86 compared to 34), while deaths involving amphetamines are four times higher than a decade ago. “Even though the numbers are small, it’s a fact they’ve come into the system that is striking,” said Michael Farrell, director at National Drug and Alcohol Research Center. He said incidents of harm tended to reflect…
CITY OF SHOALHAVEN, Australia — Unburnt animal habitat across six east Australian forest landscapes must be protected to prevent widespread species extinction, a new report has found. On April 15, the World Wide Fund for Nature Australia listed six landscapes on Australia’s east coast, which serve as refuges for threatened plants and animals, particularly after the catastrophic 2019-20 bushfire season. These include the New South Wales Queensland border ranges, Nymboida; the New South Wales north coast; Yengo-Wollemi; the New South Wales south coast; and the Gippsland-Eden region. WWF-Australia said the six landscapes were home to at least 62 plant and 21 animal species, as well…
BRISBANE CITY, Australia — A man who stabbed a police dog in the throat while on the run for assault has been jailed over his crime spree. Beau Dean Budak, 25, pleaded guilty to wounding police dog Kaos at a sentencing hearing in the Brisbane District Court, Australia. Budak appeared in custody on charges including unlawfully wounding an animal and unlawful use of a motor vehicle. As per reports, Kaos has recovered from the wound and is back to work with the police department, who announced the same through a tweet. “PD Kaos is back on duty protecting the community after…
LAHORE, Pakistan — India and Pakistan, the decades-old troubled neighbors, might have a new mediator in the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) The U.A.E. has strengthened its image as a successful negotiator and mediator over the last couple of years with the landmark Abraham Accords between Israel and rival Arab states — a first-of-its-kind deal — in 2020, and the Ethiopia-Eritrea peace deal in 2018 to its name. The Gulf nation helped broker a ceasefire between India and Pakistan at the Line of Control, the unofficial border separating the parts of Kashmir administered by the South Asian countries. “Post the Director-General Military Operations Understanding 2021, a…
Nine critically endangered Rothschild’s giraffes have been rescued after they were isolated by heavy rains that turned their home into a sinking island. Water levels in Lake Baringo in Kenya have been rising for some time, but in 2020, the rate increased — flooding lakeshore homes, businesses and threatening the lives of the small group of Rothschild’s giraffe on Longicharo Island in Ruko Community Conservancy. Conservationists have worked around the clock for more than a year to save them. Now, the last two, a mother and calf, are the final pair to be rescued from the island. The rescuers constructed…