Health
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How the Doherty model has been politically weaponised.
Political agendas have become more important than health policy in our current response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Continue reading »
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The Clayton’s but secret Covid national plan
Those hoping for clarification on the national COVID-19 plan from last week’s national cabinet meeting will be disappointed. The main outcome from the meeting was a statement about the importance of its discussions and documents remaining “cabinet in confidence”. Continue reading »
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Dealing with community despair in the time of Covid
As the public health measures work to suppress the pandemic, community relations and connections are at risk. A sense of community, togetherness and mutual support is needed, now and in the long-term. Continue reading »
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How nurse practitioners have been shut out of the vaccine rollout
Privately practising nurse practitioners offer the best solution for vaccinated marginalised populations, but they have been excluded from access to Commonwealth emergency pandemic vaccines. Continue reading »
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Covid on the inside: A Sydney doctor’s perspective. I can face tomorrow
Caring for COVID-19 patients in a Sydney hospital through the city’s latest outbreak, a doctor reflects on the impact the pandemic is having on our healthcare system and the people who work in it. Continue reading »
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Genocide by big pharma. Millions will die
Big pharma is fiercely opposing measures to scale up production and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines around the world. This corporate genocide must be named. Stop protecting crooks. Continue reading »
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Three unjustified problems with the Queensland euthanasia bill
The Queensland Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill goes too far in trampling on the rights of those who want nothing to do with it in the last stages of their own life or in their long term relationships with their patients and residents. Continue reading »
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‘Everybody did it’: wealthy doctors’ lobbies ride JobKeeper gravy train
JobKeeper for dentists? Fair enough. But more public subsidies for doctors’ lobby groups? Callum Foote reports on Australia’s medical colleges refusing to pay back millions in JobKeeper payments. Continue reading »
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A house divided against itself cannot tame the pandemic
St Matthew tells us that Jesus was at pains to teach his disciples that, “A house divided against itself cannot stand”. The truism comes to mind as one looks in vain for the United States of Australia, an entity essential for our taming of the Covid pandemic. Continue reading »
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Go hard, go early. But the PM prefers a go slow on key issues
The Treasury advice to government at the time of the Global Financial Crisis was to “go hard, go early” with counter-measures, and that has since become an accepted model when confronted with an unexpected, major, crisis. Continue reading »
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Reaching 80% vaccination isn’t the same for all communities. The vulnerable will continue to suffer.
The NSW government has made much of the promise that something good will happen when localities achieve 80 per cent of second jabs of eligible people. But not all numbers are equal. Continue reading »
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NSW’s reopening plan is risky, and signals an end to a national approach
By abandoning the national plan, NSW’s gamble to go it alone on easing restrictions for fully vaccinated people further fractures federalism… NSW initially locked down too little and too late. Continue reading »
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Sunday environmental round up.
Small farmers and local, sustainable food production more likely to feed the world than multinational corporations supported by government subsidies. Health professionals come out fighting on climate change and Biden hears the roar. 2020 and the planet is in its worst shape ever. Continue reading »
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In a liberal capitalist society, Charlie Teo exemplifies the freedom and the potential of the entrepreneur
Does the unease about well-known neurosurgeon Charlie Teo arise from jealousy? Or is there something wrong with the wider social system? Continue reading »
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John Menadue-At last,Australia backs Covid vaccine patent waiver. Better late than never
People’s vaccines may yet become a reality. Let’s hope so despite opposition by Big Pharma and rich countries. Continue reading »
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Doherty has ditched the pledge to First Nations Australians
The Doherty Institute says it’s committed to Indigenous Australians, but it fails to protect marginalised communities. Continue reading »
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When should the lockdown end?
Suppressing the virus will require much lower caseloads before lockdowns can lift, even if we meet vaccination targets. Continue reading »
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Fix the means test for a consumer-friendly retirement income system
Australia’s retirement income system needs reform to make it more secure and user friendly. Continue reading »
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A major revamp of health workforce planning and research infrastructure is necessary in Australia
How do we plan and deliver a healthcare workforce that is more responsive to population needs? Continue reading »
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The virus and social cultures: A national plan beyond Doherty
Australia needs a new and realistic national plan for emerging from the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Continue reading »
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A food for special medical purposes for cancer patients?
Yet another example of a major discrepancy in consumer protection in the regulation of therapeutic claims made for medicines compared to therapeutic claims made for food. Continue reading »
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The Age demeans itself as well as the Victorian public health team
The most disturbing aspect of The Age’s disappointing editorial yesterday is its undermining of the state’s public health messaging and compliance efforts. Continue reading »
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It’s time to change the Covid narrative from getting to zero to harm minimisation
Now is the time to adopt a new narrative for living with COVID-19 by replacing getting to zero with minimising the harm. Continue reading »
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Blessed are the rich in securing vaccines
Australia is among the rich, western countries siding with Big Pharma to thwart the widespread manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines. Continue reading »
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The shameful global vaccine apartheid in 10 images
The single biggest moral and scientific failure during this global crisis is vaccine inequity. Continue reading »
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Trading Covid freedoms in NSW
Among the wreckage caused by a near two-year pandemic, with far to go, is the idea and ideal of “freedom”. Continue reading »
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Gladys Berejiklian, deep in farce yesterday, threatening chaos today
Faced with a Covid crisis, the NSW government has failed to lead when its people needed it the most. Continue reading »
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Wilcannia and Covid, a disastrous, discriminatory, failure by Australian and NSW Governments.
The small town of Wilcannia, on the Darling River in outer western New South Wales, has a predominantly Indigenous population of 549, more than 60 of whom now have Covid. At 11%, this is the highest rate of Covid transmission per capita in the state, three times higher than the Sydney hotspot LGAs. Wilcannia has one of the Continue reading »
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Covid-19 Infections, Vaccinations, Lockdowns, and the Economy
The Morrison Government is desperate to end lockdowns, not least because of what they see as the damage the lockdowns are doing to the economy. Continue reading »
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Stakeholder voices in health policy
Formulation of COVID policy, as with other aspects of health policy, has involved stakeholders voicing their opinions about what’s in Australia’s best interest. Or at least, that is how their lobbying is framed. Continue reading »
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