Cheaper medicine policy to start, veto threat remains
Cheaper medicines and 60-day dispensing will go ahead as planned but a second push to veto the policy will come up for a vote just days after it starts.
Health
Hospital shortages threaten local births for Vic women
Maternity services in Victoria's Geelong region are struggling to get enough staff, causing them to turn pregnant women away to other centres.
Rising child deaths spark hospital reports reform
A spike in preventable deaths and harm in Victorian hospitals will lead to the creation of an escalation system to allow parents to report their concerns.
Estia Health agrees to $959m takeover by Bain Capital
ASX300 aged-care operator Estia Health has agreed to be taken private by Bain Capital, the same Boston-based firm that owns Virgin Australia.
Cook of deadly suspected mushroom meal denies foul play
A woman at the centre of a deadly suspected mushroom poisoning of four people has spoken of her devastation and denied any wrongdoing.
NSW wants Queensland to pay $105m hotel quarantine bill
NSW is calling on its northerly neighbour Queensland to pay $105 million it says remains outstanding in hotel quarantine costs.
Firefighters’ compo laws expanded to include 20 cancers
Western Australia's government has announced presumptive laws will be expanded to allow firefighters to be compensated if they develop eight additional cancers.
Push to end driving fear for medicinal cannabis users
Roadside drug laws are particularly harsh on rural and outer suburban people who cannot use public transport, but proposed laws could change that.
Donors needed for woman with very rare blood type
An Adelaide mother with an extremely rare blood type is hoping for members of the public with the same blood to donate so she can have lifesaving surgery.
Paramedics being poached but NSW won’t raise pay offer
Paramedics in NSW say a four per cent pay rise offer is not enough and have resumed industrial action to make their point to the state government
Footballer Shane Tuck ‘heard voices before his death’
Former footballer and professional boxer Shane Tuck heard voices and had mental health concerns for years, an inquest into his death has been told.
Falling cases put Australia on brink of eliminating HIV
The first country to achieve a virtual elimination of HIV could be Australia, but marginalised groups and late detections remain a concern.
NSW flu cases drop, concerns over school transmission
Flu cases across NSW have dropped by 14 per cent over the last week, with authorities warning of another surge in cases now kids are back in the classroom.
Bad news for drinkers as tax on spirits set to rise
Australia's tax on spirits is set for another hike next month, meaning drinkers can expect to pay more for a rum and coke.
Five-minute rest all it takes to kick-start attention
The Pomodoro Technique involves inserting five minute breaks after 25 minutes of study and researchers believe the student who invented it was on to something.
Sexual misconduct reports surge against health workers
Complaints about health workers violating boundaries have more than doubled since before the pandemic.
More women to access medical abortion under eased rules
Any healthcare practitioner will be able to prescribe medical abortion pills, with health groups hailing the easing of the rules as a win for equity.
Surgeon Charlie Teo guilty of unsatisfactory conduct
Controversial neurosurgeon Charlie Teo has been found guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct with conditions imposed on his registration.
Warning as girl dies from flu amid rising cases
A Queensland girl has died after catching influenza amid warnings of a rise in cases and following the death of a student from the virus in NSW.
‘You’ll be dead by Friday’: surgeon Charlie Teo guilty
Controversial neurosurgeon Charlie Teo has been found guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct with conditions imposed on his registration.
Man’s death linked to dangerous synthetic opioid
The death of an Adelaide man may be linked to a dangerous synthetic opioid which has been detected in South Australia and other states.
Death warning as potent opioid spreads to four states
The death of an Adelaide man and two deaths in Queensland may be linked to a dangerous synthetic opioid which has been detected in at least four states.
It only takes a minute to donate for a lifetime
A liver transplant recipient has spoken about her experience ahead of DonateLife Week, an annual event to raise awareness about organ and tissue donation.
Measles alert after case detected at Melbourne Airport
A measles alert has been issued for Melbourne Airport after a returned overseas traveller passed through two terminals during the school holidays.
Inquiry into ex-Richmond player’s death to begin
An inquest is set to begin into the death of ex-Richmond footballer and professional boxer Shane Tuck, after he was found to have a brain condition.
People examined after NSW horse dies of Hendra virus
NSW has recorded its first case of the Hendra horse virus in years and is trying to assess who came into contact with the animal before its death.
Paracetamol versus ibuprofen – which works best and when?
In most cases, pain and fever relief is as simple as a trip to your local supermarket for some paracetamol or ibuprofen. While both are effective at reducing pain, they work in different ways. So how do you know which one to choose and when?
Psychedelic medicine is on its way. But it’s not ‘doing shrooms with your shrink’. Here’s what you need to know
Many people in Australia, including psychiatrists, were surprised when earlier this year the medicines regulator down-scheduled MDMA, known colloquially as ecstasy, and psilocybin, from magic mushrooms. This means that under certain circumstances from July 1, authorised psychiatrists will be able to prescribe MDMA to treat post-traumatic stress disorder and psilocybin to treat depression that has not responded to other treatments. Patients must also undergo psychotherapy (talking therapy). It all sounds very certain but it’s not really.
Call for public monitoring to tackle police racism
A police monitoring system in Victoria will help stop racial profiling and hold officers accountable when they break the law, a legal group says.
‘Help, my kids keep getting head lice!’ Here’s how to break the cycle of nits
Does it matter if you sit or stand to pee? And what about peeing in the shower?
Do you sit or stand? That is the question about 7,000 men around the world have been asked about how they pee.