‘Nightmare’: PM’s tribute after teen’s methanol death
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has paid tribute to Melbourne teenager Bianca Jones following her death from suspected methanol poisoning in Laos.
health
‘Fix this’: torn-up contracts not in patients’ interest
A major private hospital operator and multiple insurers have been urged to negotiate as contracts are torn up, likely to result in patients paying more.
Swimming changing lives for those with cerebral palsy
A groundbreaking competitive swimming program designed for young people with severe cerebral palsy is reversing the motor decline associated with the condition.
New parents urged to ‘make the call’ on mental health
New parents are struggling with their mental health, a perinatal anxiety and depression helpline says as it records a surge in calls from Indigenous families.
Record number of GPs in training but ‘job not done’
Australia is facing a severe shortage of GPs. Though more medical students are opting to become local doctors, peak medical bodies say more must be done.
Home tests for STIs to improve access but not diagnosis
Home tests for chlamydia and gonorrhoea could be available within weeks but the jury is out on how effective they will be in reducing infection rates.
Cholera blamed for beseiged Sudan town’s mystery deaths
Cholera is thought to be the cause of hundreds of deaths in a besieged town in Sudan's El Gezira state.
Mind check: should schools track kids’ mental health?
Australian schools will have access to a government-funded digital tool to support students' mental health but some question whether it will be effective.
Eight killed in second mass attack in China in a week
Police say a former student who killed eight people in a stabbing spree at a vocational college in China was angry he did not get his graduation certificate.
Big police pay rise sparks ructions in other wage deals
Police and nurses point to a big pay increase for officers in one jurisdiction while threatening strike action as their wage negotiations deteriorate.
Thousands rally as nurses reject one-or-the-other deal
Angry nurses will not accept delaying their demand for improved staffing ratios as a condition of securing a major pay rise.
Dutton supports abortion access, hits out at ‘games’
Peter Dutton backs a woman's right to access abortion services, and has hit out at attempts to "play games" with a state-based issue.
Undervalued and lonely: older Australians struggling
A majority of older people are experiencing loneliness and struggling to connect with society, with some even battling to leave their houses.
Deadly cough spreading like wildfire amid record cases
Australians are falling behind on whooping cough vaccinations as the nation faces its worst outbreak of the deadly bacterial disease.
Psychology goes in search of new age Aussie farmers
Researchers are looking into whether psychology can help improve workplace practices on Australia's cotton farms, in a bid to better attract and retain workers.
Baby Jasper’s brave battle with rare nerve cell cancer
One in 8000 Australian babies will develop neuroblastoma or nerve cell cancer but if it's caught early, they can survive.
Mission to inspire generation of Indigenous pharmacists
Yuwi pharmacist and academic Dr Jared Miles has made it his mission to address the under-representation of Indigenous people in his field.
Babies, pregnant mums to have greater RSV protection
The federal government will provide free access to vaccines protecting expectant mums and babies from respiratory syncytial virus.
Pill testing to go ahead at Schoolies after backflip
The Queensland government remains staunchly against pill testing, but the free and confidential service will go ahead at Schoolies in a matter of weeks.
Routine check-up saved man’s life, huge tumour found
A Brisbane man had no idea he had a two kilo ticking time bomb lurking in his liver until a routine doctor's appointment found something was seriously wrong.
Push to expand Medicare for better mental health access
Australians could have improved access to mental health support under a Greens election proposal to shore up the psychology workforce and expand Medicare.
Pollution problem: the issue making kids sick at school
Children face higher risks of poor health outcomes due to traffic-related air pollution as one in six capital city schools are located near major roads.
Mental health taking a hit as climate crisis worsens
Poor health outcomes are being attributed to extreme heat events, rapid rain bursts and worsening fire season as part of a growing climate crisis.
Strengthening wildlife numbers key to mitigate bird flu
The Invasive Species Council wants better bird protections to mitigate the impact of a deadly bird flu strain as Australia war games how to contain an outbreak.
Call for clubs, bosses to treat deadly cancer seriously
A skin cancer survivor says workplaces and sporting clubs need to do more to protect Australians from sun damage as new data highlights skin cancer hotspots.
Plea for action over death of six kids in protection
Six children connected to Victoria's child protection system have died in the last three months, sparking a plea for more action to protect vulnerable kids.
Nation’s sick state of readiness for pandemics unmasked
Australia's healthcare, economy and public service have been exhausted by COVID-19 and a Centre for Disease Control will be set up to prepare for pandemics.
‘Radical transparency’ to restore trust lost post-COVID
Victoria's former health chief says organisations like a future Centre for Disease Control would go a long way to rebuilding trust in pandemic responses.
Renewed push for ‘cruel, wasteful’ dying law shakeup
Terminally ill Australians face 'cruel' restrictions on peacefully ending their lives according to Andrew Denton, as 'gag laws' come under scrutiny.
Ancient variant clue to Indigenous respiratory illness
A previously unknown gene variant unique to the Oceanic region could help improve disease prevention for Indigenous people, researchers say.
Feeling climate dread? Nature may be the best medicine
While young people experience increasing levels of eco-anxiety, an eminent Australian psychiatrist says working in the environment can be a powerful antidote.