Health news

• Australia news live: Anthony Albanese announces first visit by Chinese premier since 2017

  11-06-2024 08:19
  Follow today’s news headlines liveCoalition won’t reveal 2030 emissions target unless it wins election, Peter Dutton saysGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastMurray Watt says the opposition has “started the new climate wars” after Barnaby Joyce and Keith Pitt, two senior Nationals, called for Australia to pull out of the Paris agreement. You can read more on this from Karen Middleton below:Speaking to ABC News Breakfast, Watt said:We&rs
  
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• Yes, more Australians should have access to IVF – but talk of a fertility ‘problem’ has the the scent of old patriarchy | Van Badham

  21-09-2024 22:00
  It could be seen as an advancement of rights, but instead the proposed changes to IVF remain entwined with rightwing reproduction madnessThe problem with talking about IVF is that anyone who knows anything about it has lived their experience with some degree of trauma.So reports appearing this week proposing increased access to IVF as a means to solve Australia’s declining fertility “problem” hit in the tenderest part of the body. It’s the bit that may not hold a baby but
  
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• One in 20 Australian adults found to have suffered reproductive coercion and abuse

  21-09-2024 22:00
  
  Australian Study of Health and Relationship study finds 3.9% of women aged 16-69 had experienced contraceptive interference and 4.9% forced abortionGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastOne in 20 Australian adults have experienced reproductive coercion and abuse.That is among the findings of the Australian Study of Health and Relationships, released this week, the first time researchers in Australia have estimated the national prevalence of behaviour used to control a person
  
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• Andrew and Josella met online – it’s now the norm for more than half of young Australians

  19-09-2024 17:00
  One in three Australians has looked for a partner online, compared with one in 10 just a decade ago, the country’s ‘sex report card’ saysFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWhen Andrew is asked if he remembers the first message he sent Josella on Tinder, he doesn’t miss a beat. “I said she had a mullet and a guitar and therefore she was the girl of my dreams,” he says.“She respo
  
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• NSW government announces free weekend train travel in bid to avoid industrial action – as it happened

  19-09-2024 09:58
  
  This blog is now closedDutton suggests apology for calling Lebanese-Muslim migration a ‘mistake’ made to ‘senior person’ in communityGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia “abstained with great disappointment” on the Palestinian-drafted resolution at the United Nations general assembly in New York early this morning, the Australian ambassador to the UN has said.The resolution – which sought to act on a recent advisory opinio
  
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• Menopause should be taught in Australian medical schools to prevent women being gaslit, inquiry finds

  18-09-2024 12:51
  
  Women were dismissed, offered ineffective treatments or wrongly diagnosed by healthcare professionals, Senate inquiry toldGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMedical professionals should be better educated on menopause during their degrees and women experiencing menopause need more flexibility in the workplace, a Senate inquiry has found.Greens senator and spokesperson for women, Larissa Waters, tabled the bipartisan consensus report from the inquiry on Wednesday evening.
  
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• Melbourne psychologist began sexual relationship with client and shared details on other patients, tribunal hears

  18-09-2024 10:30
  Exclusive: Jonathon Walker moved the woman into a unit on his mother’s property, Vcat toldFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA Melbourne psychologist began a coercive relationship with a young client while she was particularly vulnerable, moved her into a unit on his mother’s property, and shared confidential details about other clients with her, a tribunal has heard.Counsel representing the Psychology Boar
  
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• Stunning microscopic worlds captured in video competition – video

  18-09-2024 08:17
  The winners of the Nikon Small World in Motion video competition have been announced, with zoologist Dr Bruno Vellutini's video showing the processes of fly embryogenesis taking first prize. 'Fruit fly embryos are in our homes, developing in our kitchens and our trash bins, are undergoing the same processes as shown in the video,' Vellutini said. 'I believe the video is particularly impactful because it shows us how these fascinating cellular and tissue dynamics are happening every day, all arou
  
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• September Supermoon: the best place and time to see tonight’s bigger and brighter full moon

  18-09-2024 08:11
  
  Find a viewing spot that is dark and looks towards the east, which is where the moon will rise. A flat location will give a ‘really cool’ perspective, experts sayHow to take a good photograph of the full moon on your phone or cameraIf you look up into the sky on Wednesday night, you’ll likely notice the full moon gleaming bigger and brighter than usual.You’ll be looking at the second supermoon of the year – the term for when the moon’s orbit is closest to Eart
  
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• Labor push for vote on help-to-buy bill delayed in Senate – as it happened

  17-09-2024 10:05
  This blog is now closedGreens urge Labor ‘stop bulldozing and start negotiating’ on housing as PM refuses to rule out double dissolutionGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWhite House marks three years since signing of Aukus agreementHappy three-year anniversary of the signing of Aukus, to those who observe.Three years ago, President Biden and our Australian and United Kingdom partners committed to Aukus, an enhanced security partnership that promotes a free an
  
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• Melbourne man dies after waiting four hours for ambulance, paramedics’ union says

  15-09-2024 07:55
  Union says Melbourne dropped from 120 to 90 available ambulance crews due to sick leave, while regional Victoria also had 20 fewer crewsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastHigh levels of sick leave led to Victoria being down 50 ambulances over the weekend, with one man dying while waiting for treatment, the head of the state’s paramedics union claims.The Victorian Ambulance Union secretary, Danny Hill, said he&rsq
  
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• ‘It’s the only disease where you’re not supported to fight for your life’: why Kate Swaffer is demanding dementia rights

  14-09-2024 22:00
  When Swaffer was diagnosed with younger onset dementia at 49, she was told to prepare for the end. Instead she embarked on a missionFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastKate Swaffer had severe headaches from a young age. She was told she was neurotic, or a hypochondriac. She started researching what sort of psychological condition she might have that gave her neurological symptoms. But it turned out to be Arnold-Chiari m
  
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• Calls grow for total ban on gambling ads as Australia’s annual losses surge to $32bn

  14-09-2024 22:00
  Exclusive: On a per capita basis, ACT residents posted the heaviest gambling losses and Western Australia the least, according to new dataFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s gambling losses have surged from $25.6bn annually pre-Covid to $32bn in 2022-23, according to new data from the Queensland government.The data, released on Tuesday, revealed Australians are now losing $1,555 per capita, up from $1,
  
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• John Howard weighs in on stoush between NSW and federal Liberals – as it happened

  13-09-2024 11:21
  
  This blog is now closed.Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAssistant treasurer says Elon Musk post is ‘crackpot stuff’The assistant treasurer, Stephen Jones, has said Elon Musk labelling the Australian government as “fascists” is “crackpot stuff”.And whether it’s the Australian government or any other government around the world, we assert our right to pass laws which will keep Australians safe – safe from scammers, safe fro
  
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• Cocaine users die of heroin overdoses after consuming tainted drugs at Sydney house party

  13-09-2024 08:33
  
  Two others hospitalised, prompting health department to warn ‘heroin and other opioids can be found in cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTwo people recently died of heroin overdoses after using what they thought was cocaine at a house party at Glebe in Sydney’s inner west, while another two people were hospitalised, New South Wales authorities say.Police are investig
  
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• Federal government approves third runway for Melbourne airport

  13-09-2024 06:21
  Approval requires the establishment of a noise amelioration program for nearby communitiesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe federal government has approved a third runway for Melbourne airport in a move hoped to quash flight delays and pump billions into the Victorian economy.The government announced the $3bn project’s confirmation on Friday, with conditions set to share and minimise the effects of aircraft
  
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• Use of antidepressants to treat pain in older people must be reviewed, study says

  13-09-2024 02:00
  Six out of 10 aged care residents in Australia are prescribed the drugs, despite weak evidence and side-effects such as dizziness and fallsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPeople over 65 are being prescribed antidepressants to treat pain despite weak evidence that the drugs work, potentially exposing them to harm, according to a new study that calls for a review of prescribing guidelines.Researchers led by Dr Sujita
  
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• My wife’s drinking is way over guidelines but she never loses control. What do you suggest? | Leading questions

  12-09-2024 17:00
  
  Alcohol consumption can be hard to talk about, writes advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith, but trying to subtly change your wife’s behaviour without explaining why is likely to make her bristleRead more Leading questionsI’ve been with my wife for nearly two decades. During that time, food and wine have been things we’ve enjoyed for leisure. When Covid came along I already had concerns about my own alcohol intake and in the lockdowns we both went a bit crazy. Since then, my wi
  
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• Dementia prescriptions jump 46% in a decade as Australia urged to prepare for ‘full impact’ of disease

  12-09-2024 17:00
  
  Neuroscientist says rapidly ageing population puts country at forefront of a health crisisFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe number of dementia medication prescriptions has jumped by almost 50% in Australia in the past decade as more people seek out therapies that may slow the progression of the disease.The latest report on dementia from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, released on Friday, revealed t
  
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• Minister defends watered-down bill – as it happened

  12-09-2024 10:25
  This blog is now closedHate crimes bill: LGBTQ+ and Jewish groups disappointed Labor has dropped plan to outlaw vilificationGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastHelen Haines condemns ‘stitch up’ over Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission billIndependent MP Helen Haines is furious at what she calls a “stitch up” between Labor and the Coalition that “weakens the transparency of the new Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission&rdquo
  
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• Australians urged to get whooping cough vaccination as infections rise more than tenfold in year

  12-09-2024 06:05
  Health authorities say infants are at greatest risk so pregnant women, parents and others in close contact with babies should be vaccinatedFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastHealth authorities across Australia are urging people to get vaccinated as cases of pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, continue to surge.The latest national data shows more than 26,700 cases reported so far in 2024, compared with 2,451 ca
  
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• Key gambling harm advocate ‘saddened’ by Albanese’s statements on betting ads

  12-09-2024 05:54
  Tim Costello says the prime minister has ‘mindlessly’ followed gambling industry’s attempts to present him as a prohibitionistFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTim Costello has rejected Anthony Albanese’s suggestion he wants gambling banned and accused the prime minister of “mindlessly” repeating industry attack lines to justify a partial gambling ad ban.On Thursday Costello, the ch
  
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• Further details of Labor’s hate speech bill confirmed – as it happened

  11-09-2024 10:51
  This blog is now closedFederal corruption watchdog looking into allegations against at least six parliamentariansGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastDan Tehan outraged over tattered flag after devastating windsLiberal frontbencher Dan Tehan is continuing to moonlight as Australia’s flag hall monitor.While values are still rising at the national level, albeit at a slowing pace, beneath the headline figure, we’re starting to see some weakness, particularly in Vic
  
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• Do you poo at work? Heeding the ‘call to stool’ is important – even if you’re at the office | Yumi Stynes

  11-09-2024 07:54
  
  Hearing about poo is too evocative and gross in most settings – but if there’s something affecting our health, we have to talk about itIn her book Stoic at Work, Annie Lawson tells the story of a colleague of hers hearing someone eating pretzels while sitting on the toilet:“The person holed up in a toilet cubicle – a senior leader – was gnawing on them like a squirrel, taking several bites per pretzel while doing his business. Then his phone rang and he answered. He
  
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• Fearing AI, I was reluctant to use ChatGPT. But friends, it changed my ADHD-hit life | Van Badham

  11-09-2024 01:24
  
  Newly diagnosed with ADHD, I’ve outsourced task prioritisation to the ‘robot in my phone’. It does not judge meIt’s easy to be convinced that the myriad applications of AI pave a fun but nonetheless alarming digital path towards doom, doom, doom.Let’s start with “slop”. It’s the term now in use for AI-created graphic content pushed out on social media to attract eyeballs – and, in doing so, channel engagement – using spectacular, surrea
  
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• Australia’s dummy spit over kids on social media isn’t the answer. We need an internet for children | Aleesha Rodriguez

  10-09-2024 08:31
  The ban is a distraction from the need to develop of high-quality experiences online for children of different agesThe internet, including social media, was not made with children and young people in mind. This is why online experiences are not always good for children and sometimes even exploitative, risky, and deeply problematic. No wonder parents are worried, educators are at a loss and the government feels compelled to act. But banning children from social media is not the answer.Anthony Alb
  
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• Australian pregnancy drugs shortage sparks call to include pregnant women in clinical trials

  08-09-2024 17:00
  Experts call for more research into ‘off-label’ medications, and supply chain alternatives not driven by profit motive Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSeveral crucial medicines for pregnant women are in shortage in Australia because of a “perfect storm” of manufacturing and distribution issues, experts warn.The only drugs registered as safe for pregnancy are old and less profitable to pharmaceutical companies which are discontinuing their distri
  
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• If only other cancer patients could wish it all away, just like heroic Elle Macpherson | Catherine Bennett

  08-09-2024 08:00
  
  Like other celebrity wellness entrepreneurs, the former model seems to peddle nonsenseElle Macpherson’s gratitude journal must have written itself last week. Most days, any leader in the wellness industry is right to feel gratitude for the gigantic profits to be made seemingly out of human gullibility: the welcome for her latest venture suggests that the market for experimental self-care may have been wildly underestimated.Since the exclusive revelation of Macpherson’s “cancer
  
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• Why donor-conceived children fear Victoria is taking a ‘retrograde step’

  08-09-2024 02:00
  
  The state’s assisted reproductive treatment regulator facilitated counselling and helped Steph find her biological father. Now it’s being scrappedFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWhen she wrote a letter to her biological father in July, Steph urged him to reveal his medical background so she had a full picture of her genetic history.In the previous weeks, Steph (whose surname has been withheld upon reques
  
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• Fatal medication mistakes and surgery mix-ups among record number of ‘harm events’ in Victorian hospitals

  06-09-2024 07:11
  Review of one of Australia’s biggest health systems finds almost five medical errors a day, with some causing deathFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFatal medication errors killed 18 patients and four died or were seriously harmed after objects were left inside their bodies after surgery, a review into harmful events at Victorian hospitals has revealed.The deaths are among 245 sentinel or “harm events&rdqu
  
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