Calls for tobacco sales ban at supermarkets
The Lung Foundation of Australia wants to see an outright ban on the sale of cigarettes and tobacco products in major supermarkets, with some health experts saying it should also be extended to convenience stores.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
44 minutes ago
- ABC News
West Australian marine business actively considering bid for Darwin Port
The business behind two major new West Australian marine infrastructure projects is considering a bid for the Darwin Port, as the federal government seeks a buyer to get it "back under Australian control". The Darwin Port was controversially leased by the Northern Territory government to Chinese-owned firm Landbridge for 99 years in 2015, and since then the facility has been a lightning rod for national security debate. Although no security risks have ever been proven regarding the port's lease, both Labor and the Coalition promised to return the port to Australian operation during the recent federal election campaign. The Australian government has said it is negotiating with parties over the port's future, but it has not yet revealed exactly which companies or consortiums could be in the running to bid for the lease. Founder of the Kimberley Marine Support Base in Broome and the Onslow Marine Support Base in the Pilbara, Andrew Natta, said the private Australian business was actively considering a bid for the Darwin Port. While the Onslow and Kimberley projects exist as separate entities, they share a common founder in Mr Natta and overlapping shareholders. "If you look at what our business has done in Western Australia … it makes sense for us to consider the opportunity, for sure," Mr Natta said. "If you look at our history and you look at what we're investing in in Broome, the piece of infrastructure [Kimberley Marine Support Base] that we're building now is almost $250 million. Mr Natta said he had not yet met with representatives from the federal or NT governments over his business' potential ambitions to take on the Darwin Port, but that it was likely on the cards for the near future. "At this point in time we're definitely saying that there is interest, and more than likely, yes, we would go forward and [meet with government]," he said. Both the Kimberley and Onslow port infrastructure projects have been vocally supported by the West Australian government, which has praised their potential to build capacity across multiple industries. Mr Natta said the aim would be to bring a similar ethos to "enhancing" the Darwin Port. "If we were to consider Darwin Port, we would be investing in a way that is very generational, very patient, but at the same time, enhancing," he said. He did not weigh into the controversy surrounding Darwin Port's current leaseholder, Landbridge, but said he believed there was merit in having the facility back in Australian hands. "I don't have a comment on the current ownership other than I think that it works very well when we have an all-Australian partnership, and that we can help facilitate those that need a port," he said. While the federal government has not yet revealed who it has been speaking to regarding the Darwin Port's future, a number of companies have reportedly shown interest. US private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management, which has strong links to the Trump administration, has reportedly been working towards a joint bid for the port with Australian-registered firm Toll Group. Neither company has confirmed if that bid is going ahead. The federal government has also said it has been speaking with superannuation firms over the port's future. Landbridge Group has repeatedly said it is not searching for a buyer. Earlier this month, Landbridge's non-executive director for Australia, Terry O'Connor, told 7.30 he believed the company had been subjected to a campaign of "myths and mistruths", including by ministers in the Australian government, over the port's lease. Federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King said in a statement on Friday that "the Australian government is working closely with the Northern Territory government on next steps". "It would not be appropriate to comment further on matters that may be the subject of commercial negotiations," she said. The ABC understands the federal government has been approached by a number of interested parties. NT Treasurer Bill Yan said the territory government was "working alongside our Commonwealth counterparts in the best interests of Australia and the NT". "We will not pre-empt that work," he said.
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Swan Hill community raises $2.6 million for new MRI machine
A community in Victoria's north-west has rallied to raise $2.6 million to help fund a new medical imaging machine for its local hospital. For the 21,000 people living in Swan Hill, the nearest magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner is two hours away in Bendigo. But that could change from next year after a community fundraising campaign prompted hundreds of donations and completed the hospital's fundraising target of $2.6 million to buy the machine. Ainsley O'Bryan, who runs a caravan park in Swan Hill, said an MRI scan three years ago was the key to doctors identifying a tumour on her spinal cord. But the diagnosis was expensive and took hours of travel. "If we had that [MRI machine] in town [the tumour], would have been diagnosed a lot sooner," Ms O'Bryan said. "I wouldn't have had to take days off work, I wouldn't have had to find babysitters for my children. "Having to pay for petrol and accommodation … it really adds up." Ms O'Bryan said she and her husband had a combined total of seven MRI scans in the past five years, all of which involved travel of between three and four hours one way to Ballarat or Melbourne. Mallee MRI Appeal organiser Paula Starrs said starting the fundraiser was "personal". "One of my family members needed an MRI and I was just surprised how hard it was to access one," Ms Starrs said. "It wasn't life threatening, [but] I started thinking if it was, it's pretty scary to think how our town just didn't have this service available." At the time she started the appeal, the hospital had put aside $1.4 million for the machine, $1 million of which had come from a local bequest. "The hospital can't really approach the community [to raise funds], but volunteers can," Ms Starrs said. "I made a few calls to the hospital and said, 'How much money do you have, how much do you need?' and then some friends got together over some drinks … and we formed the MRI appeal pretty much straight away." She said the number of people who donated was "too many to count", and almost every business in the town had made a contribution. "I think we're all just walking around on cloud nine," she said. "We just didn't anticipate it would come this quickly, so the hospital is very excited. The staff were excited." Volunteers at the Swan Hill Neighbourhood House provide transport for residents needing medical treatments elsewhere. The fundraising team said up to 70 Swan Hill residents needed to access MRI scans each week. Volunteer driver Dianne James said having a machine locally would help remove financial and travel barriers for many elderly residents. "A lot of them, their health is not 100 per cent," she said. "A lot of the time they don't have family or friends who can help them out at that particular time, for one reason or another." Ms James said she knew of patients who were forced to push critical scans back by weeks because travelling long distances wasn't possible while they were in poor health. "With a local machine, they can be in and out within an hour or so and go home and rest," Ms James said. Swan Hill District Health interim chief executive Chloe Keogh said she was overwhelmed by the community support. "I've got a lot of gratitude for just how this donation has occurred in such a short amount of time," she said. The hospital is midway through a state-funded $65 million redevelopment, including the construction of a radiology area. Ms Keogh said the hospital would need to apply for additional state government funding to 'fit out' the radiology area, which she hoped would include an x-ray machine and a CT scanner. Ms Keogh said the hospital had workers with the skills to operate the MRI machine and she expected it to be operational running by mid-2026. The ABC asked the Victorian Health Department why it did not fund the MRI machine for Swan Hill hospital and whether the government would provide funding to complete the planned radiology room. The department declined to comment.
ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Brisbane refugee healthcare service World Wellness Group is at risk of losing its home base again
Like so many refugees, the story of how Elham Zaki came to live in Australia is punctuated by dark chapters. WARNING: This story contains distressing content. She's been subject to horrors that are difficult to put into words: organ harvesting, attempted murder, rape, abuse and half a lifetime of fear. In 2013, when she was working at a refugee camp on the Libya-Egypt border, a brush with death led the United Nations to rule it was no longer safe for her to stay, and she had to seek asylum. "Some people poisoned me and tried to kill me and [that's when I was taken in] an ambulance to Cairo [and then sent to Australia]," she said. The suffering Ms Zaki endured, both before and after she arrived in Australia, took its toll. She experienced debilitating physical and mental health issues which were so severe she could barely move or talk. She refused to venture outside for years, fearing the world and people around her. "I feared that people were going to beat me, do something bad. I was scared of any man," she said. She was referred to a clinic in Brisbane's south — the World Wellness Group. The not-for-profit, social enterprise healthcare service is a one-stop-shop for both medical and holistic support services. There, Ms Zaki was able to get treatment from physiotherapists, general practitioners, support groups and mental health specialists. The clinic also became her safe space. She remembered an occasion when she said she hadn't eaten a proper meal in two days and her GP gave her some food from the community pantry. "Before, [I was] very sad all the time, crying and I think [I don't know how I can get better]," she said. "But after I came here for the first time, I thought [I can]." World Wellness Group co-founder and director Rita Prasad-Ildes said she saw clients like Ms Zaki several times a day. "It's really proven to us that this is the way we can work with population groups that are constantly falling through the gaps and have a lot of access barriers," she said. But the clinic is facing an uncertain road ahead as the building it's been operating out of for less than a year is up for sale. Ms Prasad-Idles said if they were forced to relocate again — in what would be the fifth time in 10 years — they'd struggle to find another base. "We have really been priced out of commercial rentals," she said. She said the organisation would only be able to afford a clinical building in the outer suburbs, potentially forcing their booming clientele base — which, on average, currently travels more than 20km to see them — to travel further for the care they so desperately need. The organisation has been rallying to raise funds to buy the space themselves, but they're currently $600,000 short of the $4 million needed. The group had quietly raised more than $3.4 million over the past year, all while dealing with ever-growing demand for its services. Now, the July 31 deadline they've been given before the building hits the market is looming. Ms Prasad-Idles said the crowdfunding operation was about the survival and sustainability of the clinic, and their ability to continue helping more than 3,400 patients. "It isn't really about a building; it's about having a space — an anchor," she said. "Our whole work team here — we're all migrants. I think the migration journey is always about finding a home, and this is our home." Ms Zaki said she owed her life to the organisation. After years of living in fear and solitude, and months of mental health treatment, Ms Zaki said she had finally been able to go outside — a small victory in the wake of devastating trauma. But more than going outside, she's now started a Master of Public Health at University and is an avid volunteer in her community.
