$7.2 billion for a new Kwinana port
On November 11 last year the WA Premier all but confirmed the project will go ahead. The only question is how much the Feds will stump up and how much influence will the unions have on the final design.
Bush Bursary students enjoying the calm and friendliness of Hay
Hay Shire Council is continuing its efforts in attracting medical staff to Hay with a commitment to the Bush Bursary program. Current recipients are Zali Beuzeville and Charlie Jackson, pictured with Lyla Quinn during their placement at Japp’s Pharmacy last week.
New junior doctors begin their internship on Yorke Peninsula
Joanna Tucker. The first cohort of interns for the new Rural Doctor Program has been welcomed to the Yorke and Northern Local Health Network at Wallaroo Hospital. The RDP is designed to support and encourage junior doctors to pursue generalist training pathways and medical careers within Yorke Peninsula.
Two decades under pressure
Serena Kirby. A career as a commercial deep-sea diver is not for the faint hearted but it’s been Jason Thornton’s profession for nearly two decades. Jason works for companies that supply divers to the oil and gas industry for the construction and maintenance of underwater pipelines. He says the job is far from glamorous.
Council acts on Narrandera’s doctor recruitment crisis
Narrandera is said to be losing patients to adjoining towns for medical services due to a problem in recruiting doctors to the town. The Narrandera Shire Council has now stepped in to help overcome the problem by endorsing the actions of its Mayor Neville Kschenka in offering a recruitment incentive of $35,000 to the Medical Centre to cover the cost of subsidised rental of a suitable dwelling and enrolment fee for the next phase of doctor training.
Narrandera ready to welcome health staff into new accommodation units
Healthcare workers in the Murrumbidgee region are set to benefit from key worker accommodation, with new units at two hospital sites now complete. The modern accommodation units in Narrandera (pictured) and Finley have been installed on-site, with final touches being made to ensure the units are ready for the first residents to move in early next year.
Recognition for Honorary Ambo – 37 years later
Allan Japp is the first, and possible the only recipient in Hay to receive the Honorary Bearer Medal, some 47 years after he completed his last trip behind the wheel of an ambulance. Allan become an Honorary Ambulance Officer (Honorary Bearer as they were known then) in August 1963. His first case was taking a patient from Hay Hospital to the Royal Melbourne Hospital – a round trip of 917 kilometres which took just under 12 hours to complete.
Weld Australia slams Opposition’s nuclear power plan as unrealistic fantasy
According to Geoff Crittenden, CEO of Weld Australia, the Opposition’s plan relies on the misguided notion that coal-fired power stations can continue operating reliabily indefinitely to bridge the energy gap. “It is a fantasy to imagine that coal-fired power stations can keep running without billions of dollars being poured into their maintenance. Many of these plants have already exceeded their design life two- or threefold,” said Crittenden.
Farewell Shaz!
Twenty-seven years and 2.2 million boxes later, Sharon Drabsch has called it a day. Shaz, as her colleagues call her, ends her 27-year career as a box maker at the MiniJumbuk in Naracoorte at the end of this month. The 46-year-old with special abilities is not only a box maker but also a beacon of hope to those with special needs in the community.
Hay Shire Council welcomes $45M feedlot development
A $45 million development application which will create 147 direct jobs in the district was unanimously approved by Hay Shire Council at its monthly meeting last week. General Manager, David Webb said Council staff supported the application to intensify the cattle feedlot capacity at Ravensworth from 60,000 head to 100,000 standard cattle units (SCU), and recommended it be approved. There will be no change to existing infrastructure (pen space) at the Ravensworth feedlot which currently employs 35 to 40 people.
Suspected farm worker exploitation under investigation in Gatton
The Australian Taxation Office (ATO), Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) and Department of Home Affairs have joined forces under the Shadow Economy Taskforce to investigate labour hire providers suspected of unlawful conduct in the agriculture industry through surprise visits in the Gatton region in Southeast Queensland.
Planting seeds for an ag-tastic future
Agricultural producers on the inner Darling Downs are set to benefit from the new Agri-Connect Pilot Initiative that bridges the gap between employers and the skilled workforce they need, creating opportunities for the region’s producers and talent pool of skilled migrants living locally. The program has already been used by a business with a site at Cambooya ... Agri-Connect serves as a platform for employers and skilled migrants to engage with one another.
PALM a breeding ground for ‘slavery’?
Madison Eastmond. Claims an employment initiative utilised to bring Pacific Island workers to the Riverland is exploitative are failing to recognise both sides of the situation, according to a senior local cultural leader. A recent report by the Immigration Advice and Rights Centre (IARC), has called the temporary visas part of the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme "a breeding ground for contemporary forms of slavery".
Farmers finding solutions to ease labour shortages: ABARES
Labour shortages in the horticulture sector have eased slightly, according to a report from the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES). ABARES executive director Dr Jared Greenville said the report, based on a survey of over 2,000 horticulture farms across Australia, showed a fall in the number of farms struggling to find workers.
$4m increase queried
Health Minister Chris Picton has defended the increase in budget allocation of $4million to the Limestone Coast Local Health Network (LCLHN) last financial year ... “The fee-for-service expenditure for the Limestone Coast Local Health Network last financial year was $28,164,000, an increase of $4million from 2023. Can the minister explain exactly what fee-for-service relates to and whether that is the amount spent on employing locum doctors?” asked Independent Member for MacKillop Nick McBride.
Seven hundred thousand
Two salaried doctors in the region, employed by the Limestone Coast Local Health Network, are paid yearly salaries of around $700,000 each. But why, Independent Member for MacKillop Nick McBride questioned Health Minister Chris Picton in the House of Assembly last month. Mr McBride quizzed the minister about what these roles were that were paying that amount and where they were based.
Fatal incident at Golden Plains Wind Farm raises serious safety concerns: AWU Victoria
The AWU Victoria is extremely frustrated and angry following a worker being killed at the Golden Plains Wind Farm in Rokewood this morning … "Just two weeks ago, union delegates from three different unions met with Vestas management to raise serious safety concerns, telling them it was only dumb luck that nobody had been killed on site yet."
15 new jobs
A new local bakery set to open its doors to the public next month will bring about 15 new job opportunities in various roles to Naracoorte. Craig’s Bakehouse & Café ... Proprietor Craig McCallum bought the business from the owners of the former Morris Bakery after it went into administration last February and was subsequently put on the market.
CPMC warns AHPRA’s plan won’t fix doctor shortages in regional areas and key specialties
Following the release of the Unleashing the Potential of our Health Workforce Report, the Council of Presidents of Medical Colleges (CPMC) has again warned that fast-tracking International Medical Graduate registration alone will not solve Australia's rural healthcare challenges. Without proper planning, new specialists may concentrate in urban areas while regional communities continue to face specialist shortages.
Labor misleads as PALM agriculture worker numbers down: Littleproud, McCormack
The number of Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) workers in agriculture has fallen by more than 20 per cent, from 21,915 in July 2023 to 16,705 workers in September 2024 ... David Littleproud said the Senate Estimate figures revealed Labor’s changes to the PALM Scheme Deed and Guidelines in July 2023 made the scheme unworkable and had failed farmers.
Unleashing the potential of the rural and remote health workforce: NRHA
The long-awaited final report Unleashing the Potential of our Health Workforce: Scope of Practice Review was released today following over a year long process ... “The National Rural Health Alliance congratulates the team led by Professor Mark Cormack for this important review which will provide the direction for health policy for many years to come. We are particularly pleased to see the focus on rural and remote barriers highlighted and solutions”: Susi Tegen, CEO NRHA.
Landmark report on how to unleash the potential of our health professions: Butler
A landmark independent review commissioned by the Albanese Government has found that virtually all the nation’s health professions face restrictions and barriers in working to their fullest – restrictions that are unrelated to their skills, training and experience. The review found that inconsistencies across states and territories make it harder for patients to get the care they need…
