What we learned today, Sunday 12 March
That’s where we’ll leave our coverage for today.
Here’s a recap of the day’s news:
Prime minister Anthony Albanese has touched down in the US where he is expected to make a major announcement, alongside president Joe Biden and UK prime minister Rishi Sunak, about the future of Australia’s $100bn nuclear subs program.
US congressman Joe Courtney, co-chair of Washington’s “AUKUS Caucus” has promised the second-hand subs Australia will buy from the US will be “a very thoughtful project” and will be under “Australian control” in an appearance on ABC Insiders on Sunday, saying: “No one’s going to be foisting off clunkers to good friends and allies.”
New South Wales premier Dominic Perrottet officially launched his party’s campaign on Sunday with a number of policies aimed at children. Perrottet asked members of the Coalition to look toward the future – even as federal members of his own party avoided putting in an appearance.
Flood waters at Burketown in north-west Queensland have peaked on Sunday, after 45 residents evacuated the area in anticipation of record rises.
Updated
Lack of funding to blame for lack of transplants, NSW Labor says
The NSW opposition has pointed the finger at the government following reports children are being put at risk because of a lack of pediatric heart transplants at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead.
The hospital completed five of the transplants in 2021 when Covid-19 travel restrictions were enforced, but has reverted to transferring patients to Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital, Nine reported on Sunday.
The Melbourne hospital is home to Australia’s National Paediatric Heart Transplant Centre.
Between one and three children have died each year over the past five years in NSW because they were either too sick to be transferred to Melbourne or it was impractical for their families to go interstate, Nine reported.
NSW opposition health spokesman Ryan Park blamed the absence of the transplants in Sydney on a lack of funding by the Liberal National government, along with a staffing crisis and a “long overdue review” that began in 2021.
These reports are obviously very concerning. Children’s lives are being placed at risk and this is not acceptable.
At the end of 2021, a review into the Nationally Funded Centre was started and to date it still isn’t finished. The government has failed to ensure that this review was completed and recommendations implemented. Meanwhile lives are being lost.
The NSW health system cannot cope with another four years of Band Aid solutions.
– AAP
Updated
