The Latest Breaking News from Mark Butler

Lismore's flood-affected doctors plead for government support 10 months after disaster

Nearly 10 months on from catastrophic floods in the Lismore region, local doctors battling to re-establish full services say their calls for support are being ignored by the state and federal governments.

ABC News · Dec 19, 2022

Pomona Family Medical forced to close as national GP shortage bites regional Queensland towns

As Australia struggles through a national GP shortage, at least 3,500 patients from one closing clinic have been suddenly forced to find a new doctor.

ABC News · Dec 18, 2022

Parliament passes federal government's energy relief package — as it happened

An energy relief package agreed to by national cabinet has been passed after parliament was recalled to deal with the legislation ahead of Christmas.

ABC News · Dec 14, 2022

Government criticised for cutting cheaper mental health sessions despite review saying they should continue

The health minister points to an independent evaluation of COVID-era psychology sessions to justify cutting the program — but that report actually recommended keeping the sessions.

ABC News · Dec 12, 2022

Subsidised psychology visits to be halved

The government is halving the number of Medicare-subsidised psychology appointments from the end of the year, following a review of the scheme.

AAP · Dec 12, 2022

Federal government slashes psychologist visits for Australians seeking mental health treatment

Subsidised visits to psychologists, GPs and allied mental health services will be halved within weeks, with the federal government abandoning a program added at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABC News · Dec 12, 2022

Access tightened for free COVID PCR tests

A referral will be needed from next year if patients require a free PCR test under changes to how Australia will deal with COVID-19.

AAP · Dec 12, 2022

New research identifies some food products aimed at toddlers are failing WHO guidelines around sugar content

Out of more than 70 ready-made food products for toddlers, more than 75 per cent fail to meet the proposed guidelines for sugar set out by the World Health Organization (WHO), soon-to-be-published research for the Obesity Policy Coalition has found.

ABC News · Dec 8, 2022

‘Lives are at stake’: Australia returns to the nicotine frontline with vaping reform

A decade since world-first plain packaging reforms, there is a new threat: the alarming rate of children using e-cigarettes

The Guardian - AU · Dec 2, 2022

Explainer: How bad is Australia’s vaping problem and how are teens getting nicotine vapes?

What are the effects on children? Is anything being done? New research shows just how widespread addiction has become

The Guardian - AU · Dec 1, 2022