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Health & Wellbeing
Qld Health revokes Special Pandemic Leave
The QNMU says removing Special Pandemic Leave amounts to a “gender‑based attack” on Queensland’s predominantly female nursing workforce and warns the decision could spill into private hospitals and aged care.
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News
14 procedures added to same day surgery list
NSW Health has added 14 new procedures to its same day surgery program, a move expected to save 3000 bed days and increase capacity for 600 patients.
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Clinical Practice
Nurse-patient connection key in mental health care
A study across 12 mental‑health units has found that early therapeutic relationships between nurses and patients strongly influence fear, coercion and recovery. A structured ‘Reserved Therapeutic Space’ improved communication, trust and participation.
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News
Diphtheria spreads in NT, SA and WA
Australia is experiencing its largest diphtheria outbreak since national records began, with 230 cases reported this year and health authorities urging people travelling through northern and remote regions to check their vaccination status and seek medical advice if unsure.
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Workforce
Global health worker shortages ‘deeply unequal’
Africa faces a severe health workforce crisis, with millions of workers projected to be missing by 2030, as richer nations increasingly recruit from the continent and long‑standing global inequalities continue to shape who leaves, who stays and who benefits.
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Industry & Reform
Bulk billing surges, PM bets big on health
Bulk‑billing rates rose to 81.9 per cent in the first quarter of 2026, with the Albanese government crediting Medicare reforms for the increase as it simultaneously launches Australia’s first national menopause and perimenopause awareness campaign.
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Industry & Reform
Nursing bodies demand Medicare action on rural health
Twelve national nursing and midwifery organisations have told a Senate inquiry that Medicare settings are delaying diagnoses, fragmenting care and driving avoidable hospital admissions in rural Australia, warning that telehealth restrictions and funding gaps are undermining already fragile care models.
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News
NSW takes back Northern Beaches Hospital
Northern Beaches Hospital has officially transitioned to NSW Health after probes uncovered serious administrative and financial failures, with families, nurses and midwives calling the move a long‑overdue step toward safer patient care.
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Clinical Practice
Earlier heart screening for Indigenous people can save lives
New research shows Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people develop atrial fibrillation nearly 16 years earlier than other Australians, prompting calls to begin screening from age 55 to prevent severe, often fatal strokes linked to the undiagnosed heart rhythm disorder.
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Wages
NSW nurses’ pay lifted after landmark ruling
NSW nurses and midwives will receive their largest pay rise in decades after the Industrial Relations Commission ruled the professions had been undervalued, ordering increases of up to 28 per cent despite warnings about the impact on the state budget.
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Q&A
ANMF appoints new federal assistant secretary
ANMF Federal Assistant Secretary Catelyn Richards discusses her leadership approach, priorities in aged care and climate resilience, and how she plans to advocate for nurses, midwives and carers across Australia.
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AI
Medical AI advancing faster than safety checks
New research shows advanced AI models can match or exceed doctors on diagnostic tasks, but Flinders University experts warn these systems are advancing faster than the safety frameworks needed to govern their use in real‑world healthcare.
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