Medicare Rebate Freeze Lift Depends on Election Win
Labor has officially announced it will lift the Medicare rebate freeze if it wins government, prompting Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt to publish a series of tweets on the LNP’s achievements since being in government.
Hunt posted that GP bulk-billing is up nearly 4 percent from 82.2 percent under Labor, claiming that more patients are seeing their local GP without having to pay out of pocket costs.
NBN costing more than promised
According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, more than one million Australian families are paying more for their internet under NBN.
With the initial promise of being more affordable than existing ADSL connections, the ACCC said that NBN is failing to deliver with faster broadband and with prices that are just as high.
Military pressured to revoke honorary appointments
The British Military is being pressured to revoke the honorary appointments awarded to the Sultan of Brunei by the Queen after he ruled homosexuality punishable by stoning to death.
As Brunei’s head of state, the Sultan has made the ruling amidst an on-going reform to the nation’s Sharia-law based penal code.
Australians Interrogated by China
Two Australian men have come forward to reveal they were interrogated by Chinese officials in regards to an investigation launched by Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
The interrogators wanted to know more about Turnbull’s investigation into China’s influence in Australia and pressed for information about John Garnaut, the man appointed to lead the investigative team.
9am Zedlines
Good morning, this is Rebecca and Gabe with your 9am Zedlines.
Construction Sites Set to Shut Down Over Easter Holidays
Over the Easter and Anzac Day public holidays, construction sites across Queensland will shut down for up to 10 consecutive days.
The National Construction Union said it had grouped rostered days off around public holidays “at the insistence of employers,” however, the Master Builders Australia group that represents employers have accused the union of bullying to get its way.
Along with Queensland, construction sites all over Australia will close for the holidays with those in New South Wales closing for seven days and Victoria and Tasmania for ten.
Queensland Police Accused of Destroying Evidence in Rape Case
A Brisbane woman has recently been alerted that Queensland police have destroyed evidence from her alleged rape two decades after the incident occurred, in a direct violation of the state’s new Human Rights Act.
Queensland Women’s Legal Service lawyer, Julie Sarkozi, has stated that this destruction of evidence without the victim’s knowledge or consent is “not only concerning legally” but “a clear breach of Section 25 of the Human Rights Act.”
Price of Fruit and Veggies Set to Skyrocket
Australians are being warned that the price of fresh fruit and vegetables could double in the foreseeable future, as farmers face increasing pressure from rising labour, weather extremes and electricity costs.
The Coalition Government committed to provide half the funding for the proposed eighty four million dollar Emu Swamp dam, but since progress has stalled, Growers urgently want a national conversation about a consistent water supply.
Early Flu Vaccinations in SA after Influenza Surge
South Australian health authorities have been forced to issue early flu vaccinations in the wake of a sudden wave of influenza cases in the region.
There have been more than 26,000 diagnoses of the flu in South Australia in 2019, compared to only 7,000 each in Queensland and New South Wales.
90,000 South Australian school children will have access to the free vaccine through the state program, and distribution has already begun for people over the age of 65.
Libyan Airport Attacked as Eastern Forces Advance
Tripoli's only functioning airport has been attacked as eastern forces continue to advance on the Libyan capital, despite worldwide appeals for an end to the violence.
Fighting between Libya’s two rival governments has already killed 25 people and wounded 80, with 2,800 residents displaced due to the clashes.
The attacks threaten to disrupt oil and gas supplies, trigger further migration to Europe, and interrupt the UN’s plans for an election to put an end to the rivalry between the country’s east and west.