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COVID in WA: State’s purchase of rapid antigen tests to be probed amid donation call for huge stockpile

COVID in WA: State's purchase of rapid antigen tests to be probed amid donation call for huge stockpile

The McGowan Government’s much-vaunted purchase of more than 110 million rapid antigen tests at a cost of almost $600 million is being probed by WA’s Auditor General Caroline Spencer.

The probe comes amid calls for some of the more than 62 million RATs still in the State stockpile to be donated overseas or sold to other States before they reach their expiration date.

Nationals MP Martin Aldridge said WA households had reached a RATs “saturation point”, with constituents refusing to take anymore because they were running out space to store the self-test kits.

He said the 110 million tests ordered over the summer by the departments of Finance and Health ahead of WA’s border opening was “excessive” and equaled to 40 RATs for every man, woman and child.

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Warning to stay away from rare ‘white’ southern right whale calf spotted off NSW coast

Authorities have issued a warning to keep away from a rare “white” whale calf spotted alongside its mother off the NSW coast.

NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service said four pairs of mother and calf southern right whales had been seen during winter, including the rare calf that looked white, somewhat resembling the famous humpback Migaloo.

“The calf appears to be white but is actually brindle,” NPWS marine wildlife team project officer Andrew Marshall said in a statement.

Southern right whale with rare 'white' calf off southern NSW coast
Authorities have issued a warning to keep away from a rare southern right whale calf, spotted alongside it’s mother off the southern coast of NSW (Maree Jackson – NPWS Right Whale ID Program)

“Its white areas will darken to gray as it ages — it’s one of around one-in-30 southern right whale calves born with brindle coloring.

“This is a rare event to see a virtually white brindle calf, as southern right whales are mostly very dark, although some have splashes of white called a blaze.”

The mother and her calf were captured on camera via a drone.

“If you look closely at the video you can also see pale gray areas on the mother, who also carries the recessive brindle gene,” Marshall said.

While the duo have sparked a social media frenzy, authorities are reminding people that it’s illegal to approach whales any closer than 300 meters when a calf is present.

Southern right whale with rare 'white' calf off southern NSW coast
Accredited drone volunteer, Maree Jackson used her camera’s 7x optical zoom function from above the legal height to capture the stunning close-ups as the ‘white’ calf surfaced for a breath (Maree Jackson – NPWS Right Whale ID Program)

The restrictions include via boats, surfboards, paddleboards and kayaks, while drones are also legally required to stay at least 100 meters above the animals.

Stunning vision of the mother and calf was captured off the south coast recently by accredited drone volunteer Maree Jackson from the NSW government’s Right Whale ID research program.

Jackson used her camera’s 7x optical zoom function from above the legal height to capture the stunning close-ups as the “white” calf surfaced for a breath while swimming alongside her mother.

“Curious onlookers are reminded to keep back and give the nursing mother and calf space to rest undisturbed,” Marshall said.

“A calf needs up to 300 liters of milk a day to gain the weight needed for the 5000-kilometre swim back down to Antarctic waters in the coming month, so both the mother and calf need to be left alone so they can rest and feel safe.”

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Banksia Hill boys self harming after transfer to unit at adult Casuarina Prison

Banksia Hill boys self harming after transfer to unit at adult Casuarina Prison

Children transferred to an isolated unit at a maximum-security adult prison in Perth have made multiple suicide and self-harm attempts within weeks of the move.

A group of 17 boys, aged as young as 14 and mostly Indigenous, were shifted last month from Banksia Hill detention center to a new unit at nearby Casuarina prison.

Between their arrival on July 20 and August 8, there were three attempted suicides and 13 minor self-harm attempts at the facility known as Unit 18.

The figures were provided by Western Australia’s government in parliament on Thursday in response to a question from Greens upper house MP Brad Pettitt.

Beds in the youth detention facility at Casuarina Prison (file image)
Camera IconThere have been three attempted suicides and 13 self-harm attempts at the facility in recent months. Credit: AAP

Government MP Matthew Swinbourn, representing the corrective services minister in the Legislative Council, confirmed four children had been involved in a self-harm attempt last week which resulted in one boy being hospitalized.

The boy returned from hospital the same day with no further medical intervention required and was provided with mental health support, he said.

Officials have said they were left with no choice but to transfer the boys to Unit 18 because they had been destroying property, escaping from their cells, assaulting staff and harming themselves.

They have promised the detainees will be kept away from adult prisoners in safe and secure units while repair works are completed at Banksia Hill.

The number of self-harm and attempted suicide incidents at Banksia Hill has spiked over the past three years.

Megan Krakouer, from the National Suicide Prevention and Trauma Recovery Project, said there was an “ongoing crisis” in youth detention.

“The self-harms will continue this year, next year and the year after unless we radically reform the system,” she said on Friday.

The Department of Justice have released images of some of the facilities inside Casuarina Prison, being used by teenagers who have been moved there from Banksia Hill
Camera IconSome of the facilities inside Casuarina Prison, being used by teenagers who have been moved there from Banksia Hill. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Corrective Services Minister Bill Johnston this week said the remaining details at Banksia Hill were now in a “much better” environment.

“It was not functioning to have these young offenders causing violence at Banksia Hill, so that the other kids … were not getting the services they need because the facility was constantly going into lockdown,” he told reporters.

He said the boys at Unit 18 had access to education, cultural, medical and psychological services and secure recreation facilities.

They were being regularly assessed and would be returned to Banksia Hill once it was deemed safe for them to do so, he said.

An independent inspector this year found some boys at Banksia Hill were spending as little as one hour a day outside their cells, in violation of their human rights.

About 600 past and present details have signed up for a planned class action against the state government.

Lifeline 13 11 14

Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5 to 25)

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Australia

80,000 Australians have $2 million in super, costing the federal budget billions

80,000 Australians have $2 million in super, costing the federal budget billions

Among the cohort of wealthy savers with more than $2 million are 384 people aged under 30, who boast an average balance of $5.3 million. About 80 per cent of the young savers in this group either did not lodge a tax return or earned less than $18,200 in 2019-20.

Think tank the Grattan Institute estimates total earnings tax concessions for individuals with balances of $2 million or more were worth about $2.8 billion in 2019-20. The figure would have increased due to the strong growth in global equity markets following the early pandemic downturn.

The revelations have fueled calls among economists and influential super lobby groups for the Albanese government to reform superannuation tax concessions.

Independent economist Chris Richardson said the amount of concessions accruing to high-income earners was an “embarrassment” and called for a simpler system where superannuation earnings were taxed at a discount of 15 cents to a person’s marginal tax rate.

“So rather than starting with a flat tax and adding vast amounts of sticky tape and string, you start with a personal tax system and give a deduction for saving,” he told AFR Weekend.

Previous research by Mr Richardson found such a system would net the federal budget $6 billion per year, which would be enough to lower the company tax rate to 26 per cent from 30 per cent.

He said it would allow the tax office to do away with the complex system of contribution caps that govern how much money people can put into their super.

“Caps are God’s way of telling you the underlying system is wrong in the first place. You’re putting caps on because the incentives are wrong.”

Going beyond what’s needed

Super Consumers Australia director Xavier O’Halloran said there should be a threshold at which people no longer received a “leg up” from tax concessions.

“Superannuation, and the way it’s set up, is to incentivize consumers to save who wouldn’t otherwise to ensure they’ve got a good retirement.

“When we look at people who have managed to accumulate well beyond what might be needed to maintain the standard of living throughout retirement, we think it’s worth looking at whether the tax incentives are actually going beyond what’s needed to encourage [savings],” Mr O’Halloran said.

Richard Holden of the UNSW Business School said changes to superannuation rules should be considered, but only as part of a review of all aspects of the system.

“It would be much more sensitive to say that from now on all money that goes into super, and while it is in super, it is tax free. So all the compulsory contributions and voluntary contributions up to some amount are tax free, but we’ll tax it at the normal capital gains tax rate on the way out.

“Right now we have this weird thing where you tax it at 15 per cent on the way in, and you don’t tax it on the way out up to a cap, and it creates these awkward concerns about how much is enough?”

Professor Holden said reform of retirement subsidies could help address Australia’s structural budget deficit.

He said there were not that many $20 billion potential fixes but “retirement savings is one of them”.

Although Labor, before the election, said reform of tax concessions was not a priority, changes would help the cash-strapped federal budget and growing debt levels.

Wealthy savers are the main beneficiaries of federal government tax concessions.

Just 6 per cent of people have more than $500,000 in superannuation, but they accounted for 48 per cent of the total value of personal superannuation contributions in 2019-20.

Personal superannuation contributions are taxed at the concessional rate of 15 per cent, up to an annual employer and individual contribution limit of $27,500. People who earn more than $250,000 pay an extra 15 per cent tax, but the additional impost still represents a hefty discount on the top marginal tax rate of 45 cents.

The average worker with more than $1 million in retirement savings made a personal contribution of $19,613 to their superannuation in 2019-20, compared to the $502 average top-up made by a person with a balance of between $50,000 and $99,999.

In the 2020-21 financial year, there were $19 billion and $1.3 billion in respective business and individual superannuation contribution tax concessions, according to the Treasury’s annual Tax Benchmarks and Variations Statement.

Combined, Treasury estimates that it is expected to amount to almost $93 billion over the next four years. Concessional taxation arrangements on super earnings cost the budget a further $10.6 billion in 2020-21 and are expected to cost almost $90 billion over the next four years. Individuals are generally taxed 15 per cent on their super earnings rather than their marginal tax rate.

Super cap calls

The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia and the Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees previously have called for balances to be capped at $5 million.

Grattan’s Joey Moloney and Brendan Coates said there was no justification for tax concessions for anyone with more than $2 million in super.

“At that level, people have more than enough for retirement and it looks more like tax-planning than anything else,” they said.

“This is particularly stark for those under 30 who already have $2 million in super, which has clearly come from contributions made by their parents.

“There is a strong case for capping total balances at around this level as such large balances are inconsistent with the primary goal of the super system of providing income in retirement.”

”These tax concessions are unsustainable with a structural budget deficit of 2 per cent of GDP. Treasury projects that by 2035, the total cost of super tax concessions will outweigh that of the age pension. Super tax concessions should be first against the wall to tackle the post-COVID budget challenge.“

UNSW taxation expert Bob Deutsch said current day and legacy tax concessions gave considerable scope for wealthy account holders to build their balances.

“Using the caps, you can over time put quite a lot of money into super. We’re not exactly paring it back at the moment.

“The downsizer super contribution rules have actually been increased so you can get more money in. I’m not surprised that there is a lot of money going into super.”

Professor Deutsch said concessions were an appropriate way to encourage proper saving for retirement, but changes could be required.

“The problem is that superannuation funds have become used now for broadly more wealth creation purposes. I don’t think that was ever really the intention.”

“It was not meant to be money pot that could just grow to provide people with wealth. It was more meant to be about giving them sufficient funds to enable them to have a reasonable retirement, without having to lean on the public purse.”

He said changes to the rules could be politically tricky for Labor, but reforms by the former Coalition government did have an impact.

“You’d want to be very careful about how you limit access to super, because you don’t want to ruin it for people who are using it generally build a retirement lump sum,” he said.

Greens spokesman Nick McKim said anyone with $2 million in their super “doesn’t need tax concessions beyond the [$1.7 million] balance cap”.

“We stand ready to work with the new government to make super fairer,” he said.

“We should get rid of tax breaks for the super wealthy which are basically publicly subsidized estate planning. This is low-hanging fruit.”

“The recent retirement income review found that the richest 10 per cent get more public subsidies than anyone else. This is a corruption of what superannuation was designed to be, and it needs to end.”

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Australia

Adelaide father jailed for attempted murder

An Adelaide father who tried to gas himself and his young daughter has been jailed for more than 14 years for the attempted murder of the girl.

Shaun Mate and his three-year-old daughter were found unconscious in July 2020 in what a judge described as a vindictive act of domestic violence.

In the days leading up to the crime, Mate had bought two gas tanks, putting his plan into place after an argument with his then-wife.

Shaun Mate has been sentenced to jail. (Nine)

Sentencing him in the Supreme Court on Friday, Justice Geraldine Davison said the impact of the 45-year-old’s offending was significant and widespread.

“Sadly, in many marriage breakdowns, when feelings are running high and the parties are feeling aggrieved and vindictive, the notion of depriving their partner of one of the greatest joys of their life can seem to be a way of wreaking revenge,” she said .

“There is a significant element of vindictiveness, planning and preparation in your offending.”

On the night of the offending, Mate had made a photo montage of the couple, which he played on the television and said to his wife, “this is what you’re going to miss out on.”

Justice Davison said he later became angry and his ex-wife began to feel unsafe and called the police.

Emergency services at the house on the night of the incident. (Nine)

Police arrived and the couple agreed he would stay in a room downstairs.

The judge said the girl’s mother woke up during the night to find her daughter missing from her bed and when she tried to open the door to her husband’s room he told her to “go away, we’re having a little sleep now”.

At that point, the mother heard both her daughter groan and the sound of gas and called police again.

While Mate had barricaded himself in, officers eventually gained entry where they found the girl unconscious and suffering from hypoxia.

Justice Davison said while the offending was both planned and premeditated she accepted a psychologist’s finding that Mate was suffering from a major depressive disorder at the time.

However, she said she regarded his crime as at the higher end of the scale.

The man was sentenced to 14 years and three months in jail in Adelaide’s Supreme Court. (Google Maps)

“The victim was a vulnerable three-year-old child. Your planning indicates that it was premeditated offending,” the judge said.

“It was the most significant abuse of trust placed on a parent. Your intention was to take your child’s life as an act of vindictiveness against your wife thus depriving her of that child.

“Your plan failed by the good fortune of your wife waking and acting as swiftly as she did, along with the first responders.”

Justice Davison jailed Mate for 14 years and three months, reduced from 15 years because of his guilty plea.

She set a non-parole period of nine years.

If you or anyone you know needs assistance or information about domestic abuse, you can call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732).

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Australia

Doctors and pharmacists argue over antivirals access

Doctors and pharmacists argue over antivirals access

GPs have warned that a push by pharmacists to allow access to COVID-19 antivirals treatments without a prescription could jeopardize patient safety.

Photo: Diego Fedele/AAP

There are two oral antivirals available in Australia, and while early treatment is critical to lessen the effects of the virus, access is restricted.

All Australians over 70 and people over 50 at risk of severe disease from COVID-19 are eligible to access the treatments, and patients need a prescription from a GP or a nurse practitioner.

Australia’s pharmacy body is asking the federal government to consider allowing the medications to be supplied over the counter to allow people to have faster access to them upon infection.

Pharmacy Guild president Trent Twomey said patients were frustrated with wait times for GP appointments which led to delays in being able to access the treatments.

But patient safety must always be prioritised, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners said.

While more action must be taken to ensure treatments are provided to those who need them quickly, over the counter dispensing is not the answer, RACGP president Karen Price said.

“Allowing pharmacists to prescribe and dispense antivirals will not improve access and there are significant risks to patients,” Professor Price said.

“These drugs have what we call ‘contraindications’ which is the term used to describe when a particular treatment should not be used, as well as interactions with other common medications.”

General practitioners know the health history of their patients and can assess the potential impacts of the antivirals while pharmacies can’t, Price said.

“Pharmacies should keep their focus on the job at hand, which is availability of stock, rather than the supply of oral antivirals without a prescription,” she said.

“There should be a website showing where stock is available, as they have previously done for rapid antigen test stocks.” Price said the antiviral treatments can be the difference between a patient having mild effects from the virus or ending up in hospital.

“However, we must proceed with caution because the last thing we want to do is potentially endanger patients,” she said.

Following antiviral treatment access being expanded in July, Health Minister Mark Butler said prescription rates almost tripled.

Australia recorded more than 27,000 COVID-19 cases and 133 deaths on Wednesday and there are nearly 4,500 people in hospital with the virus.

-AAP

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Gold nuggets, illicit drugs, $250k cash found during raid of Ballarat motel

A blue street sign under a canopy of trees, cloudy sky, for the suburb of Golden Point.

A man has faced court in Ballarat after police discovered gold nuggets, illicit drugs, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash.

Police say they raided a motel on Main Road, Golden Point, about 11pm yesterday.

Mark McKay, 48, was arrested before police allegedly located stolen jewelry, more than $250,000 in cash, and gold nuggets worth about $17,000.

Officers said they also seized a large amount of methylamphetamine, cannabis, and cocaine.

They said the raid was part of a long-running drug investigation.

A metal sign saying Ballarat law Court beneath a symbol of the court.
A Ballarat man has been charged over the discovery.(ABC Ballarat: Laura Mayers)

Mr McKay has been charged with trafficking a large commercial quantity of methylamphetamine, trafficking cocaine and trafficking cannabis.

He is also accused of three counts of possessing drugs of dependence, dealing with the proceeds of crime, and committing indictable offenses while on bail.

The 48-year-old was remanded overnight and faced the Ballarat Magistrates Court today.

He made no application for bail and will return to court for a committal mention in October.

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Buggles Child Care Beeliar fined after three young children walk out open gate and are found on path

Buggles Child Care Beeliar fined after three young children walk out open gate and are found on path

Three children under the age of four walked out of a childcare center in Perth’s south and were found playing on a footpath, prompting a fine for the operators of the service.

Service provider ES5 Ltd, trading as Buggles Child Care Beeliar, was ordered to pay $22,000 and $2000 in costs by the State Administrative Tribunal for contravention of education and care service laws.

A Department of Communities investigation found that in August last year the children left the center through an outdoor gate.

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A mother who was leaving after collecting her child noticed the children and ushered them back inside.

The investigation found educators at the center had noticed the gate left open more than once during the day and failed to notify the responsible person.

They also failed to ensure the gate was securely locked while the center failed to notify the Department of Communities Education and Care Regulatory Unit about the incident within the required 24 hours.

“This is the ninth time over the past two years where disciplinary action has been taken against a service where children have left the service unattended, and staff have been unaware of them leaving,” Department of Communities Executive Director Phil Payne said in a statement on Friday.

“Childcare service staff must focus on active supervision of children in their care.

“Checks around outdoor areas should include a physical, not just visual, check of gates to ensure they are securely locked.”

In other unrelated incidents, a Mandurah center was ordered to pay $20,000 in penalties and costs after four young children climbed through a fence and were found on the verge of a four-lane highway, in August 2020.

While in November that year a childcare center at Thornlie left a two-year-old girl unsupervised on a bus for almost two hours.

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Man sentenced to life in prison for strangling murder of Australian UN Aid worker Jennifer Downes in Fiji

Man sentenced to life in prison for strangling murder of Australian UN Aid worker Jennifer Downes in Fiji

A man has been sentenced to life in prison for strangling an Australian United Nations aid worker in Fiji to death before placing coins on her eyes and sending a photograph of her body to her father.

Jennifer Downes, who worked as a logistics officer for the UN World Food Program in Suva, had just returned from an overseas assignment when her husband Henri Lusaka murdered her in their house while their three children were at home in July 2019.

Jennifer Downes, who was known professionally as Jenna Lusaka, said she found work at the World Food Program amazing.

Jennifer Downes, who was known professionally as Jenna Lusaka, said she found work at the World Food Program amazing.Credit:WFP/Jemma Pietrus

Fiji High Court Justice Gihan Kulatunga said Lusaka had most likely pinned her to the ground while looking her straight in the eyes, strangling her for between three and eight minutes until “her life was squeezed out of her”.

Lusaka, who migrated to Fiji with Downes from Congo in 2017, had sent a series of messages to Downes’ father, Christopher Downes, in the days leading up to her murder accusing his daughter of having an affair with a co-worker. The 42-year-old had also abused the UN officer in charge of security Charles O’Hanlan when he went with Fijian police to check on the house while Downes was away.

O’Hanlan had attempted to get Downes to leave the home she shared with Lusaka when she returned but she “point-blank” refused any of his suggestions to go to a safe house the day before she was murdered.

After strangling her to death, Lusaka placed coins on her eyes and sent a photograph to her father with the message “you lose motherf—, I win” and “this is what you made me do.”

Jennifer Downes (right) with Henri Lusaka John, who has been sentenced to life in prison over her murder.

Jennifer Downes (right) with Henri Lusaka John, who has been sentenced to life in prison over her murder. Credit:Facebook

Kulatunga said what happened at their home that day was known only to Lusaka, “and if at all, your three kids”. He said the circumstances and the pathologist’s evidence shed light on Downes’ last moments which showed she had fought for her life de ella, due to the bruises and haemorrhaging on her body de ella.

Downes worked as the World Food Program’s Pacific logistics and project officer based in Suva since 2017, and they resided at a rented-Service Street home in the Domain area, where many diplomats and development workers live.

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‘Screams for help’ heard before man’s body found in Townsville where shipping container engulfed by flames

Police say a man found dead inside a shipping container in Townsville had been “screaming for help” before a fire engulfed his home inside an industrial estate.

The 46-year-old’s body was found when police and fire fighters were called to reports of a caravan and shipping container on fire at Mount Louisa on Thursday night.

“Witnesses initially had heard a male person screaming for help,” Detective Inspector Jason Shepherd said.

The man reportedly screamed for help from his shipping container home. (Hayden Mensso)

“One of the witnesses did try to enter the property to provide assistance but there were a number of guard dogs on the property who stopped the witness from getting in.

“When the fire was extinguished [emergency services] found a deceased person inside a shipping container on the property.”

Police have not established if the fire was intentionally lit.

“We have to keep an open mind, it could be accidental, it could be intentional, it’s too early to tell at this stage,” Shepherd said.

Police said the man had been residing on the property as a care taker and had been living in the shipping container and caravan.

The shipping container was the most impacted by the large blaze.

“He was found at the rear of the container, so whether he was in that position, or whether the fire created a situation where he couldn’t get out of the shipping container we’re unable to say,” Inspector Shepherd said.

“It’s difficult to say if he could get out but he was at the opposite end to the opening.

“Because the caravan was so close its also been impacted by the fire.”

Witnesses reported hearing a bang or explosion when the fire broke out.

Inspector Shepherd said the scene was confronting for witnesses and crews involved.

“Unfortunately we do have a number of incidents and the crew that attend do get emotionally involved as well because they are confronted with quite horrific scenes, as are the witnesses as well.”

Investigations are continuing to identify how the fire was started.