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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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Business

CEO Braden Wallake posts crying selfie on LinkedIn after laying off employees—and it goes viral

CEO Braden Wallake posts crying selfie on LinkedIn after laying off employees—and it goes viral

A CEO has sparked a major debate online after posting a selfie of himself crying on LinkedIn following layoffs he made at his company.

Braden Wallake, who runs the Ohio-based business-to-business marketing agency Hypersocial in the US, shared the picture on Wednesday.

The post has since received more than 6,700 comments and nearly 33,000 reactions.

“This will be the most vulnerable thing I’ll ever share. I’ve gone back and forth whether to post this or not. We just had to lay off a few of our employees. I’ve seen a lot of layoffs over the last few weeks on LinkedIn. Most of those are due to the economy, or whatever other reason. Ours? My fault.” Wallake wrote alongside the picture that shows tears streaming down his face from him.

Wallake says he made a decision in February that eventually led to the layoffs. He has not yet explained what this decision was but said on LinkedIn that he planned to do so in the future.

Describing the layoffs as the “toughest thing” he has ever had to do, Wallake said he loved his employees and wished that he was “a business owner that was only money driven and didn’t care about who he hurt along the way”.

‘Yes, I am the crying CEO’

Some LinkedIn users mocked Wallake’s post, calling him “out of touch” and “cringe-worthy” or suggested that he should focus on helping his former employees rather than on how the situation had affected him.

“Por favor. Laying off people is horrific for you, but more horrific for them. It’s about taking care of their welfare, not grief posting for your own likes. This is ungracious, gratuitous, insensitive and tacky. Grow up, look after those people who you claim to be so worried about, own your mistakes privately and stop being so narcissistic,” one commenter wrote.

Others supported Wallake, saying they understood laying people off was an emotional process, and praised his openness.

This includes one of his former employees, Noah Smith, who defended his former boss and said he would only want to work for managers like him.

“To those who would look to hire me, I’m only interested in working for people like Braden Wallake who has a positive outlook on life. I’m not interested in working for you if you think working more hours ONLY to make more money is the most valuable way to spend your time.”

Wallake followed up his original message with a follow-up post, saying, “Hey everyone, yes, I am the crying CEO. No, my intent was not to make it about me or victimize myself. I am sorry it came across that way.”

“It was not my place to out the employees’ names publicly,” he continued. “What I want to do now, is trying to make better of this situation and start a thread for people looking for work.”

Hypersocial was not immediately available to comment when contacted by CNBC.

A broader trend?

André Spicer, professor of organizational behavior at Bayes Business School, told CNBC that the post is unsurprising considering current management trends.

“It’s a trend, CEOs and leaders have been encouraged to be authentic and bring their real selves to work,” Spicer said. “It’s showing your real emotions and real reactions and people are kind of encouraged to display this through a lot of current management thinking … so it’s not surprising.”

He added that Wallake appeared to be navigating a delicate balancing act between being too authentic and not authentic enough – sometimes referred to as bounded authenticity.

“So ideally, what this guy should have done is sort of used bounded authenticity, where he was a bit honest about the mistakes he’d made and he’ll admit to this, but then not turning it into a pity party about himself, basically.”

CNBC

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Categories
Sports

North Melbourne, Alastair Clarkson, coach, return, lengthy offer, contract, GWS Giants, race, David Noble, Leigh Adams

North Melbourne, Alastair Clarkson, coach, return, lengthy offer, contract, GWS Giants, race, David Noble, Leigh Adams

North Melbourne has reportedly tabled a “lengthy offer” to mastercoach Alastair Clarkson for 2023 and beyond.

The Age reports a contract of at least five years has been put to Clarkson to join the Roos and take over from caretaker Leigh Adams.

Fox Footy’s Mark Robinson said he believes the Clarkson-Kangaroos deal is “past the post.”

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“Everyone’s a little bit scared to declare it because Alastair Clarkson has got the ability to change his mind and say: ‘I’m not coaching’,” he said on 3AW.

“But the further this goes on, I find that can’t happen.”

Commentator Tim Lane said a deal between Clarkson and North Melbourne would be “exciting”.

“North Melbourne people will be ecstatic by this,” he said on 3AW.

“For them to get Clarkson back to the club, where he began his career, he also won a premiership in 2008 with a team that won before its time and that should never be forgotten.

McRae reiterates hope to re-sign De Goey | 00:36

“Clarkson’s won four flags – no ones won more since Norm Smith.

“To have him in the firing line and back at that battling club is brilliant.”

North Melbourne and GWS are both vying for four-time premiership coach’s services after he finished up at Hawthorn at the end of 2021.

Both clubs have met with Clarkson in recent weeks, with the Hawks’ mentor set to make a final call before the end of the home and away season.

It is understood the Giants are yet to officially present Clarkson with an offer.

They are reportedly still speaking with other candidates like Adem Yze (Melbourne), Adam Kingsley (Richmond) and their current caretaker Mark McVeigh.

Robinson said he believes Yze is the frontrunner to take the reins at the Giants, while Leigh Matthews said he didn’t think GWS were going as hard as the Roos for Clarkson.

Hinkley set to remain Port coach | 01:01

“North are head hunting Alastair Clarkson,” he said on 3AW.

“I don’t think the Giants are doing that.”

Clarkson has previously said he’d make a call on his future in August, which has just over a fortnight to run.

Former Collingwood president Eddie McGuire said the Roos had gone “all in” trying to sign Clarkson earlier this month, and said the club was a “real chance” of landing his signature.

Clarkson’s manager James Henderson told McGuire that the meeting went “very well” and that it was “a worthwhile experience”.

“There is no Plan B (for North) at the moment,” McGuire said at the time.

North parted ways with former coach David Noble a month ago after just 38 games in charge and Leigh Adams has been caretaker in Noble’s absence.

Just last month reports emerged Clarkson was demanding a whopping $1.6 million a season to return to coaching, but he responded to that by calling the figure “bulls**t”.

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Categories
Australia

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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Categories
Business

Op shopper calls out exorbitant prices in Australian second hand stores

Op shopper calls out exorbitant prices in Australian second hand stores

An Australian TikTok identity and op-shop lover has called out second hand stores across the country for bumping up their prices as an op-shopping trend gains popularity.

Melbourne based influencer Jaclyn has raised awareness through her platform about prices skyrocketing in her local thrift stores, saying she is “over” the price tags on recycled goods.

She said the rise in prices, especially for brands like Shein and Zara, is turning people towards fast fashion retailers instead of them supporting recycled clothing outlets.

Thrift stores, unlike vintage stores, have their pieces donated to them, and shouldn’t be charging as much, according to Jaclyn.

“Is anyone else getting completely over Australian thrift store prices these days?” she asked her audience.

“They just charge an arm and a leg for absolutely anything.”

She said she has grown up shopping at thrift stores and has continued the trend into her adulthood.

“I used to like the thrill of the hunt and finding a really special piece for a bargain price, but it seems that it’s getting kind of impossible to do that now,’ she said.

She called out thrift stores for taking advantage of people, particularly younger shoppers, now that “thrifting is quite a popular thing to do”.

She said if she wanted to spend that kind of money, she’d rather visit a vintage store instead.

Thrifting, or op-shopping, has become popular in recent years as a way for young people to find cheap, recycled clothing.

Shoppers are able to find unique pieces, without feeling like they’re leaving an environmental footprint by shopping at fast fashion retailers.

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Categories
Australia

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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Categories
Business

Why everyone’s getting poached on LinkedIn

Why everyone's getting poached on LinkedIn

Kris Grant, chief executive officer of ASPL Group.

Kris Grant, chief executive officer of ASPL Group.Credit:

“If your trigger for moving is money-driven, it may not always give you the job satisfaction on the other side,” said Grant.

“They’re maybe not getting much learning and development and are not happy … Unless you work through that, you could get into a new role and it could be exactly the same challenges.”

Some workers have come to this realization and are returning to their previous employers (who are welcoming them back with open arms) in higher positions with better pay, in what Gartner HR research and advisory vice president Aaron McEwan calls the “boomerang phenomenon”.

Remote work has also made job-switching arguably easier than it has ever been in history. Though the talent pool is larger now that borders have opened, organizations are finding themselves jogging with global rivals.

“Prior to the pandemic, if I was offered a job in Perth, that means pulling my kids out of school and relocating; you might as well be in another country,” McEwan said.

Gartner HR's Aaron McEwan.

Gartner HR’s Aaron McEwan.Credit:

“When you’ve got jobs that can literally be done from anywhere, the cost of switching, from an economic and social and family impact [standpoint], is actually much lower. As a result, we’re expecting attrition rates are going to remain high forever.”

Social media has also made poaching quicker, easier and cheaper than ever. “There’s very little cost in sending requests to somebody, or hitting them up on their Instagram account,” said McEwan.

In key areas of critical skills shortages such as the digital and tech sectors, some employees are receiving messages so frequently that they’ve “retired” their LinkedIn accounts, making it even harder for organizations to find talent, he added.

winners and losers

All these factors have given job candidates the upper hand. Employers will need to be the ‘whole package’ for their pick of top talent as the cost of living continues to rise and frequent unsolicited messages from recruiters on LinkedIn become a common experience across the workforce. In this context, the “old tools” of promotions and money don’t talk as loudly as they used to, says McEwan.

“What if you were using a different set of tools?” he asked, pointing to more reasonable workloads and better work-life balance. Companies like Atlassian, known for its ‘TEAM Anywhere’ policy and approach to the environment, aren’t struggling for talent to the same degree other companies are, he added.

“It’s that radical flexibility that people really want.”

But the proactive strategy of poaching is one that generally benefits bigger employers, according to Indeed career coach Sally McKibbin.

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“Unfortunately it’s often smaller organizations that fall victim to talent poaching as they may find it difficult to compete with larger organizations when it comes to enticing salaries, career development opportunities and various other perks and benefits that large organizations can offer,” she said.

Recruiters are enjoying high demand for their services, while some organizations choosing to handle the poaching themselves are compiling “internal databases” of employees at rival firms, McKibbin said.

Workers might find themselves taking part in the hunting process. “Employee referrals can be a brilliant source of identifying targets,” she said.

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Categories
Technology

Motorola Razr 2022 Revealed First Pictures – channelnews

Motorola Razr 2022 Revealed First Pictures – channelnews

Motorola, who is set to unveil their Razr 2022 foldable alongside other phones today, has announced the price of the new foldable, considerably less than Samsung’s just announced Galaxy Z Flip 4.

The price for the phone has only been announced in China, sitting at 5,999 yuan (A$1,259.17), whilst the Flip 4 is priced at 8,499 yuan (A$1,789), marking a roughly 40% price difference.

This difference is to be taken with a grain of salt of course as pricing here is Australia is very different. The Motorola Razr 2022 is yet to be priced here whilst the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 sits at A$1,499.

The foldable market in Australia is a two-horse race, one that Samsung is certainly leading. However, the Korean tech giant has reason to be worried. Both phones are expected to boast similar specs, both with the latest and greatest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip, 6.7-inch displays and similar battery sizes of 3,500mAh on the Motorola and 3,700mAh on the Samsung.

However, the Motorola is expected to boast a 50MP main camera, 13MP wide angle camera and a 32MP selfie camera, considerably higher than the Samsung’s dual 12MP rear cameras and 10MP selfie camera. The Motorola also promises a high 144Hz refresh rate.

If Motorola, who has seen 250% market growth in Australia, can deliver on a lower price tag and higher specs, Samsung is set to face fierce competition with the form factor it looks to dominate.

Categories
Australia

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.

Categories
Business

South Korea pardons Samsung boss ‘to help the economy’

South Korea pardons Samsung boss 'to help the economy'

The heir and de facto leader of the Samsung group received a presidential pardon Friday, continuing South Korea’s long tradition of freeing business leaders convicted of corruption on economic grounds.

Billionaire Lee Jae-yong, convicted of bribery and embezzlement in January last year, will be “reinstated” to give him a chance to “contribute to overcoming the economic crisis” of the country, justice minister Han Dong-hoon said.

Friday’s pardon will allow him to fully return to work by lifting a post-prison employment restriction that had been set for five years.

The pardon was given so that Lee — as well as other high-level executives receiving pardons Friday — could “lead the country’s continuous growth engine through active investment in technology and job creation,” it added.

A total of 1,693 people — including prisoners with terminal illnesses and those near the end of their terms — were on the pardon list, the ministry said, ahead of the annual Liberation Day anniversary Monday.

Lee, 54, issued a statement after the pardon was announced saying he aimed to “contribute to the economy through continuous investment and job creation for young people.”

Lee is the vice-chairman of Samsung Electronics, the world’s biggest smartphone maker. The conglomerate’s overall turnover is equivalent to about one-fifth of South Korea’s gross domestic product.

There is a long history of South Korean tycoons being charged with bribery, embezzlement, tax evasion or other offenses.

The giant Samsung group is by far the largest of the family-controlled empires known as chaebol that dominate business in South Korea.

But analysts said they simply allowed major businessmen to feel they were not “constrained by any legal norms”, Vladimir Tikhonov, professor of Korean studies at the University of Oslo, told AFP.

Justice minister Han said all politicians were excluded this time as the economy is the most “urgent and important” issue.

– More legal woes –

In May, he was excused from a hearing in that trial to host US President Joe Biden when he kicked off a tour of South Korea by visiting Samsung’s chip plant, alongside President Yoon.

But Lee’s imprisonment has been no barrier to the firm’s performance — it announced a surge of more than 70 percent in second-quarter profits in July last year, with a coronavirus-driven shift to remote work boosting demand for devices using its memory chips.

“The pardon weakens the rule of law, which potentially is, in fact, more detrimental than advantageous.”

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