National Archives - The Courier

Record number of GPs in training but ‘job not done’

Australians could have improved access to local doctors as a record number of medical students train to become GPs. More than 1500 junior doctors will undergo specialist GP training in 2025, an almost 20 per cent increase – or 249 future GPs – on 2024. While this will help address Australia’s GP shortage, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, says more must be done to sustain growth as the population ages. Australia is projected to face a shortfall of 800 full-time GPs in 2024, 2600 in 2028 and 8600 by 2048, according to a report the Department of Health […]

Nov 20, 2024

Losses mount as cybercrime targets Aussies, businesses

A new cybercrime report is received every six minutes with small businesses and everyday Australians bearing the brunt of the “very concerning” malicious attempts. More than 87,000 cybercrime incidents were reported to the Australian Signals Directorate in 2023/24. While that was down seven per cent from the prior year, the amount of money victims lost to cybercrime continued to climb. Individuals impacted by online crime lost an average of $30,700 – an increase of seven per cent – while small businesses targeted by cyber attacks lost about $50,000. Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles said the growing cyber threat is “very […]

Nov 20, 2024

Rental crisis is everywhere, dire for essential workers

Australia’s housing crisis has reached the point where essential workers “are faced with a dire picture” when looking for a home to rent, and moving to the regions is no longer a ticket to a more affordable lifestyle. Anglicare Australia’s latest Rental Affordability Snapshot released on Wednesday has found there’s few places anywhere in Australia where key workers can live without breaking the bank. Nurses can afford just 1.4 per cent of properties, ambulance workers 2.2 per cent, while fewer than one per cent of early childhood educators and construction workers are able to find homes to rent. A person […]

Oct 22, 2024

Rising livestock prices behind agricultural growth

An increasing appetite for Australian red meat in the US and Middle East is driving growth in the agriculture sector, with output expected to hit the third highest result on record. The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics released its latest forecasts on Tuesday. Agricultural production is tipped to rise from $82.5 billion last year to $86.2 billion in the 2024/25 financial year, an increase of four per cent. “Demand for our meat exports is really having a big impact on our meat and veal and our sheep meat prices, so we’re seeing that translate to farm gate prices,” […]

Sep 9, 2024