Posted April 01, 2018 06:04:35
Photo: Fitzroy Crossing Renal Hostel remains empty and unused a year after completion. (Supplied: Peter Bennetts) Map: Fitzroy Crossing 6765 Dialysis facilities worth $17 million are sitting padlocked, empty and unused in WA's north, due to what the Health Department says are issues with contracting and water quality. In 2015, the then-Barnett Government funded two 20-bed accommodation complexes and a new dialysis unit in the Kimberley, to help address the backlog of mainly elderly Aboriginal people requiring life-sustaining treatment for kidney failure. But issues with contracting and water quality mean none are operating, despite construction finishing in the first half of 2017. WA Country Health Service Regional Director Bec Smith said the delays were unfortunate, but not the result of mismanagement. Photo: WA Country Health Service Regional Director Bec Smith. (Supplied: WA Country Health Service) "The dialysis unit is heavily dependent on plumbing and water, and it has to go through a number of tests before we can make that unit operational," she said. "Unfortunately some of our water testing has failed for a number of reasons." "It's good in a sense that we're picking up the issues from a patient safety and a diligence perspective, but it is unfortunate for the people of the Fitzroy Valley that it has delayed the opening." In the meantime, two dialysis chairs are operating out of the local hospital, where the water quality meets standards. The delays opening the new unit mean two new dialysis chairs are going unused, limiting the number of people who can be treated in the Fitzroy Valley to 12. Winning awards, but empty Down the road, a $7 million accommodation complex for dialysis patients has been gathering dust since construction finished a year ago, along with a $6 million hostel in Derby that was finished in July. The Department said it had not been able to find an organisation willing or able to run them. "We put out a registration of interest, looking for external providers to come in and run those two hostels, but unfortunately we had to decline all offers and the contracts were not successful," said Ms Smith. "So since that time we have been doing further due diligence work, and looking at what the next steps are for Fitzroy Crossing we are in communication with some potential providers, and for Derby we are looking to go to registration of interest in a matter of weeks." Photo: The sign outside Derby Renal Hostel, which was due to open last year. (ABC Kimberley: Erin Parke) The Fitzroy Crossing accommodation recently won an international architecture award, something Kimberley MP Josie Farrer said was little consolation to dialysis patients in need of a bed. "I think it is one of the best buildings that I have seen, but I am just amazed at the time it has taken in regards to opening this place," she said. "It is such a beautiful building it is just missing the people in it." Opposition Health spokesman Sean L'Estrange said the delays were unacceptable. "It is a very concerning situation, as the former Barnett Government committed to building these facilities because of the need in the Kimberley region," he said. "We had them ready to go, and all the Labor government has had to do in the last 12 months is appoint a contractor to make sure the water was working, to make sure the facility was staffed, so people in the most need in that area can access those essential health services. "They should be hurrying up, and delivering these services to the people of the Kimberley." The WA Country Health Service said water testing and contract negotiations were continuing, and it hoped to have all three facilities open mid-year. Backlog of patients reducing Photo: The number of people needing dialysis is growing in central and northern Australia. (ABC TV) Kidney failure is on the rise in northern Australia, and expensive to treat, but the Health Department said the backlog of patients awaiting treatment in northern WA was reducing. Over the past decade there has been a shuffling of patients between towns and cities, to try to get often elderly and Aboriginal patients access to treatment close to home. Ms Smith said the addition of new dialysis chairs over the past five years had allowed more than 20 Kimberley residents to return from Perth. "Before the Kununurra and Derby dialysis units expanded, in 2013, we had about 31 people in Perth waiting to come back for dialysis," she said. "Today, there are nine people in Perth waiting, wanting to come back those families will say it is nine too many, but to us it is at least better than the 31." Topics:health,indigenous-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander,government-and-politics,architecture,fitzroy-crossing-6765,kununurra-6743,derby-6728 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-01/health-facilities-unused-across-kimberley/9603284
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Updated March 30, 2018 00:09:31
A Western Australian police officer who grabbed a woman on the bottom at a sporting event in the state's north-west has been found not guilty of indecent assault by a magistrate who described the incident as "low on seriousness". Andrew John Ramsden, 48, has been standing trial in South Hedland Magistrates Court on a charge of indecent and unlawful assault following an incident at a charity wheelchair basketball match at Wanangkura Stadium in December. In finding Sergeant Ramsden not guilty, Magistrate Michelle Ridley said in 2017 there was more touching between males and females than ever before. "(In) the era of twerking, grinding and easy access to pornography, something like pinching someone on the bottom seems to have lost its overtly sexual connotation," Magistrate Ridley said. "It seems it's low on seriousness now, that it doesn't even rate a mention." Sergeant Ramsden, who was stood down while the court matter was dealt with, appeared relieved as Magistrate Ridley delivered her verdict. Earlier, the South Hedland Magistrates Court heard the incident occurred during a team photo when the police officer was standing behind the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons. Sergeant Ramsden had taken part in a charity fundraiser for a teenager diagnosed with a terminal illness. The court heard he grabbed the woman's bottom as the team posed for a photo after the game. The woman had instructed the players to look "tough" for the photo. The court heard he had stood behind the woman and said to her "I hope you take this the right way" and grabbed her, causing her to jump forward. "I didn't particularly want a serious photo as that's not in the spirit of the day," Sergeant Ramsden told the court. Photo: The incident happened at South Hedland's Wanangkura Stadium at a charity wheelchair basketball match in December 2017. (ABC North West WA: Kendall O'Connor) "I thought let's turn this into a funny photo. "I wanted a reaction for the photo, unfortunately that reaction wasn't what I was expecting." Sergeant Ramsden told the court he had made a serious misjudgement. The woman said she felt "shocked" and "humiliated" after the incident. "I was struggling to process it I started saying under my breath 'that's not okay'," she told the court via video link. She said she confronted him but felt he had not taken her complaint seriously. Defence lawyer Linda Black told the court Sergeant Ramsden had only touched the woman on her side, or "love-handle area", and had apologised twice after seeing her reaction. South Hedland Police officer in charge, Senior Sergeant Allan Jane, told the court he was shocked by what had happened. He described Sergeant Ramsden as an outstanding officer and had never received any complaints about him or his behaviour with women. Sergeant Ramsden had been a police officer for 17 years, the court heard. After the verdict, a WA Police Force spokesperson released a statement to the ABC saying the officer remains stood down from operational duties and the merits of an appeal will be considered. "Independent of today's court outcome, there is a separate police internal investigation underway into the officer's conduct," the spokesperson said on Thursday. Topics:courts-and-trials,police,sport---leisure,disabilities,south-hedland-6722 First posted March 29, 2018 17:16:13 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-29/south-hedland-cop-found-not-guilty-of-indecent-assault/9601670 By Dominique Bayens Updated March 29, 2018 08:25:14
Photo: Robina Haines with her late husband Nigel and Jaxon, Savannah and Orlando. (Supplied: Robina Haines) Map: Geraldton 6530 When Robina Haines answered a knock at the door to find two police officers with hats in their hands, a veil of grief descended upon her. It was 2015 and they were there to tell her that her husband Nigel had died suddenly of cardiac arrest while working away at a mine site near Newman in Western Australia's Pilbara region. Until then, it had been an ordinary day. Robina had been hanging out the washing at her Perth home as her children played. They were expecting Mr Haines to return from his job on a mine site east of Newman, in WA's Pilbara, in time for the school holidays. "I was just about to go pick Nige up from the airport and my little boy came running to me and said: 'Oh Mum there's some police at the door'," Ms Haines said. "I actually felt a veil, it just descended upon me and I actually slid down the side of the house. "I crawled inside to tell my two children that were standing, staring through the window, and I lay in a ball on the loungeroom floor not knowing what to do." Overcome with grief, Robina was forced to deal with the practical challenges of losing her husband. "I went from collecting tickets to go to the Royal Show to picking out a casket for my young husband," she said. Putting grief into words Devastated and unsure what to do next, Ms Haines found herself compelled to write. "I started to write because it was so enormous what I was dealing with, that I didn't know what else to do," she said. As time went on, writing became a form of therapy for her and she decided to use her writing to help others by turning her writing into a guide book on grief. "From day one, I fought with grief. I always felt like I had to move on and I was never ready," she said. "I just battled putting a smile on my face and in the end, I just embraced grief." A year after Nigel died, Ms Haines had a routine health check that turned her world turned upside down again. "The last test I had was a mammogram and two days later, a year after Nige passed away, I was diagnosed with breast cancer," she said. Photo: Robina Haines book follows the journey of meeting her husband to dealing with the grief of his sudden death. (Supplied: Robina Haines) Looking forward positively She said the diagnosis felt like a second wave of grief. But she found strength in her three children to pick herself up and face the battle that was in front of her. "They were my motivation to get up every day," she said. Ms Haines has turned the experience of losing her husband and her breast cancer diagnosis into a book called Hello Grief, Be My Friend. "There's two ways you can go, you can actually take the path of self-destruction or you can take the situation as a challenge and try and look forward positively and I did that for my children," she said. Two-and-a-half years on, Ms Haines is still waiting for the all-clear from her doctor but says the veil which descended on her when police told her Nigel was dead had started to lift. "It doesn't go away overnight, but there are steps you can take to help lift that fog." Ms Haines plans to tour Western Australia to share her journey and raise awareness about breast cancer. Topics:grief,death,books-literature,arts-and-entertainment,regional,cancer,health,geraldton-6530,perth-6000,newman-6753,wa First posted March 29, 2018 06:59:39 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-29/robina-haines-survived-grief-and-cancer-by-writing/9597466 Updated March 29, 2018 19:40:55
Photo: Ms Lua and Ms Freeman stood trial for four days Perth Magistrate's Court. (Facebook: Glenda Lua, Luz Freeman) Related Story: Carers dropped 92yo woman on floor, shoved teddy bear in her face, court hears Map: Perth 6000 Two aged care workers, who were sacked after being accused of assaulting an elderly dementia patient, have been cleared by a Perth magistrate of any wrongdoing. Luz Ando Freeman and Glenda Lua stood trial accused of using excessive force against 92-year-old Jean Robins at the Morrison Lodge in Midland between September 20 and October 20, 2016. Photo: Ms Lua got along reasonably well with Ms Robins, her lawyer told the court. (Facebook: Glenda Lua) They were charged after Ms Robin's son installed a secret camera in her room after she broke her leg in a fall, and her family wanted to find out why she kept falling from her bed. Ms Freeman faced seven charges including allegations she had pushed Ms Robins by the shoulders and head to get her to settle in bed, that she threw a teddy bear in her face, and that she assaulted Ms Robins when her legs came into contact with a bed rail. Magistrate Greg Smith found Ms Freeman not guilty of three charges, while the remaining four were dismissed after her lawyer submitted his client had no case to answer. Careless, but not criminal In his decision, Magistrate Smith said on the evidence presented to him, he was not persuaded Ms Freeman had used "force" that was "so excessive as to warrant a criminal conviction for aggravated common assault". He also said he was not satisfied Ms Freeman had "deliberately struck" Ms Robins with the teddy bear, saying while her actions may have been "a little bit careless" they were not assault. Magistrate Smith said Ms Robins, who had other serious medical conditions in addition to dementia, presented as an "enormous challenge" to the carers who he said had to attend to about 30 patients each night. He noted that at times Ms Robins behaved in an "erratic and unpredictable way" and she was sometimes violent and abusive to the staff who were trying to look after her. Photo: Ms Freeman was facing seven counts of aggravated common assault. (Facebook: Luz Freeman) "Ms Robins' behaviour seemed to be worse at night time when her medications were wearing off," Magistrate Smith said. "Early in the day there were three carers to look after her, but in the evening when her behaviour was worse, there were only two carers. "I accept without hesitation that the carers who had to look after her at night time would be run off their feet. "The carers had to do the best they could and cope with the situation as best they could." In throwing out another charge against Ms Freeman, Magistrate Smith there was no evidence Ms Freeman had deliberately assaulted Ms Robins when her legs had come into contact with a bed rail. "I find it almost incomprehensible that the charge was laid in the first place," Magistrate Smith said. Giving evidence in her own defence, Ms Freeman denied any wrongdoing. "Deep in my heart and in my mind, I know I did not harm Ms Robins," Ms Freeman said. "I did my work to help her and settle her in bed." Tears of relief Earlier, Magistrate Smith had dismissed all charges against Ms Lua, who was facing five charges. He said, also in her case, he was not of the view Ms Lua had used excessive force against Ms Robins, saying there was no evidence of anything "untoward" happening. One of the charges against Ms Lua related to her not using a hoist to lift Ms Robins into bed, but Magistrate Smith said the failure to use the hoist and the lifting of Ms Robins manually "could not make [Ms Lua] guilty of assault". Both women sobbed when they were told they were free to leave the court. Photo: Ms Lua outside Perth Magistrate's Court with her husband Jesse James Lua. (ABC News: Joanna Menagh) "They think we are a bad person, but we are the victims here. Terminating us at work, that's not fair because we work hard we care for all the people," Ms Lua said. Ms Lua's husband Jesse James said the case had been "very, very stressful" for his wife and his family. "I'm glad the magistrate has cleared my wife's name hopefully we can move on from here," Mr Lua said. Mr Lua said his wife had not been able to work since being accused of the assault. Magistrate Smith awarded Ms Lua $17,000 for her legal costs while Ms Freeman was awarded $20,500. Topics:courts-and-trials,assault,perth-6000,midland-6056,wa First posted March 29, 2018 16:22:24 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-29/carers-cleared-of-assaulting-woman-at-midland-aged-care-facility/9601512 Updated March 29, 2018 12:12:16
Photo: Renai Buchanan knows all about long waits in emergency departments. (ABC News: Rebecca Turner) Related Story: Mental health patients waiting hours, days in emergency ward Map: Perth 6000 When Renai Buchanan felt desperately suicidal, hospital emergency departments were both the best and worst place to be. Mental health crisis services directed her there for treatment, because EDs are deemed best at dealing with life-threatening situations. But Ms Buchanan said the long waits for assessment and treatment for mental health patients which can take days made her feel worthless and even more distressed. Amid the bright lights, noise and constant high-stress atmosphere, the Perth woman would watch children with respiratory symptoms or people with broken limbs being treated before her and feel that her problem was less important. "They are there for a multitude of reasons that are not life-threatening, but mine was," she said. "You are waiting for help thinking, what in this hospital can I use to kill myself?" A common tale of trauma Ms Buchanan is not alone in her experience of EDs. More than a year ago, she took a friend with intense suicidal thoughts to a Perth hospital ED at 9am on a Sunday morning, only to find out she was unlikely to get a bed until at least lunchtime the next day. If you or anyone you know needs help: Her friend was traumatised by having to explain her complex psychological history in the less-than-private surrounds of an ED. It was also upsetting to be shifted around the department to make way for patients with a physical impairment. "She was sitting in a hallway for four hours, while she was a sobbing, hysterical mess," Ms Buchanan said. Eventually, her friend's father offered to pay for her to receive treatment in a private hospital and they walked out of the ED. While she acknowledged hospital staff do their best in the situation, Ms Buchanan said she believed that EDs are not the right place for people with mental health emergencies to spend many hours and days. "We need to be treated faster and have more privacy and support," she said. Wait times reaching crisis point The long waits in emergency departments for WA's mental health patients are reaching what some advocates are privately calling a crisis point. Data released last month by the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) found two in three WA patients were waiting for more than eight hours in EDs after presenting with acute mental health issues. Photo: Long waits in emergency departments are common for mental health patients. (ABC News) There have been stories of agitated patients being physically restrained and then chemically re-sedated while waiting up to six days for a hospital bed. But the day the data was collected it was recorded simultaneously at 10:00am on Monday, December 4 from 72 EDs across Australia and New Zealand was a quiet one, according to the state's chief mental health advocate. That morning in WA, 34 people were waiting for a bed, including four children who had waited between two and six days. "This is clearly unacceptable health care and not an isolated occurrence," Debora Colvin wrote to the WA Government's key health managers. "The day ACEM conducted its spot check was in fact a very light mental health day in the EDs, and yet WA came out as the worst state." Ms Colvin wrote that she believed the problem was due to several factors: A shortage of beds for mental health patients in hospitalsA lack of community mental health servicesBureaucratic problems in managing beds for mental health patients, caused by the restructuring of government health services. Photo: More mental health patients are presenting to emergency departments, Roger Cook says. (Jeanette E. Spaghetti/flickr.com/CC-BY-NC-ND-2.0) Consumers of Mental Health WA chief executive Shauna Gaebler said better community services which helped stop people becoming unwell were needed. "It's around working within the community to keep people at home in the community, but then having back-up at the hospital which is timely and supports their recovery when that's needed," she said. In a written statement, Health Minister Roger Cook said an increasing number of people were presenting to EDs with mental health problems. He said the new mental health observation area at Joondalup Hospital was designed to improve the patient care and flow in its ED, with similar units planned for Royal Perth Hospital and Geraldton Hospital. Violent patients released back onto the street The problem is exacerbated by lower-needs patients being released by community mental health services before they are fully recovered, and then relapsing with more acute problems. A leaked report into the City East Community Mental Health Service in East Perth revealed one violent patient with a psychotic illness was released too early and soon ended up in prison at the Frankland Centre, the high-security inpatient unit at Graylands Hospital. Photo: A review found "a deeper systemic failure" at one Perth mental health clinic. (Unsplash: Louis Blythe) As part of the report sparked by an anonymous letter about the service to the chief psychiatrist psychiatrist Dr Geoff Smith and psychologist Theresa Williams examined the case files of 10 people treated by the service. It found two patients with psychotic illnesses were released into the care of a GP, even though it was known they did not have a GP and were likely to relapse. "However, it is important to emphasise that this is a cohort of people with multiple complex needs and, in many instances challenging behaviour, who are consequently difficult to treat in the community," the reviewers wrote. "The lack of appropriate models of care and treatment options points to a deeper systemic failure." The review found that the City East service often did not meet national mental health standards or the chief psychiatrist's standards around patient recovery, including discharge, handover and follow-up. In response to the findings, Mr Cook said the East Metropolitan Health Service had been working to implement some of the recommendations of the report, trying to improve its patient discharge processes and looking at how patients could be better supported in the community. Topics:mental-health,perth-6000 First posted March 29, 2018 10:53:07 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-29/mental-health-crisis-as-patients-wait-in-emergency-departments/9598930 Posted March 29, 2018 06:40:02
Investigations are underway into the reported sinking of a floatplane at a marine park in the Kimberley, after conflicting reports emerged over whether the aircraft is at the bottom of the ocean, or at a hangar in Broome. The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) was notified the aircraft hit plant debris in the water near the famed Horizontal Falls on March 15 in a statement, saying: "It was not a passenger flight but training, and they made a heavy landing float broke and the plane eventually sank." The two pilots on board escaped uninjured. However, the owner of the award-winning Horizontal Falls tourism operation initially maintained the aircraft had not sunk, and showed the ABC a similar aircraft that he insisted was the one involved in what he called a "minor incident". Differing accounts The discrepancy emerged in the days after the crash, when a multi-million dollar insurance claim was made in relation to a sunken plane registered VH-PGA. Salvage companies were contacted in regards to retrieving the wreck, which the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) had recorded as being 20 metres underwater at Talbot Bay. The aircraft is owned by the Perth company West Coast Seaplanes, but is leased at times during the northern tourist season to Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures. Photo: The floatplane registered VH-PGA is reported to have sunk at the Horizontal Falls in the West Kimberley. (Supplied: Richard Costin) They run the only permanent tourism operation in the popular Kimberly marine park and had intended to use the plane once the tourist season started later this year. Owner of Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures Troy Thomas, whose company logo is on the tail of the aircraft in question, initially denied the plane had sunk when contacted by the ABC. "The float took on water, but we were able to pump it out and patch it up and have it out of there in half an hour," he told the ABC on March 21. The next day, he sought to prove this by showing the ABC a floatplane at the company's Broome hangar that had the letters VH-PGA on the tail and some signs of patching on its front, left float. Mr Thomas would not allow the plane to be photographed, but insisted it was the aircraft involved in the March 15 incident, disputing CASA's report of a sunken aircraft. This contradicts the statements provided to aviation authorities of a sunken aircraft subject to an insurance claim. Mr Thomas has declined to comment on the conflicting accounts of the plane's location and condition, releasing instead a written statement: "Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures is in no way associated with an incident that occurred on the 15th of March, [and] the aircraft VH-PGA is not owned or operated by Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures," it read. "We are currently seeking legal action against a Perth radio station and an individual for public defamation in regards to this matter." Inquiries underway The confusion has prompted several inquiries by state and federal authorities. Insurance company investigators are flying to Broome this week to try to confirm details of the sunken aircraft, with QBE declining to comment on the case. The ABC understands the aircraft owner is organising for divers to inspect the reported underwater wreckage and take photographs confirming its condition and registration details. That will be no easy task due to the remote location, big tides, and presence of sharks and crocodiles in the waterway. Parks and Wildlife is also taking an interest, as the reported plane wreck falls within the recently-created Lalang-garram/Horizontal Falls Marine Park. In a statement it said: "The department has been advised by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority that a report was made to it that a sea plane was involved in a hard landing at Talbot Bay on 15 March 2018 and that it subsequently sank and is in approximately 20 metres of water". "The department has made contact with the aircraft operator and is seeking more information." The agency has confirmed in a statement that it will be publishing an incident report on its online database this week. "With 17,000 incidents, serious incidents and accident notifications made to the ATSB last year, it is not possible for the ATSB to investigate every occurrence... the ATSB focuses its resources in the areas that are most likely to result in safety improvements." Topics:law-crime-and-justice,travel-and-tourism,broome-6725 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-29/sea-plane-sinking-horizontal-falls/9597718 Updated March 27, 2018 18:31:52
Video: Century old murder mystery in outback Western Australia remains unsolved(ABC News) Map: Mount Magnet 6638 Mount Magnet, 1898. Two men exploring a mine shaft are alerted to a murder when they smell the stench of a decomposing body. The town is in the midst of a gold rush, and living among the thousands of hopeful prospectors, is the murderer. To this day the crime remains unsolved, and the murder victim is also unknown, but the story of the gruesome event lives on in the small outback town. Photo: The remnants of the mineshaft where part of a body was found in 1898. It is an unsolved murder to this day. (ABC Regional: Chris Lewis) The story caught the attention of Perth historian Jessica Barratt who spent months researching archive newspaper articles and old police records in order to find out exactly what happened. "What initially drew me to this story was the shocking nature of the crime," she said. "Dismemberment seems unusual today but for 1898 it seemed even more so. "What kept me engrossed was the complexity of the story and the ongoing police investigation." Ms Barratt said the story began when two miners went down a shaft to investigate a bad smell and discovered a dismembered human leg. "The police investigated and they found limbs of a person, and then the head was found down another mine shaft," she said. What followed was a three-year investigation where the chief suspect paid off a witness, before disappearing. Photo: "The main thing that continually draws me to history is the stories. There are so many people and so many different types of stories that over time end up forgotten," says Jessica Barratt. (Jessica Barratt) Mount Magnet local historian Kevin Brand said you could still see the remains of one of the mine shafts where the body parts were found, although the shaft was now caved in as a safety precaution. Local residents are aware of the story as it passed through the generations, but it is hard to know where the myth ends and where the facts begin. Ms Barratt has spent months separating the facts from the fiction and has divulged her findings in her blog The Dusty Box. She said, even though it was a mystery, the story was an important one to tell. "I think these stories enable us to learn a side of history that isn't necessarily rosy," she said. "Victims who suffer terrible deaths and are never identified and murderers who commit horrible crimes and manage to get away with it. "These stories are just as important as stories that are nice. They enable us to learn about the dark side of human nature which exists whether in the past or the present." Topics:history,mount-magnet-6638,geraldton-6530 First posted March 27, 2018 16:25:02 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-27/mt-magnet-murder-mystery/9587548 Updated March 27, 2018 17:00:25
Photo: Pippin, a small Chinese-crested dog, needed treatment after being attacked. (Supplied: Kim Slight) A Perth woman wants segregated dog parks to become the norm after her Chinese-crested dog Pippin was left with 20 stitches and severe bite marks following an attack by a much larger dog. Kim Slight told ABC Radio Perth she believed attacks by larger dogs on small dogs were a regular occurrence. To stop this, she would like to see dedicated spaces set aside for small dogs to exercise in safety. Ms Slight said she and Pippin were going for a walk in Charles Reilly Reserve at North Beach when her pet was set upon by a dog that was not on a lead. "The owner, a young girl, was halfway across another oval," Ms Slight said. "I tried desperately but this other dog threw itself at my 10-kilogram Chinese-crested dog and there was nothing I or the other woman could do to tear it away. "It was just a horrific attack." Pippin was taken to a nearby veterinary clinic and required significant treatment. "They put over 20 stitches into his back, he had drains in his spine, bites in his neck," Ms Slight said. "I'm angry. This [other] dog was probably a lovely dog, it was a rescue dog, but it had already been assessed with fear aggression and it wasn't under any restraint." Photo: Can big and small dogs get along at the park or should they be separated? (774 ABC Melbourne: Simon Leo Brown) Dog owners carrying golf clubs for protection Since speaking publicly about the attack, Ms Slight said she had been contacted by many other small dog owners who said their pets had also been attacked by larger dogs. "People are walking their little dogs in Charles Reilly Reserve armed with golf clubs, and in one case I know pepper spray, which indicates how scared they are," she said. "It's not a relaxed environment anymore." She added current avenues for complaint or retribution were inadequate. "I think there is little point in fining people," Ms Slight said. "The attacks need to be stopped before they happen. "While small dogs can be aggressive they don't have the same bite power, body size and weight of say a pitbull or a mastiff. "We need to separate dogs by size so these attacks can't happen." Ms Slight is petitioning the local council and her MP for the creation of separate fenced areas for small dogs so they can exercise and socialise in safety. She said such dog parks existed in some parts of Perth. "In Aveley, Whiteman Park and Ellenbrook they have special enclosures just for small dogs so that you can go in there comfortably, so there is no fear. "I just see that as ideal." Photo: Not all pets play happily together. (ABC Radio Canberra: Penny Travers) 'It is the little dogs that start it' But not all ABC Radio Perth listeners agreed that small dogs were the innocent parties when it came to canine conflict. Ben: "Separating little dogs may actually be a very good idea because 90 per cent of the time it is the little dogs that start the problems." Nath: "So it's OK that little dogs are aggressive because they have small mouth? If our big rotti was that badly trained we couldn't go to a dog park. Bring on the small dog park so they can stop hassling all the other dogs." Lyn: "I own a big dog now but previously owned a little dog. I find the little dogs feel threatened and yap and snap at my big dog. Luckily, she is very placid and just ignores them. I agree they should be separated." Dee: "It seems some small dog owners are happy to have their dog off the lead whilst my staffordshire is on the lead and I am often trying to keep these yappy dogs away from mine." Listener Reg said all dogs owners must exercise more control over their pets in public parks. "I've been bailed up by small, medium and large dogs while walking around Yokine reserve," he said. "On all occasions the owners did nothing but smile and say, 'He won't hurt you'. "All dogs big and small need to be on leashes in public places." Report attacks to council Chris Brereton, City of Stirling's acting director of community development, said all dog owners, regardless of the size and breed of their pet, have a responsibility to keep them under control at all times in public areas, including in dog parks. "However, the City would encourage Ms Slight and other concerned residents to get in touch with the City to discuss their concerns directly," he said. He added it was important for any suspected dog attacks or incidents to be reported to council. "So that we can capture the frequency and/or severity of incidents as accurately as possible. "While the City has received reports of dog-related incidents in the area, they have been comparatively low to the number of people who visit the reserve." Ms Slight said regardless she planned to fight hard for separate spaces. "It's not a big ask. It's unfair to say it's always bigger dogs but they have bigger bite power. "If a small dog does something awful it's a nasty bite; if a big dog does something awful you are putting bits in body bags." Topics:dog,animal-attacks,local-government,community-and-society,human-interest,perth-6000 First posted March 27, 2018 13:41:40 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-27/call-for-segregated-dog-parks-to-protect-small-breeds/9589244 Updated March 27, 2018 10:53:20
Photo: Anita and Scott Bowman have cut short their successful careers to live their dream of travelling around the world. (ABC Capricornia: Megan Hendry ) As more Australians plan to work for longer, a highly paid university executive has turned down a multi-million-dollar pay packet to retire early and travel the world with his wife. Central Queensland University Vice Chancellor Scott Bowman is paid an annual salary package of more than $500,000 and last year signed a contract to remain in the position for another five years. But after some quiet reflection and soul searching, Professor Bowman, 55, and his wife, Anita, 56, decided to cut short their successful careers and follow their dreams of travelling around the world. "I've never really worked just for the money. The money has been a really great benefit of working but it's always been the job," Professor Bowman said. "That never came into it that I'm going to lose five years' salary. "It probably adds up to the best part of $3 million, but I never thought of it in those terms." A working-class man Professor Bowman is one of the youngest vice chancellors ever appointed in Australia, and one of the youngest to retire. He is also one of the few in his position who does not have a Bachelor's degree. "I come from a very working-class family, both of my parents were factory workers," he said. Growing up in Northamptonshire, about 100 kilometres north-west of London, Professor Bowman did not achieve the grades he needed to attend university and instead entered the workforce through a hospital-based radiography training program. He later moved into teaching radiography which led him into a university setting where he said he talked his way into a master's degree in politics and government. "I got a masters degree just at the right time, so I was one of five people in the UK that was a radiographer and had a masters degree and that gave me a very fast progression," he said. Living for the now Ms Bowman, an Associate Professor, also works at the university as the Head of Department for Medical Imaging and Science. She said working in the medical industry influenced her attitude towards early retirement. "I see so many people come in to be scanned and they're so excited about their plans for what they're going to do in their retirement and then they get unwell and their plans go by the board," she said. "Not that either of us are unwell, but you don't know how long that will persist." Photo: Scott and Anita Bowman have shared a love of travel since they met on the back of this truck in the Sahara Desert in 1981. (Supplied: Scott Bowman) The couple, who met on a group tour through the Sahara Desert in their early 20s, said their love of travel was rekindled during a recent three-month holiday through outback Australia and rural Africa. They loved every minute and knew it was how they wanted to spend the next stage of their lives. But that does not mean they have not had second thoughts about quitting work. "I've just come from a meeting where we're discussing about 20 really exciting projects and the thought of walking away from that is difficult," Professor Bowman said. "I love the job, but there will always be a reason to stay on. Photo: Scott and Anita Bowman met as teenagers when they were both travelling the world. (Supplied: Scott and Anita Bowman) "The question is, are we willing to wake up one day and say, 'well that was good, but we're now 75 and those plans that we had, we're not going to be able to do now, because of our age'." The Australian Bureau of Statistics' 2016-17 Multipurpose Household Survey found that on average, Australians aged 45 years and over were intending to continue working until the age of 65, up from 63 years a decade ago. Of the 3.9 million people in the labour force over the age of 45 who indicated they intended to retire, the survey found that only 60 per cent had a particular time frame in mind. Seven per cent of those intended to retire between 54 and 59; 23 per cent intended to retire between 60 and 64; and half intended to retire between 65 and 69, with 20 per cent intending to continue working beyond the age of 70. Doing it on the cheap For those who are not earning six figure salaries and do not have a million dollars or more in superannuation to fall back on, early retirement might seem like a pipe dream. But the Bowmans say it can be done. They plan to spend the next 10 years travelling the world on about $70 a day that's $25,500 a year. Photo: Scott and Anita Bowman have bought a truck to be fitted out as a self contained camper for their world travel adventure. (Supplied: Scott Bowman ) "We are in an incredibly fortunate position, and I understand that a lot of people in Australia aren't in that position," Professor Bowman said. "But then again, we've been following a lot of websites and there are people in their twenties doing exactly what we're going to do." They bought a four-wheel drive truck set up as a self-contained camper, with solar electricity and air conditioning. "We're going to ship that over to Canada and then come back to Australia the long way," he said. "There are people doing that for $32 a day for a couple." Grey nomads leading the way Queensland retirees Kevin and Pamela Milner bought a caravan two years before they stopped working at 65 and 60. Despite having a limited amount of superannuation, they are able to spend three months of every year travelling to different parts of Australia. Mrs Milner said almost anything was possible in retirement if you simply lived within your means and planned ahead. "To holiday, it doesn't cost us much more than being at home," she said. "We have always lived within our means." Photo: Kevin and Pamela Milner have travelled to different parts of Australia for three months every year after retiring four years ago. (Supplied: Pam Milner ) Mrs Milner said the concept of having a million dollars in superannuation before retiring was unrealistic for many people of her generation. "No way, but what we had, we paid for our house, our cars. "We put a solar system on our house so there was no electricity bills," she said. With 11 grandchildren to dote on, the Milners enjoy coming home for much of the year, but said travelling is a fantastic lifestyle. "Last year we did the Cape and the Northern Territory, the year before we did South Australia and Western Australia, the year before that we did Broome and this year we've done Tasmania." Living within their means Currently camping in a national park on the east coast of Tasmania, the Milners rely mostly on Kevin's aged pension to fund their daily expenses, while Pamela's modest super is used to cover big bills like insurances and registrations. "Everybody lives differently. Even in these free camps people are different," she said. "I cryovac all our meat and freeze it before we leave Yeppoon, but some people go to the pub for dinner so they don't have to cook," she said. After raising four children and both working full-time for most of their lives, the Milners said they wanted to enjoy retirement fully and began making solid plans about three years ahead. Photo: Pamela and Kevin Milner spent three months travelling through the Northern Territory and Cape York Peninsula last year. (Supplied: Pam Milner ) "Kev has been a carpenter since he was 15, so he has worked really hard all his life, six days a week," Mrs Milner said. "I'm a mum of four and I worked a full-time job as well as bringing them up and taking them to sport. "We were laughing the other day with my sister that some weeks, there'd be 50 cents left in the bank before the next pay went in." They said after such a full and busy lifestyle they were not ready to retire any earlier than they did. "We didn't consider that it was early it was just time to enjoy life," Mrs Milner said. While they have no plans to stop travelling, Mrs Milner said they would probably be forced to sell the caravan when they reach their mid 70s. "We talk to lots of people on the road and they say with a caravan, driving it, unhooking it, probably 75 sees most people out," she said. Planning ahead Financial planner David French, whose business employs 42 staff, said 80 per cent of his firm's work was made up of retirement planning. He said a superannuation capital amount of $400,000 should provide dividends of about $25,000 a year if the fund is returning 7 per cent on investment. Photo: Financial planner David French said many people fail to consider what they really want from retirement. (Supplied: David French) But if you were born later than July 1, 1964, you generally cannot access your superannuation until the age of 60, so what do you do in the meantime if you want to retire at 55? Mr French said there were other ways to fund that 'gap' period but the most important thing to decide was how you wished to spend your time. "People don't really give a lot of thought to what retirement actually means," he said. "There are different ways to perceive retirement one is to sit on the couch and watch footy and Days of our Lives. "But maybe it really means just being able to control your time. "That might mean you take on a little bit of work here and there, and supplement it with a little bit of money from savings. "So you are able to call the shots about what you do with your day, but you're still earning some money on the way through," Mr French said. Once you know how much your lifestyle will cost, Mr French said you could plan ahead with the help of a professional and devise a way to fund it. "One way to do that is to build an investment portfolio outside of super and you might do that in a company or a trust or something to provide some tax benefits along the way," he said. "Or you might have a small business that you've decide to sell at 55 and once you've sold it there's tax concessions subject to certain rules, and if you've had the business for quite a while, that money might be all tax-free. "There's lots and lots of options." Mr French said superannuation legislation was complex and ever-changing so it was important to seek individual, professional financial advice. "There are too many moving parts and unless you are really going to spend some time getting to understand Centrelink, the tax laws, and the superannuation laws and how they all work together, you are going to make some big mistakes, " he said. Mr French said many people wait until it is too late to see a financial planner. "It's a bit like dying," he said. "We all know it's going to happen but you just put it to one side." Mr French said the most important way of ensuring your financial security in retirement is to take an interest in your superannuation now. "The best results we've had with clients, is when the client has taken an interest," he said. Tips to maximise your superConsolidate your superannuation funds into one fund to reduce fees and compound returnsContribute more than than the compulsory 9.5 per cent through salary sacrifice or after-tax contributions. Be careful not to go over the $25,000 annual limitSome funds offer a feature that allows you to roll up spare change into your super account. For example, when you buy a coffee for $4.50, 50 cents automatically transfers from your bank into your super accountConsider a more aggressive investment option than the default balanced portfolio if you have a long way to go until retirement. But be warned, the returns can be higher and so is the riskBasic personal finance principles remain important: avoid high interest debt such as credit cards and personal loans, live within your means and save 3-6 months pay into a savings account as a rainy day fund for unexpected bills or sudden loss of employmentOwning your own home is also a big factor in early retirement. Paying a little extra into the mortgage each month can knock years off your home loanSource: Financial Services Council "The conversation is a much more of a constructive, two-way conversation, rather than saying, you are the expert, you tell me." Mr French says the financial planning industry now must operate on a fee-for-service basis, so potential clients can and should ask for a fee schedule up front. Don't wait until it's too late Financial Services Council chief executive Sally Loane agreed people needed to engage early with their superannuation fund regardless of when they planned to retire. She said there was a whole generation of Australians who had not saved enough super to fund their own retirements, independent of the aged pension. Ms Loane said that was mostly because superannuation did not become compulsory until 1992. "For me, I'd just had my first child, it was only three per cent of my wage and I thought I could do more with it," she said. "I didn't engage early enough, I didn't concentrate on it, and I didn't put more money in when I should have." Ms Loane said Australians had more than $2.5 trillion in superannuation funds and should take a greater interest in their own finances. "A lot of people don't get engaged with their super until their 40s or even 50s and I would argue that that's almost too late. "Don't just set and forget," she said. Ms Loane said new technology and digital apps were making superannuation more accessible for younger workers with many funds now providing features like rounding up, where for example, if buy a coffee for $4.50, your bank automatically transfers the 'round up' amount of 50 cents to your superannuation account. "There are many ways of course to accumulate wealth before you want to retire, but superannuation is very effective and it's the one everyone has access to," Ms Loane said. "The best savings method for tax concessions is still superannuation, even though it has been wound back a bit, it's still the most generous when it comes to taxation concessions." Topics:consumer-finance,superannuation,work,banking,money-and-monetary-policy,rockhampton-4700,broome-6725,yeppoon-4703,baulkham-hills-2153,western-sahara,launceston-7250,hobart-7000,derby-6728,port-hedland-6721,exmouth-6707,carnarvon-6701,geraldton-6530,busselton-6280,esperance-6450,albany-6330,perth-6000,adelaide-5000,daly-waters-0852,borroloola-0854,katherine-0850,darwin-0800,alice-springs-0870,bamaga-4876,thursday-island-4875,port-douglas-4871,cooktown-4895,cairns-4870,canada,england,sydney-2000 First posted March 27, 2018 08:03:44 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-27/can-you-afford-to-quit-working/9586530 Posted March 26, 2018 11:07:08
There are calls to change prison transportation systems after a young woman was transported from prison to a mental health facility naked while she was experiencing menstrual bleeding. The Indigenous woman was in severe distress when she was transported from Bandyup Women's Prison to a mental health hospital in Western Australia and was in the back of a van handcuffed, naked and bleeding from her period for 40 minutes. The incident, which happened in August of last year, is being investigated by the Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services. Professor Neil Morgan, inspector of custodial services in WA, said the incident raised serious concerns about the prison system. "I am carrying out an investigation into what happened, and more generally an investigation into whether this was a one-off issue or whether it is a more systemic issue," Professor Morgan said. "It's a basic human right. Basically it is about the decent treatment of human beings in custody and it is about how we in society behave towards to people in prison." He called for better treatment of people in prisons and said there needed to be more services available for offenders with acute mental health issues. "Many, many people in prison have a significant mental health issue and we need to do better as a society to deal with that. This is one example that our prisons are housing people who really are so unwell that they belong in a mental health facility not in a prison," he said. Professor Morgan said there was only one secure mental health facility for prisoners with complex mental health issues but it only had 32 beds. "It's not very much, and when you think since our prison population has tripled during that time [since 1993], then it is well overdue for the Government to invest money into forensic mental health facilities," he said. Prison transport 'not simply a taxi service' Concerns are also being raised about the contracting of prisoner transportation with often untrained people dealing with complex needs of prisons. "I think we need to look at how we best transport people with complex needs, but it's not really a question of whether it is a private contractor or somebody else," Professor Morgan said. "People who work in the prisons in the public sector are also not terribly equipped to handle a situation of this sort a very unwell and distressed young woman. The issue of appropriate prison transport remains contentious in Western Australia following high-profile incidents such as the death of an Indigenous man known for cultural reasons as Mr Ward, who "cooked to death" in the back of a prison van operated by contractors G4S while being transported in 44-degree-Celsius heat a decade ago. Photo: Mr Ward was being transported 360 kilometres from Laverton to Kalgoorlie in 44-degree heat. (ABC News) During a coronial investigation into the incident, Perth barrister Linda Black represented G4S guard Graham Powell, and who was later found by a court to have contributed to Mr Ward's death. Ms Black said this latest incident revealed some of the community's most "vulnerable members" were being transported by outsourced companies who have drivers who were not necessarily trained or experienced. "[The prisoners are] people who have mental health issues, who may have drug issues, violence issues a whole multitude of problems," Ms Black said. "We are having companies who are outsourced by our Government, by corrective services, engaged in transporting prisoners. "It's not simply a matter of them providing a taxi service there are serious duty of care and welfare issues." Ms Black said the case was disturbing. "That [the death of Mr Ward] was the last time I can recall the Department of Corrective Services really coming under fire," she said. "Now the problem here is that none of us know what happened here, and the full circumstances." The State Government said in a statement that it was informed of the incident shortly after it happened and the Minister for Corrective Services supported the issue being referred to the Inspector of Custodial Services. The investigation is now examining the wider issue of prisoner transfers. Transportation contractor Broadspectrum has been contacted for comment. Topics:prisons-and-punishment,mental-health,wa http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-26/naked-woman-prison-transport-prompts-calls-to-change-system/9585380 |