The Health News – 12 May 2017

Overview:

• Federal Labor will not support the Medicare levy for Australians earning less than $87,000 a year, arguing high-income earners must pay a greater contribution. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has also used his budget reply speech in Parliament to call for the temporary deficit levy to be continued for high-income earners.

 Chief executive of Western Desert Dialysis Sarah Brown was the only Northern Territory entrant in the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Awards. has been named Australia’s top nurse at a ceremony in Brisbane. She works at the Purple House, which provides dialysis services to remote patients in the NT and Western Australia.

• A bill to decriminalise abortion has been voted down in New South Wales Parliament. Members of the public gallery yelled “shame” as it was announced the bill had been defeated 25 to 14.

News on Health Professional Radio. Today is the  12th of May 2017. Read by Rebecca Foster. Health News

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-11/budget-2017-labor-medicare-levy-limited-to-high-income-earners/8519282

Federal Labor will not support the Medicare levy for Australians earning less than $87,000 a year, arguing high-income earners must pay a greater contribution.
The Coalition want to increase the Medicare levy by 0.5 percentage points for almost all Australians, which would equate to an extra $375 a year for those earning $75,000.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has also used his budget reply speech in Parliament to call for the temporary deficit levy to be continued for high-income earners.
Mr Shorten has told Parliament that tax is unfair and wants it to be only be paid by the top 20 per cent of Australian wage earners.
“Labor cannot support making people on modest incomes give up even more of their pay packet,” he said.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-11/nt-head-of-renal-dialysis-service-named-australias-top-nurse/8518166

The head of a renal dialysis service in Central Australia has been named Australia’s top nurse at a ceremony in Brisbane.
Chief executive of Western Desert Dialysis Sarah Brown was the only Northern Territory entrant in the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Awards.
She works at the Purple House, which provides dialysis services to remote patients in the NT and Western Australia.
She did not prepare an acceptance speech ahead of winning the title, saying being the centre of attention at a national awards ceremony was her worst nightmare.
“But to win this award and bring it back to the Territory is fantastic.” [she said]
Ms Brown is a qualified nurse but is not a trained dialysis nurse, but said she still loved working with patients.
The Purple House started 14 years ago in Ms Brown’s lounge room, but now employs 50 people and services more than eight remote communities throughout the NT and WA.
The mobile dialysis unit is important because it means people can stay on country and receive treatment rather than travelling hundreds of kilometres away from their families for treatment in regional and urban centres.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-11/nsw-parliament-votes-no-on-abortion-bill/8517566

A bill to decriminalise abortion has been voted down in New South Wales Parliament.
Members of the public gallery yelled “shame” as it was announced the bill had been defeated 25 to 14.
[The] bill sought to have offences relating to abortion removed from the Crimes Act and common law.
It also required doctors who objected to abortion to refer patients on to a doctor who would help them and to install 150-metre safe access zones around abortion clinics to prevent the harassment of staff and patients.
Both pro-choice and pro-life protesters lined up in front of Parliament ahead of the debate and the public gallery was packed with supporters and opponents of the bill.
MPs from both sides of the chamber were granted a conscience vote on the issue — but a number of pro-choice MPs expressed concerns about details of the bill.

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