Defence Force Chief Hails The Impact Of Serving Women
October 25, 2018: ANU
Australia's Chief of Defence Force, General Angus Campbell, has spoken of how the increasing rate of women entering into the armed forces has improved the nation's military capabilities.
Praising the impact of women in Australia's armed forces, General Campbell told the 2018 Women in National Security conference the Defence Force is not an environment where it is singularly the size of your bicep that matters.
General Campbell said he was pleased with the recent uptake of women joining the defence force.
"Around 40 per cent of people entering the Air Force are women. About 30 per cent entering the Navy are women. About 20 per cent entering the Army are women," General Campbell said.
"Those entry rates are very promising and positive, in terms of the future workforce and the potential of that workforce.
"In our most recent operational commitment, in the Philippines, you see those numbers being reflected in terms of the percentages of women serving. We are in the high teens in terms of women as a part of that force."
General Campbell expressed his bewilderment with people, mostly men, who still did not seem to understand the benefits the increase of women is having on the Defence Force.
"What it does not provide is any diminution in capability of the Defence Force, in fact the reverse," he said.
"By drawing on a wider community of Australians who wish to serve their nation, we have the opportunity for a more talented, more diversely capable organisation that can engage across the range of occupational settings we participate in."
General Campbell said Australia's military activities in Afghanistan had provided some clear lessons in how deploying more women could result in improved operational outcomes.
"There is an operational effect that, when we started those activities in Afghanistan, was under optimised for our purpose," General Campbell said.
"If you want to participate wholly and fully in that operation but you are a company of say 120 men, you will only talk to 50 per cent of the population and you will rarely be invited inside the walls of the family compound."
In only its second year the ANU Women in National Security Conference has established itself as one of the most influential events for Australia's defence and national security sectors.
Australia's Chief of Defence Force, General Angus Campbell. Image; ANU
Regional NSW To Host 2019 NRL Matches
October 23, 2018: NSW Government
Bathurst, Wagga Wagga and Mudgee will host three matches during the 2019 NRL Premiership.
The NRL and the NSW Government have worked together to bring these team’s home games to regional NSW:
Penrith Panthers, Round 3, Saturday 30 March in Bathurst
Canberra Raiders, Round 8, Saturday 4 May in Wagga Wagga
St George Illawarra Dragons, Round 10, Sunday 19 May in Mudgee.
Mudgee proved it has a passionate NRL fan base in 2018. Almost 9000 fans came to town to watch the Dragons edge out the Canberra Raiders in a thrilling game. With additional promotion planned for 2019’s match, even more supporters are expected to plan a trip to Mudgee.
Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall said major sporting events are an excellent way to drive more visitors to the regions.
“The NSW Government is committed to ensuring every corner of NSW gets its fair share of the record tourist dollars and investment coming into our State,” Mr Marshall said.
“Regional NSW has the facilities required to host major sporting events and I am delighted the NSW Government has partnered with the NRL to showcase the best of the NRL in regional NSW.”
A New Name For VVCS
The Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service – known to many as VVCS – has been officially relaunched as ‘Open Arms – Veterans and Families Counselling’ by the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, the Hon Darren Chester MP.
Following strong advocacy by Vietnam veterans, the service was established in 1982 as the Vietnam Veterans Counselling Service. In 2007, it was renamed VVCS (the Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service) to reflect the fact that the expanded service was now available to all Australian combat veterans, including peacekeepers, and their families.
The rebranding as ‘Open Arms – Veterans and Families Counselling’ reflects that eligibility has again significantly expanded. The service is now available to anyone who has served a day in the ADF, and their family.
The rebranding was led by the independent VVCS National Advisory Committee (NAC), which unanimously agreed to the new name and tagline. The NAC includes representatives of all of VVCS’s client cohorts, including Vietnam veterans, veterans and families, as well as other key stakeholders.
The Open Arms brand was co-designed with Vietnam veterans, currently serving ADF personnel, Reservists, partners and families, contemporary veterans and VVCS peer network advisers.
To gain access to Open Arms’s free and confidential support 24/7, call 1800 011 046. You can also visit the Open Arms website.
More information about the rebranding is available in a longer version of this article in Vetaffairs.
Tough Laws Prevent Gun Deaths Global Report Finds
October 19, 2018: James Cook University
A major global report confirms gun-related homicides, suicides and accidents are falling in Australia after the introduction of anti-gun laws, and that the effect of such tough laws is similar elsewhere.
Associate Professor Richard Franklin from James Cook University in Australia joined hundreds of academics and organisations around the world to produce the report, that looked at firearm deaths outside of war zones between 1990 and 2016.
"In Australia we went from 614 firearm deaths in 1990 to 274 in 2016. That's a fall from 3.4 deaths per 100,000 people to 1 per 100,000 in 2016," he said.
Dr Franklin said the Australian National Firearms Agreement, enacted following the murder of 35 people in Tasmania in 1996 by a lone gunman armed with high-powered weapons, has been closely linked with declines in firearm deaths in Australia.
"We've seen a decline particularly in firearm suicides and an absence of mass shootings. It's a pattern we see in South Africa and Brazil, with tougher gun laws leading to a fall in firearm deaths in those places too," he said.
The researchers estimate that in 2016, over a quarter of a million-people died from firearm injuries. With six countries -- Brazil, the United States, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela and Guatemala -- accounting for just over half of those deaths.
El Salvador recorded the worst results -- its national age-standardised rate of gun deaths was 38.9 per 100,000 persons in 2016. By contrast, Singapore reported no firearms deaths that year.
Dr Franklin said that in all but one year between 1990 and 2016, the death toll from firearms used outside of war zones was higher than that within, with the majority being homicides.
"The numbers vary greatly from country to country, but globally we have seen no significant change in firearm homicide rates over this time period, though there has been a decrease in suicides, leading to a small fall in the number of firearm deaths overall."
Dr Franklin said men are at an overwhelmingly higher risk of dying from intentional or unintentional use of firearms than women.
"Men are the most likely victims of firearms and also the most likely perpetrators of firearm violence. This opens up the possibility of specific, targeted forms of intervention that address firearm use both by and against men," he said.
Dr Franklin said there were different patterns of firearm deaths, with homicide predominant in some countries and suicide in others, and both would require different strategies to combat them.
Background
Globally, 64% of firearm injury deaths in 2016 were homicides and 27% were suicides. Around nine percent were accidents.
There was an annualised decrease of 0.9% in the global rate of age-standardised firearm deaths from 1990 to 2016.
Aggregate firearm injury deaths in 2016 were highest among persons aged 20 -24 years. There were an estimated 34,700 firearm-related deaths for men and 3580 for women in that age group.
Among children aged up to 14 years, there were an estimated 7220 deaths globally from firearm-related injuries in 2016.
Unintentional firearm injuries were 9.1% of the total, causing an estimated 22,900 deaths in 2016.
Globally, rates of firearm suicide decreased between 1990 and 2016 at an annualised rate of 1.6%, the fastest decreases were in the Philippines and Australia.
The researchers say that efforts to reduce the number of firearms in homes and supporting secure storage of existing firearms can reduce unintentional death, particularly for children, while also limiting immediate access to a means of harm that generally does not allow an opportunity for second thoughts.
The Global Burden of Disease 2016 Injury Collaborators. Global Mortality From Firearms, 1990-2016. JAMA, 2018; 320 (8): 792 DOI: 10.1001/jama.2018.10060
New Era In Aged Care Begins With First Quality; Safety Commissioner Announced
October 24, 2018: The Hon Ken Wyatt AM, MP, Minister for Indigenous Health, Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care
Today marks a significant milestone in the journey towards a better, safer aged care system, with Australia’s first aged care quality and safety Commissioner appointed to lead the new and independent Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.
Highly respected and experienced health sector leader Janet Anderson will oversee establishment of the Commission, as it prepares to start intensified compliance monitoring from 1 January 2019.
The new Commission will have a budget of almost $300 million over four years, employing dozens of additional senior compliance officers.
While the Royal Commission into the aged care sector undertakes its critical review, the formation of the Quality and Safety Commission highlights our Government’s absolute commitment to continuing reform.
The new Commission will immediately integrate and streamline the roles of the current Aged Care Complaints Commissioner and the Australian Aged Care Quality Agency.
From January 2020, it will also incorporate the Department of Health’s aged care compliance responsibilities.
The new Commission is a key part of the Australian Government’s response to the recommendations of the Carnell-Paterson review of failures at the Oakden Older Persons Mental Health Service in South Australia. A Bill to establish the Commission is currently in Parliament.
Ms Anderson will oversee the approval, accreditation, assessment, complaints resolution, monitoring and compliance of Commonwealth-funded aged care providers, reporting directly to the Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care.
Her appointment and the independent Commission will help usher in a new era in certainty, accountability and confidence in aged care in Australia.
Unannounced re-accreditation audits - which have been law since 1 July and cover all legislated quality and safety standards - are set to jump from 263 this year to almost 900 in 2019.
Unannounced inspections, targeting particular standards, identified risk factors and complaints, are expected to rise to more than 3,000.
There will be $48.2 million specifically to expand monitoring and compliance teams, continue unannounced inspections, better identify sub-standard care and to develop options for a Serious Incident Response Scheme. The Commission will be a one-stop shop for aged care residents, their families and aged care providers on aged care quality and safety matters.
Senior Australians and their families will know who to contact when they need help with a complaint, a concern or when something goes wrong. They will know that the aged care system is safe and will support their choices, rather than make choices for them.
Providers will also benefit from being able to deal with one regulatory agency, and know who to contact in relation to their accreditation, quality monitoring and compliance requirements.
Establishment of the new Commission is part of our Government’s record aged care funding boost, with the recent Federal Budget increasing aged care spending by $5 billion.
Ms Anderson has extensive management experience, particularly in the health sector, including leadership roles at State, Territory and Commonwealth levels.
She was First Assistant Secretary, Health Services, in the Commonwealth Department of Health 2012-2015, and Director, Inter-Government and funding Strategies in the New South Wales Department of Health 2006-2011.
For the past two years, Ms Anderson has held the positions of Deputy Chief Executive and acting Chief Executive of the Northern Territory Department of Health.
In 2009, she was awarded the Public Service Medal for outstanding work in health policy development and reform.
She will be assisted by aged care medical expert Associate Professor Michael Murray, who is working as the new interim Chief Clinical Advisor to support key establishment activities.
Associate Professor Murray has a broad range of management, clinical and clinical teaching experience in aged care as the medical director of Continuing Care and head of Geriatric Medicine at Austin Health, Melbourne.
He is also the President of the Board of Directors at the National Ageing Research Institute, Associate Professor at Melbourne University and Adjunct Associate Professor Australian Centre for Evidence Based Aged Care and La Trobe University.
The permanent appointment of a clinical advisor to the Commission will be a matter for the new Commissioner.
In the lead up to the launch of the new Commission on 1 January, anyone who has concerns over the quality of aged care or services should contact the Aged Care Complaints Commissioner on 1800 550 552 or go to www.agedcarecomplaints.gov.au .
The Invictus Games Has Opened Eyes And Minds Of Thousands Of Students From All Over The State
October 24, 2018
Watching wounded warriors compete courageously has reinforced important life lessons to thousands of students from all over the state at the Invictus Games at Sydney’s Olympic Park.
Through the Department of Education’s Invictus Education Project the Games became more than just a sporting event.
Resilience and courage were personified as students cheered at events, tried competition sports or contemplated the challenges of creating prosthetics limbs.
The Invictus Games uses the healing power of sport to bring together wounded and ill service personnel and veterans to promote comradeship, support and recovery.
By the end of the week, more than 6000 students will have been through the Invictus Education Project and they will leave with a heightened respect for the sacrifice and service of our defence forces.
For the students of Rydalmere East Public School, where around 30% of students are from defence families, participating in the Invictus Education Project was a special opportunity.
“Invictus is a chance to connect with something that is special to our school community,” principal John Carters said.
“It’s an amazing project and by learning about resilience and other values, it helps our students become active citizens.”
For Year 6 student Summer Wheeler, the Invictus Games and education project had special meaning.
“Both my parents are in the defence force,” Summer said.
“I would not like to see them have to leave defence through injury as they would lose mates and courage.
“That’s why Invictus means so much to me.”
While at the Invictus Games, Kindergarten student, Zoe Mills held “Daddy Bear” close as a reminder of her father currently serving as Executive Officer on HMAS Parramatta.
Rydalmere East Public School students Zoe Mills and Eloise Reid were lucky enough to catch up with the Invictus Games mascot “Cobber”. © State of New South Wales (Department of Education), 2018
Invictus Games Chief Executive Office Patrick Kidd OBE visited the education precinct.
He was with the number of students and their enthusiasm.
“This is an absolutely unique opportunity for students to see something that has got incredible energy,” Mr Kidd said.
He urged every student to be inspired by the competitors.
“Look at those individuals, think about what they are doing and think about what you can do in your own life and the lives of those people close to you,” he added.
From clashing wheelchairs to applying science and technology, the Invictus Games challenged body and brain.
Students from The Crescent School travelled from Goulburn to cheer on swimmers at the Aquatic Centre; Bilgola Plateau and Peats Ridge public school students played off against Lynwood Park Public in seated volleyball and students from Asquith Girls High and Mulwaree High discovered there is no holding back in wheelchair basketball.
At the prosthetics workshop guided by the University of NSW Women in Engineering students from many schools including King Street, Northbridge, Beresford Road and Wattawa Heights public schools discovered human ingenuity was helping those relying on prosthetics to go ahead in leaps and bounds.
Wentworth Point Public and Granville Public were among the schools to have students fall in love with the Assistance Dogs before learning about the valuable role they can play in the lives of wounded and ill service veterans.
Students who could not attend the Games could engage in YouTube broadcasts and virtual excursions developed for the Invictus Games Sydney 2018 Education Project on the Department of Education’s Learning Systems YouTube channel
© State of New South Wales (Department of Education), 2018 republished under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.
The Ghost Of Cassiopeia
October 25, 2018: ESA/Hubble Information Centre
About 550 light-years away in the constellation of Cassiopeia lies IC 63, a stunning and slightly eerie nebula. Also known as the ghost of Cassiopeia, IC 63 is being shaped by radiation from a nearby unpredictably variable star, Gamma Cassiopeiae, which is slowly eroding away the ghostly cloud of dust and gas. This celestial ghost makes the perfect backdrop for the upcoming feast of All Hallow's Eve -- better known as Halloween.
The constellation of Cassiopeia (constellation)], named after a vain queen in Greek mythology, forms the easily recognisable "W" shape in the night sky. The central point of the W is marked by a dramatic star named Gamma Cassiopeiae.
The remarkable Gamma Cassiopeiae is a blue-white subgiant that is surrounded by a gaseous disc. This star is 19 times more massive and 65,000 times brighter than our Sun. It also rotates at the incredible speed of 1.6 million kilometres per hour -- more than 200 times faster than our parent star. This frenzied rotation gives it a squashed appearance. The fast rotation causes eruptions of mass from the star into a surrounding disk. This mass loss is related to the observed brightness variations.
The radiation of Gamma Cassiopeiae is so powerful that it even affects IC 63, sometimes nicknamed the Ghost Nebula, that lies several light years away from the star. IC 63 is visible in this image taken by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.
The colours in the eerie nebula showcase how the nebula is affected by the powerful radiation from the distant star. The hydrogen within IC 63 is being bombarded with ultraviolet radiation from Gamma Cassiopeiae, causing its electrons to gain energy which they later release as hydrogen-alpha radiation -- visible in red in this image.
This hydrogen-alpha radiation makes IC 63 an emission nebula, but we also see blue light in this image. This is light from Gamma Cassiopeiae that has been reflected by dust particles in the nebula, meaning that IC 63 is also a reflection nebula.
This colourful and ghostly nebula is slowly dissipating under the influence of ultraviolet radiation from Gamma Cassiopeiae. However, IC 63 is not the only object under the influence of the mighty star. It is part of a much larger nebulous region surrounding Gamma Cassiopeiae that measures approximately two degrees on the sky -- roughly four times as wide as the full Moon.
This region is best seen from the Northern Hemisphere during autumn and winter. Though it is high in the sky and visible all year round from Europe, it is very dim, so observing it requires a fairly large telescope and dark skies.
From above Earth's atmosphere, Hubble gives us a view that we cannot hope to see with our eyes. This photo is possibly the most detailed image that has ever been taken of IC 63, and it beautifully showcases Hubble's capabilities.
IC 63 -- nicknamed the Ghost Nebula -- is about 550 light-years from Earth. The nebula is classified as both a reflection nebula -- as it is reflecting the light of a nearby star -- and as an emission nebula -- as it releases hydrogen-alpha radiation. Both effects are caused by the gigantic star Gamma Cassiopeiae. The radiation of this star is also slowly causing the nebula to dissipate. Credit: ESA/Hubble, NASA
Australia Post Puts The Spotlight On Historic Lighthouses
October 23, 2018
Australia Post is releasing the Lighthouses of Sydney stamp issue, 200 years after the construction of Australia's first lighthouse, the Macquarie Lighthouse of 1818.
Australia Post Philatelic Manager, Michael Zsolt said the issue depicts striking photographs of three historically significant lighthouses and will be of interest to both stamp collectors and history buffs.
"Macquarie, Hornby and Robertsons Point lighthouses, which were constructed between the mid-19th and early-20th centuries, still play an important role in ensuring that vessels travel safely through the major waterways of Sydney. Historic lighthouses remind us of the dangers of early sea travel, and help chart important technological and navigational developments," Mr Zsolt said.
The three domestic base-rate stamps were designed by Jo Muré of the Australia Post Design Studio and feature:
$1 Hornby Lighthouse, Inner South Head, NSW
Hornby Lighthouse, with its impressive red and white stripes, was constructed in 1858, following two shipwrecks at The Heads in 1857. The stamp photograph is by Bruce Hood.
$1 Macquarie Lighthouse, Outer South Head, NSW
The Macquarie Lighthouse of 1883 was built to replace the original tower of 1818, which had disintegrated due to the poor quality of sandstone used in its construction. Prior to 1818, sea-travellers' only guiding light was a fire on a tripod at South Head, Sydney. The stamp photograph is by Matthew Kelly.
$1 Robertsons Point Lighthouse, Cremorne Point, NSW
Roberstons Point Lighthouse sits in the shores of Sydney Harbour. Constructed in 1910, the tower is an early example of the use of reinforced concrete in Australian lighthouse construction. The stamp photograph is by Ryan Payne.
The products available with this stamp issue include a first day cover, stamp pack, maxicards, booklet of 10, prestige booklet, postal numismatic cover and medallion cover.
The Lighthouses of Sydney stamp issue is available from 23 October at participating Post Offices, via mail order on 1800 331 794 and online at auspost.com.au/stamps, while stocks last.