Month: March 2025

Source: Murray Darling Basin Authority

JASON CLARE, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION: Thanks very much for coming along. It’s great to be back in Rocky, and it’s particularly fantastic to be here with my friend JP. We were together only a couple of days ago in Canberra.

On Monday we made a really big announcement worth $2.8 billion of extra Commonwealth funding for public schools right across Queensland, an agreement that was struck by the Prime Minister and the Queensland Premier as well as the two of us, working together in the interests of kids right across Queensland. And that investment over the next decade is going to make sure that all public schools right across Queensland are fully funded. 

It’s the last piece in the puzzle to make sure that all public schools right across the nation are fully funded. And it’s going to change lives. It’s a classic example of two Governments working together. And that’s what today is all about as well. We got a great opportunity just a minute ago to meet the doctors of the future – young people that are studying medicine right now that are going to be doctors in Rocky in the years ahead.

And what we’re announcing today is that the Australian Government will provide $80 million to help build the health sciences school that Rockhampton needs. It’s a health sciences academy for Year 10 to 12. The Premier made this commitment in the election campaign. I’m glad that the Commonwealth Government can contribute to help make this a reality. It’s a great example of two Governments working together – Commonwealth Government chipping in, State Government chipping in – to help make sure that young people in regional Australia get the skills they need to produce the doctors and the nurses and the ambos and the health science professionals that we need now and that we’re going to need in the years ahead. 

And as we all know, if you study local, you’re more likely to stay local. If you become a doctor in Rocky – if you study medicine in Rocky, you’re more likely to become a doctor who works in Rocky. And that’s why this is so important. Young people while they’re still at high school, getting the skills they need to go and study a university degree in health sciences, and help make sure that we’ve got more doctors and nurses and ambos here in Rocky and across regional Queensland.

I’ll hand over to you, mate.

JOHN-PAUL LANGBROEK, QUEENSLAND MINISTER FOR EDUCATION: Thanks, Jason. Well, thanks, everyone, for being here today. And I want to thank Jason Clare, our Federal Minister, as well for the partnership that we’ve had over the last couple of months working on that public school funding scheme that we were able to finalise on Monday. But importantly today is another piece of the puzzle about the election commitment that we made about the new health sciences academy that we want to bring to central Queensland and Rockhampton specifically. 

So, we really want to thank the Federal Government for the $80 million commitment. It’s an $80 million commitment by the Federal Government that’s going to be a big help in us delivering our election commitment. So, it’s great to be here with the vice-chancellor and two of our local MPs as well.

But as Jason Clare has just mentioned, seeing the students in action and hearing their stories – many of them here from the local community – and it’s a very, very important partnership between the Federal Government, the State Government, our local health services and schools and, of course, the university.

So, we’re very appreciative, and we know it’s going to lead to better outcomes. I was here just a month ago, here at the university and also at local high schools. And we know there are over 30 different jobs in health that young people can aspire to. And as Jason Clare has mentioned, if they study here, they’re more likely to stay here.

We don’t expect everyone to stay here forever necessarily. We want them to travel and go see other places but come back to where your roots are and build a growing state that’s got increasing needs into the future. So, we’ll be working with Health Minister Tim Nicholls as well about delivering that increased workforce that we know we’re going to need over the next few years.

I’ll hand over to Nick Klomp now, the Vice-Chancellor. Thanks for having us here, Nick.

NICK KLOMP: Thanks. Thank you, I’m Nick Klomp, Vice-Chancellor and President of CQ University. CQ University is delighted about this cross-government announcement today of locating the Queensland Academy of Health Sciences here in Rockhampton. And, you know, almost on behalf of the community I want to congratulate Jason and JP and our local members here, Donna and Glen, for recognising the importance of workforce in the regions. It’s one of the things that is top of mind for everyone that lives here. It’s top of mind for businesses and communities, and no discipline is more important perhaps than the health disciplines.

CQ University, we provide graduates, we train graduates in a whole range of health disciplines, from the regional medical pathway, nurses, doctors, psychologists, oral health, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, paramedics, and I could keep on going. We can’t produce enough graduates. That’s how important it is in the region. And this announcement of the Queensland Academy of Health Sciences helps build aspiration for people that are thinking they would like to get a head start in their studies, they’d like a career in health sciences. And CQ University just stands ready to work in partnership with the schools, with the state on what can we do to use this academy to really prioritise the potential of health careers in the region.

It’s really exciting. We need all the graduates in health science we can get, and, of course, CQ University recognises our obligation to help produce those graduates. So, a great day for health sciences. 

DONNA KIRKLAND: Thank you. So, what we see today is the coming together of a number of stakeholders, different levels of Government, and that in itself speaks to the need for regional health services in our area. So very excited about this announcement today. And I want to continue to just reiterate that 70 per cent of the people who study in the regions stay in the regions. And that’s what we are wanting out of this. We’ve just been next door speaking to some of our doctors to be – four of those from Rockhampton, another from Gladstone – all with aspirations to continue to stay here in the regions to be of service to our community. 

And so it will be that Grades 10, 11 and 12 right across Central Queensland will be able to access the Health Services Academy. This is a great outcome, and as the Member for Rockhampton and certainly Assistant Minister for Central Queensland I welcome this funding here today.

GLEN KELLY: Glen Kelly, Member for Mirani. Well today what an announcement. I’m a great believer in education and keeping people in the bush from where they grow up. And just visiting in next door here and seeing the students of the future, our doctors of the future who have to study for seven years – seven years to become a doctor – that’s dedication for you. That really shows that these young people – teenagers coming into adults – are so focused on helping people with health issues and other things that might appear in their life.

Today it’s a great honour to have Jason Clare, our Federal Education Minister. And obviously we’ve got Nick here, which we’ve seen so many times of late, and we have JP and obviously Donna Kirkland. It’s a great honour this for regional Queensland because if just keeps us focused on how important we are. And the doctors of the next generation, they’re just next door here, and with this announcement of $80 million to support these ones just next door and the coming on is so important to us. Thank you.

JOURNALIST: So just on the funding, will that carry through regardless of the outcome of the federal election? 

CLARE: Certainly, if the Albanese Government is returned that money will be delivered, and we’ll work with JP and the team to make sure that this school is built over the course of the first term, I think it is, of your Government. I can’t speak for if we’re not returned.

JOURNALIST: And so, the $80 million, was that just Federal funding?

CLARE: That’s a Federal contribution. The State Government will make an important contribution as well. We’re going to work really closely with Nick and the team at the University. There’s the potential for co-location here at the University. We’ve just got to go through the details of that to see what might be possible. If that’s possible, that’s great because young people going to school on university grounds get a chance to see what life is like once you go to university before you even get there.

The other thing that makes this special is that there’s the potential to earn credits while you’re doing your studies at high school for the degree or for the diploma that you do once you leave high school and start a health science course, whether it’s a TAFE course or whether it’s a university degree.

JOURNALIST: And why did the Government see this as a priority, and was there a lot of legwork bring this to fruition? 

CLARE: Well, JP’s a former dentist – he’s good at pulling teeth! This is honestly a classic example of great teamwork. To get things done in this country it requires Australian Governments to work together – Commonwealth Governments and State Governments. Forget political parties; it’s about the people, it’s about what does a community need. This community needs more doctors, it needs more nurses, it needs more ambos, it needs more health professionals. And if we work together, we can get this done.

JOURNALIST: And will this benefit students as well as the teachers and, if so, how so?

CLARE: Will it benefit the students? 

JOURNALIST: Will it benefit the community as well sorry?

CLARE: I think it benefits the community. The ultimate goal here is that Rockhampton has more health professionals so that people who live in Rocky and call it home – my grandmother was born and raised in Rocky – have the health services they need and the health services that they deserve.

Do you want to jump in?

LANGBROEK: Well, look, I think there’s no doubt that it’s going to benefit teachers as well. It comes up with the university. When it comes to university and rankings, the more that you can have offerings at a university with local students it’s going to benefit lecturers, tutors and enhance the reputation of one of our finest universities. We’ve got nine in Queensland out of 40 nationally, and we want our universities to be seen as amongst the best in the country. And this is only going to help CQU as well as the students who are going to be here to benefit, as well as the local community. 

ENDS

Source: Workplace Gender Equality Agency

KATIE WOOLF: And we are going to be catching up with the Minister for Northern Australia. I believe that I have got her on the line hopefully right now, the Minister for Northern Australia, Madeleine King. Good morning to you.

MADELEINE KING: Oh, good morning, Katie. How are you going?

KATIE WOOLF: Lovely to have you on the show. I’m really good. Thank you so much for joining us with a late call up this morning. It is very much appreciated. Now, Minister, talk us through what is in the budget from overnight for the Northern Territory.

MADELEINE KING: Well, thanks, Katie. It’s a real pleasure to be calling back in to Darwin again. So, you know, overall the Federal Government will be providing over $7 billion in funding to the NT, which is a huge boost for the Northern Territory and that’s part of a great relationship we have with the Chief Minister, Lia Finocchiaro and of course their deputy, Gerard Maley. Now, I speak to the Member for Solomon, Luke Gosling all the time about how important the territory is to Australia because without a strong north, we don’t have a strong Australia. So, we’re going to keep on investing in the NT backing in one of our first commitments on coming into government, the $1.2 billion in Middle Arm investment precinct – industrial precincts with hundreds of millions of dollars on roads into the NT. But for every single NT taxpayer though, it is really, I want to be really clear about the magnitude of the tax cuts the Albanese Labor Government has delivered.

KATIE WOOLF: I might get to those in just a moment and you know, I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but it does seem as though the only new money announced for the Northern Territory is a conditional $200 million out of a total budget of $786 billion. That is what the Northern Territory’s Treasurer Bill Yan is saying. I mean, is that correct when it comes to new money, it is just that, conditional $200 million?

MADELEINE KING: Well, there are many things that will benefit the Territorians. Every single Territorian in this budget, one, of course, is the accumulated tax cuts. There are some already came in in July of last year. There is more now coming as the Treasurer spoke about last night. But there’s also savings on medicines that will save Northern Territory residents more than $1.3 million. Student debt will be slashed for Territorians and particularly important for young Territorians. We’ve made a commitment to a further Medicare Urgent Care Clinic in the Territory, bringing the total number in the NT up to nine. So, they’re really important commitments that will affect so many Territorians and of course the tax cuts will affect and be good for every single Territorian.

KATIE WOOLF: So, just in relation to any sort of specific projects at this point in time, it is that $200 million for the Stuart Highway, that conditional $200 million. Is there any money going towards, you spoke before about Middle Arm and that development, but any new money or anything new in that space and certainly in the gas development space?

MADELEINE KING: Well, no, excuse me. The focus is on Middle Arm and that $1.2 billion is, you know, one of the biggest commitments this Government has made to any single project in the country. So, it is of untold significance and it reflects the importance of Darwin’s position in relation to our neighbours in the north. And of course, the whole of the NT’s opportunity to be a renewable superpower. But there will be other industries involved in that like hydrogen and critical minerals processing and as you know, it’ll be Middle Arm is very close of course to the existing Inpex plant. So, there’s a lot of work going on on the planning for Middle Arm. It is a game changer for Darwin and our commitment to it remains solid.

KATIE WOOLF: And Minister, in terms of, because there has been some discussion again as well about the Darwin Port, nothing in last night’s budget around the Darwin Port. Where does the Albanese Government stand on this? I mean, is there going to be some further announcements on the Darwin Port?

MADELEINE KING: Well, as we know, the Darwin Port was permitted to be sold off under the former Coalition Government and that’s not something we agreed with at the time. But, you know, that’s a contract that was signed by that government and we have to work within those contractual laws. So, at the moment, you know, we will keep a watching brief, of course, on the solvency of the Port owner, Landbridge, I think it is. And make sure we’re well aware of what’s going on there, as we always are. I mean, Darwin remains and will always remain an integral part of Australia’s national defence. In the defence review we identified how important Darwin and other northern ports are. So, you know, obviously, we’ll keep a very close eye on everything that goes around with the Darwin Port. But the infrastructure spend on the Northern defence positions, including in Katherine as well, of course, are going to be vitally important to the country.

KATIE WOOLF: Minister, look, there’s a lot of people messaging through to the show this morning. You know, they’re not like they are not hearing that there is, there’s a lot in it for the Northern Territory. I mean, is the Federal Government feeling as though at this point in time, you know, the Northern Territory seats are not winnable at the next election? Is that why there doesn’t seem to be a big focus on us.

MADELEINE KING: Well, I mean, $7 billion to the Northern Territory –

KATIE WOOLF: It’s not new money, though. Like, it’s not. They’re not new announcements, is the point that our listeners are making this morning.

MADELEINE KING: Well, $7.2 billion is an extraordinary contribution to the NT economy and we as a government have a solid commitment and an ongoing commitment to the Territory. But I’ve taken you through a number of commitments already around urgent care clinics, obviously around the scripts being reduced under Medicare and strengthening Medicare as well. And also the tax cuts to every single Northern Territorian and we –

KATIE WOOLF: Let’s talk about those. Let’s talk about those because we do know obviously the Federal Opposition, Angus Taylor, he’s come out and said what was offered was a bribe. He reckons the election bribe of 70 cents a day starting in a year’s time. He said, frankly, it’s not even going to touch the sides of the economic pain that Australian households have felt over the last two and a half years. Is it a bit insulting when you look at the cost of living and the rises that we are experiencing, particularly in regional parts of Australia? I know you’d understand that more than most, you know, as the Minister for Northern Australia.

MADELEINE KING: Well, yeah, I do, and thanks for acknowledging that. But I would remind your listeners that Angus Taylor and Peter Dutton voted against tax cuts to Territorians worth over $2,700 per year. So, that’s what they have voted against and that they stood against it this morning in the Parliament, and I witnessed that myself. So, whilst we have had larger tax cuts in the last two budgets, and they were really important, and then this latest tax cut, of course, it’s smaller, but that’s why we are a responsible government. But the point of them is the accumulation of up to over $2,500 per Territorian taxpayer is undeniably a very good thing for everyone that lives there. And if it’s an extra $50 a week, as announced last night by the Treasurer, that’s nothing to be sneezed at. I mean, who wouldn’t want an extra 50 bucks in their pocket at the end of the week?

KATIE WOOLF: So, how are we getting the, how’s the breakdown of the $50 happening? Is that in addition to the $5, what exactly is that breakdown for the $50?

MADELEINE KING: Well, that’s the same thing, I think. I’m not sure what figures Angus Taylor has given you, but what it adds up to is, on average, for taxpayers, and of course, people pay different rates of tax. It’s an extra $50 a week in the pockets of Territorians on top of the over $2,000 worth of tax cuts we’ve introduced over the term of our Government.

KATIE WOOLF: I just want to make it really clear for our listeners because I’m obviously reading off some other info that we have received, and it says that the Federal Treasurer obviously announcing the $17 billion tax cuts and that it will equate to most Australians to about $5 per week if you’re on a wage of around $79,000 a year.

MADELEINE KING: Well, so what, doc – I don’t know what document that is, Katie. I’m sorry, I don’t know. But the figures I have is that for most Territorians it’s about $50 a week.

KATIE WOOLF: All right. We’ll make sure we can do that.

MADELEINE KING: Well, we can clear that up. I’m really happy to do that.

KATIE WOOLF: Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Hey, now, do we know what date this election’s going to be called? Madeleine King, when is it going to happen? We’re all waiting to find out.

MADELEINE KING: Yeah. I mean, aren’t we all? But I can assure you it will be in May.

KATIE WOOLF: We don’t know what date though.

MADELEINE KING: Elections are an excellent opportunity for our democracy to demonstrate how great it is. And really important that there are so many more Territorians now on the electoral roll as well, which has been a great effort of the Special Minister of State, Don Farrell and his team to make sure more people across remote regions of the Territory are able to, you know, have their say in Australia’s future. And I really look forward to being part of that.

KATIE WOOLF: Yeah, absolutely. Well, Minister for North Australia and Resources, Madeleine King, really appreciate your time this morning. Thanks very much for joining us on the show.

MADELEINE KING: Thanks, Katie. I’ll see you up there soon. 

Source: New South Wales – News

On Wednesday 26 March, Investigators from the South Australian JACET, a joint taskforce between South Australia Police and Australian Federal Police, attended a southern suburbs address as a result of an online conversation between the accused and a covert online police officer.

Investigators and Digital Evidence Specialists arrested a 43-year-old man from the address.

Initial forensic digital examinations allegedly located child exploitation material on the man’s two mobile phones.

Further forensic examination will be conducted, and additional charges may be laid.

The arrested man was refused police bail and will appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court today.

Detective Senior Sergeant Graham Tomkins, Investigations Manager of JACET, stated, “Alongside our partner agencies, we are absolutely committed to prosecuting anyone who goes after our community’s most vulnerable.

“We maintain our online presence with an unwavering dedication to identify those who would prey on our children, who quite innocently are utilising the internet for a variety of reasons.

“It is confronting and challenging for the investigators to engage with such persons however the officers are relentless in their pursuit of those who believe they can operate on the internet and prey on our children.”

Members of the public who have information about people involved in child abuse and exploitation are urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or www.accce.gov.au/report

If you know abuse is happening right now or a child is at risk, call police immediately on Triple Zero (000).

CO2500012584

Source:

As the sun was setting over Safety Beach on Tuesday night crews from SES, CFA, Victoria Police, FRV, and members of the community worked together to free a dog that had become stuck in the rocks.

Crews responded just before 7pm and after a long and careful operation to remove Roxy from the rocks that create the breakwater for the entrance to Martha’s Cove, the crews were then faced with the challenge of getting the injured dog off the rocks. 

Roxy was unable to walk after her ordeal, the crews had the options of carrying Roxy over the rough terrain or waiting for a boat to arrive from Marine Rescue or Coast Guard to take her by sea. 

Light was fading quickly as a Jet Ski operator passed by slowly, allowing firefighters to ask his assistance.

He was happy to help however, the sore Roxy didn’t much like the idea of getting on board. 

Eventually a boat returning to the dock came along, hoping to be in by dark they were swept willingly into the rescue operation. 

With surgeon like precision, the boat’s captain manoeuvred his craft close to the rocks near the rescuers.

Roxy, safely in a stretcher, and her owner were then able to board the vessel and return safety to dock. 

“This is a great example of the community coming together to assist strangers, without question or hesitation” Commander Tony Ford said. 

“We really would like to thank the boat and Jet Ski operators for coming to the assistance of the rescue operation” he said. 

“And the good news is the Roxy was able to walk off the boat and jump in the family wagon waiting at the end of the pier.” 

Submitted by	CFA Media

Source:

There’s an ongoing threat of terrorism in Belgium. The threat level issued by Belgian authorities remains at level 3 of 4 – ‘Serious’ (see ‘Safety’). Crowded places, such as music and cultural events, festivals, tourist areas, shopping areas, transport hubs, major sporting events and other public areas, are possible targets. Be vigilant in public places and follow the advice of local authorities. There are temporary border controls in place to travel into France and Germany from Belgium (see ‘Travel’).

Source:

There’s an ongoing threat of terrorism in Austria. There have been terrorist attacks and arrests relating to planned attacks. Most recently, there was an attack in Villach in February 2025. Be vigilant in public places and follow the advice of local authorities. Report anything suspicious to the police.

Source: New South Wales Community and Justice

Police investigating after man taken into custody at Goodwood

Wednesday, 26 March 2025 – 3:04 pm.

Police are continuing to investigate after a man was taken into custody at Goodwood earlier today.
About 9.30am police were called to a disturbance at a private residence at Claremont where a man was behaving erratically while in possession of an edged weapon.
The man then allegedly stole a vehicle and fled the scene before police arrived. Nobody was physically injured.
Police will allege the man then drove to Goodwood where he crashed into a building in the Technopark area and entered the premises.
Police arrived within minutes and the man was quickly taken into custody.
A woman, believed to have been known to the man, received minor injuries during an altercation with him.
She was taken to the Royal Hobart Hospital.
The building at Goodwood was evacuated and declared a crime scene.
A second crime scene was declared at the Claremont residence before police were called to a residence at West Moonah following reports of a fire. 
That property has also been declared a crime scene, and police are investigating whether the fire is connected to the incidents at Claremont and Goodwood.
Nobody was home at the time of the fire.
Inspector Jason Klug said the suspect -– a 55-year-old West Moonah man – remained in custody. 
“This is a concerning incident, involving a private workplace, and we recognise the impact this may have on staff as well as the broader community,” he said.      
“However, we’d like to reassure the public the suspect was quickly taken into custody and there is no ongoing threat.”
Anyone with information should contact police on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers anonymously on 1800 333 000 or online at crimestopperstas.com.au

Source:

Superannuation is intended to support people during their retirement. There are only a few situations where early access to super is permitted and if you take out your super without meeting these conditions, serious penalties could apply.

Illegal early access is the most significant regulatory risk impacting the SMSF sector, with an estimated $250.1 million in illegal early access from SMSFs in the 2021–22 period. It can have a significant impact on an individual’s retirement savings, result in additional tax, penalties, and interest.

To reduce illegal early access through SMSFs, we provide support and guidance on obligations as a trustee, review new registrants, and remove non-compliant SMSFs from SuperFund Lookup. If an SMSF is removed from SuperFund Lookup, it cannot receive contributions and may face liquidity issues.

If you’re a SMSF trustee and you illegally release benefits to a member who hasn’t met a condition of release, you may face administrative penalties and be disqualified as an SMSF trustee.

If you have illegally accessed your super or been involved in a scheme promoting illegal early access, contact us immediately using our voluntary disclosure service. We will take your voluntary disclosure and circumstances into account when determining any penalties.

We also investigate late or non-lodgements of SMSF annual returns (SARs) as that can be an indicator to us that SMSF members may be illegally accessing their super early and it raises questions about the trustees’ ability to fulfill their obligations and the purpose of having an SMSF.

We continue to collaborate with ASIC to identify non-compliant funds and take corrective actions.

For more information, we have a factsheet (PDF, 157 KB)This link will download a file to help individuals understand:

• permitted reasons you can access your super
• risks of accessing your super early
• steps to take if someone offers to help you access your super early.

Prohibited loans

Loans to members are prohibited under the law and can result in significant penalties, regardless of whether repayments are made.

In the 2021–22 financial year, the amount inappropriately withdrawn from SMSFs via prohibited loans was estimated to be $231.7 million.

Looking for the latest news for SMSFs? – You can stay up to date by visiting our SMSF newsroom and subscribingExternal Link to our monthly SMSF newsletter.

Source: Australian Green Party

NSW Health is advising people to be alert for signs and symptoms of measles after being notified of a confirmed case who was infectious while visiting locations at Sydney Airport and western NSW.
The case recently returned from South East Asia where there are ongoing outbreaks of measles in several countries including Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia.
People who were on board the below flight or attended the following locations at the times stated should watch for the development of symptoms. These locations do not pose an ongoing risk.
​Wednesday 19 March 2025

Jetstar Flight JQ62 departed Ho Chi Minh City at 10:30pm on Tuesday 18 March 2025, arriving in Sydney at 10:50am on Wednesday 19 March 2025
Sydney International Airport arrivals terminal and baggage claim from 11:00am to 12:00pm

Friday 21 March 2025

Ochre Medical Centre Parkes, 335 Clarinda St, Parkes from 10:15am to 11:15am

Monday 24 March 2025 

Parkes Health Service Emergency Department, 2 Morrissey Way, Parkes 12:00pm midday to 7:00pm

Dr Victor Carey, Western NSW Local Health District Public Health Physician said anyone who visited the above locations at those times should monitor for symptoms.​
“Measles is a vaccine preventable disease that is spread through the air when someone who is infectious coughs or sneezes,” Dr Carey said.
“Symptoms to watch out for include fever, sore eyes, runny nose and a cough, usually followed three or four days later by a red, blotchy rash that spreads from the head and face to the rest of the body.”
“It can take up to 18 days for symptoms to appear after an exposure, so it’s important for people who visited these locations to look out for symptoms up until 11 April 2025.
“It’s important for people to stay vigilant if they’ve been exposed, and if they develop symptoms, to please call ahead to their GP or emergency department to ensure they do not spend time in the waiting room with other patients.
“We want to remind the community to make sure they are up to date with their vaccinations. The measles vaccine can prevent the disease even after exposure, if given early enough.
“This should be a reminder for everyone to check that they are protected against measles, which is highly infectious.
“Anyone born after 1965 needs to ensure they have had two doses of measles vaccine. This is especially important before overseas travel, as measles outbreaks are occurring in several regions of the world at the moment.”
The measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine is safe and effective, and is given free for children at 12 and 18 months of age. It is also free in NSW for anyone born after 1965 who hasn’t already had two doses.
Children under the age of 12 months can have their first dose of MMR up to six months earlier if they are travelling to areas with a high risk for measles. Parents should consult their GP.
People who are unsure of whether they have had two doses should get a vaccine, as additional doses are safe. This is particularly important prior to travel. MMR vaccine is available from GPs (all ages) and pharmacies (people over 5 years of age).
For more information on measles, view the measles factsheet.
If you, or a loved one, is experiencing measles symptoms, or have questions about measles, please call your GP or Healthdirect on 1800 022 222. ​

Source: Historic Cooma Gaol listed on the NSW State Heritage Register

The Albanese Government and the Crisafulli Government will fund the establishment of a new Academy for Health Sciences in Rockhampton.

The Academy will help to fast track high-achieving local students into careers as doctors, nurses, paramedics and allied health professionals.

This is an investment to strengthen Medicare and boost the pipeline of health workers in regional Queensland.

The Academy will cater for students from Years 10 to 12 and connect them to professionals in health sciences and research.

The Albanese Government will support the establishment of the Academy through a $80 million investment, towards the Crisafulli Government’s existing commitment to deliver this key regional project.

The Crisafulli Government will seek to establish a direct partnership with Central Queensland University. 

This will also allow students to gain credit for university health science degrees while still at school, and follow their passion for health sciences without needing to move away from their families or communities.

The recent record number of graduates to progress through Queensland’s Regional Medical Pathway program demonstrates the strong pipeline of home-grown future health professionals outside metropolitan areas.

The Rockhampton campus will be the first regionally-based Queensland Academy, and demonstrates the Crisafulli and Albanese Government’s commitment to restoring and strengthening regional health services.

The details of the Academy’s implementation are under consideration by the Crisafulli Government, with the final location to be determined through further planning and consultation.

Comment attributable to Minister Clare: 

“This is an important investment which will support young people in Central Queensland to become nurses, paramedics and doctors. 

“This is all about building a better and fairer education system and strengthening the pipeline of key workers that regional Queensland needs.”

Comment attributable to Minister King:

“The Albanese Government is delivering the infrastructure and facilities our communities need. 

“This health sciences academy is part of our landmark investment in Central Queensland, alongside the $7.2 billion being invested by the Australian Government in the Bruce Highway safety upgrade.”

Comment attributable to Minister Langbroek: 

“This funding contribution from the Albanese Government is incredibly significant, coupled with the planning and consultation work we’ve already done, this election commitment is well underway.

“The Academy will help students across Central Queensland who are interested in a health career to connect with professionals in health sciences and research.

“I look forward to continuing to work with State Health Minister Tim Nicholls and our local MPs to fulfill our commitment to deliver this vital project for Central Queensland.”