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While Australians in lockdown locations who lose work are as well supported by this year’s COVID disaster payments as they were last year by JobKeeper, Australians who’ve been out of the paid workforce are nowhere near as well supported.
Last year a special coronavirus supplement of $550 per fortnight almost doubled their income from benefits such as JobKeeper.
This year they’ve missed out, despite Prime Minister Scott Morrison saying the disaster payments recognise the significant impact the Delta strain is having on communities.
Sharon Bessell describes how last year’s payment changed lives, and what happened when it was removed.
A separate report released by the Australian Council of Social Service and the University of NSW today finds that lockdowns threaten the health of such Australians. Australians on benefits are almost twice as likely to have asthma and are more than twice as likely to have mental health issues.
Most Australians are proud of our universal health-care system, Medicare, and the outstanding work of nurses and doctors in our hospitals. But how does our health system stack up internationally? In a new report card comparing 11 countries, Australia comes in third. But we’re falling short on some measures, as Stephen Duckett explains.
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Peter Martin
Section Editor, Business and Economy
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www.shutterstock.com
Sharon Bessell, Australian National University
An estimated 540,000 Australians didn’t have paid work ahead of lockdown, so missed out on COVID-19 support this year. They’ve been left to live on $44 a day — well below the poverty line.
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Shutterstock
Stephen Duckett, Grattan Institute
Compared to ten similar countries, Australia does well on equity and health care outcomes. But it still has a way to go on access and how well the health system fits together.
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Onchira Wongsiri/Shutterstock
Joo-Cheong Tham, The University of Melbourne
There are only limited circumstances where workplace vaccine mandates are likely to be found legally justifiable.
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DAN HIMBRECHTS/AAP
Tadgh McMahon, Flinders University; Shanthi Robertson, Western Sydney University
Recent surveys of refugees in NSW show high levels of trust in the government and police — counter to recent suggestions that people in western Sydney haven’t built up trust in government.
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www.shutterstock.com
Eddie Clark, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
Fears that concerned parents might fall foul of a new law banning gay conversion practices are not borne out by the strict definitions in the bill before parliament.
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Wes Mountain/The Conversation
Kate Burridge, Monash University; Dylan Hughes, Monash University; Howard Manns, Monash University; Isabelle Burke, Monash University; Keith Allan, Monash University; Simon Musgrave, Monash University
An extensive study is underway to catalogue Australian slang, its origins, and why is is such as important part of our language.
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Health + Medicine
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Anastasia Hronis, University of Technology Sydney
We know stressful circumstances make people more vulnerable to developing addictions. Meanwhile, people seeking help for addiction may have had their treatment disrupted because of lockdowns.
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David Scott, Deakin University
Many think of muscle mass loss as a problem that mostly affects older people, but even people in their early 20s can experience rapid muscle loss under certain conditions.
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Environment + Energy
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Christian Downie, Australian National University
If we’re to avert a climate disaster, we must not underestimate the power of climate misinformation campaigns to undermine this week’s IPCC findings.
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Milton Speer, University of Technology Sydney; Lance M Leslie, University of Technology Sydney
During the warmer months, the number of days when the river ceases to flow will increase. Climate change is to blame.
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Arts + Culture
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Katrina Dernelley, La Trobe University
Mould, dodging mine shafts, sleeping in beds of dried leaves: Mary Anne Allen’s diary offers a fascinating glimpse of family life on the goldfields in 1852.
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Science + Technology
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Christopher Wenn, The University of Melbourne
Cassette tapes were the first great advancement in portable recording and playback. You can draw a direct line between them and the music apps on every smartphone today.
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Alessandro Palci, Flinders University; Aaron LeBlanc, King's College London; Olga Panagiotopoulou, Monash University
How have snakes evolved venom fangs so many times in their evolutionary history? Research suggests it’s due to a structure called ‘plicidentine’ in their teeth that can evolve into venom grooves.
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Education
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Jill P Brown, Deakin University; Carly Sawatzki, Deakin University
Maths prepares students for the ultimate test — life beyond school. Maths is everywhere, regardless of where life leads you. The more maths you learn, the better you can understand the world.
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Michelle Circelli, National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER); Josie Misko, National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER)
Around 45% of secondary students do VET for employment reasons, while 30% do it for further study.
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