Past Programs
Health - 2008
2008 | 2007 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003
Human error and the workplace
22/12/2008
Have you ever considered how safe your workplace is? Have you ever thought your biggest risk in the workplace is staring back at you from the bathroom mirror? That's what one of your guests today thinks!
So a break from format today, no calls on our usual number, but an opportunity to hear the latest thinking on workplace safety ...something that costs the country tens of billions of dollars every year, on top of the potential human costs...
Foster care
24/11/2008
Nearly 30,000 children live in foster care. The number has doubled in the last decade with NSW leading the statistics. The number of foster carers can't keep up with the rate of children coming in, and there are major problems with recruiting and retaining foster carers. They fall out of the system because they feel undervalued and don't get sufficient support. However there're also reports of foster carers taking children for the money and not providing proper care.
Is our foster care system breaking down? What has to change? And is foster care the best way to assist children in troubled families?
Recyling and e-waste
19/11/2008
About 8 million new mobile phones are sold in Australia each year and at last estimate, there were more mobiles in this country than people. But what happens to old phones when it comes time to buy new ones? Only about three per cent are recycled; most end up as landfill. The story is not much better for other e-waste— computers, electronic goods, televisions. Environment groups want the federal government to introduce a scheme of 'extended producer responsibility', where the manufacturer takes charge of the disposal of the goods, not just their production. So what could that add to the cost of a new TV or computer? Should schemes like that be voluntary rather than regulated by government? And what's the consumer's role in recycling?
Immigration
10/11/2008
Immigration minister Chris Evans is likely to reduce migration in Australia because of the economic downturn and a predicted rise in the unemployment rate. At the same time employers in agriculture and mining are still complaining about skills shortage.
While the government is setting up exam centres in India to streamline the recruitment of overseas-trained doctors, a physician in rural Victoria has been denied permanent residency because his son has Down syndrome.
How much migration does Australia need? How important are migrants to our economy? And does the selection process need to be reviewed?
Recycled water
03/11/2008
From early next year South East Queensland's drinking water supply serving 2.6 million residents is expected to be composed of around 25% recycled sewage. The project is being looked at by the rest of country as an answer to water supply problems.
What do you think of recycled water? Is it a high-tech solution for our drinking water shortage and necessary in times of climate change? Or does it invite disease and pose health risks?
Abortion laws
08/09/2008
Abortions are still subject to the Crimes Act in all Australian states and territories except the ACT. The Victorian Parliament could be about to change that, debating an Abortion Law Reform Bill which would legalise abortions. The Victorian decision is expected to become a legal model for other states.
Though supposedly tightly controlled, abortions have been going on for many decades throughout Australia -- justified with physical and mental health reasons. This made abortion one of the most divisive issues in our society.
Should the legislation catch up with reality and legalise abortion and, if yes, under what circumstances?
Delivering Indigenous health services
27/08/2008
Are our health bureaucracies set up to fail Indigenous Australians?
The 'Close The Gap' program is intended to eliminate the 17-year life expectancy gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians within ten years. But is this the best way to measure the successful delivery of indigenous health services and do the current indicators take into account the complex social structures of remote communities and the consequences of ongoing fly-in and fly-out services?
Are there alternatives and is the path to failure still paved with good intentions?
Nuclear arsenals
06/08/2008
On the 63rd anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, we look at the prospects for achieving a strategic nuclear balance, or even disarmament. The Rudd government has announced the establishment of an International Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament.
Although currently resisting the sales of uranium to India, it may well revisit that in light of India signing an agreement with the USA endorsed by the Nuclear Suppliers Group and the International Atomic Engery Agency or (IAEA). What role does Australia have to play in limiting the spread of nuclear arsenals and what would be the impact of even a small nuclear conflict in our region?
Euthanasia
26/06/2008
At the moment there are two pieces of legislation before Australian parliaments which would provide a legal framework for euthanasia under very specific circumstances: one in the Victorian parliament and one in the Federal Senate. Apparently around 85 per cent of Victorians favour the right to choose assistance with dying. Is legislation long overdue or the beginning of a slippery moral slope?
Coping with chronic pain
16/06/2008
One in five Australians of working age suffers from on-going pain. If you're over 65, the figure jumps to one in two. A recent Access Economics report commissioned by MBF says the annual cost of chronic pain is more than $34 billion. If you want the breakdown, that includes a $7 billion drain on the health system and productivity losses of $11.7 billion—much of that in workers compensation claims.
Chronic pain is generally defined as pain experienced every day for three months or more. It usually follows an acute phase and the causes are varied, including arthritis, cancer, surgical complications, and injuries, particularly lower back.
While all the research recommends a holistic approach to dealing with pain, is our health system geared to that? Can reliance on drugs lead to poorer outcomes? Without real treatment or cure, what are some of the best strategies for coping with and living with pain?
Homelessness
27/02/2008
There seems to be a renewed energy from both sides of politics to tackle homelessness in Australia. We look at popular misconceptions around the 'homeless', hear about the 'newly homeless' in our booming West, and learn about new strategies in the UK which might point towards reforms here.
Ahead of a national conference on the issue later in the year, we're also asking for your ideas on how we can tackle homelessness.
