Liberal MP and psychologist, Fiona Martin, has told The Sydney Morning Heraldthe mental health of Australians will be damaged for another five years or more as a result of COVID-19 lockdowns and recent natural disasters.
“We are very vulnerable. We’ve gone through a lot with all the natural disasters and the pandemic, and people are really struggling and they will continue to struggle, I think, for a good five years after this,” she told the newspaper.
It was an honour to present the Select Committee on Mental Health and Suicide Prevention's final report to parliament today. Watch my speech here 👉https://t.co/DWiji7EMT3
This statement comes after Dr Martin, who is the chair of the select committee on mental health and suicide prevention, tabled the recommendations in the committee’s final report to Parliament on Wednesday.
The report’s 44 recommendations include reviewing mental health training for GPs, creating a standing committee for mental health and expanding the number of masters programs for psychologists to increase the mental health workforce.
The Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Committee, which I chaired, was pleased to hear the success of doubling Medicare funded mental health consultations and other federally funded initiatives, such as Telehealth which helps remove barriers to access. pic.twitter.com/5txi6oYUAf
The report also recommends changes in parliament, including introducing a new permanent committee for mental health and including the Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Mental Health in all crisis meetings.
“This is about making sure that we’re armed and ready, and we’re protecting the mental health of Australians,” she said.
The Chairperson of the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA), Mary Patetsos, along with 16 other prominent leaders in the aged care sector, have been appointed to the inaugural National Aged Care Advisory Council.
The Council will provide expert advice on aged care issues and the implementation of the Morrison Government’s $17.7 billion reform agenda in response to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.
Ms Patetsos, who is also the Chair of ACH Group, said she was proud to be named on the Council as “aged care in Australia [undergoes] its most significant reform in a generation.”
Mary Patetsos.
“In my role with ACH Group, one of South Australia’s largest residential and home care providers, I hear the lived experiences of people being supported with aged care and their appetite for change,” she said in a statement.
“I look forward to amplifying their voice on the Advisory Council to help shape aged care in Australia for the future… I am very passionate for all voices of the community to be heard at this landmark forum.”
Minister for Health and Aged Care, Greg Hunt, also welcomed the appointment of all 17 members of the Advisory Council and said he looks forward to working alongside them.
Greg Hunt MP has welcomed the appointments.
“This is the most significant reform ever undertaken by an Australian Government to improve the care of senior Australians both in residential care and care at home,” Minister Hunt said.
“This Advisory Council will play a key role in guiding that implementation, alongside a new Council of Elders and an Inspector-General of Aged Care.”
Council of Elders nominations have been received and the membership of this representative body will be announced later this year.
Full List of the National Aged Care Advisory Council Members:
Sydney Olympic FC’s highly anticipated night of glory didn’t go as planned on Wednesday night as the Belmore side fell 4-2 to Sydney FC, being eliminated in the FFA Cup Round of 32.
With a packed Belmore crowd and thousands of Olympic fans rallying to support the squad, FFA Cup greatness was tipped in the NPL side’s favour.
It was a slippery start for both sides as rain pelted the field, with some early slip and slide challenges showing Olympic’s aggressive side.
Olympic stunned the Sky Blues as they proceeded to dominate the opening thirty minutes, with winger Adam Parkhouse firing crosses across the goal. Darcy Burgess and Oliver Pufflett managed to get on the end of a few chances but failed to challenge experienced Sydney FC keeper Andrew Redmayne.
Parkhouse’s early efforts were eventually rewarded with a spectacular goal that deflected off the defender to bounce perfectly over Redmayne’s head, giving Olympic a 1-0 lead at Belmore.
Olympic were put under heavy pressure in the next quarter hour, giving away plenty of corner opportunities to Sydney FC. A minute out from the first half whistle, Sydney FC were gifted a free kick opportunity that resulted in heartbreak for the Olympic fans.
Brattan sent the ball hurling into Olympic’s six-yard box, bouncing towards the head of Adam Le Fondre who nodded it past keeper Nicholas Sorras to equalise before the break.
A poor start to the second half from both sides, yet Sydney FC were quick to find their footing.
Patrick Wood managed to skirt around Olympic skipper Michael Glassock and strike it past Sorras to give Sydney FC the lead.
The A-League giant pulled off a dominant second half display yet were denied multiple opportunities in a show-stopping display by Sorras between the posts. The Greek Australian keeper pulled off a double save and prevent the Sky Blues from scoring off multiple attempts.
The attacking prowess of Sydney FC eventually became too much for the NPL side, however, as Elvis Kamsoba scored his first goal in Sydney FC colours in the 77th minute.
Four minutes later, hope returned to Belmore as Redmayne failed to grab hold of a slippery free kick ball by substitute Brendan Cholakian, forcing an own goal by Liam McGing.
Much to the annoyance of the Sydney Olympic players, Sydney FC didn’t hold for a win in the final ten minutes, constantly challenging Sorras and looking for a goal to bury the FFA Cup hatchet.
The Sky Blues found their fourth goal in injury time as forward Trent Buhagiar chipped it over the top of an exposed Sorras.
A valiant display by the home side, Sydney Olympic director Damon Hanlin said he ‘couldn’t be prouder’ of the boys who stepped on the pitch to represent that badge.
“Last night was an exceptional night for the Sydney Olympic Θρύλος football club,” Hanlin told The Greek Herald.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the players, the coaching staff, administrators, and the volunteers.”
Football Australia CEO, James Johnson, and Head of Marketing, Communications and Corporate Affairs, Peter Filopoulos, were also present at the match, even taking the time to snap a photo with a few Sydney Olympic legends.
“The fans are exceptional, the turnout was brilliant and I couldn’t have been prouder last night. It enforces the fact that Sydney Olympic Θρύλος is here to stay and is a real force in Australian football.”
Hanlin added that the squad will take what they learned from the FFA Cup match into the new NPL season, where the squad will look to secure the 2022 Men’s NPL NSW title.
“Although the results didn’t go our way this time, our team showed talent, tenacity and the Olympic fighting spirit, and will take away many positives from this into the new season,” Hanlin concluded.
Sydney Olympic FC starting eleven against Sydney FC in the FFA Cup Round of 32. Photo: Peter Takis/The Greek Herald.
A moving photo of 81-year-old Panayiota Noumidi taken during the fires that devastated the Greek island of Evia this year has been named among TIME Magazine‘s ‘Top 100 Photos of 2021.’
Taken by Konstantinos Tsakalidis, the photo encapsulates the horror and fear that struck residents of Evia and other parts of Greece in August as fire destroyed forests and villages.
Speaking to Star.gr back in August, Panayiota said she lost sight of her husband in the flames moments before the iconic image was taken.
“At the moment of the photo, the flames were coming towards us and my husband ran with the bucket to throw water behind our house where the fire was. I lost sight of him and cried, ‘help, help!’,” Panayiota said.
Panayiota explained she could not find her husband (pictured) as flames engulfed their home.
Panayiota was later reunited with her husband and taken to a hospital for treatment, but was discharged because she wanted to return to Gouves, her home of 34 years, and inspect the damage. Her home was saved.
The photo joins a number of other iconic images on the list including the moment George Floyd’s family cheered a jury’s verdict into his death, the time the Taliban walked into Kabul then knelt in prayer, and also the time where National Guardsmen slept in the US Capitol.
The coronavirus pandemic has lumbered the Mediterranean island of Cyprus with a 6 million kilogram stockpile of its prized white halloumi cheese.
Demand crumbled for the island’s biggest export over the past year due to COVID-19 lockdowns across Europe which shut down the hospitality sector and impacted tourism.
In response, Cypriot Commerce Minister, Natas Pilides, said the Cypriot government is mobilising its embassies abroad to help shift the backlog of halloumi to other markets.
“Through the foreign ministry, we have contacted all the embassies to help dispose of stocks through bilateral arrangements,” Ms Pilides said.
Although cheesemakers said exports are picking up, they are selling fresher products because if they unloaded old stock to regular clients the prices would slump.
In April, the European Union registered halloumi as a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) after a seven-year campaign.
This means halloumi stocks produced before October 1 cannot carry the EU’s PDO brand, which is why authorities are also seeking markets outside the bloc.
In the longer term, and despite the pandemic, securing the PDO registration is expected to boost halloumi exports.
UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, believed in 2012 that the Parthenon Marbles should “never have been removed from the Acropolis,” according to a letter published by The Guardian.
The letter was drafted in response to an appeal by George Hinos, then head of the New Democracy party in Ilia, Greece. He wanted the marbles to be returned before the Olympic Flame was to be lit and sent to London for the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Responding to Mr Hinos’ appeal, Johnson, who was the then-mayor of London, noted:
“This is a matter on which I have reflected deeply over many years. In an ideal world, it is of course true that the Parthenon marbles would never have been removed from the Acropolis and it would now be possible to view them in situ.”
Parthenon Marbles letter from Boris Johnson. Photograph: Helena Smith / The Guardian.
However, one thing remains unchanged between Johnson’s 2021 and 2012 position on the matter. The British PM maintains his position to defend the interests of London above all else.
“Much as I sympathise with the case for restitution to Athens, I feel that on balance I must defend the interests of London,” he concluded in the letter.
The release of this letter comes just one week after Johnson met with Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, where he ruled out discussing the Parthenon marbles, saying it was a matter for the British Museum.
This refusal for repatriation comes despite UNESCO stipulating that intergovernmental talks should take place to resolve the long-running dispute.
Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, proposed on Wednesday that the EU’s executive arm make having a booster shot against COVID-19 a condition for some Europeans to travel freely across the bloc, amid a resurgence in infections.
Mitsotakis has written a letter to European Commission (EC) head, Ursula von der Leyen, to propose that a COVID vaccine booster dose be considered for citizens over 60 years old.
Such a measure, Mitsotakis said in his letter, must be reflected in the European digital certificate and in the delegated act concerning the validity period of the European digital certificate that the EC plans to adopt this week.
Mitsotakis has written a letter to European Commission (EC) head, Ursula von der Leyen (right).
“Such a policy initiative will help our health systems to cope more efficiently with a heavy winter of hospitalisations but also to sustain control over the virus and pandemic without moving to new horizontal restrictions that would put in jeopardy the recovery of our economies and the freedom of movement,” Mitsotakis wrote.
“I believe that mandating the third dose as part of the certification of vaccination for citizens over 60 would be an important step in our fight against the pandemic.”
This request comes after COVID-19 cases continue to remain high in Greece with health authorities announcing 7,108 new cases and 93 deaths in the country on Wednesday.
A woman whose parents died after contracting COVID-19 at St Basil’s Home for the Aged in Fawkner is the latest to come forward.
Branka Lyons told a coronial inquest on Wednesday her father became a “breathing skeleton” after he wasn’t fed, while her mother was “dosed on antipsychotics”.
Lyons teared up as she recalled the scene at the home while it dealt with an outbreak in July 2020.
“I’ve got my mum and dad beside me, I’m doing this for them,” she said.
Lyons says her father Jakov Pucar, 90, could only eat pureed or minced foods and became a “breathing skeleton” before being hospitalised.
He was diagnosed with COVID-19 a day later.
“I don’t think my dad had anything to eat the whole time they were there … he was a skeleton.”
Lyons said her dad was given morphine against her wishes, which she said may have hastened his decline.
She says her mother, 82, “cried her heart out, she was heartbroken”.
Replacement aged care worker Robert McDougall told the inquiry he couldn’t believe what he saw at the home.
“I’ve spoken to the department of health to please shut this place down,” said Mr McDougall. It is unclear whether he is referring to the Victorian or commonwealth health department.
Ms Lyons recounted how she heard replacement staff barge into her mother’s room at the Fawkner facility while she was speaking with her, with the phone left off the hook as the worker repeatedly and aggressively asked her mother their name.
“They spoke to her harshly and abruptly, it broke my heart,” she said.
Ms Lyons said she asked for mother to be taken to the Northern Hospital with her father.
She said her mother was instead taken to Wantirna Health, about a 50-minute drive from the Northern, where she was given a “cocktail of drugs” and “dosed on antipsychotics and antibiotics”.
“My main concern was the antipsychotics because my mother was not psychotic, she needed comfort and care and someone to talk to her gently and reassure her,” said Ms Lyons.
“She didn’t get that.”
Ms Lyons said she didn’t receive a phone call from Wantirna Health before her mother’s death, robbing her of the opportunity to be by her side when she passed.
“Our elderly deserve better than this,” she said.
An independent review of major Covid outbreaks in aged care facilities found that testing and contact tracing delays “often impeded effective responses to and control of Covid-19 outbreaks”, something which has improved with the establishment of the Victorian Aged Care Response Centre.
Randwick City Councillor, Anthony Andrews, was first elected to Council in 2000 at the age of 26 and he has been serving the constituents of Central Ward ever since. This year, during the local government elections on December 4, he hopes to be the first person of Cypriot heritage to become the Mayor of Randwick City Council.
To find out more about his plans if he is re-elected, The Greek Herald sat down with Cr Andrews and discussed his political career and future aspirations.
1.How did you get into politics?
From a young age I always wanted to be a leader and give back to my community. Further, I saw the struggles my grandparents had with English as a second language and wanted to be their voice in our community just like many other Greeks and Cypriots in the Randwick City Council area. I was first elected to Council 21 years ago and I was 26 years old. Prior to getting involved in politics, I was Assistant Secretary of the Cyprus Community of NSW.
2.How does your Greek heritage influence your work?
Being of Greek heritage does influence my work and the passion I have being a Councillor. My Greek values and heritage are very important to me. With one of the biggest Greek Orthodox parishes in the City of Randwick, that being St Spyridon Parish, and a Greek school, namely St Spyridon College, I am there to represent their interest and achieve the best possible outcomes for my community.
Cr Andrews with his family.
Every year I assist the parish in organising events such as the Epiphany at Yarra Bay and the closing of streets for Easter celebrations. My most satisfying achievements was the renaming of a street which borders our church after the founding principle of the college, the late Mary Hamer.
3. What have you achieved so far as a Councillor?
As a councillor I have achieved many things but if I had a name eight major achievements they would be:
Lobbied for the expansion of Botany Cemetery, now known as Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park, so we have ample space in future years to bury our loved ones.
Helped our seniors by increasing pensioner rebates from $250 to $350 per year.
Rezoning of Malabar Headland to a National Park and established walkway from Malabar to Maroubra.
Established a community partnership with the South Sydney Rabbitohs football club and the building of a new training facility for the club at Maroubra.
Revitalisation of Heffron park including new playing fields, tennis and basketball courts, walking paths and bike tracks and new gymnastics and indoor sports centre.
Oppose inappropriate development at both Maroubra Junction and Maroubra Beach.
Coastal Walkway from Coogee to Maroubra Beach.
Construction of a car park for our students, teacher and visitors at St Spyridon Senior School Maroubra at the centre of Anzac parade, opposite the school.
4.What are your plans if you are re-elected this year?
Cr Anthony Andrews.
If re-elected on December 4, I would be honoured to become the Mayor of Randwick City Council. I have been on Council for over 21 years and feel it’s now time for me to become the mayor and the leader of this great Council I have served so well. If I become Mayor, I will be the first Mayor of Cypriot heritage, something which I am very proud of.
5.What message do you have for our readers and the Greek Australian community more broadly?
The message that I have for your readers is to get behind and support all your Greek and Cypriot candidates at the up-and-coming elections. I feel that we need to support each other and that our community has a voice in local government.
6. Is there anything else you’d like to say?
My motto has always been that there should been no politics in local government. That’s why I am an Independent Councillor. I listen to my community not to political party bosses.
The people of Randwick are my bosses and I listen and will continue to listen to what they want and need to make Randwick City Council a better place to live.
On December 4, I ask that they Vote 1 in Group D in Central Ward, Randwick City Council.
The Greek Herald wants YOU to design its special Christmas edition print cover.
The theme of The Greek Herald’s Christmas Kids Cover Competition is ‘What does Christmas mean to you?’ and designs can take any form – from drawings of Christmas trees to paintings of Santa Clause and digital artworks.
Please note, all designs MUST be A4 portrait size.
The Greek Herald‘s editorial team will then select one winner for the front page.
Ten finalists will also have their designs printed inside the Christmas edition.
How to enter:
All artworks must be submitted by Friday, December 10, 2021 at 12:00pm AEST to info@foreignlanguage.com.au with the subject line: Christmas Cover Competition.
In the body of the email please include your name, age and preferred contact number.
Winners will be announced on Wednesday, December 15, 2021.
Get creative and help us bring a bit of Christmas cheer to everyone’s lives this year!
