A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
Thousands of Australians seeking help for mental health problems face growing uncertainty because federal funding for hundreds of contracts has not been guaranteed after June 30. Seventy mental health groups, including Mental Health Australia, Headspace, and the Black Dog Institute, have written an open letter to Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Health Minister Sussan Ley. [...]
Former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett has questioned what Tony Abbott's ice taskforce will achieve and appealed for "courageous" leadership on the bigger problem of alcohol. Mr Kennett has called for a total ban on alcohol advertising and sponsorships, saying the key to tackling the ice epidemic is education. His stand was endorsed by the president [...]
Amid debates about budget cuts and the rising costs of schools and degrees, there is one debate receiving alarmingly little attention in Australia. We’re facing a slow decline in most educational standards, and few are aware just how bad the situation is getting. These are just six of the ways that Australia’s education system is [...]
The senator who defended the rights of smokers and said they were being disproportionately slugged through tobacco taxes has confirmed his party accepted donations from tobacco giant Phillip Morris. Liberal Democrat senator David Leyonhjelm confirmed the donation to Fairfax Media and said while he could not recall the exact amount given to his party by [...]
The Biggest Loser machine screeched into the regional Victorian town of Ararat last night, and we all got to gorge on the usual clichés. Fat people stuffing their faces with junk food. Fat people crying. Fat people talking about how they are unlovable and unworthy. The Biggest Loser PR team would have us believe that their community-wide [...]
A senior government staffer who demanded a new healthy food rating website be taken down is married to the head of a lobbying outfit that works for the junk food industry, it has been revealed. via Food rating website: Fiona Nash's chief of staff married to lobbyist for junk food industry.
As the national election draws near it’s time to consider what solutions the political parties are offering to Australia’s alcohol problem. It’s worth remembering the cost to Australia from alcohol problems amounts to $16 billion per annum. via Why isn't alcohol on the national agenda? | Grog WatchGrog Watch.
DRUNKS should pay for the damage they cause and the resources they use, the NSW auditor-general says. Alcohol abuse is "like a parasite drawing the lifeblood out of government services", Peter Achterstraat said in a report handed down on Tuesday. He called on the state government to consider charging alcohol abusers for the $1 billion [...]
I have always loved the movie ‘The Matrix’. I watched it again recently with my daughter Meaghan, and I can’t help but be struck by the parallels of the situation that Neo, Morpheus and their allies find themselves in the movie, with the circumstances of a growing number of people who are fighting passionately for [...]
Drugs derived from magic mushrooms could help treat people with severe depression. Scientists believe the chemical psilocybin, the psychedelic ingredient in magic mushrooms, can turn down parts of the brain that are overactive in severely depressive patients. The drug appears to stop patients dwelling on themselves and their own perceived inadequacies. However, a bid by British scientists [...]
