Economy

Despite government promises to increase funding during the pandemic, Australian experts are identifying a mental health emergency for young people.

Reports from the ground show people with valid visas were forced back at the airport, amid allegations of a politicised process for claims.

As overwhelmed hospital staff prepare to triage patients based on age, a new briefing to national cabinet says the strain on the health system will last well into next year.

Australians are taking up electric vehicles in increasing numbers, but the country is still a long way behind Europe. Now states are offering incentives, and charging infrastructure is being planned, with price parity only a few years away.

In Western Sydney, multigenerational families living in migrant households are finding new ways to confront the pandemic.

While the government pivots to upbeat messaging and the AMA calls for greater honesty around reopening, the Doherty Institute modelling shows that lockdowns may continue, even at high vaccination rates.

As the federal government pushes towards reopening on the back of high vaccination numbers, the nation can learn its biggest lessons from other countries that have exited harsh lockdowns in a bid to establish Covid normal.

Victoria and NSW are at a crisis point, with Covid-19 hospitalisations being underreported and cascading impacts on ambulance services and medical staffing.

Faced with pandemics, global warming, species extinction and a possible war with China, there is understandable anxiety about the future. Perhaps the hardest question is whether it’s futile to push for new peace initiatives.

Although not official, Australia is currently in a recession. The reasons for this are almost wholly due to the decision-making of the Morrison and Berejiklian governments.