Former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern has taken up a part-time professor of practice role at the University of Sydney. She will guest-lecture, run masterclasses and mentor students and researchers in the school of public health. Her work will focus on empathetic leadership, social cohesion and civic trust. Ardern, who led New Zealand from 2017 to 2023, said she has been focused on leadership since leaving office. University vice-chancellor Mark Scott said her leadership showed that empathy and resolve can strengthen each other.
Former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern will lecture and mentor at the University of Sydney, beginning this month. Her work will focus on empathetic leadership, social cohesion and civic trust. Based in the school of public health, she will host guest lectures and masterclasses, although the university says it is not a full-time teaching role. Vice-chancellor Mark Scott praised Ardern's leadership, saying empathy and resolve can strengthen each other. Ardern moved to Australia earlier this year.
Former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern will lecture and mentor at the University of Sydney, beginning this month. Her work will focus on empathetic leadership, social cohesion and civic trust. Based in the school of public health, she will host guest lectures and masterclasses, although the university says it is not a full-time teaching role. Vice-chancellor Mark Scott praised Ardern's leadership, saying empathy and resolve can strengthen each other. Ardern moved to Australia earlier this year.
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Researchers who worked with the Greater Sydney Heat Taskforce say the region needs coordinated action to prepare for extreme heat. The taskforce, set up in 2023, developed the Greater Sydney Heat Smart City Plan, which was launched in December 2024. It contains 40 recommendations for 2025 to 2030, covering awareness, cooler homes and protection for vulnerable people. The researchers found that long-term funding, clear responsibilities and community involvement are key. They say initiatives such as the Australian Red Cross TeleRedi program and cooling spaces in libraries must be made available where needed.
A free online screening of Shaun Micallef's ABC documentary Going For Broke is set for Wednesday 4 November, from 7pm to 8:30pm. The event marks Gambling Harm Awareness Week, held from 24 to 31 October. It explores the effects of gambling harm on individuals, families and communities. A panel discussion with prevention experts, lived experience advocates and researchers will follow, with a question and answer session. The event is delivered with Maroondah, Manningham and Kingston councils.
Thousands of Victorians waiting months for surgery could be treated sooner under a $1.27 billion plan called SurgerySooner, announced by the Nationals and Liberals. The plan would use existing private hospital capacity to deliver up to 25,000 additional surgeries each year and help halve the state's surgery waitlist. Nationals MP Melina Bath said nearly 70,000 Victorians were waiting for elective surgery, with thousands in Category 2 and 3 having exceeded recommended waiting times. Eligible public patients would be offered surgery at participating private hospitals at no cost, keeping their public patient status.
Village Voice has asked Brisbane City Council and the Queensland government how residents can be better protected from sewage in Brisbane waterways. An investigation by Adam Bowden reported 10.5 billion litres of untreated sewage was discharged in 2024-25. A council spokesperson gave no reasons for gaps in testing at Sandgate and Shorncliffe. Council said it was meeting its public-health obligations. Councillor Tracy Davis said the testing program tracks long-term trends rather than providing real-time warnings. A motion for more frequent testing was heavily defeated. The state environment minister's office did not say whether a review was supported.
Ebola has spread to an eighth province in Congo's north. The Health Ministry has recorded two cases, including one death, in Nord-Ubangi province, which borders the Central African Republic. Both patients are men in their 20s. Authorities have recorded at least 9,400 cases and more than 4,500 deaths since the outbreak was declared in mid-May, making it the deadliest in Congo's history. North Kivu province will introduce a one-week ban on people entering from Ituri from Monday, along with limits on motorcycle and car passengers and suspended large gatherings.
Cancer patients in Melbourne's outer west are facing rising travel and fuel costs because there is no local public radiation therapy service. Some travel 50 to 100 kilometres each day to Sunshine, Parkville or Geelong for treatment. The Better Cancer Care campaign is calling on both major parties to commit to a public radiation therapy facility near Werribee Mercy Public Hospital before the November state election. The group says about 440,000 people live across Melton, Werribee, Tarneit, Point Cook and Lara. The state government and the Victorian Liberal Party were contacted for comment.
Independent MP Helen Burnet has congratulated the Tasmanian Government on expanding free access to nicotine replacement products. The change makes it easier for Tasmanians aged 12 and over to get help to quit smoking.
Residents in several Victorian and South Australian towns are fighting proposed McDonald's developments. Opponents raise concerns about health, traffic, family businesses and local identity. On Phillip Island, plans for a store near a primary school have drawn strong objections. McDonald's says the proposed Phillip Island outlet will create up to 120 jobs, though critics question this. A public health professor says the wider food environment and marketing shape diets. Victoria is considering a private members' bill that would let councils reject fast-food outlets on public health grounds.
Legionnaires' disease was named after American Legion veterans who fell ill at a 1976 meeting in Philadelphia. Researchers later identified the Legionella bacterium, which lives in soil and water. It becomes dangerous when it builds up in water cooling towers and is inhaled by vulnerable people. Australia's biggest outbreak occurred at Melbourne Aquarium in 2000, and cases are trending up in New South Wales and Victoria. Experts say the bacterium is very widespread and difficult to fully control.
A Flinders University study of more than 23,000 Australians found Gen Z is nearly 20 times more likely to abstain from alcohol than Baby Boomers. The effect held after accounting for age and other demographic differences. Millennials and Gen X reported more drinks on a typical drinking occasion than Boomers, while the Silent Generation recorded the highest weekly consumption among drinkers. Lead author Dr Gianluca Di Censo said the change appears sustained rather than a phase. Alcohol brands are adapting to social occasions where drinking is not the norm.
Geelong will host one of 10 proposed free public dental clinics across Victoria, Premier Ben Carroll has confirmed. The clinics would offer check-ups, fillings, root canals and extractions with no appointment needed, and are expected to open by mid-2027. Labor unveiled the $230 million plan in August as its first major promise of the state election campaign. Carroll said Victorians are paying heavily out of their superannuation for dental care, and that public waiting times stretch to almost two years. The announcement comes as Labor trails the Coalition in the latest poll ahead of the November state election.
The World Health Organization has released a report on the death of a Russian infectious disease researcher earlier this month. The agency says Russia has not yet confirmed the cause of death, so it cannot assess the risk. The WHO has seen no evidence of ongoing spread. Russian authorities later said the lab worker died of severe pneumonia of undetermined cause, after tests for several high-threat pathogens came back negative. Media reports named the researcher as 28-year-old Darya Shipilova, who worked at the Irkutsk Antiplague Research Institute.
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NSW Health is urging anyone bitten or scratched by a bat to seek urgent medical assessment. Between September 28 and October 10, 43 people were assessed after bat incidents, mostly in coastal areas of the Hunter, Mid-North Coast, Northern NSW and the Central Coast. Director of Health Protection Keira Glasgow said any bat could carry Australian bat lyssavirus, which is closely related to rabies and very dangerous to humans. Anyone bitten should wash the wound for 15 minutes with soap and water.
A new measles case in Byron Shire has prompted health officials to warn visitors to the Byron Beachside Markets on 26 September to watch for symptoms. The infected person, who had contact with a previous case, attended the markets near Bay Street and Dening Park from 9:30am to 12:30pm. Health authorities advise anyone present to monitor for symptoms until 14 October, as measles can take up to 18 days to appear. Dr Valerie Delpech urges those with symptoms to seek medical attention and remind the community to ensure they are up to date with vaccinations.
US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has unveiled a federal initiative to find evidence of vaccine injuries. The Department of Health and Human Services plans to overhaul the VAERS reporting system, making it available on mobile devices and adding tools for researchers. A financial incentive will encourage doctors to file reports. Electronic health records will also be required to record vaccine injuries. Kennedy said the government must listen to patients who report such injuries. Critics, including Protect Our Care, argue the plan will inflate vaccine risks and could raise insurance costs.
Pediatricians are renewing calls to ban raw milk as misinformation spreads. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) warns that outbreaks from raw milk have increased, with nearly half the illnesses affecting children. The AAP also defends vaccines against attacks from anti-science advocates, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who falsely claims vaccines are part of a scheme. The AAP highlights the public health benefits of pasteurization, which has significantly reduced infant deaths and illnesses.
