Labor has described Payman's linking of a Haines-style attack to staffing allocation as outrageous. Payman has asked whether the Prime Minister is waiting for what happened to Helen Haines to happen again. Shoebridge has called for ethical Australian AI after a cyber threat warning. Lambie says Hanson has not personally apologised over a cartoon. A former Rio Tinto boss is set to lead a defence procurement watchdog, and the Farrer independent spent $1.7 million on a byelection campaign.
A man in his 60s died on Tasmania's west coast while waiting for an ambulance that took nearly 80 minutes to reach him. He called Triple Zero from the Zeehan area on Saturday, reporting chest pains and breathing problems. The Zeehan ambulance was unstaffed because of an unfilled roster gap, and nearby crews were attending other calls, so an ambulance from Burnie was sent. It arrived about 78 minutes after the call, but the man had already died. The Department of Health offered its condolences and said a comprehensive investigation will be held.
The Commonwealth National Preventive Mechanism has recommended that the Department of Home Affairs ensure enough staff at the Adelaide Immigration Detention Centre to meet security needs while keeping services running. Staff raised concerns that a new directive requiring more frequent use of mechanical restraints and extra personnel during transport and escort activities could reduce the number of staff available for daily operations. The directive followed an escape during a transport and escort activity at the Villawood Immigration Detention Centre.
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Molong Early Learning Centre is urgently recruiting qualified educators to fill several vacancies, with more than 70 children on its waiting list. Service director Shanie Duncan said the not-for-profit centre is not at risk of closing, but ongoing staffing shortages could force it to reduce enrolments if mandatory educator-to-child ratios cannot be met. Ms Duncan said workforce shortages across the sector, along with travel distances and fuel costs in regional areas, have made recruitment harder. The centre, established in 1972, is Molong's only long day care facility and plans to introduce a trainee in the coming year.
A retired senior sergeant says Sorrento Police Station has had its resources removed and has not been fully operational for 18 months. Malcolm Davey, a former officer-in-charge at Sorrento and Rye, says the recording equipment for interviews has been taken out. He says the station appears open but is not attended, and he warns that policing in nearby towns would suffer. Victoria Police says the station remains operational and has not been permanently closed. It says daily patrols continue, and the closest 24-hour station is Rosebud.
Staff at Mornington Peninsula Shire libraries have raised concerns about a proposed restructure due to take effect in early January 2027. Shire director of communities Cheryl Casey said no final decisions have been made and consultation with employees is underway. Current library positions are set to be made redundant, with permanent staff redeployed. Staff say the changes will leave too few people on the floor and disperse teams across locations. Somerville Library could transition to a community hub model with a mobile library, according to documents seen by The News.
ACT public schools will face disruptions from 19 to 23 October due to planned industrial action by the Australian Education Union. The union is demanding staffing guarantees from the ACT Government. One-hour work stoppages will affect different schools each day, with reduced supervision and possible cancellations of camps and excursions. The action follows reports of severe staffing pressures, including a teacher supervising a class of 90 students. The union has encouraged parents and community members to support their campaign.
Homeless service entry points across Victoria are often forced to turn people away, a survey by the Victorian Homelessness Network has found. Sixty-nine per cent of responding services closed at some point because they were at capacity, mainly due to insufficient staffing. Staff at Wayss in Dandenong say they sometimes close by 10am and face aggression and threats. Workers say rising case complexity, including mental health issues, is slowing responses. The study recommends more staff, crisis accommodation and security funding ahead of the November Victorian election.
Gunnedah Hospital in New South Wales has not opened its new birthing suite due to a lack of staff. Hunter New England Local Health District says it cannot find enough GP obstetricians to support the service. Women in the area are being directed to give birth in Tamworth or Newcastle instead. The district offers relocation assistance and housing, additional leave, and access to training and education to attract staff. The National Association of Specialist Obstetricians and Gynaecologists says the challenge of recruiting GP obstetricians in regional areas is a national crisis.
