Latest news with #JasonEdwards
Perth Now
24-07-2025
- Health
- Perth Now
‘Devastating': Private health giant shuts clinics
The country's biggest private hospital company will shut the majority of its psychology clinics in a matter of months. Ramsay Health Care notified staff of the closure of 17 of its 20 clinics earlier this month. The three remaining clinics are in the Newcastle suburb of Charlestown, in Perth's northern suburbs, and in Cairns. 'We understand this change might be unsettling and we are working closely with our psychologists to ensure every client is supported and has continuity of care, whether through our existing and expanded Telehealth service or with another trusted provider, depending on what is clinically appropriate,' a spokesperson said. 'This change is part of Ramsay's broader strategy to strengthen how we deliver high-quality, accessible and connected care across hospital, home and virtual settings.' Ramsay Health Care is a major player in Australia's private healthcare industry. Jason Edwards / NewsWire Credit: News Corp Australia Only Ramsay's community-based psychology clinics are closing, not its hospital mental health services or inpatient and day programs. Federal Greens leader Larissa Waters said half of Australians who needed mental health support already could not get it. 'The waiting lists are huge, and so it's devastating to see that a private healthcare operator is going to close down yet more facilities, and where are those people going to go?' she said. 'Health care shouldn't be for profit, and it shouldn't be how much money you've got on your credit card to enable you to get the health care that you need. 'So it's a real shame that profit seems to be driving this outcome that will have a real impact.' Ramsay Health is listed on the Australian sharemarket and valued at $8.9bn. The company's share price is down 16 per cent over the past 12 months. Erina on the NSW Central Coast is one of the clinics to close. Google Credit: Supplied In August, Ramsay Health Care reported a nearly triple full-year profit of $888.7m, up from $298.1m the year before. The large return was mostly due to the sale of Ramsay's stake in Ramsay Sime Darby, which owns hospitals in Malaysia and Indonesia. The financial results gave shareholders an 80 cent dividend per share across the financial year. 'The government should be providing healthcare services as a universal right of all Australians, and it shouldn't be whether or not a private company's profit margin is going to work to determine the outcomes for Australians' access to mental health care,' Ms Waters said. The 17 clinics are being shut progressively until the final one closes the doors permanently by the end of August. Ramsay Health Care's share price has tumbled over the past year. NewsWire / Gaye Gerard Credit: News Corp Australia Four Melbourne clinics are being shut, three in Sydney will close, two in Perth will shut, and single clinics on the Sunshine Coast, Ipswich, the Gold Coast, NSW's Central Coast and Wollongong will close. 'After careful consideration, we are transitioning Ramsay Psychology to a more flexible and sustainable model, which includes the progressive closure of 17 clinics by the end of August,' the Ramsay spokesperson said. 'Three clinics, in Cairns (QLD), Charlestown (NSW) and Joondalup (WA), will remain open to support local needs, maintain key partnerships and pilot more integrated models of care. 'Ramsay Health Care is reshaping how it delivers community-based mental health support to better meet the evolving needs of clients and clinicians.' The National Mental Health Commission's National Report Card was also released on Thursday, the same day as news of the Ramsay closures broke. Health commission chief executive David McGrath said fewer and fewer people could afford mental health care. 'We have also seen a steady rise in financial stress and in the proportion of people in Australia delaying mental health care due to cost in the last four years,' Mr McGrath said in the report. 'Disappointingly, many social factors impacting mental health are not showing improvement (e.g. loneliness and experiences of discrimination) and positive experiences of mental health care have remained stable.' People were feeling less secluded than in the previous year, the commission found, and more people were getting help now than in 2007. 'However, there is no question there is a long way to go – our younger generations continue to report heightened psychological distress and financial stress and have a much higher prevalence of mental health challenges relative to the rest of the population,' Mr McGrath said.
News.com.au
21-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Gabba curator and horse owner Dom Pelusi will be tickled pink if Australia smashes the Poms and he can jag a winner in the city this year
Gabba curator Dom Pelusi will be tickled pink if he can achieve two major goals this year – helping Australia smash the Poms in the second Ashes Test and cheering home his first city winner as a thoroughbred horse owner and stablehand for Brisbane trainer Jason Edwards. Cricket and horse racing are deeply ingrained in the cultural fabric of our country and 33-year-old Pelusi happens to have a 'driving passion' for both sports. He will help prepare the wicket for the pink ball day-night Test between Australia and England at the Gabba from December 4-8. And when time permits during a gruelling summer schedule, he will also be readying gallopers for Deagon trainer Edwards while keeping a sharp eye on horses running under the banner of his syndicate Broke Lads. Asked what skills and lessons he could transfer as a cricket groundsman to horse racing, Pelusi said: 'I guess it's just trusting the plan. 'There are times when even wicket preparations might not go your way and it's the same with horse racing. 'You can turn up to the races and think you're going to have a good day and a win but it doesn't always go to plan. 'You go back to the drawing board and just trust the process. You do it for a reason and you have to remember that at all times.' • Brisbane trainers hatch plans for ex-Godolphin gallopers Pelusi grew up in Tenterfield, about 20km south of the Queensland border, in country NSW and wasn't really into horse racing back then, despite his grandfather Ian Halliday being a trainer during the 1990s. He moved to Brisbane eight years ago and developed the bug, establishing Broke Lads with a group of mates shortly after the Covid pandemic struck. Edwards trains three horses for the syndicate – filly Resolute Lady, gelding Bodysnatcher and an unnamed Spirit Of Boom colt. Resolute Lady (one win from six races) finished second in a 1200m race for fillies and mares at Ipswich last Thursday while Bodysnatcher will likely make his debut at Doomben on Saturday. • Queensland carnival wagering hopes 'washed away' by Derby Day wet Taylor Marshall rode Resolute Lady at Ipswich in close to the same colours as Pelusi's granddad – tangerine with black seams and a black-and-orange quartered cap. 'My grandfather gifted me his silks so I thought it'd be something special if I could register and race in his colours,' Pelusi said. 'Resolute Lady was the horse we bought, albeit I couldn't register his exact silks so I put a bit of a twist on it. 'I didn't have much of an interest in horses when I was living in Tenterfield but it was something that was always in my blood. 'Once I got on the tools with Jason, I never looked back. He took me under his wing and I can't wait to keep learning from him.' • Ramornie-winning jockey plans to retire this year Pelusi admitted juggling his dual roles could be difficult, especially during summer when cricket dominated the Australian sporting landscape, but he wouldn't have it any other way. 'In winter I work with Jase in the mornings and then leave at 6am to go to work (as a Gabba curator),' he said. 'Summer is crazy. They're very long days but it's self-inflicted because I've got a driving passion for both industries. It's well worth it.' So would he prefer to see the Aussies beat up the Poms at the Gabba or watch one of his horses win a big race? 'I have done one Ashes Test so it's a bit selfish but I really want to cheer home a winner in the city,' he said. 'But in saying that, it's always great to see Australia win at the Gabba. 'We do it (grounds keeping) for the crowd to come in and cheer the boys home. But they're both amazing feelings so it's very hard to split.'
Perth Now
02-07-2025
- Business
- Perth Now
340 jobs at risk as Aussie paper mill teeters
Australia's last remaining industrial paper mill is teetering under shock power shortages, with the owner warning that 340 jobs could disappear without any stabilisation in prices. Boyer Paper Mill chief executive David Marriner, speaking with the ABC this week, said he had been forced to shell out an additional $12m to ship in coal from NSW to keep the mill's operations running after Hydro Tasmania, a renewable energy provider, told him it would be unable to supply the mill with clean power. 'To my amazement, I sit in the commercial strip on Collins St to be told there's simply not the power,' he said. Mr Marriner is trying to electrify the mill, located about 35km north of Hobart, to make it carbon neutral but said he needed 'the same terms and conditions' on power as other industrial users. '(We want) Nothing more or nothing less than the prices that are being provided to the other two or three equivalent major suppliers,' he said. 'We just want the same terms and conditions. We don't want to be paying more than what our competitors are. I'm shattered and disappointed.' Without competitive rates, the mill would be 'unsustainable', he said, and 340 workers could lose their jobs. 'Ask yourself, why should 340 employees take the burden of stupid decisions? Why should they lose jobs?' Mr Marriner said. The Boyer Mill is in Tasmania, north of Hobart. Jason Edwards / NewsWire Credit: News Corp Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese toured the mill in April, pledging $24m to help it transition away from coal power. Jason Edwards / NewsWire Credit: News Corp Australia The mill formed a centrepiece of Anthony Albanese's re-election pitch during the 2025 campaign, pledging $24m in funding to help it switch from coal-fired boilers to electric boilers. 'Boyer Paper Mill is an iconic part of Tasmania's manufacturing story,' the Prime Minister said in April. 'It was Australia's first ever newsprint mill built in the 1940s, and thousands of Tasmanians have worked here over that time. 'We want to see the mill continue well into the future, and that is why we are committing up to $24m to help Boyer secure local jobs and supply chains and move forward with confidence towards a low-emissions future.' Energy Minister Chris Bowen said the decarbonisation of industry made 'good economic sense'. 'Decarbonising our industries and manufacturing isn't just good for bringing emissions down, it makes good economic sense, as companies switch to running on not just the cleanest but the cheapest form of energy (which is) reliable renewables,' he said. The power shock hitting Boyer follows other energy warning signs at major industrial hubs in Australia. Rio Tinto's Tomago aluminium smelter in NSW is reportedly close to shutting down on high energy costs. Tomago is powered by AGL Energy's Bayswater coal-fired power station but is pivoting to renewable energy. Negotiations over a new energy contract have troubled the smelter's operations for months. The AGL contract is due to expire in 2028. A shutdown at Tomago could impact 6000 jobs across the Hunter Valley region. Rio holds a 51.6 per cent interest in the smelter, which produces about 590,000 tonnes of aluminium each year or about 37 per cent of Australia's total production. Reports suggest the company has been in emergency talks with state and federal governments for a bailout in the past few weeks.
Herald Sun
19-06-2025
- Business
- Herald Sun
Victorian rental bidding ban looms amid housing market squeeze
Kathryn Whiteley has faced rent bidding wars, skyrocketing prices and ghosting agents but now rents from a supportive landlord. Picture: Jason Edwards Kathryn Whiteley knows exactly how brutal Melbourne's rental market can be. The Nunawading renter has seen properties snapped up in minutes, sometimes for $100 above the asking rent, and has experienced the anxiety of applying for homes alongside dozens of desperate hopeful tenants at inspections. 'You turn up hoping to find somewhere stable and suddenly it's like a silent auction,' Ms Whiteley said. RELATED: Family buys mega Melb estate sight unseen Agents' bizarre tactic to sell Melb home Family forks $1.8m in heated Melb auction 'People are whispering offers to the agent, offering six months in advance, it's insane. 'One property jumped up nearly $100 just from competition. I left feeling so defeated.' The new laws to ban all forms of rent bidding are due in November that will make it illegal for landlord to accept, encourage or solicit rental offers above the advertised price. Agents and landlords who breach the rules could race up to fines of $47,422 under the reforms, which aim to close legal loopholes and improve fairness for tenants. But, Ms Whiteley says many renters have already been forced to bid, or miss out. Ms Whiteley said Melbourne's rental market feels like a 'silent auction', where tenants are forced to offer hundreds more just to compete. Picture: Jason Edwards 'It puts so much pressure on people who are just trying to find a home,' she said. 'You feel like you're being punished for not being wealthy.' She considers herself lucky now, living in a property managed by a 'respectful, generous landlord', the kind of rental experience she says should be far more common. 'I've had agents ghost me, landlords who barely return messages,' Ms Whiteley said. 'To have someone who actually checks in, who hasn't raised the rent just because they can, it means everything.' But even with supportive landlords doing the right thing, Ms Whiteley said the system is 'failing everyone, renters and landlords alike'. 'We talk about this generational divide, but we shouldn't be turning it into 'us versus them,' she said. 'A lot of older Australians are struggling with rising costs too. It's not just young people who are doing it tough.' Ms Whiteley said the cost of living squeeze – particularly soaring food and fuel prices – has made it harder than ever to stay ahead, let alone save for a home. 'The dream of owning a home feels like it's slipping away for so many of us,' she said. Despite finally finding stability, Ms Whiteley believes Victoria's rental system is still failing both tenants and landlords and says reform can't wait. Picture: Jason Edwards 'Rent takes up so much of your income that saving just isn't realistic anymore. 'People are working full-time, doing everything right, and still falling behind. 'The ones trying hardest are often the ones struggling most.' Despite the challenges, Ms Whiteley still holds onto hope for a fairer system. 'We need a housing system that looks after everyone, the renters trying to get by, the investors doing the right thing, and the older Australians who paved the way,' she said. 'Housing shouldn't be this hard. Everyone deserves a place to belong.' Sign up to the Herald Sun Weekly Real Estate Update. Click here to get the latest Victorian property market news delivered direct to your inbox. MORE: $130m village to build 195 homes for downsizers Ultimate 'entertainer's home' up for grabs Vic churches that are ready for conversion
News.com.au
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Aussie National Geographic photographer to host intimate safari tour
Australian photographer Jason Edwards has been shooting on safari since the 90s – so safe to say he's had some pretty incredible experiences. The Melbourne-born snapper, who has been a photographer for National Geographic for 25 years, started shooting at the age of eight, had his first images published at 14 and went on to buy his first camera a year later with his pocket money for $250 – and as the saying goes, the rest is history. He has taken his storytelling to dozens of countries and to every continent, snapping over a million frames across a bunch of reputable publications from BBC Wildlife, Australian Geographic, Sports Illustrated and The New Yorker. Jason's love for animals started from a young age, studying arts, science and biology and then going on to become a zoo keeper at Melbourne Zoo at 18. 'I started shooting lots of wildlife during that period because I was around it every day,' the award-winning photographer told 'All the money I earned from the zoo I would spend on travelling and buying camera equipment.' He eventually built a stock agency where publications would buy his images. The exposure led to his gig at National Geographic. 'They invited me to Washington to present and bring the work that told the story of my career at that point … they asked me to bring 150 frames,' he said. Once the presentation wrapped up, Jason was offered a contract on the spot. 'That was 25 years ago this year,' he said. As part of the role, the renowned Aussie photographer spends a lot of time on safari, having worked in Africa since 1992. And while he's had many wild experiences, there are a few that remain at the front of his mind, like being chased by lions during a project for Nat Geo, 10 years ago. 'It sounds stupid to even say it, but I was working with a mate of mine who was born in Chobe National Park. We were out working at night in an area we were allowed to work, and I said, 'Look, I want to get portrait shots of lions'. 'He said, 'yeah sure'. So we heard a pride in the darkness. I got out and the lions were all around in the dark, [and] a big male came and sat down and my friend's spotlight captured the male for me and I took some shots. '[But] the male went, 'hang on a minute, that's a human sitting on the ground'. So I get up and start running and the lion of course starts running after me.' Jason made it back to the four-wheel drive safely, but no footage of the insane moment was captured as the videographer who was also on the shoot was changing the batteries to his camera at the time. 'I spend my life doing this and the way I look at it, is every day is a gift. Because I know that every single day, whether it's in Antarctica or South Africa or the Amazon, would be a trip of a lifetime for someone else,' he said. 'I find that a privilege and I'm very conscious about that privilege.' And it's through his work at Nat Geo that he was able to score a partnership with Australian travel company Luxury Escapes where he will host and share his expertise for their first-ever safari tour. The intimate nine-day tour is part of Luxury Escapes Signature Series, a collection of limited-edition itineraries hosted by notable personalities – from MasterChef's Matt Preston and Gary Mehigan to pro golfer Nick O'Hern – and designed around shared passions such as food, sport, and now, wildlife photography. As part of the trip hosted by Jason, guests will explore the natural habitats of the Big Five – lions, elephants, leopards, rhinos, and buffaloes – and learn how to look at the world through a different lens and capture the moment, whether shooting with a smartphone or DSLR. The itinerary features highlights such as Kruger National Park, Victoria Falls and the wildlife-rich Chobe River Front. 'The thing I would say about safaris is that it changes people,' Jason told 'It actually takes you out of your comfort zone and reminds you that the world is bigger than you.' He said the one thing he loves most about it is 'it transports people away from the concerns and worries that they have in the world and it puts them back on nature's clock.' 'They get to see those rhythms of life, so the heat comes up in the day and everything starts to slow down.' Jason said Southern Africa is one of the most visually stunning places on Earth. 'Its animals take your breath away and I can't wait to help my fellow safari adventurers see it – and photograph it – in a new light.' The one-off trip is designed for amateur photographers, wildlife lovers, and anyone with a penchant for adventure.
