Midday News Bulletin 31 October 2024

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TRANSCRIPT
In this bulletin;
Nearly $100 million in New South Wales Toll Rebates unclaimed;
The public health system accused of failing mental health patients;
And in tennis, Alex de Minaur and Holger Rune advance to the Paris Masters third round.
Tens of thousands of Sydney drivers are claiming over $300 in toll rebates, with new data highlighting the high toll costs for motorists each week.
Blacktown recently became the first suburb to exceed $1 million in total toll relief, followed closely by Baulkham Hills.
Auburn, Merrylands, and Marsden Park are nearing similar totals, with more than 35,000 claims worth $13 million lodged across 20 postcodes.
Under the Minns government’s toll cap, drivers who spend over $60 on tolls weekly can claim the excess quarterly, averaging $367 per claim.
While $60 million has been returned to motorists since January, nearly $100 million remains unclaimed.
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The public health system has been accused of failing mental health patients, with record numbers arriving at hospitals only to face unprecedented wait times in emergency departments.
The Australian Medical Association warns the situation will worsen as more staff leave due to stress and burnout.
According to the association’s latest mental health Public Hospital Report Card, in the 2022/23 financial year, patients waited an average of seven hours in emergency before being admitted, and one in 10 spent more than 23 hours in emergency before receiving a hospital bed.
AMA president Danielle McMullen is calling for extra resources and mental health support reform at all levels.
“We need to do better. We need all governments to stop putting this in the too hard basket. We need them to invest in increasing the capacity of our mental health units, that’s beds and the workforce needed to support them, and we need that investment in the community to keep as many people as healthy and out of hospital as we can, and that’s investment in general practice in psychiatry and in those wraparound psychosocial supports for people with chronic and complex mental health problems.”
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The Prime Minister has emphatically denied contacting former Qantas boss Alan Joyce for flight upgrades.
Ben Fordam read out an exchange he had with the Prime MInister on 2GB, where the Prime Minister clarified that he had not texted, called, or emailed Mr Joyce requesting flight upgrades.
“Did you text Allan Joyce about flight upgrades, the PM’s answer, no. Did you ever email Allan Joyce about flight upgrades? The PM’s answer again, no. Did you ever share with Allan Joyce any flights or travel plans without specifically asking for an upgrade? The PM replied, no. Was there someone else at Qantas, you were seeking upgrades from or sharing your travel plans with? Again the PM, replied, No.”
Opposition leader Peter Dutton has accused Anthony Albanese of breaching ministerial standards after former Nine newspaper columnist Joe Aston claimed he received 22 upgrades on Qantas flights.
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The Prime Minister has emphatically denied contacting former Qantas boss Alan Joyce for flight upgrades.
Ben Fordam read out an exchange he had with the Prime Minister on 2GB, where the Prime Minister clarified that he had not texted, called, or emailed Mr Joyce requesting flight upgrades.
“Did you text Allan Joyce about flight upgrades, the PM’s answer, no. Did you ever email Allan Joyce about flight upgrades? The PM’s answer again, no. Did you ever share with Allan Joyce any flights or travel plans without specifically asking for an upgrade? The PM replied, no. Was there someone else at Qantas, you were seeking upgrades from or sharing your travel plans with? Again the PM, replied, No.”
Opposition leader Peter Dutton has accused Anthony Albanese of breaching ministerial standards after former Nine newspaper columnist Joe Aston claimed he received 22 upgrades on Qantas flights.
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Israel continued heavy bombardment of Gaza, killing at least 20 people, Palestinian medics reported.
This comes a day after one of the war’s deadliest strikes killed over 90 in northern Gaza.
Eight casualties were reported in Beit Lahiya’s Salateen area, close to Tuesday’s strike site, which State Department spokesman Matthew Miller described as horrifying.
“We are deeply concerned by the loss of civilian life in this incident. This is a horrifying incident with a horrifying result. I can’t speak to the total death toll, but there are reports of two dozen children killed in this incident. No doubt, a number of them are children who have been fleeing the effects of this war for more than a year now. We have reached out to the government of Israel to ask what happened here. We don’t yet know the underlying circumstances.”
Northern Gaza, where Israel claims to have dismantled Hamas’s command earlier this year, is now a primary target.
Israeli forces moved tanks into Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanoun, and Jabalia this month, aiming to clear out regrouped Hamas militants.
The intensified offensive has killed hundreds of Palestinians and reduced aid and food supplies to critical lows.
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In tennis, Thirteenth seed Holger Rune and ninth seed Alex de Minaur have advanced to the Paris Masters third round.
Rune, the 2021 champion, defeated Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik 6-4, 6-2.
De Minaur kept his ATP Finals hopes alive with a 6-4, 7-6 (5) win over Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic.