0:02

This

0:02

is an ABC Podcast.

0:08

Good morning. Welcome to AM. I'm Sabra

0:10

Lang coming to you from Napa Luna Hobart.

0:13

If you're waiting for elective surgery or know someone

0:15

who is, you won't be surprised to hear the pandemics

0:18

led to a big drop in the number of operations

0:20

in the public hospital system. The

0:22

number done last financial year, it's the lowest

0:24

in a decade. and disruptions are continuing

0:27

with Melbourne's Alfred hospital suspending

0:29

elective surgery because of stop shortages. Miss

0:31

Samantha Donovan reports surgeons are warning

0:34

constrained public health system will

0:36

struggle to clear the waiting lists.

0:38

New

0:38

figures from the Australian Institute

0:40

of Health and Welfare show six

0:42

hundred and twenty three thousand patients

0:45

had elective surgery in public

0:47

hospitals in the last financial year.

0:49

down seventeen percent from the year

0:52

before. NeoGenica ramenen

0:54

is a plastic and reconstructive surgeon

0:56

in Melbourne. Obviously, Victoria was

0:59

very heavily hit with elective

1:01

surgery restrictions in twenty twenty,

1:03

twenty twenty one. Given that

1:05

we saw significant waves of infection

1:08

in both New South Wales and

1:10

Victoria. I'm not surprised

1:12

that the subsequently nationally has

1:14

seen a bigger drop. in elective surgery

1:16

numbers. She says Australia's health

1:18

system is struggling to reduce the

1:20

backlog of elective surgeries. My

1:23

worry is not actually about

1:25

specific COVID waves, but actually

1:28

about the health system going forward. at

1:30

a national level and whether

1:32

we are prepared for what

1:34

is a bigger surge really,

1:36

which is the aging baby boomers.

1:39

and we have known that this crisis is

1:41

coming for decades. And

1:44

COVID has really, you know, put an

1:46

additional challenge in the

1:48

way of actually dealing with this

1:51

issue and ensuring that all

1:53

of these people who are getting older,

1:55

who paid their taxes for a long time and expect

1:57

a certain quality of health care can actually

1:59

access

1:59

it when they need it. The Australian medical

2:02

association says the elective surgery figures

2:04

released

2:05

today are disastrous, and show

2:07

one in three patients waited over

2:09

a year for a knee replacement and

2:11

nearly one in five waited more than a

2:13

year for a hip replacement. It

2:15

says the fact seventy five thousand

2:17

surgeries were done in private hospitals

2:20

funded by the public system in

2:22

twenty twenty, twenty twenty

2:23

one, proves the public hospital system

2:25

is at maximum capacity. Another

2:27

group concerned by the drop in elective

2:30

surgeries in public hospitals is

2:32

the breast cancer network Australia. Its

2:34

CEO, Kirsten Polotti, says

2:36

women waiting for reconstructive surgery

2:39

need more surgery about when

2:41

they're likely to get a hospital bed.

2:43

wanna make sure we're looking for sensible

2:46

solutions. And one of those very simple

2:48

things we can do is a much better

2:50

communication and transparency to

2:52

those people who are on waiting lists so

2:55

that they can actually prepare not

2:57

just physically but emotionally for

2:59

how long it may be before they can

3:01

be seen. That's

3:02

Kirsten Polarity, the chief executive of

3:04

breast cancer network Australia, Smrita Donovan

3:07

reporting there. Rising mortgage

3:09

repayments are one pressure on many Australians,

3:11

another rising prices.

3:13

The federal government promised action to

3:15

cap gas and coal prices before Christmas

3:17

to help ease soaring costs. The

3:20

nation's energy ministers' meeting tomorrow,

3:22

and the prime minister will host an online national

3:24

cabinet meeting on Friday. The climate

3:26

change in the energy minister, Chris Bowen joins us

3:28

now. Good morning. Welcome to AM. Good

3:31

morning, sir. Good to be back. Let's

3:33

talk about expectations,

3:34

will the prime minister and premiers get an

3:36

agreement on Friday on capping coal prices

3:38

and how soon will people see that flow

3:40

through to their power bills?

3:42

Well, Sabra, the prime minister in the premiers

3:45

and, you know, all the governments, particularly those

3:47

governments with black

3:49

coal in their jurisdictions are working hard

3:52

in the pestages of the country and their

3:54

respective states to strike the right balance

3:56

and to make sure that there is a very

3:58

sensible package developed. That work's been

3:59

happening for a while now, and

4:02

obviously, we're getting closer to the national cabinet

4:04

where the prime minister and all the premiers will be

4:06

able to assess your options and make

4:08

an announcement after that. But in one in

4:10

one way, Sabra, the situation is very complex.

4:12

We've got the implications of the war in

4:15

Ukraine, the illegal invasion

4:18

by Vladimir Putin, which still dealing with the implications

4:20

of some of the coal fired power station

4:22

closures in the middle of this year and the flooding

4:24

of coal mines that's still flowing through. In one

4:26

way, situation is very complex,

4:28

but in another way, the objective is

4:30

very simple. Ensure that Australian

4:33

industries and businesses are children

4:35

from the worst impact of this war

4:37

in Russia, which is in no way, shape,

4:39

or form their fault. And

4:41

it would be negligent to let

4:43

that sit situation simply flow

4:45

flow through and see industries threatened

4:48

with closure. Governments around the

4:50

world are dealing with this and dealing with it

4:52

with quite interventionist responses,

4:54

including right of center governments because

4:56

this is an unprecedented situation. The

4:58

budget forecast at energy prices

5:00

would go up fifty percent over the next

5:02

two years. Do you expect if you're able

5:04

to coal – cat coal prices

5:06

that that will affect that forecast? Will prices

5:09

go down? where

5:10

we're obviously not contemplating

5:12

these measures for fun. We're contemplating these

5:14

measures to have an impact on electricity

5:16

prices. Harbor. So yes,

5:18

of course, any decision that the

5:20

Commonwealth makes in partnership with the

5:22

states would be designed. to

5:24

reduce that figure. So,

5:26

evidently, I think that's the case. That's what we're

5:28

working with there. The circumstances we're working

5:30

under, and that's why we have

5:33

looked very, very carefully at all. The options

5:35

methodically worked it through, come up with

5:38

options and ideas, which means

5:40

that various jurisdictions use the powers

5:42

best available to them for the most impact

5:44

and effect. And those conversations have been had in

5:46

good faith. And while I'm not

5:48

gonna provide a a running commentary on them,

5:50

obviously, the energy ministers meeting

5:52

tomorrow followed by

5:54

the first ministers meeting,

5:56

the National Cabinet meeting on Friday,

5:58

which is where the kid decisions will

6:01

be made and announced are very important

6:03

in that regard.

6:03

The Commonwealth has asked the states to

6:06

apply cap on those coal prices but the states

6:08

want compensation for the billions and royalties

6:10

that they will lose as a result of

6:12

this. Will the federal government assist

6:14

there?

6:15

Well, Sabra, we do respect

6:17

discussions occur between prime ministers and

6:19

premiers and treasures and energy ministers

6:21

and without occur over the national

6:24

broadcaster as much respect as I have for the

6:26

ABC and for you. Those negotiations

6:28

don't occur by you. They occur on the telephone

6:30

between principles. and

6:33

that's that those conversations will continue

6:35

in the lead up to Friday in the national

6:37

category.

6:37

Sure. But many people would think some governments

6:39

are raking in big royalties right now because

6:41

prices have going up because of the Ukraine war,

6:43

and now they want compensation for lost royalties.

6:46

Well,

6:46

clearly, we're dealing with implications to the Ukraine

6:48

war. Absolutely. the choice

6:50

for governments? Or do you allow, frankly,

6:53

inflated profits off the back of

6:55

that wall and then putting pressure on

6:57

households and businesses? Or do you have

6:59

a response? Clearly, the urban energy government is

7:01

choosing to have a response in that complicated

7:03

environment. We're working through the options

7:05

very carefully, including with states

7:07

that have, you know, a different set of powers to the Commonwealth

7:09

in different circumstances. There are some areas

7:11

where the Commonwealth

7:12

war clearly

7:13

has affected powers,

7:15

other areas where the states might have more effective

7:18

responses available to them, hence we've

7:20

sat down with the premiers and

7:22

those go those two governments, in particular,

7:24

with black coal, to talk those issues through

7:26

in a very good faith now.

7:27

Energy ministers will tomorrow does

7:30

us a way to avoid the power outages that we

7:32

experienced during winter this year in the eastern

7:34

states because there wasn't enough dispatchable

7:36

coal fired power to firm up the system.

7:38

power companies then wanted to be paid more

7:40

to do that. Have you come up with a solution to

7:42

avoid a repeat of that?

7:44

Well, energy ministers have been doing that.

7:46

ever since July. I think this is the

7:48

the fourth meeting I've had with energy ministers

7:50

in my six months as energy minister.

7:53

And obviously, I have tried and

7:55

I think most would say have --

7:57

we have been able to get a

7:59

much

7:59

more cooperative response and

8:02

approach around the state energy ministers

8:04

table with a couple ministerates. Previously,

8:06

being a very testy room, a

8:08

very contested room. I've tried to

8:10

work very closely with my state and territory

8:12

ministers with Labour Liberals or Grains.

8:14

or labor ministers to get a good

8:16

result. The network has been occurring. We've

8:18

increased the powers of IMO. We've

8:21

increased the powers in relation to gas we've

8:24

done a lot of that. The most important thing we'll

8:26

discuss tomorrow to be frank with you

8:28

is the next step. On the capacity mechanism,

8:30

you would have heard us talk about this before, this

8:32

is the very important safety net to

8:35

underpin the transition. We need the

8:37

transition to renewables to be

8:39

faster and to

8:39

be more orderly. It's been for

8:41

the last decade, too slow and too

8:44

disorderly. There hasn't been enough

8:46

management of the transition by the federal

8:48

government, and it's occurred too

8:50

slowly. We need both things to have needs to be

8:52

faster, but it very, very much

8:54

server needs to be more orderly. It needs to

8:56

be more management of of this

8:58

transition. Now what I'll be discussing

9:00

with my state and territory colleagues tomorrow

9:02

as a model. For that

9:04

capacity mechanism, this has been talked about for a

9:06

long time, the previous government started

9:08

the conversation, but they couldn't finish it.

9:10

What I'm planning to do is

9:12

to take this deep conversation

9:14

to the next level and to really really

9:16

drive home a good and faster

9:18

outcome in relation to a capacity

9:20

mechanism, which is so important to encourage more

9:22

dispatchable, renewable energy.

9:24

Alright. And

9:24

you're confident we'll avoid a repeat of what

9:27

we had earlier this year. Well well, well,

9:29

Sabra, that's what all that's what everybody in

9:31

energy system is working towards. state

9:33

ministers, Labour, Liberal, and Green,

9:35

Aymo, the Australian energy

9:37

market operator, Australian energy regulator.

9:40

Absolutely. We put measures in place.

9:42

to improve the situation from the one

9:44

we inherited in June.

9:47

When we were sworn in on the first of June, it's

9:49

just when this this

9:51

crisis was beginning to unfold

9:53

after ten years of denial and delay.

9:56

Obviously, as I said, there's a very good

9:58

spirit of cooperation around the state and territory

9:59

Energy ministers with us, which I very much

10:02

appreciate. We come from different

10:04

political perspectives, but we have one objectives.

10:07

Chris

10:07

Byrne, thanks for joining AM this

10:09

morning. is

10:10

pleasure, suburb?

10:12

The big

10:14

banks

10:15

being quick to pass on the latest rise in

10:18

official interest rates, which are now at their

10:20

highest level in ten years. And after

10:22

eight rate hikes in a row, the

10:24

housing industry is worried about its

10:26

future, while Financial counselors say some

10:28

families are already foregoing

10:30

medical care and insurance and turning to risky

10:32

short term loans to get by. John

10:34

Daly reports. The

10:35

pain of repeated interest rate rises

10:37

is something Sydney based lifeline

10:40

financial counselor and Holmes hears about

10:42

every day. as more borrowers,

10:44

particularly those with young families,

10:46

need her help. The stress that people are

10:48

under is enormous as a result of

10:50

the increasing interest rates.

10:52

So we're seeing a lot more people

10:54

representing not only with financial

10:56

issues but with, you know, mental health

10:58

issues as well, stress, depression,

11:01

and and other things. At three point

11:03

one percent, official interest rates are at a

11:05

decade high. Repayments on the

11:07

average seven hundred thousand dollar mortgage in

11:09

New South Wells have gone up by a thousand dollars a

11:11

month since May. And Holmes

11:13

says some people are now turning to

11:15

risky short term loans and maxed out

11:17

credit cards to keep up. it

11:19

just exasperates the whole problem. They

11:21

might present with three or four

11:24

high cash loans because that

11:26

was the only way they could afford

11:28

to pay The eight consecutive

11:30

rate rises from the reserve bank are having an

11:32

effect on the housing market. From May

11:34

to October, the monthly value of

11:36

secured finance declined almost

11:38

eighteen percent. and housing sales

11:40

volumes are thirteen percent lower

11:42

compared with last year, according to market

11:44

analysis from CoreLogic. And with

11:46

the Reserve Bank signaling more rate

11:48

rises in February and March, there are

11:50

fears the residential housing sector will go

11:52

from its COVID boom to bust, given

11:54

the long lag in this cycle. We

11:56

are concerned that the Reserve Bank has gone

11:58

too far too soon. That's

12:00

Tim Reidon, chief economist for the housing

12:02

industry association. and the

12:04

lags he's referring to are hangovers

12:06

from COVID. Firstly, a lot of

12:08

borrowers will come off low fixed term

12:10

interest rates they'd locked in during the pandemic.

12:13

to be hit with much higher rates. And then there's

12:15

the huge backlog of housing construction

12:17

caused by materials and staff

12:19

shortages that should clear by mid

12:21

next year. strength of the building construction sector

12:23

at the moment is hiding the impact

12:25

of this rise in the cash rate on the

12:27

wider economy. Tim Reardon fears that by

12:29

the time the true economic damage

12:31

is revealed it'll be too late to save the

12:33

housing sector from a severe

12:35

downturn. If this cash rate increase in

12:37

cycle continues into twenty twenty three

12:39

that's going to an ongoing

12:41

decline in consumer confidence and

12:44

cause this downturn in the building

12:46

industry to be significantly deeper

12:48

and longer. than what is

12:50

currently forecast. In a statement, the Reserve

12:52

Bank board says it's seeking to keep the

12:54

economy on an even keel as it

12:56

returns inflation to target. and it

12:58

expects to increase interest rates

13:00

further, but it's not on a preset

13:02

course.

13:02

John Daily reporting there. When you

13:05

lose a loved one or you go through a bad

13:07

divorce, the pain from a broken

13:09

heart can be so physical. It

13:11

makes you sick. Broken heart

13:13

syndrome is a potentially fatal condition

13:15

that causes the heart to change

13:17

shape. However, as Evelyn

13:19

Manfield reports, doctors in Adelaide are

13:21

trialing a potentially life changing

13:23

treatment. In

13:24

twenty nineteen, Sandra Brown's

13:26

life changed in an instant. Her

13:28

husband of fifty years Graham

13:31

died suddenly after a fall

13:33

at home. And because he was

13:35

on blood thinners, they couldn't

13:37

just stop the bleeding. So at

13:39

sixty nine, Sandra Brown had to

13:41

adjust to life without her best

13:43

friend. As the grief set

13:45

in, she started feeling tight across

13:47

her chest. Shop of adrenaline.

13:49

That's what it felt like, you know,

13:51

like rock a big wave had

13:53

come up like despair. About

13:55

two months after he died,

13:57

the feeling in her chest got

13:59

worse, a tightness across my

14:02

chest like indigestion

14:04

up high. It wasn't so

14:06

much pain. It was just

14:08

being really, really uncomfortable.

14:10

After writing it off as heat stroke, she

14:12

eventually called an ambulance and

14:14

was later diagnosed with broken

14:16

heart syndrome. It's a heart

14:18

condition where the left chamber is

14:20

enlarged and it's triggered by

14:22

intense physical or emotional

14:24

stress. Well, I've heard of

14:26

people dying of breaking hearts, but I

14:28

didn't know there was a syndrome. Adelaide

14:31

cardiologist, doctor Gauching Ong,

14:33

is leading efforts to learn more about

14:35

the condition.

14:35

Actually, some patients

14:37

also get this condition from

14:39

happy stress and, you know, things

14:40

like winning the lottery or or

14:43

being successful. fall in a job application that sort of

14:45

thing. Diagnosing, Broken

14:46

Heart syndrome, or Takasubo, can

14:48

be difficult.

14:49

Patients who come in to the hospital with a

14:51

suspected heart attack often get treated as

14:53

if they've had a heart attack first. And

14:55

then subsequently after a few more

14:57

tests, they then get diagnosed with

14:59

Takotsugo syndrome. The treatment for this

15:01

condition so far had been a little

15:03

bit of guesswork. Doctor Ong

15:05

says it's more common than you'd think.

15:07

It accounts for about two percent of

15:09

patients who come into hospital with a

15:11

suspected heart attack. in

15:13

elderly women. That number jumps to about

15:15

one in ten. Even

15:17

though it can be fatal, there's no

15:19

proven treatment. Doctor Ong is

15:21

currently trialing a medication used for

15:23

high blood pressure because of its anti

15:25

inflammatory effects.

15:27

No at the end of it, we'll be able to come out

15:29

with a good therapeutic option for these patients

15:31

who, you know, so far, have been lacking one.

15:33

Nicola Parin is one of the seventy

15:35

people taking part in the trial.

15:37

She was diagnosed with broken heart syndrome

15:40

last year after being attacked on

15:42

the street. We had no conversation.

15:44

It just took a swing

15:46

and hit me in the face. She

15:48

hopes it'll help people seeking

15:50

treatment after a traumatic event. You

15:52

know, I jumped at it. I just thought, well,

15:54

that's one way, you know, that I can

15:56

help make a positive out of a

15:58

negative. The trial is expected to

16:00

finish next year. Evella

16:02

Manfield.

16:06

The

16:08

internationally renowned Centralist

16:10

Australian aboriginal women's quires delivered

16:13

its distinctive combination of ancient

16:15

hymns and living indigenous

16:17

languages to audiences across

16:19

the globe. But during the past two years, the

16:21

pandemic has kept them off the stage.

16:23

Now, the twenty four member choir is

16:25

about to start performing again with concerts

16:27

in Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne this

16:29

month. Stephanie Smell reports.

16:35

After

16:37

years of traveling hundreds of kilometers

16:39

from

16:39

different remote communities to sing

16:41

together, the pandemic pressed

16:44

calls on the choir's performances. But

16:46

Janice Williams, who was isolated at

16:49

Nataria, or Hermansburg, West

16:51

Divala Springs, says the women

16:53

still sang wherever they were. It

16:55

was

16:55

in a scape from,

16:57

you know, everything that was going on at the

16:59

time. It just brought us back down to

17:01

earth.

17:01

Communication challenges made rehearsals

17:04

over the internet weren't an option during

17:07

lockdowns, and it was months before the

17:09

choir reunited. But Denise

17:11

Williams says their repertoire son

17:13

mostly in Pittenjara and Western Aranda

17:16

language is ready.

17:16

These are two strong aboriginal

17:19

languages that we speak.

17:22

still and you'll hear that in the

17:23

music. It's just like, you know,

17:26

when you're feeling empty and you

17:28

turn on song and it makes you

17:30

feel whole again. That's

17:32

what we do

17:32

in our performances. And while

17:35

she loves going on tour, Denise

17:37

Williams says it can be difficult being

17:39

away from country.

17:40

Yeah. We're not only just doing it for

17:42

ourselves, but we're doing it for our families,

17:44

for our children to see that you

17:46

can do anything you put your mind to.

17:52

It

17:52

is amount speakable privilege and a

17:54

great joy to be an agent for

17:57

this wonderful story. Musical

17:59

director,

17:59

code or Morris Stewart has

18:01

worked with the choir for nearly a decade.

18:03

He says it's taken time

18:05

to rebuild after such a long

18:08

hiatus.

18:08

We've had two years of well

18:10

being dormant, not being

18:13

together, not rehearsing together, not

18:15

performing together, and and that's the fuel

18:17

that keeps you going. The

18:18

choir sings German hymns and other sacred

18:21

music translated into local

18:23

language by German missionaries more

18:25

than a century ago.

18:26

Its agency is the

18:29

Pittingjara and the western man in the languages.

18:31

And this

18:31

conjunction of ancient

18:34

languages of early romantic

18:36

and abrupt era arrangements

18:38

and German sacred poetry

18:41

is a is a unique conjunction.

18:53

Morrow Stuart

18:53

says the choir's commitment to

18:55

travel from places as far as Daka

18:58

River on the Western Australian border

19:00

To Hermansburg, West Ofela Springs to

19:03

rehearse has paid

19:04

off. From end to end, you're

19:06

looking at at twenty five hundred

19:09

kilometer radius to bring people

19:11

together. Some of the travel

19:13

takes a whole day for the women to get to

19:15

Alice Springs.

19:15

The Central Australian aboriginal women's

19:18

choir will perform in Brisbane, Sydney,

19:20

and Melbourne this month.

19:27

Stephanie's mail

19:28

reporting there. Let's aim for today.

19:30

Thanks for your company.

19:32

I'm Sabre Lane.

19:35

Hi. I'm Sam

19:37

Horley, host of the ABC

19:39

News Daily Podcast It's been such a

19:42

rocky economic year, and now we've

19:44

had

19:44

a pre Christmas interest rate rise, the

19:46

eighth increase in a row. So

19:48

what can we expect in twenty twenty three.

19:50

Today, business

19:51

editor, the inventor on

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