The Northern Territory news Wed 4 Nov 2020
NT news
The Northern Territory news; NewspaperNT
2020-11-04
English
Community newspapers -- Northern Territory -- Darwin.; Australian newspapers -- Northern Territory -- Darwin.
News Corp Australia
Darwin
application/pdf
Copyright. Made available by the publisher under licence.
News Corp Australia
https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2019C00042
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/816205
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/816594
WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 4 2020 NEWS 15 V1 - NTNE01Z01MA THE Reserve Bank of Australia has again slashed interest rates and taken other steps to try to alleviate COVID-19 economic pressures, but it could take weeks before banks pass on the cut to customers. The RBA shaved 15 basis points from the official cash rate, which now stands at 0.1 per cent the lowest on record. The RBA said the interest rate carving and its decision to implement further unconventional monetary policies were to alleviate economic pressures fuelled by the pandemic. RateCity research director Sally Tindall said it could take weeks before banks decided to pass on the cut to consumers. The RBA governor wants this rate cut to help reduce problem loans but this will only work if the banks pass it on, she said. There is immense pressure on the banks to do the right thing ... particularly as many lenders failed to pass on the last RBA cut to their variable customers. Within about an hour of Tuesdays announcement, five smaller lenders had trimmed their variable home loan rates. Athena, homeloans.com.au and Homestar Finance cut their rates by 0.15 per cent, Pacific Mortgage Group by between 0.1 and 0.16 per cent, and Reduce Home Loans by between 0.1 and 0.2 per cent. Canstar editor-at-large Effie Zahos said the major banks would likely have no choice but to cut home loan rates eventually. Official rates at new low GERARD COCKBURN AND REBECCA LE MAY Tragic end in spotlight AN elderly woman lay on the hard floor of a Darwin aged care home with a broken hip for more than an hour after a fall that ultimately led to her death, a coronial inquiry has heard. The first day of the inquest into the death of Barbara Francis heard the 78-year-old was in the advanced stages of dementia when she broke her hip at Fannie Bays Pearl aged care home in 2018. Counsel assisting coroner Elisabeth Armitage, Jodi Truman, said about two weeks before Mrs Franciss death, she was involved in an incident with a violent male resident whose actions caused the fall. Ms Truman said staff called an ambulance just after 5pm and again more than an hour-and-a-half later when paramedics still hadnt arrived. Mrs Francis was eventually taken to hospital where she underwent surgery but later died. St John Ambulance paramedic Jeffrey Buteux, who attended the call-out, said he arrived at the home after starting night shift at 6.30pm and was shocked to later learn a crew hadnt been sent. In his statement, Mr Buteux said there was already a day shift ambulance at the base when he clocked on and he was dumbfounded as to why the job was held back. (It was) another occasion where (St John) are trying to save money by not dispatching crews on overtime, he said. But communications supervisor Emma Trenerry, whose team took the original call, said while the code two case ideally should have been responded to within 15 minutes, she also had multiple lights and sirens code one cases that day. It would appear that the crews had been working consistently since a lot earlier in the shift so the day crews were getting towards the end of their shift and becoming fatigued, she said. Sending a fresh night crew whos just started to treat and transport a patient to the hospital is, I think, a better option for patient care. In an emotional statement to the court highly critical of the Pearls handling of the incident, Mrs Franciss daughter, Rebecca Kilpatrick, said no other resident deserves to go through what our mum went through. Perhaps one of the hardest things is knowing how Mum could have and should have been treated and managed, she said. We have never had a simple apology or genuine acknowledgment that something went horribly wrong that day. Most of the elderly that are in your care helped build this town the least we can do is ensure that their final days on this Earth are done in a dignified and loving manner. The inquest continues on Wednesday. The children of Barbara Francis Melissa Clifton, Andrew Francis, Rebecca Kilpatrick and Natalie Fielder. JASON WALLS Woman, 78, lay on facility floor with broken hip Have you thought about pre-planning or pre-paying your funeral Did you know that you can now design your own coffi n? Personalised coffi ns are a lovely way to add your own touch for the fi nal send off of your loved one. Contact us for further information. Pre-planning your funeral gives you peace of mind, and takes the stress away for your family and friends when the time comes. Your wishes are recorded and can be carried out the way you want. You can pre-pay for your funeral through a funeral bond, starting at as little as $50. Your money you invest grows over time and there are no fees. There are no penalties or loss of funds if you miss a payment. Money invested in Funeral Bonds can help you with assets protection if you receive a government pension. Ask us how! admin@territoryfunerals.com.au www.territoryfunerals.com.au 0438 637 258 1/13 Butler Place, Holtze NT 0829 ~ERRrn1RY\ ~ROUI! Autralla'a Northern Territory ---- TERRITORY -Fu NE RA LS