Sunday Territorian 7 Mar 2021
Sunday Territorian; NewspaperNT
2021-03-07
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/10070/826267
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/826422
SUNDAY MARCH 7 2021 NEWS 07 V1 - NTNE01Z01MA cluded covering the quarantine costs or return flights of unassuming travellers caught out by snap border closures while theyre in the air. This included NSW travellers who were mid-flight in December 2020 when the Northern Territory declared parts of Sydney as hot spots due to the growing Northern Beaches cluster. Premier Berejiklians office has been contacted for comment. The Queensland and WA governments have also refused to meet the demands of NSW, with the Health Minister in the Sunshine State and WA Premier Mark McGowan physically shredding the bill. The NT government has also argued the invoice from NSW was contrary to national cabinet discussions where it was agreed the states and territories could not bill each other for hotel quarantine expenses incurred by their citizens returning from overseas. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has refused to get involved in the bill shredding brouhaha, saying it was a matter for the jurisdictions to resolve among themselves. KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR SIGNS OF GLAUCOMA TERRITORIANS are being urged to keep an eye out for signs of glaucoma. Royal Darwin Hospital ophthalmologist Susith Kulasekara said glaucoma was a group of eye diseases where vision was lost due to damage to the optic nerve. Glaucoma is usually caused by high eye pressure. The loss of sight is usually gradual and a considerable amount of peripheral (side) vision may be lost before there is an awareness of any problem, Dr Kulasekara said. Unfortunately there is no cure for glaucoma, and vision loss is irreversible, which is why early detection is important. People with glaucoma may notice that they cannot see objects at their side (due to loss of peripheral visual field), but are often not able to detect any symptoms until a very advanced stage. Sometimes, patients may notice that their vision has become foggy or cloudy and you need more light to read. Anyone over the age of 40 is recommended to have a full eye work up by an optometrist every two to three years or more regularly if a family member has glaucoma. Most people are able to manage their condition successfully with the use of eye drops, laser treatment, surgery or a combination of all three. Dr Susith Kulasekara. MICHAEL GUNNER Find Happiness in Making others Happy MARY MACKILLOP 1899 A performance by students in the MacKillop String Ensemble, 2019 France threatens to join Italy in block on AstraZeneca vaccines to Australia FRANCE has threatened to join Italy and block COVID vaccine shipments to Australia, as authorities in Europe race to justify the decision to ban a quarter of a million doses. Italys bombshell decision marked the first time officials have stopped vaccines manufactured in Europe from being sent abroad. The comments by French Health Minister Olivier Vran came the day after Rome invoked European Union powers to block AstraZeneca doses. Of course, I understand what Italy did. We could do the same thing, Mr Vran said during an interview with CNN affiliate BFM on Friday. We are closely discussing with Italians, as well as all our European partners to have a European approach on the issue. Since the first day, France has believed in a shared European approach. Trade Minister Dan Tehan has been in talks overnight with the Vice -President of the European Commission regarding Italys block on a vaccine shipment bound for Australia. Mr Tehan has been contacted for comment. Prime Minister Scott Morrison was asked on Friday if he blamed Italian authorities for blocking the supply of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Well, they're certainly responsible for exercising the veto right they had through the EU process about those supplies coming to Australia, he said. Mr Morrison said he was in regular contact with European leaders and he understood the anxiety that would exist in Italy, given hundreds of people were dying every day. ERIN LYONS Bill from gammon Gladys a joke: Chief THE Northern Territory will tear up a $1.5m hotel quarantine bill issued by New South Wales, with Chief Minister Michael Gunner telling his southern counterpart shes gammon. The NSW government has given the NT a $1.54m bill for quarantining 363 Territorians returning to Australia from overseas in its hotels between March 29 and September 30 last year. Similar bills have been issued by NSW to Queensland and Western Australia, worth $30.1m and $7.3m respectively, with governments of both states declining to pay. Mr Gunner has given NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian a serve over the NSW-issued invoice. Yeah, nah. Gammon, Gladys, he said. This is a one-in-one-hundred year pandemic. Were in this together as Australians. Thats been the Territory way all through this how can we help a mate. Mr Gunner said the NT would not be sending a bill to NSW for quarantining its residents who returned to Australia via the Howard Springs quarantine facility even though it would be far bigger than the bill youve sent us. Technically the federal government is responsible for issuing invoices for repatriated Australians that quarantine in Howard Springs. The NTs generosity, despite being Australias fiscally weakest jurisdiction, has in Premier wants $1.5m for Territorians who quarantined in NSW MADURA MCCORMACK Running the domestic wing of Howard Springs involves NT Health, Territory Families, NT Police, and the Infrastructure Department. Picture: Che Chorley THIS IS A ONE-IN-ONEHUNDRED YEAR PANDEMIC. WERE IN THIS TOGETHER AS AUSTRALIANS. THATS BEEN THE TERRITORY WAY ALL THROUGH THIS HOW CAN WE HELP A MATE ''