NEWS
Medicare Local network on the chopping block: McLucas << From Page 1 “The Far North Queensland Medicare Local is doing great work. “We have some really serious health challenges in the Far North and it would be of grave concern if the government were to wind up their services. “The State Government with-
drew a lot of grants to health providers last year using the reason that Canberra was providing support through the Medicare Local network. If the Federal Government is now going to axe Medicare Locals, it is the residents of the Far North who lose out, unable to access health services they need locally. The Far North Queensland
Medicare Local provides services including after-hours GPs, mental health support, immunisation, Indigenous health services and eHealth initiatives to communities including Cairns, Innisfail, Tully, Tablelands, Yarrabah, Mossman, Port Douglas, Cooktown and Cape York as well as the Torres Strait. Senator McLucas said: “The Labor Government established
Medicare Locals in 2011 to ensure decisions about health services could be made by local communities in line with local needs, Medicare Locals were created as local organisations - 61 of them Australia-wide. “Medicare Locals are working with GPs and other primary health care providers to ensure all Australians, regardless of where they live, can access effective primary health
Four safe after running out of petrol
Torres Strait first with new shipping rules THE new Under Keel Clearance Management (UKCM) system was introduced for vessels transiting through the Torres Strait from January 1, according to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA). The Torres Strait is a vital shipping route for the Asia-Pacific region and is traversed by a number of large vessels each week. AMSA says: “The UKCM system allows vessel operators and coastal pilots to plan the safe and efficient passage of deep draught vessels through the Torres Strait with accurate vessel information and environmental data from tide, stream, wind and wave sensors.” The web-based system is designed to monitor the depth of water under a ship’s keel as it traverses the Torres Strait.
AMSA Chief Executive Officer Graham Peachey says the aim of the system is to enhance shipping safety in the Torres Strait by ensuring the minimum under-keel clearance requirements are met. “The UKCM system is a standardised system that provides an enhanced level of safety for vessels transiting this unique area,” Mr Peachey said. “The Under Keel Clearance Management (UKCM) system first become operational in Australian waters in December, 2011, and, since then, AMSA has been monitoring its use and operation. “The system has been used successfully by a number of coastal pilots over the past two years and has been determined to meet all the required
care services. “Labor has invested more in health care than any previous government, making up for the lost time and money of the Howard years. “We can’t afford Tony Abbott to undo this progress. We know he has form as when he was Health Minister he cut $1 billion from our hospitals.”
specifications. “The implementation of the UKCM system means all coastal pilots in the Torres Strait will be using the same system,” he said. Over the past few months, AMSA has been running training programs on the UKCM system for coastal pilots operating in the Torres Strait. UKCM systems are often used in ports; however this is the first time a UKCM system has been implemented in a coastal environment in Australia. The UKCM system complements the Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait Vessel Traffic Service (REEFVTS) as one of a number of protective measures implemented by AMSA to enhance the safety of shipping in environmentally sensitive marine areas.
FOUR young Thursday Island men were found safe and well following an all-night ordeal of being lost at sea late last month. The men left Thursday Island in their dinghy at around 3pm on Thursday, December 19, intending to travel to Iama. Their vessel failed to arrive as scheduled and the alarm was raised at around 11pm. Police formulated a marine search and rescue response and had fixed and rotary-wing aircraft in place and searching from the early hours of Friday (December 20) morning. Water Police vessel William Conroy and her crew were also deployed as a surface response and located the missing vessel shortly after 8am after a private vessel had provided fuel for the stricken craft. The four men were safe and well and stated that weather conditions had deteriorated to the point where they became disorientated and eventually ran out of fuel in the heavy seas. Police issued a number of infringement notices to the skipper for allegedly failing to carry adequate safety gear.
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Page 2 Torres News
6 - 12 January 2014
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