Australia

Annabel Crabb's analysis of parliamentary goings on this week.

Queensland Health communicable diseases branch executive director Heidi Carroll said the disease could be life threatening in babies.

"They cough so much that they can't catch their breath. They then can't get enough oxygen into their systems," Dr Carroll said.

Well, that sucks :(

Whike this is for Finland I often wonder why Australia doesn't do such a thing? (That's not an argument for or against doing it but a genuine question)

If the LNP/ALP are so concered about an invasion by China that they'll bankrupt the nation to buy a few token nuclear submarines.it seems beyond bizzare to me that the sort of preparedness in the article is not prioritised as well? Or is it becase the submarine thing is all dick waving and posturing for votes and has little to do with actual national defence ?

The Australian government’s proposed social media ban for under-16s has sparked widespread debate, affecting millions of young Australians, their families and educators. But will it actually work?

While the aim behind this ban is to protect children from online harm, it appears to be more of a kneejerk reaction to win votes.

In a world where technological advancement is accelerating and online communication is part of our everyday lives, teaching children about safe online use, rather than imposing bans, is a more effective way to protect them from harm while still allowing them to be technologically savvy.

[...]

The Finnish approach

Finland’s approach to digital literacy education is comprehensive and integrated. It aims to equip citizens of all ages with the skills to navigate the digital world effectively.

Finland’s education system embeds digital literacy as a fundamental component of its curriculum, integrating technology across all grade levels to prepare students for the digital age.

From preschool education, students are introduced to digital tools, safety and technology to learn responsible online behaviour. As Finnish academics Sirkku Lähdesmäki and Minna Maunula highlight:

creating a secure and empowering connection with media is a shared educational responsibility that necessitates the active participation of both schools and families.

Integrating digital literacy into the education system ensures skills are not taught in isolation, but embedded across the system.

Digital literacy in Finland extends beyond formal schooling. Public libraries and community centres offer programs to improve skills among adults, ensuring that digital literacy is a lifelong pursuit. As they say, digital competencies are civic skills.

[...]

In addition, the education system was reformed to emphasise critical thinking. This taught students to identify bots, understand image and video manipulations, and recognise half-truths and false profiles. The approach has been practical, with Finland ranking first out of 35 countries in a digital media literacy index measuring resilience six times in a row.

It's worth making whatever kind of submission you can manage for this. The page even specifically notes: "Due to the short timeframe of this inquiry, the committee would appreciate submissions being limited to 1-2 pages."

This bill will affect all users of social media in Australia, and may have a particularly negative effect on Fediverse platforms (like Lemmy and Mastodon) which are operated by individuals or small organisations that may not have the resources to implement age verification.

Guardian Economist Greg Jericho shows - with interactive graphs - how the RBA's interest rate policies have missed the mark and depressed Australian living standards in an unprecedented way.

Made a spreadsheet of mobile plan data so people could compare providers and plans easily. I plan to update it either yearly or every 6 months. This was inspired by this spreadsheet on all the NBN plan pricing information: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_wnaTFb_3QsdgZfKDrEO6D_Rpzt2clbB/edit?gid=1523306688#gid=1523306688

Australian Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind found that chain household hardware retailer Bunnings breached privacy laws through the use of facial recognition technology, according to a report released on Tuesday.

Apparently, Bunnings have my face on-file. I don't think I like that.

Treasury confirms cheques will stay in circulation until 2029 but then cease to be accepted as legal tender

Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has recently approved a new COVID booster. The shot was developed by Pfizer and targets the JN.1 sub-variant of Omicron.

This is now the fifth iteration of the COVID vaccines, which have been updated regularly to keep up with the rapidly evolving virus, SARS-CoV-2.

...

For adults aged 65 to 74, a booster is recommended every 12 months, but they’re eligible every six months. For adults over 75, a shot is recommended every six months.

Adults aged 18 to 64 are eligible every 12 months, unless they have a severe immune deficiency. Many conditions can cause immunodeficiency, including genetic disorders, infections, cancer, autoimmune diseases, diabetes and lung disease, as well as having received an organ transplant. For this group, it’s recommended they receive a shot every 12 months, but they’re eligible every six.

Finnaly I have something to offer my country!

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Good on them, I assume it was years of LNP attrition that it had gotten this bad ? But happy to be corrected if my assumption was incorrect ?