Editors Picks
01 October 2025
TIPS TO DETECT A POSSIBLE STROKE EVENT
MORE than 110 Australians suffer a stroke daily, with one in four linked to atrial fibrillation (AF). AF affects over 500,000 Australians, often undiagnosed, and doubles stroke risk and mortality. During Atrial Fibrillation Awareness Week (22–28 September), Hearts4heart director Dr Geoff Lester, himself a heart surgery survivor, has urged Australians of all ages to learn simple pulse checks to detect AF early. Cardiologists stress early diagnosis and lifestyle changes can prevent debilitating AF-related strokes, reducing costs and saving lives.
01 October 2025
MONEY TO RESEARCH BRAIN CANCERS
A NEWCASTLE-led research team, led by Professor Matt Dun, has secured an $18.7M Australian Government grant to develop next-generation therapies for high grade gliomas (HGG), the deadliest brain cancers. Backed by global experts, the team is creating brain-penetrant drugs to overcome the blood-brain barrier and improve survival when combined with radiotherapy. With clinical trials targeted within five years, the research offers new hope for patients and families facing DIPG and glioblastoma, cancers that currently have no effective treatment.
01 October 2025
WHY A HAPPY LIFE DRIVES WORKER SATISFACTION
AN international study of 160,000 people reveals life satisfaction is the strongest driver of job satisfaction, not the reverse. Published in the Journal of Organizational Behavior, it shows happier individuals are 32% more likely to experience increased work satisfaction over time. Researchers stress that workplace wellbeing must focus on holistic strategies - flexible work, mental health support, personal growth, and valuing life outside work - if employers want engaged, fulfilled staff. The study urges a people-first approach for lasting workplace satisfaction.
01 October 2025
ACCESS FOR MOBILE RELATED DISABILITY
MORE than two million Australians with mobility-related disabilities can now access over 1,000 safe and secure public toilets and Changing Places facilities with the Master Locksmiths Access Key (MLAK). Developed 30 years ago, the MLAK offers lifelong, subsidisable access through the NDIS. Advocates highlight its importance for independence, safety, and inclusion, while councils are urged to expand installations. The MLAK also works at Liberty Swings and other facilities, ensuring dignity and reliable access for those who need it most.
01 October 2025
ADMITTING TO DRIVING WHILE DISTRACTED
NEW AAMI research reveals nine in 10 Australians admit to driving distracted, with 38% involved in an accident or near miss. Key distractions include smartphones (25%), adjusting music or GPS (60%), people-watching (40%), crash scenes (40%), and eating (65%). Over a third cite cognitive distractions, while a quarter won’t change until facing direct consequences. To improve road safety, AAMI has launched the AAMI Driving Test (ADT), helping drivers assess and strengthen their skills.
22 September 2025
MORE PARAMEDICS FOR WESTERN SYDNEY
FRONTLINE emergency care across NSW has received a significant boost, with an additional 817 paramedics starting on road with NSW Ambulance since the start of the Strategic Workforce and Infrastructure Team (SWIFT) Program. This forms part of the NSW Government’s commitment to strengthen essential health services by strengthening the workforce. These additional paramedics provide life-saving emergency and mobile health care across the state and are based out of ambulance stations across regional and metro NSW, including in Western Sydney, South Western Sydney and Nepean Blue Mountains.
22 September 2025
$52.6M FOR ROAD SAFETY UPGRADES
THE NSW Government is investing $52.6M in critical road safety upgrades for communities surrounding the Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport.
Labor is stepping in to fix the existing road network. Traffic is already building and with the airport due to open in 2026, locals need safer, more efficient roads now.
Six priority projects will roll out from late 2025, with major construction starting in 2026 and completion expected by early 2027. These include:
• Signalising the Luddenham Road/Elizabeth Drive intersection with dedicated turn lanes and a traffic island to ease congestion and improve safety.
• A new right-turn lane at Mamre and Kerrs Road to improve heavy vehicle access between the airport and Erskine Park.
• Reconfiguring the Elizabeth Drive/Mamre Road roundabout to improve flow and capacity for freight.
• Extending the shared path along Badgerys Creek Road to support pedestrians and public transport users.
• Precinct-wide signage, linemarking and minor road improvements to lift safety.
• New CCTV cameras to support traffic incident response in the Airport Precinct.
