ABS to launch monthly CPI in November
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Sky News AU
4 days ago
- Sky News AU
ABS to launch monthly CPI in November
ABS Chief Statistician Dr David Gruen has spoken on the Australian Bureau of Statistics launching a monthly CPI survey in November.
ABC News
24-07-2025
- ABC News
Medical couriers provide fresh model as volunteer numbers plunge across the sector
Volunteers and organisations are calling on the Queensland government to overhaul the sector amid declining participation numbers. The State of Volunteering in Queensland 2024 report — conducted by Volunteering Australia using data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and other organisations — found participation in the state down more than ten per cent in 2023, compared with 2020. CEO of Volunteering Queensland Jane Hedger said Australia's strong volunteering tradition was under threat. "In Queensland we have around 2.8 million volunteers … but over the last three years we have seen about a ten per cent decline," she said. Those 2.8 million volunteers make up 64 per cent of people aged 15 and over, but it's a sharp drop compared with the 75 per cent who said they took part in volunteer work in 2020. The report found Queensland saved $31 billion in potential wages through volunteer work in the 2022-23 financial year. "If [that declines] by ten per cent … in any other industry, that's a $3 billion decline," Ms Hedger said. It's not all doom and gloom. Bloodbikes Australia is a volunteer organisation which provides urgent courier transport for medical materials, like blood and test results, between health facilities. Since forming in 2019, Bloodbikes has grown from one volunteer to more than 360 — all qualified and accredited by national bodies — and has completed almost 10,000 deliveries for 72 healthcare providers, free of charge. The organisation has not had trouble finding and retaining volunteers, which founder Peter Davis attributed to the organisation's implementation of "the world's first volunteer franchise" system. "They're basically an independent volunteer. We don't have a bank account. We're not incorporated, we're not a charity," he said. Bloodbikes volunteers aren't told what to do or where to go, and can work when and where they want to. Those rules include observing the road rules, paying their own costs, and holding a valid certificate in blood transportation. Orders are coordinated through a shared document where riders post their availability and health providers locate nearby riders. Mr Davis said the "no bullsh*t" system's lack of fuss, and flexibility for volunteers were central to Bloodbikes' success. "Our volunteers are keen and enjoying the process of volunteering and I can't help but think that it's a model that can at least be part of the formula for volunteering in Australia," he said. "The way that we've structured volunteering [in Australia] … is its own worst enemy." The declining number of people volunteering has sparked a Queensland parliamentary inquiry into the sector, launched in December last year. Public submissions closed in March, with hundreds of organisations and individuals describing their experiences and outlining the issues facing the sector. Mr Davis urged the parliamentary inquiry to focus on creating better communication networks between volunteer organisations and clients, and removing systemic barriers to recruiting and retaining volunteers. "I would hope that Volunteering Australia and in Queensland itself they create some sort of way in which volunteering groups can communicate their service to [the community]," he said. "Up to now there's no informed way of doing that other than for me and our volunteers to go and knock on doors. Ms Hedger said the volunteer sector needed better investment to help organise and manage its people and systems. "That includes things like making the administrative side of volunteering easier, signing up, getting orientated, getting trained, we need to make that easier and standardised across the system," she said. "So there's a lot of things that are both systemic and behavioural that we need to do to encourage people to volunteer more and keep people volunteering." The inquiry committee is due to report to parliament on September 18. In the meantime, Bloodbikes will continue to deliver blood for the most vulnerable in the community. "By our very nature, we rather like the wind in our hair and a bit of freedom," Mr Davis said.
The Age
10-07-2025
- The Age
The sunburn generation: Why young people are risking cancer for tans
More than one in four young adults are getting sunburnt, and rising numbers are exposing themselves to high levels of cancer-causing UV radiation with little protection, as social media trends promote tan lines and sunbathing routines. Almost 26 per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds reported being sunburnt in the previous four weeks, more than any older generation and significantly higher than the 14.8 per cent reporting sunburn overall, according to the Cancer Institute NSW's latest Sun Protection Behaviours Report. The survey of 11,297 adults in 2022 found that almost half of young adults reported frequent sun exposure (48.7 per cent versus 41.4 per cent in the overall population), and they were less likely to wear protective clothing, sun-safe hats and sunglasses. Meanwhile, roughly 70 per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds are pro-tanning, said Matthew Warner-Smith, acting director of screening and prevention at the Cancer Institute NSW. 'An increasing number of young people have this misconception that fake tanning protects against sun exposure and sun burn; therefore, they don't need sunscreen … more than one-third in 2024/2025, up from 23 per cent the previous year,' Warner-Smith said. Loading Nationally, Cancer Council research found that nine in 10 Australians aged 18 to 30 intentionally or unintentionally sunbathe. Young women aged 15 to 24 (26 per cent) were more likely to try to get a suntan than young men (15.3 per cent), an analysis of ABS data showed. 'We can't underestimate the influence of social media,' Warner-Smith said. About 40 per cent of young people said people they follow on social media really influence them to get a sun tan, significantly higher than other age groups.
