'It's a living nightmare': inside the regional wood fire pollution crisis
"Gardening is one of my passions," she tells ACM. "It is such a shame."
Ms Cunial has lived in Orange in the NSW Central West for more than 25 years.
"I used to live out of town as a kid and wonder why all my friends in town were always sick and had asthma," she said.
Every year, winter brings the haze of wood fire smoke and she is "always on the cusp of a reaction".
"Your sensitivity to the smoke gets worse".
Agricultural burn-offs in the surrounding areas exacerbate the problem.
After the bushfire season in 2019, she was diagnosed with Reactive Airways Dysfunction Syndrome (RADS), a type of asthma-like condition that develops after high-level exposure to an irritating substance such as corrosive material, gas, vapour or fumes.
"I couldn't breathe," she said.
"If I come across wood smoke, it impacts me immediately. I cannot get better."
Ms Cunial's story is not unique.
ACM has spoken to dozens of people from regional Australia dealing with wood heater pollution.
Around 10 per cent of Australians use wood heaters as their main source of heating.
For some, they have become a "lifestyle" accessory. But the health effects are dire.
Wood heaters emit large amounts of fine particulate matter (known as PM2.5) into the atmosphere.
These particulates could reach deep into the lungs, causing respiratory issues and asthma symptoms.
NSW Health's former top doctor, Kerry Chant, said wood fire heaters were so detrimental to health that she would consider banning them.
"Long-term exposure to particulate pollution, especially finer particles (PM2.5), can cause heart and lung disease while brief exposures can aggravate asthma and worsen pre-existing heart and lung conditions," she said.
Children, the elderly, and people with existing health issues were most at risk.
NSW Health advises that "instead of using a wood-burning heater in your home, consider using heating alternatives that cause less pollution, such as reverse cycle air-conditioning, flued gas or electric heaters".
New modelling from the Centre for Safe Air at the University of Tasmania shows the toll of wood fire heater pollution.
The modelling estimated long-term exposure to smoke from wood heaters contributed to 729 premature deaths every year in Australia.
In regional and rural locations, where it is colder and more people use wood heaters, emissions are highest.
Regional locations take out the top five worst areas for wood fire heater pollution.
Find out the emissions for your area:
Launceston and Hobart in Tasmania, the Adelaide Hills in South Australia, Armidale in the Central West in New South Wales, and Bunbury in Western Australia top the list for wood-heater pollution.
Centre for Safe Air director, professor Fay Johnston, told ACM the modelling found the areas with the most wood heater pollution tend to be "cooler places where wood burning is common and where towns and cities are located in valleys and basins that trap air pollution during winter".
The most premature deaths associated with wood heaters, however, tend to be in areas with the highest population densities.
"Sydney's basin-shaped topography and high urban density result in over 300 earlier-than-expected deaths every year, more than any other Australian city," Professor Johnston said.
Professor Johnston said that many people are surprised by the impact of wood heaters.
"When it comes to air pollution, many people think of exhaust pipe emissions from cars and trucks, smoke from coal-fired power stations or hazard reduction burns," she said.
"It is often a surprise to learn that the health impacts of wood heaters are much greater than any of these sources of pollution in most Australian towns and cities."
Melbourne community advocate for clean air, Arabella Daniel, said wood pollution was behind a raft of neighbourhood disputes.
"People exposed to wood smoke often don't get empathy from a neighbour who is burning," she said.
"Those who complain can often experience sociopathic revenge behaviour and retaliation."
Managing wood smoke pollution is the responsibility of local councils, which were either reluctant to deal with the problem or not resourced to police chimney smoke, she said.
"We are stuck without a remedy. We need state and federal laws to protect health."
In 2023, the ACT Government announced that it would phase out wood heaters in the territory by 2045.
Ms Daniel said it was a welcome step, but the timeline "was absolutely not good enough".
"We consider this a public health emergency," she said. "There is very little political will. We need a hero to step up."
She wants no new installations of wood heaters and a subsidised phase-out replacement program converting to split systems.
Canberra University's Environmental Public Health Professor Sotiris Vardoulakis told ACM that "decisive and rapid policy action" was needed on wood heater pollution in Australian cities and towns.
"This is a major public health issue in many ways similar to smoking in public places, which needs to be urgently addressed," he said.
Prof Vardoulakis said new installation of wood heaters need to be banned in new and existing properties in urban areas and suburbs.
Mandating the removal of wood heaters before a property can be sold would also reduce the number of older wood heaters, he said.
Targeted financial incentives also need to be considered, particularly for low-income households.
Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council is currently reviewing a draft policy that would restrict the installation of wood heaters in some urban areas.
For some, any action comes too late.
Tasmanian resident Jane (surname withheld) still lives with the trauma from wood fire heaters.
She was living in a rural town in north-west Tasmania when friendly relationships with neighbours turned sour after she approached them about their wood heater.
"The situation caused a lot of trauma and despair," she said.
"I lost work days because I was so sick."
She said the smoke intensity coming into her weatherboard house became "alarming".
The council would only act if she provided evidence of 10 minutes of footage of the burning.
She went to the EPA in Tasmania, which calculated that the emissions from the heater were at dangerous levels, but the council still would not intervene.
"Why does it appear that people with wood heaters have all the rights?" she said.
"I understand they are cosy, but they are a significant health compromise. How can the government say on one hand smoking kills, but allow heaters to burn 24 hours a day?"
Do you know more? Email the journalist: carla.mascarenhas@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Lisa Cunial cannot go for a walk in the beautiful wetland behind her house. A few minutes in the garden and she can't breathe.
"Gardening is one of my passions," she tells ACM. "It is such a shame."
Ms Cunial has lived in Orange in the NSW Central West for more than 25 years.
"I used to live out of town as a kid and wonder why all my friends in town were always sick and had asthma," she said.
Every year, winter brings the haze of wood fire smoke and she is "always on the cusp of a reaction".
"Your sensitivity to the smoke gets worse".
Agricultural burn-offs in the surrounding areas exacerbate the problem.
After the bushfire season in 2019, she was diagnosed with Reactive Airways Dysfunction Syndrome (RADS), a type of asthma-like condition that develops after high-level exposure to an irritating substance such as corrosive material, gas, vapour or fumes.
"I couldn't breathe," she said.
"If I come across wood smoke, it impacts me immediately. I cannot get better."
Ms Cunial's story is not unique.
ACM has spoken to dozens of people from regional Australia dealing with wood heater pollution.
Around 10 per cent of Australians use wood heaters as their main source of heating.
For some, they have become a "lifestyle" accessory. But the health effects are dire.
Wood heaters emit large amounts of fine particulate matter (known as PM2.5) into the atmosphere.
These particulates could reach deep into the lungs, causing respiratory issues and asthma symptoms.
NSW Health's former top doctor, Kerry Chant, said wood fire heaters were so detrimental to health that she would consider banning them.
"Long-term exposure to particulate pollution, especially finer particles (PM2.5), can cause heart and lung disease while brief exposures can aggravate asthma and worsen pre-existing heart and lung conditions," she said.
Children, the elderly, and people with existing health issues were most at risk.
NSW Health advises that "instead of using a wood-burning heater in your home, consider using heating alternatives that cause less pollution, such as reverse cycle air-conditioning, flued gas or electric heaters".
New modelling from the Centre for Safe Air at the University of Tasmania shows the toll of wood fire heater pollution.
The modelling estimated long-term exposure to smoke from wood heaters contributed to 729 premature deaths every year in Australia.
In regional and rural locations, where it is colder and more people use wood heaters, emissions are highest.
Regional locations take out the top five worst areas for wood fire heater pollution.
Find out the emissions for your area:
Launceston and Hobart in Tasmania, the Adelaide Hills in South Australia, Armidale in the Central West in New South Wales, and Bunbury in Western Australia top the list for wood-heater pollution.
Centre for Safe Air director, professor Fay Johnston, told ACM the modelling found the areas with the most wood heater pollution tend to be "cooler places where wood burning is common and where towns and cities are located in valleys and basins that trap air pollution during winter".
The most premature deaths associated with wood heaters, however, tend to be in areas with the highest population densities.
"Sydney's basin-shaped topography and high urban density result in over 300 earlier-than-expected deaths every year, more than any other Australian city," Professor Johnston said.
Professor Johnston said that many people are surprised by the impact of wood heaters.
"When it comes to air pollution, many people think of exhaust pipe emissions from cars and trucks, smoke from coal-fired power stations or hazard reduction burns," she said.
"It is often a surprise to learn that the health impacts of wood heaters are much greater than any of these sources of pollution in most Australian towns and cities."
Melbourne community advocate for clean air, Arabella Daniel, said wood pollution was behind a raft of neighbourhood disputes.
"People exposed to wood smoke often don't get empathy from a neighbour who is burning," she said.
"Those who complain can often experience sociopathic revenge behaviour and retaliation."
Managing wood smoke pollution is the responsibility of local councils, which were either reluctant to deal with the problem or not resourced to police chimney smoke, she said.
"We are stuck without a remedy. We need state and federal laws to protect health."
In 2023, the ACT Government announced that it would phase out wood heaters in the territory by 2045.
Ms Daniel said it was a welcome step, but the timeline "was absolutely not good enough".
"We consider this a public health emergency," she said. "There is very little political will. We need a hero to step up."
She wants no new installations of wood heaters and a subsidised phase-out replacement program converting to split systems.
Canberra University's Environmental Public Health Professor Sotiris Vardoulakis told ACM that "decisive and rapid policy action" was needed on wood heater pollution in Australian cities and towns.
"This is a major public health issue in many ways similar to smoking in public places, which needs to be urgently addressed," he said.
Prof Vardoulakis said new installation of wood heaters need to be banned in new and existing properties in urban areas and suburbs.
Mandating the removal of wood heaters before a property can be sold would also reduce the number of older wood heaters, he said.
Targeted financial incentives also need to be considered, particularly for low-income households.
Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council is currently reviewing a draft policy that would restrict the installation of wood heaters in some urban areas.
For some, any action comes too late.
Tasmanian resident Jane (surname withheld) still lives with the trauma from wood fire heaters.
She was living in a rural town in north-west Tasmania when friendly relationships with neighbours turned sour after she approached them about their wood heater.
"The situation caused a lot of trauma and despair," she said.
"I lost work days because I was so sick."
She said the smoke intensity coming into her weatherboard house became "alarming".
The council would only act if she provided evidence of 10 minutes of footage of the burning.
She went to the EPA in Tasmania, which calculated that the emissions from the heater were at dangerous levels, but the council still would not intervene.
"Why does it appear that people with wood heaters have all the rights?" she said.
"I understand they are cosy, but they are a significant health compromise. How can the government say on one hand smoking kills, but allow heaters to burn 24 hours a day?"
Do you know more? Email the journalist: carla.mascarenhas@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Lisa Cunial cannot go for a walk in the beautiful wetland behind her house. A few minutes in the garden and she can't breathe.
"Gardening is one of my passions," she tells ACM. "It is such a shame."
Ms Cunial has lived in Orange in the NSW Central West for more than 25 years.
"I used to live out of town as a kid and wonder why all my friends in town were always sick and had asthma," she said.
Every year, winter brings the haze of wood fire smoke and she is "always on the cusp of a reaction".
"Your sensitivity to the smoke gets worse".
Agricultural burn-offs in the surrounding areas exacerbate the problem.
After the bushfire season in 2019, she was diagnosed with Reactive Airways Dysfunction Syndrome (RADS), a type of asthma-like condition that develops after high-level exposure to an irritating substance such as corrosive material, gas, vapour or fumes.
"I couldn't breathe," she said.
"If I come across wood smoke, it impacts me immediately. I cannot get better."
Ms Cunial's story is not unique.
ACM has spoken to dozens of people from regional Australia dealing with wood heater pollution.
Around 10 per cent of Australians use wood heaters as their main source of heating.
For some, they have become a "lifestyle" accessory. But the health effects are dire.
Wood heaters emit large amounts of fine particulate matter (known as PM2.5) into the atmosphere.
These particulates could reach deep into the lungs, causing respiratory issues and asthma symptoms.
NSW Health's former top doctor, Kerry Chant, said wood fire heaters were so detrimental to health that she would consider banning them.
"Long-term exposure to particulate pollution, especially finer particles (PM2.5), can cause heart and lung disease while brief exposures can aggravate asthma and worsen pre-existing heart and lung conditions," she said.
Children, the elderly, and people with existing health issues were most at risk.
NSW Health advises that "instead of using a wood-burning heater in your home, consider using heating alternatives that cause less pollution, such as reverse cycle air-conditioning, flued gas or electric heaters".
New modelling from the Centre for Safe Air at the University of Tasmania shows the toll of wood fire heater pollution.
The modelling estimated long-term exposure to smoke from wood heaters contributed to 729 premature deaths every year in Australia.
In regional and rural locations, where it is colder and more people use wood heaters, emissions are highest.
Regional locations take out the top five worst areas for wood fire heater pollution.
Find out the emissions for your area:
Launceston and Hobart in Tasmania, the Adelaide Hills in South Australia, Armidale in the Central West in New South Wales, and Bunbury in Western Australia top the list for wood-heater pollution.
Centre for Safe Air director, professor Fay Johnston, told ACM the modelling found the areas with the most wood heater pollution tend to be "cooler places where wood burning is common and where towns and cities are located in valleys and basins that trap air pollution during winter".
The most premature deaths associated with wood heaters, however, tend to be in areas with the highest population densities.
"Sydney's basin-shaped topography and high urban density result in over 300 earlier-than-expected deaths every year, more than any other Australian city," Professor Johnston said.
Professor Johnston said that many people are surprised by the impact of wood heaters.
"When it comes to air pollution, many people think of exhaust pipe emissions from cars and trucks, smoke from coal-fired power stations or hazard reduction burns," she said.
"It is often a surprise to learn that the health impacts of wood heaters are much greater than any of these sources of pollution in most Australian towns and cities."
Melbourne community advocate for clean air, Arabella Daniel, said wood pollution was behind a raft of neighbourhood disputes.
"People exposed to wood smoke often don't get empathy from a neighbour who is burning," she said.
"Those who complain can often experience sociopathic revenge behaviour and retaliation."
Managing wood smoke pollution is the responsibility of local councils, which were either reluctant to deal with the problem or not resourced to police chimney smoke, she said.
"We are stuck without a remedy. We need state and federal laws to protect health."
In 2023, the ACT Government announced that it would phase out wood heaters in the territory by 2045.
Ms Daniel said it was a welcome step, but the timeline "was absolutely not good enough".
"We consider this a public health emergency," she said. "There is very little political will. We need a hero to step up."
She wants no new installations of wood heaters and a subsidised phase-out replacement program converting to split systems.
Canberra University's Environmental Public Health Professor Sotiris Vardoulakis told ACM that "decisive and rapid policy action" was needed on wood heater pollution in Australian cities and towns.
"This is a major public health issue in many ways similar to smoking in public places, which needs to be urgently addressed," he said.
Prof Vardoulakis said new installation of wood heaters need to be banned in new and existing properties in urban areas and suburbs.
Mandating the removal of wood heaters before a property can be sold would also reduce the number of older wood heaters, he said.
Targeted financial incentives also need to be considered, particularly for low-income households.
Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council is currently reviewing a draft policy that would restrict the installation of wood heaters in some urban areas.
For some, any action comes too late.
Tasmanian resident Jane (surname withheld) still lives with the trauma from wood fire heaters.
She was living in a rural town in north-west Tasmania when friendly relationships with neighbours turned sour after she approached them about their wood heater.
"The situation caused a lot of trauma and despair," she said.
"I lost work days because I was so sick."
She said the smoke intensity coming into her weatherboard house became "alarming".
The council would only act if she provided evidence of 10 minutes of footage of the burning.
She went to the EPA in Tasmania, which calculated that the emissions from the heater were at dangerous levels, but the council still would not intervene.
"Why does it appear that people with wood heaters have all the rights?" she said.
"I understand they are cosy, but they are a significant health compromise. How can the government say on one hand smoking kills, but allow heaters to burn 24 hours a day?"
Do you know more? Email the journalist: carla.mascarenhas@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Lisa Cunial cannot go for a walk in the beautiful wetland behind her house. A few minutes in the garden and she can't breathe.
"Gardening is one of my passions," she tells ACM. "It is such a shame."
Ms Cunial has lived in Orange in the NSW Central West for more than 25 years.
"I used to live out of town as a kid and wonder why all my friends in town were always sick and had asthma," she said.
Every year, winter brings the haze of wood fire smoke and she is "always on the cusp of a reaction".
"Your sensitivity to the smoke gets worse".
Agricultural burn-offs in the surrounding areas exacerbate the problem.
After the bushfire season in 2019, she was diagnosed with Reactive Airways Dysfunction Syndrome (RADS), a type of asthma-like condition that develops after high-level exposure to an irritating substance such as corrosive material, gas, vapour or fumes.
"I couldn't breathe," she said.
"If I come across wood smoke, it impacts me immediately. I cannot get better."
Ms Cunial's story is not unique.
ACM has spoken to dozens of people from regional Australia dealing with wood heater pollution.
Around 10 per cent of Australians use wood heaters as their main source of heating.
For some, they have become a "lifestyle" accessory. But the health effects are dire.
Wood heaters emit large amounts of fine particulate matter (known as PM2.5) into the atmosphere.
These particulates could reach deep into the lungs, causing respiratory issues and asthma symptoms.
NSW Health's former top doctor, Kerry Chant, said wood fire heaters were so detrimental to health that she would consider banning them.
"Long-term exposure to particulate pollution, especially finer particles (PM2.5), can cause heart and lung disease while brief exposures can aggravate asthma and worsen pre-existing heart and lung conditions," she said.
Children, the elderly, and people with existing health issues were most at risk.
NSW Health advises that "instead of using a wood-burning heater in your home, consider using heating alternatives that cause less pollution, such as reverse cycle air-conditioning, flued gas or electric heaters".
New modelling from the Centre for Safe Air at the University of Tasmania shows the toll of wood fire heater pollution.
The modelling estimated long-term exposure to smoke from wood heaters contributed to 729 premature deaths every year in Australia.
In regional and rural locations, where it is colder and more people use wood heaters, emissions are highest.
Regional locations take out the top five worst areas for wood fire heater pollution.
Find out the emissions for your area:
Launceston and Hobart in Tasmania, the Adelaide Hills in South Australia, Armidale in the Central West in New South Wales, and Bunbury in Western Australia top the list for wood-heater pollution.
Centre for Safe Air director, professor Fay Johnston, told ACM the modelling found the areas with the most wood heater pollution tend to be "cooler places where wood burning is common and where towns and cities are located in valleys and basins that trap air pollution during winter".
The most premature deaths associated with wood heaters, however, tend to be in areas with the highest population densities.
"Sydney's basin-shaped topography and high urban density result in over 300 earlier-than-expected deaths every year, more than any other Australian city," Professor Johnston said.
Professor Johnston said that many people are surprised by the impact of wood heaters.
"When it comes to air pollution, many people think of exhaust pipe emissions from cars and trucks, smoke from coal-fired power stations or hazard reduction burns," she said.
"It is often a surprise to learn that the health impacts of wood heaters are much greater than any of these sources of pollution in most Australian towns and cities."
Melbourne community advocate for clean air, Arabella Daniel, said wood pollution was behind a raft of neighbourhood disputes.
"People exposed to wood smoke often don't get empathy from a neighbour who is burning," she said.
"Those who complain can often experience sociopathic revenge behaviour and retaliation."
Managing wood smoke pollution is the responsibility of local councils, which were either reluctant to deal with the problem or not resourced to police chimney smoke, she said.
"We are stuck without a remedy. We need state and federal laws to protect health."
In 2023, the ACT Government announced that it would phase out wood heaters in the territory by 2045.
Ms Daniel said it was a welcome step, but the timeline "was absolutely not good enough".
"We consider this a public health emergency," she said. "There is very little political will. We need a hero to step up."
She wants no new installations of wood heaters and a subsidised phase-out replacement program converting to split systems.
Canberra University's Environmental Public Health Professor Sotiris Vardoulakis told ACM that "decisive and rapid policy action" was needed on wood heater pollution in Australian cities and towns.
"This is a major public health issue in many ways similar to smoking in public places, which needs to be urgently addressed," he said.
Prof Vardoulakis said new installation of wood heaters need to be banned in new and existing properties in urban areas and suburbs.
Mandating the removal of wood heaters before a property can be sold would also reduce the number of older wood heaters, he said.
Targeted financial incentives also need to be considered, particularly for low-income households.
Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council is currently reviewing a draft policy that would restrict the installation of wood heaters in some urban areas.
For some, any action comes too late.
Tasmanian resident Jane (surname withheld) still lives with the trauma from wood fire heaters.
She was living in a rural town in north-west Tasmania when friendly relationships with neighbours turned sour after she approached them about their wood heater.
"The situation caused a lot of trauma and despair," she said.
"I lost work days because I was so sick."
She said the smoke intensity coming into her weatherboard house became "alarming".
The council would only act if she provided evidence of 10 minutes of footage of the burning.
She went to the EPA in Tasmania, which calculated that the emissions from the heater were at dangerous levels, but the council still would not intervene.
"Why does it appear that people with wood heaters have all the rights?" she said.
"I understand they are cosy, but they are a significant health compromise. How can the government say on one hand smoking kills, but allow heaters to burn 24 hours a day?"
Do you know more? Email the journalist: carla.mascarenhas@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Advertiser
5 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Peter walked out to his bins. He returned with horrible burns
Peter Hull had no idea when he nipped out to his bins one day last summer that he would have to deal with a serious health issue. Mr Hull spent barely five minutes outside before returning with burns to the bottoms of his feet that required medical attention. Yet he did not notice his injuries for hours. "Actually, it was my wife who said 'ooh, what have you done?', Mr Hull said. What he had done was - after a long, sleepless night - absentmindedly walk barefoot on concrete in the middle of a 40-degree day. He did not feel any pain because of preexisting nerve damage linked to diabetes. Mr Hull, from Bendigo in north-west Victoria, is not the only person to suffer such burns. Every year, 47,000 Australians are hospitalised for diabetes-related foot injuries. And a group of researchers has a plan to cut that number down. La Trobe University Bendigo academic Dr Byron Perrin says it is time to get serious about "one of Australia's most urgent and overlooked health issues". "One of the really big complications of diabetes, in relation to feet, is you lose your ability to feel properly," he said. Every year, foot injuries linked to diabetes led to 6300 amputations and 2500 deaths, he and researchers from around the country found in research for Diabetes Feet Australia. They believed health workers could nearly halve amputations and hospitalisations if they could get the money for a new national strategy. Interventions could be as simple as screening people's feet and giving them properly fitting footwear, Dr Perrin said. They could be as complex as rolling out the right treatments for foot wounds and burns A proper strategy would cost $30 million a year in research and reforms, Diabetes Feet Australia estimated. It said the trade-off would be $940 million in savings a year, along with 20,000 fewer hospital admissions and 2800 less amputations. Mr Hull counts himself as one of the lucky ones. His wounds healed without turning gangrenous and needing to be amputated "No, that's not happened yet, but I do know people who've had quite severe amputations, loss of limbs, things like that," he said. And Mr Hull met plenty of people down at the local supermarket in wheelchairs and on mobility scooters. He liked to strike up conversations with them, to share experiences and find a sense of solidarity. Mr Hull also has a new rule he makes sure to follow. "I have to be ultra careful now, after I burnt my feet. Everywhere I go, I've got to wear me shoes," he said. Peter Hull had no idea when he nipped out to his bins one day last summer that he would have to deal with a serious health issue. Mr Hull spent barely five minutes outside before returning with burns to the bottoms of his feet that required medical attention. Yet he did not notice his injuries for hours. "Actually, it was my wife who said 'ooh, what have you done?', Mr Hull said. What he had done was - after a long, sleepless night - absentmindedly walk barefoot on concrete in the middle of a 40-degree day. He did not feel any pain because of preexisting nerve damage linked to diabetes. Mr Hull, from Bendigo in north-west Victoria, is not the only person to suffer such burns. Every year, 47,000 Australians are hospitalised for diabetes-related foot injuries. And a group of researchers has a plan to cut that number down. La Trobe University Bendigo academic Dr Byron Perrin says it is time to get serious about "one of Australia's most urgent and overlooked health issues". "One of the really big complications of diabetes, in relation to feet, is you lose your ability to feel properly," he said. Every year, foot injuries linked to diabetes led to 6300 amputations and 2500 deaths, he and researchers from around the country found in research for Diabetes Feet Australia. They believed health workers could nearly halve amputations and hospitalisations if they could get the money for a new national strategy. Interventions could be as simple as screening people's feet and giving them properly fitting footwear, Dr Perrin said. They could be as complex as rolling out the right treatments for foot wounds and burns A proper strategy would cost $30 million a year in research and reforms, Diabetes Feet Australia estimated. It said the trade-off would be $940 million in savings a year, along with 20,000 fewer hospital admissions and 2800 less amputations. Mr Hull counts himself as one of the lucky ones. His wounds healed without turning gangrenous and needing to be amputated "No, that's not happened yet, but I do know people who've had quite severe amputations, loss of limbs, things like that," he said. And Mr Hull met plenty of people down at the local supermarket in wheelchairs and on mobility scooters. He liked to strike up conversations with them, to share experiences and find a sense of solidarity. Mr Hull also has a new rule he makes sure to follow. "I have to be ultra careful now, after I burnt my feet. Everywhere I go, I've got to wear me shoes," he said. Peter Hull had no idea when he nipped out to his bins one day last summer that he would have to deal with a serious health issue. Mr Hull spent barely five minutes outside before returning with burns to the bottoms of his feet that required medical attention. Yet he did not notice his injuries for hours. "Actually, it was my wife who said 'ooh, what have you done?', Mr Hull said. What he had done was - after a long, sleepless night - absentmindedly walk barefoot on concrete in the middle of a 40-degree day. He did not feel any pain because of preexisting nerve damage linked to diabetes. Mr Hull, from Bendigo in north-west Victoria, is not the only person to suffer such burns. Every year, 47,000 Australians are hospitalised for diabetes-related foot injuries. And a group of researchers has a plan to cut that number down. La Trobe University Bendigo academic Dr Byron Perrin says it is time to get serious about "one of Australia's most urgent and overlooked health issues". "One of the really big complications of diabetes, in relation to feet, is you lose your ability to feel properly," he said. Every year, foot injuries linked to diabetes led to 6300 amputations and 2500 deaths, he and researchers from around the country found in research for Diabetes Feet Australia. They believed health workers could nearly halve amputations and hospitalisations if they could get the money for a new national strategy. Interventions could be as simple as screening people's feet and giving them properly fitting footwear, Dr Perrin said. They could be as complex as rolling out the right treatments for foot wounds and burns A proper strategy would cost $30 million a year in research and reforms, Diabetes Feet Australia estimated. It said the trade-off would be $940 million in savings a year, along with 20,000 fewer hospital admissions and 2800 less amputations. Mr Hull counts himself as one of the lucky ones. His wounds healed without turning gangrenous and needing to be amputated "No, that's not happened yet, but I do know people who've had quite severe amputations, loss of limbs, things like that," he said. And Mr Hull met plenty of people down at the local supermarket in wheelchairs and on mobility scooters. He liked to strike up conversations with them, to share experiences and find a sense of solidarity. Mr Hull also has a new rule he makes sure to follow. "I have to be ultra careful now, after I burnt my feet. Everywhere I go, I've got to wear me shoes," he said. Peter Hull had no idea when he nipped out to his bins one day last summer that he would have to deal with a serious health issue. Mr Hull spent barely five minutes outside before returning with burns to the bottoms of his feet that required medical attention. Yet he did not notice his injuries for hours. "Actually, it was my wife who said 'ooh, what have you done?', Mr Hull said. What he had done was - after a long, sleepless night - absentmindedly walk barefoot on concrete in the middle of a 40-degree day. He did not feel any pain because of preexisting nerve damage linked to diabetes. Mr Hull, from Bendigo in north-west Victoria, is not the only person to suffer such burns. Every year, 47,000 Australians are hospitalised for diabetes-related foot injuries. And a group of researchers has a plan to cut that number down. La Trobe University Bendigo academic Dr Byron Perrin says it is time to get serious about "one of Australia's most urgent and overlooked health issues". "One of the really big complications of diabetes, in relation to feet, is you lose your ability to feel properly," he said. Every year, foot injuries linked to diabetes led to 6300 amputations and 2500 deaths, he and researchers from around the country found in research for Diabetes Feet Australia. They believed health workers could nearly halve amputations and hospitalisations if they could get the money for a new national strategy. Interventions could be as simple as screening people's feet and giving them properly fitting footwear, Dr Perrin said. They could be as complex as rolling out the right treatments for foot wounds and burns A proper strategy would cost $30 million a year in research and reforms, Diabetes Feet Australia estimated. It said the trade-off would be $940 million in savings a year, along with 20,000 fewer hospital admissions and 2800 less amputations. Mr Hull counts himself as one of the lucky ones. His wounds healed without turning gangrenous and needing to be amputated "No, that's not happened yet, but I do know people who've had quite severe amputations, loss of limbs, things like that," he said. And Mr Hull met plenty of people down at the local supermarket in wheelchairs and on mobility scooters. He liked to strike up conversations with them, to share experiences and find a sense of solidarity. Mr Hull also has a new rule he makes sure to follow. "I have to be ultra careful now, after I burnt my feet. Everywhere I go, I've got to wear me shoes," he said.
7NEWS
6 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Rising energy costs leave Aussies in the cold
Millions of Australians are struggling to afford to warm their homes this winter, according to new research by free comparison website, Finder. The survey found one in eight Australians admit they endure a cold house 'all the time' to avoid a high winter energy bill. Meanwhile, more than 1 in 4 say they try to avoid using their heater 'as often as they can,' despite low temperatures, just to keep a lid on their energy costs. The findings come just a month after Finder's Consumer Sentiment Tracker revealed 29 per cent of Australians named their energy bill as one of their top three most stressful expenses. Australians reported spending $374 on average on their quarterly energy bill in July 2025 - up 13 per cent from $331 in July 2022. Finder energy expert Mariam Gabaji said millions of households are shivering through winter and sacrificing their comfort and health just to avoid another crushing energy bill. "Energy prices have risen sharply, and it's pushing people into impossible decisions - like choosing between heating and putting food on the table," she said. "Going cold all winter isn't just uncomfortable - it can be dangerous, especially for elderly Australians and young children," she added. Gabaji said that for some households the stress of high energy bills can have a ripple effect with some having to go into debt to keep the lights on. Interestingly, one in five Australians indicated it is not cold enough where they live to have to worry about heating their homes. However, for the rest of us, there are some simple steps you can take to save on your energy costs, by maximising heating efficiency, minimising heat loss and shopping around for a better energy plan. To maximise heating efficiency, spend time adjusting or programming thermostat settings, if you have one. Between 18 and 20 degrees is typically ideal, while programming your heating, so that it automatically adjusts temperatures to suit your requirements, will save you even more. Using ceramic heaters to spot heat smaller rooms, and closing doors to areas you are not using, can also save you money, as well as using electric blankets or hot water bottles overnight. For reducing heat loss, close curtains and blinds before sunset to trap heat inside and open them during sunny days to utilise solar heat. You can also strategically place rugs to help insulate floors and prevent cold air from seeping in and seal gaps around windows and doors.
The Advertiser
6 hours ago
- The Advertiser
'We're struggling': calls for childcare subsidy to include to grandparents
Access to childcare has been an issue for Kate Brow ever since she became a mum eight years ago. Ms Brow lives on a farm on the outskirts of Bibbenluke, 170km south of Canberra. There is only one childcare centre in the nearest town, Bombala. It is often full, and for Ms Brow, who works remotely for the charity Motherland Australia, finding appropriate care for her three young daughters has been a constant source of stress. The situation is exacerbated because her parents and in-laws live between two and seven hours away. Ms Brow is one of more than 12,000 signatories to a petition calling on the federal government to allow the childcare subsidy to be used for a broader range of care options, including grandparents. "What I needed was financial support so I could put in stop gaps, so I could go back to work and it was affordable to go back to work," she told ACM. "The childrens' grandparents have to travel many hours to look after them and being able to pay them to compensate for those expenses or a nanny would help." Ms Brow said the lack of childcare options in regional and rural areas was a "massive" challenge for families. "So many rural mothers that we work with across Australia are not even remotely near a childcare facility," she said. "They just need affordable options (nannies or au pairs) to enable them to contribute to the workforce if that's what they choose to do ." The petition started by For Parents calls on the federal government to allow the childcare subsidy to be broadened to include grandparents, nannies, au pairs and co-working spaces. Currently, the subsidy could only be used at an approved federal government child care service. Co-founder of the petition, Jen Fleming, told ACM that parents needed more choice. "We are in an economy where most families have both parents working to pay off a mortgage," she said. Ms Fleming said the recent scandals in the childcare sector, including Melbourne childcare worker Joshua Brown, who is accused of abusing dozens of children, resulting in thousands of kids requiring STD tests, had left parents "distrustful" and "heartbroken". "We are saying if your child is eligible for the childcare subsidy, you should have more choice for who is looking after them, for some it is a nanny, for others a grandparent," she said. Ms Fleming set up the petition with a couple of other local parents. The mum of two lives in Camp Mountain, a semi-rural area 40km outside of Brisbane. She said when her first child, Elsie, was in childcare, her daughter was routinely sick and did not manage to bond with the staff because of the high number of staff turnover. Ms Fleming described the experience as "traumatic". She now has her own business, and her father and a nanny look after her daughters three days a week. "I'm not a rarity in this," she said. "As part of the petition, I've heard from a range of families who are struggling with this issue." One family said that they could not put their children in childcare because a family member was immunocompromised. "The one-size-fits-all is not working for a lot of people," she said. Federal early childhood education minister Dr Jess Walsh was contacted for comment. Access to childcare has been an issue for Kate Brow ever since she became a mum eight years ago. Ms Brow lives on a farm on the outskirts of Bibbenluke, 170km south of Canberra. There is only one childcare centre in the nearest town, Bombala. It is often full, and for Ms Brow, who works remotely for the charity Motherland Australia, finding appropriate care for her three young daughters has been a constant source of stress. The situation is exacerbated because her parents and in-laws live between two and seven hours away. Ms Brow is one of more than 12,000 signatories to a petition calling on the federal government to allow the childcare subsidy to be used for a broader range of care options, including grandparents. "What I needed was financial support so I could put in stop gaps, so I could go back to work and it was affordable to go back to work," she told ACM. "The childrens' grandparents have to travel many hours to look after them and being able to pay them to compensate for those expenses or a nanny would help." Ms Brow said the lack of childcare options in regional and rural areas was a "massive" challenge for families. "So many rural mothers that we work with across Australia are not even remotely near a childcare facility," she said. "They just need affordable options (nannies or au pairs) to enable them to contribute to the workforce if that's what they choose to do ." The petition started by For Parents calls on the federal government to allow the childcare subsidy to be broadened to include grandparents, nannies, au pairs and co-working spaces. Currently, the subsidy could only be used at an approved federal government child care service. Co-founder of the petition, Jen Fleming, told ACM that parents needed more choice. "We are in an economy where most families have both parents working to pay off a mortgage," she said. Ms Fleming said the recent scandals in the childcare sector, including Melbourne childcare worker Joshua Brown, who is accused of abusing dozens of children, resulting in thousands of kids requiring STD tests, had left parents "distrustful" and "heartbroken". "We are saying if your child is eligible for the childcare subsidy, you should have more choice for who is looking after them, for some it is a nanny, for others a grandparent," she said. Ms Fleming set up the petition with a couple of other local parents. The mum of two lives in Camp Mountain, a semi-rural area 40km outside of Brisbane. She said when her first child, Elsie, was in childcare, her daughter was routinely sick and did not manage to bond with the staff because of the high number of staff turnover. Ms Fleming described the experience as "traumatic". She now has her own business, and her father and a nanny look after her daughters three days a week. "I'm not a rarity in this," she said. "As part of the petition, I've heard from a range of families who are struggling with this issue." One family said that they could not put their children in childcare because a family member was immunocompromised. "The one-size-fits-all is not working for a lot of people," she said. Federal early childhood education minister Dr Jess Walsh was contacted for comment. Access to childcare has been an issue for Kate Brow ever since she became a mum eight years ago. Ms Brow lives on a farm on the outskirts of Bibbenluke, 170km south of Canberra. There is only one childcare centre in the nearest town, Bombala. It is often full, and for Ms Brow, who works remotely for the charity Motherland Australia, finding appropriate care for her three young daughters has been a constant source of stress. The situation is exacerbated because her parents and in-laws live between two and seven hours away. Ms Brow is one of more than 12,000 signatories to a petition calling on the federal government to allow the childcare subsidy to be used for a broader range of care options, including grandparents. "What I needed was financial support so I could put in stop gaps, so I could go back to work and it was affordable to go back to work," she told ACM. "The childrens' grandparents have to travel many hours to look after them and being able to pay them to compensate for those expenses or a nanny would help." Ms Brow said the lack of childcare options in regional and rural areas was a "massive" challenge for families. "So many rural mothers that we work with across Australia are not even remotely near a childcare facility," she said. "They just need affordable options (nannies or au pairs) to enable them to contribute to the workforce if that's what they choose to do ." The petition started by For Parents calls on the federal government to allow the childcare subsidy to be broadened to include grandparents, nannies, au pairs and co-working spaces. Currently, the subsidy could only be used at an approved federal government child care service. Co-founder of the petition, Jen Fleming, told ACM that parents needed more choice. "We are in an economy where most families have both parents working to pay off a mortgage," she said. Ms Fleming said the recent scandals in the childcare sector, including Melbourne childcare worker Joshua Brown, who is accused of abusing dozens of children, resulting in thousands of kids requiring STD tests, had left parents "distrustful" and "heartbroken". "We are saying if your child is eligible for the childcare subsidy, you should have more choice for who is looking after them, for some it is a nanny, for others a grandparent," she said. Ms Fleming set up the petition with a couple of other local parents. The mum of two lives in Camp Mountain, a semi-rural area 40km outside of Brisbane. She said when her first child, Elsie, was in childcare, her daughter was routinely sick and did not manage to bond with the staff because of the high number of staff turnover. Ms Fleming described the experience as "traumatic". She now has her own business, and her father and a nanny look after her daughters three days a week. "I'm not a rarity in this," she said. "As part of the petition, I've heard from a range of families who are struggling with this issue." One family said that they could not put their children in childcare because a family member was immunocompromised. "The one-size-fits-all is not working for a lot of people," she said. Federal early childhood education minister Dr Jess Walsh was contacted for comment. Access to childcare has been an issue for Kate Brow ever since she became a mum eight years ago. Ms Brow lives on a farm on the outskirts of Bibbenluke, 170km south of Canberra. There is only one childcare centre in the nearest town, Bombala. It is often full, and for Ms Brow, who works remotely for the charity Motherland Australia, finding appropriate care for her three young daughters has been a constant source of stress. The situation is exacerbated because her parents and in-laws live between two and seven hours away. Ms Brow is one of more than 12,000 signatories to a petition calling on the federal government to allow the childcare subsidy to be used for a broader range of care options, including grandparents. "What I needed was financial support so I could put in stop gaps, so I could go back to work and it was affordable to go back to work," she told ACM. "The childrens' grandparents have to travel many hours to look after them and being able to pay them to compensate for those expenses or a nanny would help." Ms Brow said the lack of childcare options in regional and rural areas was a "massive" challenge for families. "So many rural mothers that we work with across Australia are not even remotely near a childcare facility," she said. "They just need affordable options (nannies or au pairs) to enable them to contribute to the workforce if that's what they choose to do ." The petition started by For Parents calls on the federal government to allow the childcare subsidy to be broadened to include grandparents, nannies, au pairs and co-working spaces. Currently, the subsidy could only be used at an approved federal government child care service. Co-founder of the petition, Jen Fleming, told ACM that parents needed more choice. "We are in an economy where most families have both parents working to pay off a mortgage," she said. Ms Fleming said the recent scandals in the childcare sector, including Melbourne childcare worker Joshua Brown, who is accused of abusing dozens of children, resulting in thousands of kids requiring STD tests, had left parents "distrustful" and "heartbroken". "We are saying if your child is eligible for the childcare subsidy, you should have more choice for who is looking after them, for some it is a nanny, for others a grandparent," she said. Ms Fleming set up the petition with a couple of other local parents. The mum of two lives in Camp Mountain, a semi-rural area 40km outside of Brisbane. She said when her first child, Elsie, was in childcare, her daughter was routinely sick and did not manage to bond with the staff because of the high number of staff turnover. Ms Fleming described the experience as "traumatic". She now has her own business, and her father and a nanny look after her daughters three days a week. "I'm not a rarity in this," she said. "As part of the petition, I've heard from a range of families who are struggling with this issue." One family said that they could not put their children in childcare because a family member was immunocompromised. "The one-size-fits-all is not working for a lot of people," she said. Federal early childhood education minister Dr Jess Walsh was contacted for comment.
