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Perth Now
5 days ago
- Health
- Perth Now
Urgent measles warning issued to Aussies
Northern Territory health authorities have issued a measles alert after a man travelled through multiple tourism hotspots before ending up in hospital in north Queensland. NT Health issued the alert on Saturday morning, warning anyone who was on tourism trips in the state, at restaurant in Kakadu National Park, or travelled through Darwin or Alice Springs Airports on specific dates in July to be alert for measles symptoms. These include a fever, sore eyes, a runny nose, a cough, and a blotchy red rash. 'Check your vaccination status,' an NT Health spokesperson said. 'Measles is highly contagious but preventable with two doses of a measles-containing vaccine.' Health authorities suspect the man who travelled while infectious acquired measles in Indonesia. Measles can be deadly for children. ACS Credit: Supplied 'The NT Centre for Disease Control is urging Territorians to be alert following confirmation of a measles case who travelled through Darwin and Alice Springs while infectious,' the alert reads. 'The individual, likely infected overseas, visited multiple public locations in the NT between July 17 and 23.' NT Health says the man was likely infectious when he went on an all-day tour with Ethical Adventures in Litchfield National Park on July 17. The next day, he left for an overnight tour with AAPT Kings Jabiru, and was at the Mercure Kakadu Crocodile Hotel in Jabiru from 6pm to 8pm on July 18. The measles alert does not account for his movements the next two days, but the next listed location is the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, from 1pm to 3pm on July 20. It is believed the man then went to Darwin Airport at 3.30pm and flew to Alice Springs on Qantas flight QF1960, arriving at 7pm. On Wednesday, July 23, the man flew from Alice Springs to Cairns on Air North flight TL361. 'Anyone who attended these locations during these times should monitor for symptoms … Symptoms can take up to 18 days after exposure to develop,' the alert said. 'The vaccine is safe and effective, and available from your GP, local health centre, Aboriginal health clinic, and vaccinating pharmacies.'
ABC News
09-07-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Code yellow emergency called at Royal Darwin Hospital after pressure from AMA, unions
A code yellow has been called at Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH) for the first time in almost a year following a "unified" demand for the emergency response by health unions and the Northern Territory's peak body for doctors. NT Health released a statement on Tuesday afternoon saying a code yellow had been declared at RDH and its Palmerston campus, Palmerston Regional Hospital. The statement said both hospitals were experiencing "capacity challenges due to an increase in the number of patients requiring ongoing acute care". "A range of measures have been implemented to ease pressure and improve patient flow and discharges," it said. The code yellow is the first since the Country Liberal Party (CLP) government was elected in August 2024. In the four financial years before the CLP's election win, during Labor's time in power, 41 code yellows were called at RDH. Shortly after the last NT election, the CLP removed Marco Briceno as NT Health chief executive, replacing him with Chris Hosking. Both Mr Hosking and Health Minister Steve Edgington were extensively questioned in NT budget estimates last month about the lack of code yellows at RDH since the CLP took power. During budget estimates, Mr Hosking said pressures at RDH were constant, with patients regularly sharing single cubicles with other patients. However, he said staff had been managing the movement of patients better, and therefore the threshold for a code yellow at that stage had not been met. "Getting the patient moving through those patient flows, into a ward, where their care team can provide the clinical care they need, is absolutely what we need to be doing here," he said. Speaking on ABC Radio Darwin on Wednesday, Australian Medical Association (AMA) NT president John Zorbas said his organisation, as well as unions representing doctors and nurses, had made a "unified call and appeal for a code yellow". "We had an influx of both members and non-members — so these are doctors and nurses on the ground in the territory — telling us that this has just reached a point where there's absolutely no pressure-relief valves left," he said. "We knew this a week ago when our members were coming to us, telling us that the hospital was dangerously full. The NT branch secretary of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation, Cath Hatcher, said on Tuesday there were "39 patients in the emergency department in RDH waiting on a bed to become available". "There [were] only two vacant beds within the whole hospital for two of those 39 patients," she told ABC Radio Darwin. RDH's serviceability is restricted largely due to more than 40 beds being permanently taken up by patients unable to access residential aged care facilities. On Wednesday, Mr Hosking said a code yellow "proposal" was put to him on Tuesday afternoon, and he "signed that off". "Things have certainly been very busy over the last week or so," he told ABC Radio Darwin. "The actual numbers of presentations we're seeing are not much different to what we've had in the past, but the patients who are presenting are more unwell, they're sicker and they're requiring a higher acuity level of care, which generally means longer stays in hospital and more attention from our clinicians. "A code yellow is part of a defined escalation protocol; there's a number of preconditions or metrics that need to be met and those had [been met]." Mr Hosking said until Tuesday afternoon, the "state of patient flow" in RDH hadn't met "those predefined conditions for declaring a code yellow". "But the moment that it did, that was acted on immediately and signed and the public notification issued," he said. "I understand that's perhaps not the view out there, but certainly we have acted swiftly on this." Mr Hosking said he had not been pressured into calling the code yellow by the AMA and unions. "It's not a case of being forced to do something," he said. "It's a matter of when's the right time to do it, when have those preconditions been met and they have. "I know there's been a lot of talk about this over the last little while, and I've long been quite clear in the view that if the conditions for a code yellow are met, then we will call one and we'll act on it."
The Advertiser
07-07-2025
- The Advertiser
Coroner finds racism apparent within police force
A coroner has found police officer Zachary Rolfe who shot and killed an Indigenous man was racist and was the product of an organisation with hallmarks of institutional racism. Northern Territory Coroner Elisabeth Armitage handed down her findings into the November 9, 2019, death of Kumanjayi Walker in Yuendumu, central Australia. Constable Rolfe was found not guilty of Kumanjayi's murder in 2022, and was cleared of two alternative charges of manslaughter and engaging in a violent act causing death. KEY QUOTES: * "Having considered all the evidence, including Mr Rolfe's explanations and justifications, I found that Mr Rolfe was racist and that he worked in and was the beneficiary of an organisation with hallmarks of institutional racism" * "I am satisfied that there is a significant risk that his racism, in combination with some of his other attitudes and values, affected his interactions with the community of Yuendumu on 9 November. 2019" * "The failure of NT police to properly supervise Mr Rolfe, or to rein him in, contributed to a sense of impunity with which he approached his work as a police officer, and emboldened his approach" * "Kumanjayi's death in Yuendumu on 9 November, 2019 was avoidable, although in some significant respects, the failures were institutional" * "I share the view expressed by the use-of-force experts and several highly experienced senior police officers who said that this was a case of officer-induced jeopardy" * "He thought that using force against arrest targets and causing them serious injury was funny." * "On November 9, 2019, Mr Rolfe, a very junior officer, made a series of flawed decisions that significantly increased the increased the risk of a fatal interaction with a member of the public" * "There was direct evidence of clearly racist comments made by Mr Rolfe and between Mr Rolfe and his superiors in the lead-up to Kumanjayi's death" * "This was not a case of one bad apple. Instead, the evidence suggested that racist behaviour or language, although not uniform, was normalised within the Alice Springs police station during Mr Rolfe's time there as a junior police officer" * "His racist messages were not mere aberrations but were reflective of a work culture that tolerated and indeed, tacitly endorsed, racism" RECOMMENDATIONS: Judge Armitage has made 32 recommendations, including: * Problems with NT Police's management of complaints and internal investigations be addressed in consultation with the cultural reform command * Strengthening the anti-racism strategy for NT Police to be targeted, made public and compliance with its measures be publicly reported * The circumstances of Kumanjayi's death be incorporated in training on officer-induced jeopardy * A strengthening of NT Health's developmental screening programs for children under five years * A strategy be developed for the delivery of sustainable mental health services in central Australia * Work be done with the local health advisory groups and other community groups to strengthen relationships and the cultural competency of clinics. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 A coroner has found police officer Zachary Rolfe who shot and killed an Indigenous man was racist and was the product of an organisation with hallmarks of institutional racism. Northern Territory Coroner Elisabeth Armitage handed down her findings into the November 9, 2019, death of Kumanjayi Walker in Yuendumu, central Australia. Constable Rolfe was found not guilty of Kumanjayi's murder in 2022, and was cleared of two alternative charges of manslaughter and engaging in a violent act causing death. KEY QUOTES: * "Having considered all the evidence, including Mr Rolfe's explanations and justifications, I found that Mr Rolfe was racist and that he worked in and was the beneficiary of an organisation with hallmarks of institutional racism" * "I am satisfied that there is a significant risk that his racism, in combination with some of his other attitudes and values, affected his interactions with the community of Yuendumu on 9 November. 2019" * "The failure of NT police to properly supervise Mr Rolfe, or to rein him in, contributed to a sense of impunity with which he approached his work as a police officer, and emboldened his approach" * "Kumanjayi's death in Yuendumu on 9 November, 2019 was avoidable, although in some significant respects, the failures were institutional" * "I share the view expressed by the use-of-force experts and several highly experienced senior police officers who said that this was a case of officer-induced jeopardy" * "He thought that using force against arrest targets and causing them serious injury was funny." * "On November 9, 2019, Mr Rolfe, a very junior officer, made a series of flawed decisions that significantly increased the increased the risk of a fatal interaction with a member of the public" * "There was direct evidence of clearly racist comments made by Mr Rolfe and between Mr Rolfe and his superiors in the lead-up to Kumanjayi's death" * "This was not a case of one bad apple. Instead, the evidence suggested that racist behaviour or language, although not uniform, was normalised within the Alice Springs police station during Mr Rolfe's time there as a junior police officer" * "His racist messages were not mere aberrations but were reflective of a work culture that tolerated and indeed, tacitly endorsed, racism" RECOMMENDATIONS: Judge Armitage has made 32 recommendations, including: * Problems with NT Police's management of complaints and internal investigations be addressed in consultation with the cultural reform command * Strengthening the anti-racism strategy for NT Police to be targeted, made public and compliance with its measures be publicly reported * The circumstances of Kumanjayi's death be incorporated in training on officer-induced jeopardy * A strengthening of NT Health's developmental screening programs for children under five years * A strategy be developed for the delivery of sustainable mental health services in central Australia * Work be done with the local health advisory groups and other community groups to strengthen relationships and the cultural competency of clinics. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 A coroner has found police officer Zachary Rolfe who shot and killed an Indigenous man was racist and was the product of an organisation with hallmarks of institutional racism. Northern Territory Coroner Elisabeth Armitage handed down her findings into the November 9, 2019, death of Kumanjayi Walker in Yuendumu, central Australia. Constable Rolfe was found not guilty of Kumanjayi's murder in 2022, and was cleared of two alternative charges of manslaughter and engaging in a violent act causing death. KEY QUOTES: * "Having considered all the evidence, including Mr Rolfe's explanations and justifications, I found that Mr Rolfe was racist and that he worked in and was the beneficiary of an organisation with hallmarks of institutional racism" * "I am satisfied that there is a significant risk that his racism, in combination with some of his other attitudes and values, affected his interactions with the community of Yuendumu on 9 November. 2019" * "The failure of NT police to properly supervise Mr Rolfe, or to rein him in, contributed to a sense of impunity with which he approached his work as a police officer, and emboldened his approach" * "Kumanjayi's death in Yuendumu on 9 November, 2019 was avoidable, although in some significant respects, the failures were institutional" * "I share the view expressed by the use-of-force experts and several highly experienced senior police officers who said that this was a case of officer-induced jeopardy" * "He thought that using force against arrest targets and causing them serious injury was funny." * "On November 9, 2019, Mr Rolfe, a very junior officer, made a series of flawed decisions that significantly increased the increased the risk of a fatal interaction with a member of the public" * "There was direct evidence of clearly racist comments made by Mr Rolfe and between Mr Rolfe and his superiors in the lead-up to Kumanjayi's death" * "This was not a case of one bad apple. Instead, the evidence suggested that racist behaviour or language, although not uniform, was normalised within the Alice Springs police station during Mr Rolfe's time there as a junior police officer" * "His racist messages were not mere aberrations but were reflective of a work culture that tolerated and indeed, tacitly endorsed, racism" RECOMMENDATIONS: Judge Armitage has made 32 recommendations, including: * Problems with NT Police's management of complaints and internal investigations be addressed in consultation with the cultural reform command * Strengthening the anti-racism strategy for NT Police to be targeted, made public and compliance with its measures be publicly reported * The circumstances of Kumanjayi's death be incorporated in training on officer-induced jeopardy * A strengthening of NT Health's developmental screening programs for children under five years * A strategy be developed for the delivery of sustainable mental health services in central Australia * Work be done with the local health advisory groups and other community groups to strengthen relationships and the cultural competency of clinics. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14 A coroner has found police officer Zachary Rolfe who shot and killed an Indigenous man was racist and was the product of an organisation with hallmarks of institutional racism. Northern Territory Coroner Elisabeth Armitage handed down her findings into the November 9, 2019, death of Kumanjayi Walker in Yuendumu, central Australia. Constable Rolfe was found not guilty of Kumanjayi's murder in 2022, and was cleared of two alternative charges of manslaughter and engaging in a violent act causing death. KEY QUOTES: * "Having considered all the evidence, including Mr Rolfe's explanations and justifications, I found that Mr Rolfe was racist and that he worked in and was the beneficiary of an organisation with hallmarks of institutional racism" * "I am satisfied that there is a significant risk that his racism, in combination with some of his other attitudes and values, affected his interactions with the community of Yuendumu on 9 November. 2019" * "The failure of NT police to properly supervise Mr Rolfe, or to rein him in, contributed to a sense of impunity with which he approached his work as a police officer, and emboldened his approach" * "Kumanjayi's death in Yuendumu on 9 November, 2019 was avoidable, although in some significant respects, the failures were institutional" * "I share the view expressed by the use-of-force experts and several highly experienced senior police officers who said that this was a case of officer-induced jeopardy" * "He thought that using force against arrest targets and causing them serious injury was funny." * "On November 9, 2019, Mr Rolfe, a very junior officer, made a series of flawed decisions that significantly increased the increased the risk of a fatal interaction with a member of the public" * "There was direct evidence of clearly racist comments made by Mr Rolfe and between Mr Rolfe and his superiors in the lead-up to Kumanjayi's death" * "This was not a case of one bad apple. Instead, the evidence suggested that racist behaviour or language, although not uniform, was normalised within the Alice Springs police station during Mr Rolfe's time there as a junior police officer" * "His racist messages were not mere aberrations but were reflective of a work culture that tolerated and indeed, tacitly endorsed, racism" RECOMMENDATIONS: Judge Armitage has made 32 recommendations, including: * Problems with NT Police's management of complaints and internal investigations be addressed in consultation with the cultural reform command * Strengthening the anti-racism strategy for NT Police to be targeted, made public and compliance with its measures be publicly reported * The circumstances of Kumanjayi's death be incorporated in training on officer-induced jeopardy * A strengthening of NT Health's developmental screening programs for children under five years * A strategy be developed for the delivery of sustainable mental health services in central Australia * Work be done with the local health advisory groups and other community groups to strengthen relationships and the cultural competency of clinics. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14
Perth Now
07-07-2025
- Perth Now
Coroner finds racism apparent within police force
A coroner has found police officer Zachary Rolfe who shot and killed an Indigenous man was racist and was the product of an organisation with hallmarks of institutional racism. Northern Territory Coroner Elisabeth Armitage handed down her findings into the November 9, 2019, death of Kumanjayi Walker in Yuendumu, central Australia. Constable Rolfe was found not guilty of Kumanjayi's murder in 2022, and was cleared of two alternative charges of manslaughter and engaging in a violent act causing death. KEY QUOTES: * "Having considered all the evidence, including Mr Rolfe's explanations and justifications, I found that Mr Rolfe was racist and that he worked in and was the beneficiary of an organisation with hallmarks of institutional racism" * "I am satisfied that there is a significant risk that his racism, in combination with some of his other attitudes and values, affected his interactions with the community of Yuendumu on 9 November. 2019" * "The failure of NT police to properly supervise Mr Rolfe, or to rein him in, contributed to a sense of impunity with which he approached his work as a police officer, and emboldened his approach" * "Kumanjayi's death in Yuendumu on 9 November, 2019 was avoidable, although in some significant respects, the failures were institutional" * "I share the view expressed by the use-of-force experts and several highly experienced senior police officers who said that this was a case of officer-induced jeopardy" * "He thought that using force against arrest targets and causing them serious injury was funny." * "On November 9, 2019, Mr Rolfe, a very junior officer, made a series of flawed decisions that significantly increased the increased the risk of a fatal interaction with a member of the public" * "There was direct evidence of clearly racist comments made by Mr Rolfe and between Mr Rolfe and his superiors in the lead-up to Kumanjayi's death" * "This was not a case of one bad apple. Instead, the evidence suggested that racist behaviour or language, although not uniform, was normalised within the Alice Springs police station during Mr Rolfe's time there as a junior police officer" * "His racist messages were not mere aberrations but were reflective of a work culture that tolerated and indeed, tacitly endorsed, racism" RECOMMENDATIONS: Judge Armitage has made 32 recommendations, including: * Problems with NT Police's management of complaints and internal investigations be addressed in consultation with the cultural reform command * Strengthening the anti-racism strategy for NT Police to be targeted, made public and compliance with its measures be publicly reported * The circumstances of Kumanjayi's death be incorporated in training on officer-induced jeopardy * A strengthening of NT Health's developmental screening programs for children under five years * A strategy be developed for the delivery of sustainable mental health services in central Australia * Work be done with the local health advisory groups and other community groups to strengthen relationships and the cultural competency of clinics. 13YARN 13 92 76 Lifeline 13 11 14
Sky News AU
24-06-2025
- Sky News AU
Bradley John Murdoch transferred from prison to Alice Springs Hospital amid end-of-life care and supervised excursions
Bradley John Murdoch, the man convicted of murdering British backpacker Peter Falconio, has been moved from prison into palliative care at Alice Springs Hospital, where he is reportedly receiving end-of-life treatment under supervision. The 67-year-old, who was diagnosed with terminal throat cancer in 2019, is understood to have been transferred recently from Alice Springs Correctional Centre, where he had been serving a life sentence since 2022. Once held at Holtze prison near Darwin, Murdoch has now been transferred to the hospital's palliative unit and is no longer incarcerated within a secure facility. It's understood the convicted killer has also been permitted to leave the hospital on escorted excursions around Alice Springs, accompanied by senior corrections officers - a move which has raised eyebrows given his refusal to reveal what happened to Mr Falconio's body. While he is not on parole, this has raised scrutiny over the Northern Territory's parole laws for killers who refuse to disclose the location of their victims' remains. Despite being sentenced to life imprisonment with a 28-year non-parole period, Murdoch has never disclosed the whereabouts of the 28-year-old British backpacker's remains. Under legislation introduced in the Northern Territory in 2016 - commonly known as the 'no body, no parole' law - convicted murderers are barred from parole eligibility unless they assist in locating their victim. Murdoch was not expected to be eligible for parole until 2032. The Northern Territory Department of Corrections declined to comment directly on Murdoch's movements or medical condition. NT Health similarly cited privacy concerns in declining to confirm Murdoch's treatment status. Murdoch was convicted in 2005 of murdering Peter Falconio, who had been travelling through central Australia with his girlfriend Joanne Lees in July 2001. The couple were driving their Kombi van along the Stuart Highway near Barrow Creek when Murdoch flagged them down, claiming their vehicle was emitting sparks. As Mr Falconio checked the rear of the van, Murdoch shot him dead and then attempted to abduct Ms Lees, binding her and forcing her into his four-wheel drive. Ms Lees later escaped and hid in nearby scrubland for several hours before flagging down a passing truck. During the trial, it was revealed that Murdoch disposed of Mr Falconio's body somewhere between Alice Springs and Broome - a vast area spanning almost 2,000km. Despite extensive searches, his remains have never been located. Murdoch has maintained his innocence throughout, refusing to cooperate with investigators. His conviction was upheld after two unsuccessful appeals, and the High Court refused him leave to appeal in 2007. 'I doubt that any description is capable of fully conveying the true extent of the trauma and terror that you imposed upon (Ms Lees),' Chief Justice Brian Martin told Murdoch at his sentencing in Darwin's Supreme Court. 'It must have been close to the worst nightmare imaginable.'
