#Insurance Providers in Australia

[nando161mando]

Here is some interesting food for thought. We are providing housing!

[vcompare]

Best Health Insurance Comparison Australia | Find best health insurance.

Health Insurance Comparison Australia, find the ideal coverage that fits your needs and budget. Our comprehensive guide helps you evaluate plans, benefits, and costs Top health insurance providers

[t-jfh]

NDIS Minister Bill Shorten 'perplexed' controversial practices at Irabina Autism Services continued into last year.

By Anne Connolly

ABC TV - Four Corners

ABC News - 27 September 2023

•

Anica has seen a lot in her job but this experience left her feeling ‘physically shaking’.

ABC Four Corners investigation prompts worker to come forward, saying controversial practices were still happening last year.

By Anne Connolly, Sacha Payne and Sian Johnson

ABC News - 27 September 2023

COMMUNITY WARNING - GRAPHIC CONTENT The following YouTube factual video contains graphic content that may disturb some viewers.

YouTube video >> How the NDIS is failing to protect people with disabilities | ABC TV Four Corners (Series 2023, Ep. 35) - Careless [Released 25 September 2023 / 50mins.+47secs.]:

Australia's National Disability Insurance Scheme has transformed the lives of thousands of people, but Four Corners exposes criminals, opportunists and registered providers who have been overcharging and defrauding the system.

This episode also contains shocking video showing how a teenage boy with autism was treated during an NDIS-funded therapy session.

•

Australia needs 'social transformation' to be 'truly inclusive', says disability royal commission.

Australia's biggest-ever investigation into the discriminatory treatment of people with disability has handed down its findings, and they make for sobering reading.

The disability royal commission has made 222 recommendations to reduce the violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of the roughly one-in-five Australians who live with disability.

After more than four years of witness testimony and 'harrowing' evidence, the disability royal commission wants these changes. Here are the key takeaways.

By the Specialist Reporting Team's Evan Young and Leonie Thorne

ABC News - 29 September 2023

•

•

The 10 key points from the Disability Royal Commission

By Natassia Chrysanthos

The Age & The Sydney Morning Herald - September 29, 2023

[mayakern]

upcoming store stuff & why we're doing a super sale

omg hiiii it's devin again, and this time i'm bringing store news

the short version: we're moving ourselves back to minnesota, and we're moving order fulfillment to a fulfillment center

wow, that's big news! maya and i are so so so excited to be closer to our minnesota friends (and also my family lol). i'm hoping to be back in northeast minneapolis, but let's be real we're probably gonna get priced out and into the suburbs

in addition to that, due to a variety of reasons i'll explain in more detail below, we're transitioning from in-house fulfillment to working with a fulfillment center (or 3pl, short for third-party logistics). we're at an awkward size that makes staffing difficult and have had issues with extended processing time. the 3pl should be set up by september, and we're working on the back end to have fulfillment centers in australia, canada, the UK, and eventually the EU. if tax authorities work with us we should have all that ready by december 2024!

to prepare for that we're doing a super sale. ash told me not to call it liquidation but she said that like 30 seconds after i hit send on the marketing email, sorry about that. items that we don't want to pay to move to the 3pl are discounted by 25-70%, with some of them priced at cost. under no circumstances will anything ever be 70% off again

if you're nosy you can read the q&a i made up in my head while eating pigs in a blanket:

how are the labor protections at the 3pl?

pretty good! we were shocked to find anything even halfway decent in the US; we went looking for a fulfillment center in the EU to handle all international fulfillment, and the one we found just so happened to have bought a US location two years ago.

they're located in ohio, pay $19/hr, and provide health insurance and 401k matching. that seemed too good to be true so we dug through employee reviews on places like glassdoor, and while there were some bad reviews those were all dated prior to when the facility was purchased by this new company. they also have a very low turnover rate which is a HUGE green flag

why are you transferring to a 3pl?

the serious

sometimes we have a high volume of sales, and it makes sense to have two full-time employees plus a part timer! but usually we have a low-to-medium volume of sales. we can float by on that, but it gets risky, and the economy is in a bad enough state that we're concerned about the longevity

related, the 2023 holiday sale showed us some major flaws in our fulfillment process. if the same issues were to happen this year the business probably wouldn't survive

we're moving cross-country in early 2025 and would've had to close this location anyway

the dumb:

i'm sick of dealing with commercial landlords and if i have one more wall leak i'm going to throw it into the river brick by brick

what about your staff?

unfortunately we will have to say goodbye to our office staff. they have been given 3.5 months notice and no-questions-asked PTO for interviews with a small severance

why are you moving back to minnesota?

troy was always meant to be a temporary move. initially the plan was to move to vermont or massachusetts, but after being out here for 7 years we just kinda want to go home. the weather in troy is perfect for us, we love the mountains, and we have some great friends here, but for some goddamn reason we want our eyelashes to freeze together.

will you be returning to midwest cons?

if we return to cons at all it will be with ariel and/or ash running the booth, maya will not be involved. this would likely be in california and/or in the northeast US.

my friends are begging me to go to CONvergence as an attendee so ig you might see me there? maya has pledged death before crowded venues tho

will you do any local events in minnesota?

we might do sample sales. honestly idk what we're gonna do with the samples we have in troy, most of them are terrible. do you want samples of the strangest low rise bell bottom pants ever created? please take them from me. my bush hangs out

also my kid brother has gotten really into library events and if he asks nice enough we might do some of those

is there anything else?

i mean probably, but i started this last week and i haven't had any other ideas on what to include

[hell-on-sticks]

Today the major hard-right political party in my country put out a video about the National Disability Insurance Scheme. For those overseas, the NDIS is a system by which disabled individuals can have funding plans supporting disability aids, from wheelchairs or prosthetics to sensory equipment.

It's an attack on disabled people every time some politician who thinks we shouldn't be a burden on the taxpayer starts taking potshots at the systems that give us the ability to live our lives. That our lives don't have value and come down to the dollar amount we cost the government, even though it's known that NDIS participants contribute $2 to the economy for every $1 received. But it doesn't matter. To them we're scammers. Leeches. And every day is more and more demoralising hearing these people rant about how we're scamming the country.

The NDIS is far from perfect. Providers hike prices if the client is an NDIS participant so they get more money. Many disabled people in desperate need of major aids like powerchairs aren't considered eligible. But it's a step, and participants aren't scamming the Golden Ideal of the Taxpayer. Disabled people are people too.

Australia isn't really spoken about in a lot of disability discourse, but the NDIS is constantly under attack, and people are left in need unable to access vital disability equipment. The government and politicians assign a dollar amount to our lives and for too many of us that number can be zero.

[valorieblogzz]

My name is Lucifer, and I wanted to share my story with you. I come from the Middle East and have encountered numerous challenges throughout my life. I have faced the harrowing experiences of forced marriage, conversion therapy, and imprisonment solely because of my gender identity. Although I sought safety by escaping to Naarm in so-called Australia, I still encountered numerous obstacles. Gender-affirming top surgery is a crucial step in my journey towards recovery and overall well-being. Insurance does not cover this surgery, making it financially unattainable for me, especially as a refugee. I am unable to undergo surgery without your assistance. This donation will provide crucial support for me to undergo a life-altering surgery. It will cover all the necessary expenses, including the procedure itself (surgeon, anesthetist, hospital fees), post-operative care (medications, follow-up appointments, necessary provisions for my dogs), and other associated medical costs (GP referral, surgeon consultations, psychologist fees for WPATH). Every contribution, regardless of its size, will have a significant impact on my path towards healing and embracing my true self. Kindly consider donating and spreading the word about this campaign among your friends, families, and allies. Your support has the power to bring hope and transformation to the life of a queer refugee, enabling them to overcome the traumas of the past and embrace a future where they can thrive as their true selves. Thank you for your kind and thoughtful gesture.

[ultimate-word-tournament]

calling australian english “down-under dialect” kinda feels like your just making a joke of it. you don’t do it with other languages or dialects so why do it with australian english.

also bingle is not a word used here.

I'm pretty sure I at least threw in a Bri'ish dialect somwhere in there... anyways, the dialect things are just a lighthearted joke. If it really bothers too many people I can replace it, though. The reason I don't do it for other dialects is simply that I didn't get a lot of regional slang.

Also yes it is a word, I've had multiple people provide confirmation it exists and has inspired the name of a car insurance company apparently. Just because its not used in your part of Australia, doesnt mean its not Australian!

[mahinee]

Nurturing the Heart: Understanding the Social and Emotional Well-being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities

Welcome to my Blog series on PSYCHOLOGY, WELL-BEING, AND RESILIENCE Where I will highlight 5 interesting topics. Read to explore!

In the rich tapestry of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, the essence of well-being lies in the social and emotional interconnectedness. As highlighted by the Commonwealth of Australia in 2017, this delicate balance serves as the cornerstone upon which both physical and mental health are built.

It's important to recognize that the concept of social and emotional well-being transcends individual experiences, encompassing a web of relationships that extend from the individual to the family and community. As noted by Brown et al. (2023), the nuances of well-being vary across Indigenous communities, shaped by diverse cultural perspectives and historical contexts. The notion of social and emotional well-being acknowledges that a person's well-being is also impacted by the social determinants of health. Indigenous Australians define health as the "social, emotional, and cultural well-being of the whole community" in addition to an individual's physical well-being (Fatima et al., 2023, p.31). This definition is based on a person's relationships to their country, culture, family, spirit, and physical and mental health.

Additionally, the National Agreement acknowledges that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures are essential to better life outcomes for Indigenous Australians. All initiatives carried out by the Agreement must uphold, protect, and enhance these cultures. The following goals have been specifically set by the agreement to promote the cultural wellness of Indigenous Australians as shown in Figure 1 below (indigenoushpf.gov.au, 2024).

Figure 1: Targets to support cultural well-being

(Source: indigenoushpf.gov.au, 2024)

This particular group is marked with suicides and attempts to death based on different stress in life and stress factors. In the words of Smallwood et al., (2023, p.2088), the Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders had been facing severe issues over time in search of good living and livelihood. Owing to this there had been intervention which was developed for the betterment of indigenous people living in Australia. Figure 2 below shows the rate of suicide attempts which had been caused by the people of this indigenous group (indigenoushpf.gov.au, 2024). Thus, the intervention of the Mental Health Agreement was formulated to secure sustainability and improve the services provided by the Australian mental health and suicide prevention system. It also aimed to improve the mental health of all Australians and governments have come together to establish the Mental Health Agreement (Masotti et al., 2023, p.741).

Figure 2: Suicide attempts by Aboriginals

(Source: indigenoushpf.gov.au, 2024)

In addition to responding to the Productivity Commission Inquiry into Mental Health, the National Suicide Prevention Adviser's Final Advice, the Mental Health Agreement pledges to carry out work under the Fifth Plan going forward (indigenoushpf.gov.au, 2024). Regional planning and commissioning, priority populations, stigma reduction, safety and quality, gaps in the system of care and suicide prevention are the main areas of attention. On the other hand, psycho-social supports outside the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), workforce, and national consistency for initial assessment and referral are among the priority areas covered by the Mental Health Agreement.

References

Brown, A., Haregu, T., Gee, G., Mensah, F., Waters, L., Brown, S. J., ... & Armstrong, G. (2023). Social and emotional well-being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Aboriginal-controlled social housing. BMC public health, 23(1), 1935. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-023-16817-y

Fatima, Y., Liu, Y., Cleary, A., Dean, J., Smith, V., King, S., & Solomon, S. (2023). Connecting the health of country with the health of people: application of" caring for country" in improving the social and emotional well-being of Indigenous people in Australia and New Zealand. The Lancet Regional Health–Western Pacific, 31. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanwpc/article/PIIS2666-6065(22)00263-2/fulltext

indigenoushpf.gov.au (2024) Social and emotional wellbeing Retrived on 9 May 2024 from: https://www.indigenoushpf.gov.au/measures/1-18-social-emotional-wellbeing

Masotti, P., Dennem, J., Bañuelos, K., Seneca, C., Valerio-Leonce, G., Inong, C. T., & King, J. (2023). The Culture is Prevention Project: measuring cultural connectedness and providing evidence that culture is a social determinant of health for Native Americans. BMC Public Health, 23(1), 741. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-023-15587-x

Smallwood, R., Usher, K., Woods, C., Sampson, N., & Jackson, D. (2023). De‐problematising Aboriginal young peoples’ health and well‐being through their voice: An Indigenous scoping review. Journal of clinical nursing, 32(9-10), 2086-2101. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/jocn.16308

[assuredcare]

Assured Care is the best NDIS provider in Australia We offer the best care, at the most affordable price Call us today for a free quote

[d2d-solutions]

D2D Solutions: Reliable Cleaning Services in Melbourne Australia

D2D Solutions specializes in commercial cleaning, offering customized plans and using eco-friendly products. Our expert team ensures spotless results with attention to detail, a 100% satisfaction guarantee, and insured services.

Get the perfect clean whenever you need it. Whether it’s a one-time service or regular visits, D2D Solutions ensures your space always looks its best. The processes and systems we put in place provide high quality service with a focus on safety in various industries.

[beta-lactam-allergic]

So here is Part 1 of me summarising the issues in the QLD state election that's literally tomorrow. In Part 1 we rank where the parties stand on Abortion rights.

First the status quo. Abortion is legal in Queensland & is treated as a medical issue rather than a criminal issue. It can be acquired, no questions asked, up to 22 weeks into a pregnancy. After 22 weeks, you need the approval of two licensed medical practitioners. Safe zones of 150 metres exist around providers to prevent protesters from hassling staff, clients or families of clients.

However, despite this legal right, in practice, it's difficult to obtain an abortion in rural/regional areas. Pregnant individuals often need to travel great distances & spend money they may not have on accommodation & fuel, to get access to the nearest provider. Someone in Mt. Isa might need to travel to either Emerald (a 12 hour car trip or 4 & a half hour plane trip) or Cairns (12 & a half hour car ride or 2 hour plane trip) to get access to a provider. A person in Charleville would need to travel over 5 & a half hours to Emerald or 8 hours to Gladstone/Rockhampton. If you live in Weipa, hope you can afford the 9 & a half hour car ride or 1 & a half hour plane trip to Cairns. Mt Isa should be big enough for it's own clinic. Charleville is smaller, but you could place a provider in Roma, which is only 3 hours away rather than 8 hours. Note that I only listed one-way trips, so realistically, you need to double all travel times listed as people need to get back home.

For anyone amazed by the time listed to travel places. This is normal in QLD. Everything is far away. Our state is big. A person travelling from Weipa to Cairns is going southeast while someone going from Mt Isa to Cairns is going north-east.

A trip from Weipa to Brisbane is 29 hours driving assuming no breaks (please don't try that). There's a train connecting Mt Isa to Brisbane that takes 28 hours for those unwilling to drive a bit over 20 hours (assuming no breaks). Realistically, almost everyone travelling from Weipa, Cairns, Mt Isa, Birdsville or even Mackay to Brisbane is taking a plane unless they're a Gray nomad.

Part 1 - Abortion

So this is ranked from worse to best

Worse = KAP (Katter's Australia Party), Family First.

These two parties both openly want to recriminalise abortion. Yes, that "r" isn't a typo. The KAP & Family First have it in their party platforms that they both seek to wind back the clock & make it a crime again.

I assume they aren't thinking of merely winding back to 2017, when abortion was technically in the criminal code, but it wasn't enforced. More likely they want to turn back to the 1970s-1980s where under Joh Bjelke-Petersen the criminal provisions that were only technically repealed in 2018 were actually enforced.

Of these two, the KAP are by far the bigger threat. They have 4 MPs, none of whom are likely to lose their seats, with an outside chance of gaining a fifth seat. Meanwhile, Family First only matter for preference flows (we have preferential voting here, so voting for parties that can't win a seat in their own right isn't the waste of time it would be in the USA).

Moreover, the KAP have announced that they will put up a private member's bill to recriminalise abortion immediately after the new parliament is sworn in. Have I mentioned all the KAP MPs are cisgender men. I should mention that.

Team Sneaky = LNP

The likely victors of tomorrow's election. The talk is about if the ALP can ring-fence Brisbane or not. No one is pretending that the towns of Cairns (3 seats) , Townsville (4 seats), Gladstone, Mackay, Rockhampton or Harvey Bay (each of these is 1 seat) are staying in the ALP fold. As the LNP are the likely victors of all but Rockhampton (where Independent Margaret Strelow has a good shot), they will form government. Therefore, the LNP will likely decide abortion access insurance state for the next 4 years.

The LNP have gone for plausible deniability by stating that they won't introduce a bill to recriminalise abortion. However, that doesn't matter as we know the KAP is introducing that bill instead. What they have is a so-called "conscious vote" on abortion.

It's a fact that 93% of LNP members voted against legalisation in 2018. That 93% includes the current Opposition Leader, David Crisafulli. We also know that quite a few of the new candidates in winnable seats are anti-choice. A conscious vote in an LNP majority government means that even if 1-3 members vote to keep the existing laws, the 4 KAP members will be enough to counter that & guarantee that abortion is recriminalised.

The only reason Crisafulli is even trying for plausible deniability is because he knows most voters are pro-choice. Support for abortion rights has remained stable at 75-80% of the population for my entire lifetime. There's a reason enforcement ended well before the official decriminalisation in 2018. It would be difficult to find a jury

Status Quo = ALP

So this is where our miracle shot happens & somehow the polls are wrong & the current government is maintained.

Now the status quo is still flawed. I want better. Abortion accessibility shouldn't depend on where in the state you live. A poor person in the regions shouldn't have fewer options than someone in the SEQ or Townsville (even Mackay doesn't have an abortion clinic). But when compared to a prospective recriminalisation, it's necessary to defend what we got now & ask for better afterwards.

Improved Access = AJP & Greens

Both of them promise to expand access. That's the optimal outcome, so we list it here.

I will probably not get around to releasing Parts 2 & 3 before the vote counting begins, so let's say this now. I was an overall ALP/AJP voter. But we have to number all the options in our system so the rest of the ticket was harm minimising. Cannabis Party don't particularly appeal to me, but it's also not crossing any of my political boundaries, so they got 3rd. Then came the jerk parties. As disgusting as the Greens antisemitism is, the LNP are a threat to both abortion rights & trans rights, so I prioritised my own survival (I'm a transwoman) & the survival of my cis female friends & cousins in this state. That puts Greens 4th & LNP 5th. The KAP don't have a candidate where I live, so I didn't have to rate them. Family First are Christian extremists who hate trans people & abortion rights & want to make the place go under fundamentalist Christian leadership. They got 6th, because somehow, One Nation still exists, which is even worse. One Nation is a cesspool of racism & manosphere garbage & are the biggest threat to my Mum's entire side of the family.

[astillnight]

So just wondering basically whatever you can think would be good advice or insight or tips for someone wanting to move to Melbourne from the UK

Doesn't have to be limited to the likes below;

healthcare, prescriptions (I have a few chronic illnesses; nothing too serious, but I do need different medications etc), Visas, nominations, what sort of yearly wage/income would I need to be comfortable, taxes/insurance, bills, education (I don't have a family; but say I wanted to do a uni course, could ?); rent or buy, is a car needed, should I look into city living or suburb living, is it safe for a single female to move there & live on her own... and yeah just anything else you or anyone else can think of, l've never moved abroad before

I'm not sure I'm qualified to answer all of these as I don't have all the right info or experience you're after, but I'll give you what I can and provide some links to some useful sites 🥰

Healthcare here in general is pretty good-- we have bulk billed doctors services, so for just a check up appointment, you'll be paying around $20AUD. For the bulk billing, you will require an Australian Medicare card.

I get a three monthly prescription for my medication from one appointment. My medicine is significantly reduced in cost with the Medicare card/bulk billing.

Here's some info about UK travelers and Australian visas.

https://uk.embassy.gov.au/lhlh/Visas_and_Migration.html

Income to be comfortable varies wildly. Some people suggest no less than $100,000AUD after tax, some much less, others more-- it's really too variable to suggest one specific tax bracket.

I can say that Australia has very high tax rates, so be prepared for that.

Our universities take in a lot of overseas and immigrant students, so you should be good there!

Here's some more info on student loans for non Australian citizens:

https://www.studyassist.gov.au/loan-eligibility/non-australian-citizens

The city has a decent train line and buses are also available.

Melbourne is also a very walkable city.

I personally don't drive atm and can still get around okay.

I live about 45 minutes by train from the CBD-- if you are planning on working inner city, you may want to move closer so you have less of a commute, but it's dependent on how long you personally are willing to travel.

I personally prefer outer suburbs for the quieter, greener living.

Rent or buy is really a personal choice! I'm looking to buy in the next 10 years as I want my own space, but it's super dependent on what you want!

I would say yes, Melbourne is in general a safe city and you should be okay living here alone. I have single friends who have lived in the inner city alone and found it to be fine.

Here's some more info I found that I hope helps!!

https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/enrolling-medicare?context=60092