Closure of Mackay private hospital a loss that will ‘make everything worse’

A national private hospital operator that specialises in mental health is closing its doors in north Queensland, saying the facility is no longer financially viable. Aurora Healthcare has run the Mackay Private Hospital for nearly a decade, providing mental health respite and physical rehabilitation beds. The hospital, which opened in the 1990s, also accommodated up…

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Federal politics live: NDIS inquiry told 240,000 people will be ‘exited’ from scheme

During the final hearing of the Senate inquiry into the government’s proposed National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) changes, it was revealed more than 350,000 people who would have accessed the NDIS will have to find supports elsewhere. The health, disability and ageing department projected that 240,000 existing participants will be “exited” from the scheme under…

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Black Hawk helicopter crash: Thirty years ago, Australia had its worst peacetime military aviation disaster

On the night of June 12, 1996, six army Black Hawk helicopters were flying in formation over a defence training base near Townsville. It was a routine counterterrorism training operation, simulating a hostage rescue. When two of the helicopters flying at the front of the formation collided, it became a tragedy. Eighteen soldiers were killed…

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