TRANSCRIPT
- A new cancer treatment option to be made available through a government scheme.
- A significant rise in cyber-bullying incidents targeting Queensland children.
- Olympic gold medallist Mack Horton announces his retirement.
Australians living with recurrent melanoma will have a new treatment option subsidised by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
Patients with advanced melanoma will be reimbursed for a treatment called Opdualag - a combination of immunotherapies which help the body fight cancer.
Opdualag will be available under the scheme from February 1 - a new listing the federal government says could benefit about 940 patients each year.
Co-Medical Director of the Melanoma Institute Australia, Professor Georgina Long, has welcomed the announcement.
"It is of great significance that today, we now have another tool in our toolkit against advanced melanoma, trying to improve the overall survival, and quality of life of patients with advanced melanoma, Australia's cancer. The reason that melanoma is Australia's cancer is that we have the highest incidence in the world, and that's because of the lovely climate we live in."
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Australia's online safety regulator has revealed more than 400 complaints of cyber-bullying incidents targeting Queensland children were made in 2023.
The eSafety Commissioner recorded a 42 per cent increase in complaints last year compared to 2022, with the majority of Queensland reports made by female children aged between 12 and 16.
The reports included the sharing of embarrassing photos or videos of children, the spreading of online gossip and creating fake accounts in a child’s name.
Nationals leader David Littleproud told Channel Nine the new data has hit home for his family.
"As a father of a teenager, this really frightens me and we had it hit home right here just down the road in Warwick a couple of years ago. And out of that tragedy, there's been a great charity called Dolly's dream, young Dolly Everett took her life from the weaponization of these digital devices and platforms. And I think as parents, it's about us being educated not just about whether our kids are the victims of sometimes whether they're perpetrators."
The federal police have reiterated that message, urging parents and carers to take privacy precautions before posting back-to-school photos online.
Commander Helen Schneider says there are simple ways to do so.
"Privacy checkup should include the following, checking your privacy settings and making sure your social media accounts are set to private or friends only. If another person is taking photos of your child - having a discussion around how the photos will be used and how they will be shared. Ensure the background doesn't give away your address or location. Keep your child's uniform logo hidden and keep your child's personal information including full name and age private."
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A 200-pound loggerhead sea turtle named Ida has been rescued by a group of fishers and the United States Coast Guard.
Ida was found entangled in a lobster trap buoy line by a Florida couple, who took her to the hospital for treatment.
And after two days of quick recovery, Ida was released back into the water - leaving behind a trail of bubbles, and some fulfilled residents.
"It makes you feel really good to do a good thing like that. To rescue a turtle because, I mean she weighed what, 200 pounds? So, yes, she is a big girl. There is turtles out there, they are all over when you are fishing, they are popping up. Just watch and make sure that they are ok."
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Mack Horton has retired from competitive swimming six months out from the Paris Olympics, saying he no longer has the necessary hunger for it.
The 27-year-old departs the pool as an Olympic gold medallist in the 400 metre freestyle at the 2016 Rio Olympics and a bronze medallist in the 4x200 metre freestyle relay in Tokyo.
Horton told Channel Nine he's looking forward to his next challenge.
"Yeah, I feel good. I've been sitting with it for a little while. So it felt time to finally announce it. And yeah, just looking forward to whatever's next. making that leap is actually quite scary. It kind of feels like you're about to jump out of an aeroplane because it's just an unknown. All I've known is 17 years of swimming, 5am mornings and 9 to 10 sessions a week. So it's an interesting time but I've got a great support network around me family and friends. So looking forward to leaning onto them."
