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TRANSCRIPT:
Migrant communities are being urged to avoid misinformation on the Indigenous voice to parliament, with early voting underway and Australians officially going to the polls on October 14.
Over the past three months, the Ethnic Communities Council of Victoria has been been engaging with multicultural communities about the referendum, working with the Yes23 campaign and Multicultural Australia to share information in-language.
Eva Hussein came to Australia as a refugee in 1986 and now works as the director of growth and relationships at Polaron, a language services provider offering translated materials on the Voice.
She says a key part of keeping migrant communities informed involves the use of these resources.
"With an organisation called Life Without Barriers - who have funded the project - we translated a number of accessible resources. That's videos, social media tiles and factsheets into 53 different languages. That includes AUSLAN and Aboriginal languages as well."
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Eleven ancestral remains are being returned to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia after spending more than 100 years in a museum in England.
Community representatives from New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and the Torres Strait have travelled to collect the remains from Oxford, where they have been held at the University's Museum of Natural History.
CEO of Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council in Sydney Nathan Moran says that it is an event many have been waiting a long time for.
"That awareness that our ancestors are not home and not resting is a very disturbing thing to have on your mind and in your soul, so one by one, everyone that we bring home is a relief, it's a part of our healing, we can never truly heal until we know everyone should be where they belong and are resting where they were meant to rest."
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Human rights lawyer David Manne says he is hopeful new government reforms will go a substantial way to reducing the backlog of protection visa applications made by asylum seekers.
Mr Manne, the Executive Director of Refugee Legal, says he estimates up to 30,000 people are waiting on an outcome from the Department of Home Affairs, and a further 50,000 have a case lodged with the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.
He says that after years of inertia, the extra funding announced by the government could provide some real hope of reducing the backlog.
"It's because, in part, of the major injection of resources right across the system. From the Department right through to the tribunals and the courts. And to ensure as well that people are able to get the legal assistance they need to properly present their claims, enables decision-makers to make fair and efficient decisions and also reduces delays as part of that."
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The body representing psychiatrists in Australia and New Zealand says the new data on the prevalence of mental health conditions among Australians shows urgent action must be taken.
Data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics [[5 Oct]] has found that one in five Australians experienced a mental health disorder in the last 12 months, with anxiety the most common condition.
Dr Astha Tomar is the president-elect of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists.
She says there are not enough mental health professionals and trainees to deal with the demand and has called for long-term workforce planning and resourcing strategy.
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A new report suggests an increase in the number of flu vaccinations could save 500 lives and about $500 million in New South Wales each year.
The report from the state's Productivity Commissioner Peter Achterstraat says the savings could be achieved by vaccinating up to two million additional people aged under 65 annually.
New South Wales had a severe flu season in 2022, with an estimated 116,000 influenza cases reported - while this year's flu season has also been relatively severe with more than 85,000 cases reported to date.
