The first all-female founded and operated not-for-profit Global Sisters Marketplace showcases a lineup of almost 400 Australian female micro-business entrepreneurs. The impact of the Marketplace helps to reduce the 437,000 women receiving a government pension - specifically diverse women such as migrants, Indigenous women, single mothers, carers, and more. 43 percent of Sisters who say they were on government welfare when they started with Global Sisters have decreased or ended their reliance on government support completely.

• 88% of Aussies say that a business & brand's values and ethics matter to them.

• 87% of Australian consumers now believe it is more important than ever to shop local and support Australian businesses.

• Consumers are becoming more value-driven when it comes to their shopping and resonate more strongly with brands that reflect the social and environmental issues that are important to them.

30 SECONDS READ

Puppies as Christmas gifts? Good intention, bad idea

If you’re thinking about giving your loved one a puppy as a gift this Christmas, Dogs Australia urges you to “think twice”.

“Puppies can’t be exchanged, returned, or put in the cupboard if the Christmas present isn’t the right fit,” says Hugh Gent, OAM, President of Dogs Australia, which promotes responsible dog ownership. “And sadly, many impulsively bought gift puppies will end up in shelters.

1 MIN READ

The House Health Committee has released an issues paper as part of its inquiry into long COVID and repeated COVID infections. This issues paper, which is not the final inquiry report, aims to update the public on what the Committee has heard since commencing its inquiry in September 2022.

The Chair of the Committee, Dr Mike Freelander MP, said: ‘The evidence the Committee has received so far has revealed some interesting emerging themes, including the absence of a clear, established and nationally consistent definition of long COVID in Australia as well as the lack of reliable and consistent available data’.

‘We have also heard about the possible causes, management, and treatment of long COVID and possible ways to reduce the risk of developing long COVID. The Committee is looking forward to unpacking these issues in more detail as we hold more public hearings in the new year, Dr Freelander said.

The Deputy Chair of the Committee, Mrs. Melissa McIntosh MP, stated: ‘The Committee thanks all members of the public and organizations who have made submissions, and witnesses who appeared at our first public hearing in October 2022. In particular, the Committee appreciates the contributions of many stakeholders who have shared their lived experience of long COVID and repeated COVID infections’.

While submissions to the inquiry closed on 18 November 2022, individuals and organizations wishing to make a late submission should contact the Secretariat by email at [email protected] as soon as possible.

Further information about the inquiry, including the terms of reference and published submissions, are available on the Committee’s website.

3 MIN READ

NATIONAL MEETING OFF AS PM STRUCK WITH COVID-19

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has tested positive for COVID-19 a second time and gone into isolation.

The prime minister was meant to meet state and territory leaders for a national cabinet meeting on Wednesday, which was set to address solutions to high energy prices.

Mr Albanese first contracted COVID during the federal election campaign, forcing him into isolation for a week.

5 MINS READ

A total of 1,979 people were displaced at 11 points after the Hot Cloud Drop (APG) occurred and the volcanic activity of Mount Semeru increased, Sunday (4/12). The Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) has raised the status of Mount Semeru from level III (alert) to level IV (alert).

A statement Sunday from Indonesia’s disaster management agency (BNPB) said no injuries or deaths have so far been reported and evacuees have taken shelter in public facilities, including village halls and schools. More than 20,000 face masks have been handed out to mitigate respiratory health risks from volcanic ash, it added.

Mount Semeru, which lies around 640 kilometers (400 miles) southeast of the capital Jakarta, began erupting at 2:46 a.m. local time Sunday (2:46 p.m. ET Saturday), according to BNPB. Videos shared by BNPB showed nearby villages covered in gray ash.

With this increase in volcanic activity, the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) raised the status of Mount Semeru from 'Alert' to 'Caution' or from Level III to Level IV, as of 12.00 WIB yesterday.

GOOD VIBES

Australian band The Bluesberries is today launching a song they recorded with more than 70 musicians in four cities across the world to raise money for people displaced by the Ukraine war.

Band members Daniel Fallon (musician and BBC journalist), Paul Beard (composer, producer and keyboardist) and John McMurtrie AM (Australian entrepreneur and musician) began writing Blue Skies earlier this year, to promote peace and raise funds for Australia for UNHCR to help those displaced.

“Blue Skies is our response to the terrible conflict in Ukraine,” Daniel Fallon said. “It’s a song that reflects on the experiences of refugees – people with ordinary lives who have been forced to flee and who dream of a day when they can come together again to live in peace.”

The band collaborated with dozens of Australian and Ukrainian musicians, including some of Ukraine's most talented youth, to record versions of Blue Skies in both English and Ukrainian. 

The Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine recorded a symphonic arrangement of Blue Skies at a cathedral in Düsseldorf, Germany, while 28 members of the Shchedryk Kyiv Children’s Choir recorded choral arrangements for the project in a studio damaged by the war.

FROM THE NEWSWIRES