Queensland Chief Health Officer John Gerrard is concerned the mental health and wellbeing of teenagers, especially girls, has been deteriorating for years.
National data shows that, since 2008-09, the number of girls aged 10-14 taken to hospital each year due to self-harm has tripled, while among 15-19-year-olds it has doubled.
“Every young person admitted to the hospital for self-harm represents just a fraction of those suffering in silence,” Gerrard said, noting that boys were also experiencing a decline in mental wellbeing.
Gerrard said there were similar trends globally, and noted “the rise in these concerns coincides with the widespread use of smartphones and social media”.
“There’s likely a complex interplay of factors, but the timing is noteworthy,” he said.
“The answer isn’t simple, but a conversation is crucial.”
Gerrard urged parents to keep watch over their children, and recommended they delay social media use until the age of 14.
If you or anyone you know needs help, call Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, Lifeline on 13 11 14 (and see lifeline.org.au) or Beyond Blue on1300 22 4636 (and see beyondblue.org.au).
Broncos superstar Reece Walsh will make his return from a knee injury when Brisbane take on the Gold Coast Titans on Sunday.
While the side will be missing Kotoni Staggs, who suffered a fractured rib in the win over the Sea Eagles, prop Payne Haas will also be fit to line up, despite being assisted from the field in a concerning condition during the Magic Round triumph.
Billy Walters also returns at hooker from a wrist concern for the Indigenous Round clash.
“It is an injury that you can play with, and we know that Kotoni is a tough player, but I’ve taken that decision out of his hand,” Broncos coach Kevin Walters said of Staggs.
“He will be far better to miss this week and then let it continue to heal over the bye round before we get back into it against the Sharks in Round 14.”
The Dolphins, meanwhile, will head into their battle with the Warriors with just the one change, as Max Plath returns from suspension at lock, pushing Kenny Bromwich to the bench and Kurt Donoghoe out of the side.
Elizabeth Henry spent her final days in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley, sitting and listening to people who shared their stories with her.
It was that deeply empathetic nature her family still cling to, decades later.
Elizabeth Henry was last seen alive in Fortitude Valley on the evening of February 11, 1998.Credit: Queensland Police
“I know there are people out there [in Fortitude Valley] that would have a really strong connection,” her sister Jennifer Schefe says.
“And maybe some of those people know more about what happened to her.”
Henry was 30 years old, and four months pregnant with her seventh child, when her burned body was found at Samford, about 25 kilometres west of where she had grown up, in Brisbane’s northern suburb of Nudgee.
Her sister and daughter spoke to media today as police announced a fresh appeal for information about the case, more than 26 years on.
Education Minister Di Farmer has revealed state schools recorded 183 “asbestos-related incidents” in 2023.
In response to a question on notice from Opposition education spokesman Christian Rowan, the minister said school authorities were required to report such incidents in a statewide register to help “manage environmentally significant matters in government-controlled facilities”.
“The Department of Education has comprehensive procedures for the management of asbestos in [department] facilities,” Farmer said.
The figures emerged after several states were forced to deal with the aftermath of mulch and soil contaminated with asbestos being distributed to unwitting recipients.
Opposition treasury spokesman David Janetzki has obtained the cost of the taxpayer-funded advertising campaign for the Miles government’s so-called ‘Big Build’.
After Janetski lodged a question on notice, State Development and Infrastructure, Industrial Relations and Racing Minister Grace Grace today confirmed the 104-day campaign would cost $2,027,047.
The cost was revealed only hours after Treasurer Cameron Dick confirmed the budget would be $3 billion in deficit in 2024-25, and with a state election in October.
A new poll commissioned by Brisbane Times has the Liberal National Party in a winning position, and with more people wanting leader David Crisafulli to be premier than those who prefer the Labor incumbent, Steven Miles.
Sunshine Coast Council CEO Emma Thomas has announced her resignation after more than three years with the local government.
In a statement this morning, Thomas said she was looking to explore new personal and career opportunities and was proud of her record managing one of Australia’s fasted-growing regions.
Departing Sunshine Coast Council CEO Emma Thomas
She made mention of her work making the Sunshine Coast more accessible and leading a united team.
“It has been very important for me during my time as council’s CEO that our staff feel valued when they come to work, that they feel supported and comfortable when they speak up,” Thomas said.
“Feeling included in the workplace, contributing as part of a team and having a sense of purpose makes the enormous amount of time spent at work so much more enjoyable and fulfilling.”
It is understood Thomas is among the candidates being considered for a role with the planned Games Venue and Legacy Delivery Authority, which will be tasked with ensuring Brisbane is ready to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2032.
The official search for Jeremiah Rivers has resumed, more than two years after the 27-year-old went missing near remote Wippo Creek in south-west Queensland.
A Queensland Police Service spokesman said 20 people, including police and volunteers, were involved in the latest search.
The spokesman would not be drawn on what had prompted the new search.
“As the matter is currently the subject of a coronial inquest, it would be inappropriate for any further comment to be provided at this time,” the spokesman said.
Queensland’s MPs have returned to parliament today for one of just three regular sitting weeks left before the October election – and it’s shown in the mood in question time.
The LNP used their time to press Labor on the case of a man who died in the Gold Coast University Hospital last week after paramedics reportedly raised concerns about his care – which Health Minister Shannon Fentiman said would be reviewed.
“I understand he was in an ED [emergency department] bed receiving treatment at the time that he suffered a medical episode and received, immediately, emergency care,” Fentiman said. “For more than 10 hours, this gentleman was under the care of our hard working ED and ICU [intensive care unit] teams before sadly passing away.”
The LNP also seized on new data today detailing the roughly 1100 people who had shown up at the state’s satellite hospitals with “imminently life-threatening” issues, reiterating a pledge to rename the sites if elected.
Premier Steven Miles questioned whether the LNP would also seek to rename “day hospitals and private hospitals” across the state which also don’t have emergency departments or overnight beds.
Miles and Labor used question time to spruik the federal government’s budget benefits for Queensland, and questioned why LNP leader David Crisafulli hadn’t spoken in support of them like his Western Australia counterpart.
Queensland Chief Health Officer John Gerrard is concerned the mental health and wellbeing of teenagers, especially girls, has been deteriorating for years.
National data shows that, since 2008-09, the number of girls aged 10-14 taken to hospital each year due to self-harm has tripled, while among 15-19-year-olds it has doubled.
“Every young person admitted to the hospital for self-harm represents just a fraction of those suffering in silence,” Gerrard said, noting that boys were also experiencing a decline in mental wellbeing.
Gerrard said there were similar trends globally, and noted “the rise in these concerns coincides with the widespread use of smartphones and social media”.
“There’s likely a complex interplay of factors, but the timing is noteworthy,” he said.
“The answer isn’t simple, but a conversation is crucial.”
Gerrard urged parents to keep watch over their children, and recommended they delay social media use until the age of 14.
If you or anyone you know needs help, call Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, Lifeline on 13 11 14 (and see lifeline.org.au) or Beyond Blue on1300 22 4636 (and see beyondblue.org.au).
After a drawn-out legal saga across two cases, the state government has been handed the review it ordered to lay out fixes for the major clouds which emerged over the anti-corruption agency’s public reporting powers.
The court challenges saw a longstanding Crime and Corruption Commission practice paused, with former public trustee Peter Carne and former deputy premier Jackie Trad both successful in keeping probes into their actions hidden – and kept others in the dark, too.
Miles told journalists on Monday he had received the report from reviewer Catherine Holmes – the former chief justice and robodebt royal commissioner – and cabinet would need time to consider it before releasing it.
“But I don’t think it should take too long,” he said. “It will be our intention to adopt her recommendations, but I haven’t seen them yet. And so we’ll need to consider them first.”
While we wait, if you’re so inclined, the review has quietly published a research report it commissioned to round-up academic research into the effect of public reporting of corruption matters on the public sector, public confidence and the balance with reputational damage.
“The review of the literature reveals very little research directed at any of these specific areas of focus,” the three tasked with the work write in their executive summary, with Holmes’ review itself looking at research by governments, parliaments and anti-corruption agencies themselves.
Queensland Police are announcing a $500,000 reward and a fresh public appeal for information in relation to the murder of Elizabeth Henry in 1998.
Read More: World News | Entertainment News | Celeb News
SMH
