Anne Davies

1 week ago | theguardian.com | Anne Davies

Peter Dutton, the man who would be prime minister of Australia, is one of the hard men of the country’s politics. So, with Australia facing a federal election now set for 3 May, it was not a huge step for him to start road-testing some of the language and policies of Donald Trump after his win in the US last November.

2 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Anne Davies

The New South Wales government is considering buying back the public hospital component of Northern Beaches hospital, as its private owner, Healthscope, faces a looming financial crisis. The government said on Thursday it had been notified of a proposal by Healthscope seeking to have the hospital returned to the NSW public system. “I note the owners of Healthscope are engaged in a market process potentially seeking to exit the business,” the NSW treasurer, Daniel Mookhey, said.

3 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Anne Davies

If the Coalition wins the election, it will face a concerted push from its junior partner, the Nationals, to weaken and even abandon climate initiatives and promote coal as an interim measure in the Coalition’s nuclear power plan. That would put Peter Dutton and the Liberals between a rock and a hard place should he seek to form a minority government, given that might require the support of environmentally minded crossbenchers.

1 month ago | theguardian.com | Anne Davies

A woman whose baby died after it was born in distress at Sydney’s Northern Beaches hospital had a vaginal birth 50 minutes after doctors called an emergency, according to staff present on the night. The hospital’s policy states a caesarean should happen within 30 minutes of a category one emergency being called.

1 month ago | theguardian.com | Anne Davies

The health minister, Mark Butler, has convened an urgent meeting with the chief executives of Australia’s private hospitals and health insurers amid warnings the second-largest private hospital operator, Healthscope, is facing a financial crisis. The Australian Financial Review reported this week that Healthscope had retained insolvency experts KordaMentha to prepare a contingency plan in case it is placed into voluntary administration.