Emily Smith

2 weeks ago | abc.net.au | Emily Smith

John Griffiths suspects his mind is starting to fail. It is a horrifying prospect for the father-of-three, former Monash University engineering lecturer and CSIRO research scientist. The Melbourne man spends much of his time with his wife Rachel, who lives in residential aged care, reading her poems and short stories. "I've got nothing but praise for [her] carers. I think they're fantastic, professional and excellent," he said.

2 weeks ago | abc.net.au | Elise Worthington |Emily Smith

Australian medical practitioners are writing scripts for high-strength medicinal cannabis products with alarming speed, raising concerns some are putting "profit over patient safety", according to the regulator. Since medicinal cannabis was legalised in 2016, the industry has exploded, with cannabis telehealth clinics fuelling a rapid increase in prescriptions of products that contain THC, the psychoactive substance that causes a "high".

3 weeks ago | abc.net.au | Emily Smith

A farming community in Western Australia's remote south-east has questioned plans for a 300-block subdivision near one of the country's most pristine beaches. Perth-based developer John Bestall wants to create a "holiday village-style" precinct on his 607-hectare property, 770 kilometres south-east of Perth and 60km east of Esperance.

4 weeks ago | abc.net.au | Katrina Tap |Emily Smith

Rhonda Thorncroft's eyes start to fill with tears as she speaks to a remote school community for the last time. It is not every day most of the community's 200 residents can be found gathered at the school. But for principal Ms Thorncroft's last day, everyone has come to say goodbye. Inside the school's library, walls were adorned from floor to ceiling with photos of her time at the school.

1 month ago | abc.net.au | Emily Smith |Katrina Tap

Michael Stevens has gone a long time without a cigarette. The Spinifex man has worked as a health practitioner in the remote community of Tjuntjuntjara, 1,300 kilometres east of Perth, for a decade. Among the countless challenges he faces — from resourcing, to chronic illnesses, to his vehicles' broken windows — is the region's incredible rate of smoking. "I used to smoke. Not anymore," he says. "I don't know why people smoke."Across Australia, about 8.8 per cent of adults smoke every day.