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Jan 13, 2025 | 
abc.net.au | Kathleen O'Connor |Fiona Blackwood
Doctors say a growing number of teenagers are misusing the common anxiety medication, Xanax. They say the trend is worsening because of the availability of the drug and imitation products on the black market.
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Jan 12, 2025 | 
abc.net.au | Fiona Blackwood
Educators and medical professionals say they've witnessed an increase in the pharmaceutical benzodiazepine Xanax being used recreationally by young Australians. The Penington Institute says a growing black market for the medication, as well as imitations of the drug laced with synthetic opioids, is putting lives at risk.
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Nov 30, 2024 | 
abc.net.au | Fiona Blackwood
As mum of two, Jane Dutton, watched the federal debate unfold over an under-16s social media ban, then she made the call to jump the gun. Instead of waiting for the ban to kick in in a years' time, she shut down her kids' social media accounts straight away. Her first thought: "I shouldn't have done it [allowed social media] in the first place."Like many parents, she felt pressure to allow her 12- and 13-year-old children to be on social media.
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Oct 17, 2024 | 
abc.net.au | Fiona Blackwood
A career in politics can be brutal and exposing. That $4.3 million beach house you bought with your partner could be headline news for days. Or after 20 years in politics, you can swiftly be demoted to the backbench. Politicians have an important job; they're in charge of taxpayer dollars and need to deliver health, education and housing, so there is no question they need to be held to account.
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Sep 29, 2024 | 
abc.net.au | Fiona Blackwood
We all know the cost of groceries has gone up in Australia. But would your shopping be cheaper in comparable countries like New Zealand, the UK or Ireland? Now, you can see for yourself. Researchers from Edith Cowan University have collected and compared the prices of some common supermarket staples. Here's how Australia's duopoly performs compared to other leading supermarket brands overseas — Sainsbury's, Tesco, Pak'n'Save, Countdown and Dunnes.
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Sep 28, 2024 | 
abc.net.au | Fiona Blackwood
Yoghurt manufacturer Chobani donated 150,000 kilograms of product to charity last year. Its factory in Dandenong South, in Melbourne's south-eastern outskirts, is in an area where many in the community are struggling. About 32 per cent of households in the area earn less than $650 a week compared to the national average of 16.5 per cent, according to figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. "Dandenong has a high need in relation to food insecurity," Chobani general manager Tim Browne said.
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Sep 28, 2024 | 
refresh.news | Fiona Blackwood
Mountains of food is wasted every year in Australia, while at the same time there’s been a doubling in the need for food relief. Now, there is a push on to incentivise companies to donate more. Powered by the Echo RSS Plugin by CodeRevolution.
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Sep 16, 2024 | 
abc.net.au | Fiona Blackwood
The ladies in navy are back and they have taken their fight to exclude men from the Ladies Lounge at Hobart's Museum of Old and New Art (Mona) to the Supreme Court. About 70 women dressed in navy blue power suits and pearls walked in slow motion along Salamanca Place to the Supreme Court in Hobart this morning. The court is hearing an appeal by Mona against an order by the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (TASCAT) to allow men to enter the Ladies Lounge at the museum.
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Sep 15, 2024 | 
abc.net.au | Fiona Blackwood
It's Friday morning at St Patrick's Collegein Tasmania's north. The year 9 students are split across a range of different subjects. At this Launceston school they have their own campus, known as Croagh Patrick. It is separate from the rest of the school, in recognition that year 9 can be a tough year for students and teachers. Some are feeding fish in an aquaculture class, others are dancing to the theme song of the Greatest Showman and some are cooking quiches.
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Sep 8, 2024 | 
abc.net.au | Fiona Blackwood
Andrew has done the maths. He estimates if he was able to split his income with his wife, he would generate a tax saving of between $10,000 and $15,000 a year. The saving would ease financial pressures, said Andrew, who would prefer not to use his surname. "With cost of living going up, the cost of staples, grocery shops haven't got any cheaper. It's only going up. Insurance is going up."Andrew and his wife have four children.
