1+ day, 14+ hour ago (226+ words) The West Australian is a leading news source in Perth and WA. Breaking local and world news from sport and business to lifestyle and current affairs. Australians in NSW will soon have access for the first time to a digital birth certificate on their mobile phone People aged 16 to 21 will be able to apply for an online certificate from March 2026 under the first stage of the rollout NSW Digital and Customer Services Minister Jihad Dib said the rollout would make it safer and easier for people to confirm their identity "Not only will it help you prove your identity, it will safeguard your information and give you more control of your personal data through better consent and privacy measures," Mr Dib said It will initially only be available for use at Service NSW centres to apply for certain NSW government…...

3+ week, 1+ day ago (461+ words) A new bulk-billed respiratory clinic for children under six aims to address growing demand for asthma treatment and confusion over how to diagnose and manage respiratory illnesses. Respiratory Care WA has launched the specialist fortnightly clinic to help more families access appropriate treatment for conditions such as early asthma, wheeze and chronic wet cough. It is overseen by paediatric respiratory and sleep specialist Dr James Gibbons, who said the under-six cohort could be challenging to diagnose. "It can sometimes be difficult to figure out exactly what is happening, what is asthma, what isn't asthma, and how do we treat it," he said. "Many kids who are wheezing and coughing go on to develop asthma later in life, but others grow out of their symptoms. Or sometimes they don't have asthma or wheezing but other chronic infections." This was the case…...

3+ week, 4+ day ago (386+ words) Mary Baker was a bright and witty student whose competitive spirit matched her love for horse-riding and playing water polo. But beneath the surface the high-achieving teenager, from Albury on the NSW southern border, was masking an internal struggle. Mary became ill with an eating disorder when she was 12 during the first year of high school. "It started with a tooth abscess, and then a virus, and then all of a sudden, she couldn't eat without us being with her for the rest of her life," her father Stuart said. Mary lived for another three years with the eating disorder before she died by suicide in March 2011, to her parent's shock. Mary had returned to school, was playing sport and riding her horses, but was also attending appointments with pediatricians. "That's probably the difficult thing for us is that (her…...

4+ day, 5+ hour ago (30+ words) For the first time, the true scale of Australians living with the life-limiting metastatic breast cancer has been revealed" and it is more than twice the previous estimated....

2+ week, 2+ day ago (270+ words) Dementia has overtaken heart disease to become the leading cause of death for all Australians, according to the latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Dementia has overtaken heart disease to become the leading cause of death for all Australians, according to the latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics More than 17,500 people died from dementia last year " equivalent to roughly one in 10 deaths nationwide That number has been risen by almost 40 per cent in the past decade, predominantly due to the country's ageing population Almost 70 per cent (68.2 per cent) of deaths are in people aged above 75, compared to just 63.3 per cent 20 years ago Dementia is an umbrella term that takes in several neurodegenerative conditions, such as Alzheimer's disease or vascular dementia It's been the leading cause of death for Australian women since 2016, and ABS head of mortality…...

6+ day, 4+ hour ago (310+ words) Specialist training and workshops will be heading to Bunbury this month, aiming to provide parents and caregivers with necessary information to improve lives of people with autism. The Autism Association of WA will be in Bunbury from November 24-27, offering training, workshops and consultations to families, educators, health professionals and community organisations. The visit will also include face-to-face family consultations with an experienced therapist. The specialist team has already visited Geraldton, Albany, Esperance, Karratha, Broome, and Kalgoorlie-Boulder as part of a series of regional visits this year. Autism Association CEO Joan McKenna Kerr said the regional visits were vital to responding to the needs of families, teachers and the community. "One of the most important things is to educate the community on what autism is and how to best support autistic people," she said. "There are really good ways of supporting…...

3+ week, 5+ day ago (205+ words) The West Australian is a leading news source in Perth and WA. Breaking local and world news from sport and business to lifestyle and current affairs. Rural Health West WA's biggest professional network has surpassed 5000 members The South West boasts 1325 of the 5000, while there are also strong numbers in the Pilbara region Rural Health West supports members by building communities, hosting conferences and proving health professionals with access to mentoring, networking and professional development opportunities This growth can likely be attributed to the involvement of Statewide partners like St John WA, WA Country Health, Australian Medical Association and the Royal Flying Doctor Service Rural Health West education and engagement general manager Leesa Thomas said the figure demonstrated the role the health professionals network plays in supporting the rural workforce "The HPN's are about more than just numbers It's about building…...

1+ week, 3+ day ago (26+ words) The West Australian is a leading news source in Perth and WA. Breaking local and world news from sport and business to lifestyle and current affairs....

6+ day, 4+ hour ago (493+ words) Bunbury kids fighting diseases have joined the quest to raise funds to help bring care and comfort to sick kids and their families this Christmas. The Charity Wrap and Heart Token fundraising initiative " hosted by Big W " invited the community to join it in championing some of the country's bravest kids this festive season, with the launch of wrapping paper and tags designed by the children. This year's Heart Tokens feature designs from two Bunbury children. Four-year-old Charlie Blackwood and 14-year-old Matilda Pitts " who have both been supported by Perth Children's Hospital Foundation. Charlie was flown to Perth Children's Hospital for emergency surgery straight after birth and at 11 days old was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, which would then see him endure multiple surgeries at a young age. While he is now a happy and cheerful four-year-old, he continues to receive…...

2+ week, 2+ day ago (24+ words) A doctor who was instrumental in establishing the nation's first publicly-funded gaming disorder clinic has been named Australian of the Year for WA....