DEMENTIA AUSTRALIA has welcomed the publication of the results of a trial showing that a new drug, donanemab, has been able to slow the progression of symptoms of early Alzheimer’s disease.

Dementia Australia CEO Maree McCabe AM said this drug was an exciting new development and another step forward in expanding the number of treatments for dementia. 

“These results provide much needed hope for people who are developing symptoms, have mild cognitive impairment or who are in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease,” Ms McCabe said. 

“With dementia the second leading cause of death of Australians, and the leading cause of death of Australian women, we welcome any steps taken towards improving the lives of people living with dementia, their families and carers. 

“This research also highlights the importance of early diagnosis so people can access treatment and support as soon as possible,” Ms McCabe said.

“We need to raise awareness and understanding of dementia to reduce discrimination and stigma so we can ensure people with concerns about their cognition are seeking information and support as early as possible.

“We know the earlier people access support and services the better their health, care and lifestyle outcomes.

“Donanemab will need to be approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) for use in Australia. It also comes with possible side effects that need to be carefully monitored by health professionals,” Ms McCabe said.

The drug, developed by pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, works by inducing antibodies designed to attach to and remove amyloid plaques from the brain. 

STATE GOVERNMENTS must urgently overhaul their approach to land use planning to ensure no more homes are built without regard to risk on flood plains, organisations representing planners, builders and insurers said today.

In response to the flood emergency of recent years, the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA), Master Builders Australia (MBA) and the Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) today, supported by the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA), convened the inaugural National Industry Roundtable: Land Use Planning and Resilience.

Around 60 experts from government, financial services, property, and community joined the discussion, which called on state and territory governments when thinking about future housing challenges, to urgently rethink planning rules so no more homes are built in high-risk flood-prone locations.

A communique from the three sponsoring organisations outlining recommendations for reform has been released and will be sent to planning ministers, who also met today to discuss this issue.

The roundtable heard that all Australians are bearing the costs of worsening extreme weather events, and these costs are increasing because of historic planning decisions.

Attendees agreed that without reform, population pressures and inadequate planning laws will see further development of flood-prone land putting lives at risk, costing taxpayers billions of dollars in recovery and remediation, and adding to an already strained insurance sector.

Andrew Hall, Insurance Council of Australia CEO said, "The flood events of 2022, with almost 300,000 disaster-related claims costing around $7 billion, has driven up premiums and has resulted in affordability constraints for those at highest risk. Without insurance, homeowners likely can’t access a mortgage, and that is the wrong direction for our country.

"Today’s roundtable set out the actions governments must take to ensure future financial losses to homeowners, businesses and the community are avoided, and better government planning and investment is taken seriously."

Master Builders Australia CEO Denita Wawn said, "With a housing crisis at the forefront for many communities and a growing population, we must ensure that our planning laws are fit for the future and take an appropriate risk-management approach. Governments are encouraged to take a balanced approach to development and resist a default of building out with alternative considerations such as building up to take the pressure off the housing system and supported with infrastructure that is more resilient and adaptable to extreme weather events.

"Without fit for purpose planning laws technical building regulation will always fail. The housing industry needs clear and concise rules, that allow the industry to function and the community to have confidence."

Comment attributable to , CEO Planning Institute of Australia CEO Matt Collins said, "Planning is a critical tool for influencing the level of future disaster risk, and our changing climate means we need to act now to limit the impact of extreme weather on our communities. By adopting new risk-based policies and investing in better mapping and data, we can ensure development avoids or minimises exposure to flood hazards.

"Australia’s town planners support governments taking clear action to ensure more climate-conscious planning systems, and this roundtable is an important step towards this goal."

Australia Local Government Association president Linda Scott said, "Australia’s 537 councils play a vital role in building resilient communities, assisting in every corner of the nation to ensure our communities can better prepare for, respond to and recover from increasing natural disasters.

"It’s crucial we rebuild damaged local infrastructure to a more resilient standard. Councils will continue to strongly advocate for ‘building back better’ to be a core value and overriding principle of joint state/federal Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements. On behalf of local governments, I look forward to attending the Planning Ministers’ meeting."

ends

Parliament of Australia

The JCPAA will welcome the Auditor-General and other representatives from the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO), in addition to the Department of Finance, and the entities included in ANAO’s 2021–22 Annual Performance Statements audits, to discuss the issues raised in that report.

Committee Chair Julian Hill MP said the financial information of a given entity alone could not determine if publicly funded programs were achieving their intended outcomes.

"Performance statement auditing is vital for this assessment," he said.

"This new function of the ANAO to audit performance statements has been fully supported by the committee since its pilot stages and will assist and improve the transparency, reliability, and quality of performance reporting across the Commonwealth," Mr Hill said.

"The committee looks forward to discussing the ANAO’s findings and deliberating on the future scope and purpose of these audits."

Details for the public hearing are:

Date: Friday, 28 July 2023
Time: 10am – 1.15pm
Venue: Committee Room 2R1, Parliament House, Canberra

The hearing will be broadcast live and will be accessible from the Parliament House website at https://www.aph.gov.au/News_and_Events/Watch_Read_Listen.

Further information about the inquiries is available on the Committee website.

ends

THE Housing Industry Association (HIA) Trades Report for the June Quarter 2023 shows continued improvement in the availability of skilled tradespeople across the country, according to HIA senior economist Tom Devitt.

The HIA Trades Report released today provides a quarterly review of the availability of skilled trades and any demand pressures on trades operating in the residential building industry.

“While the Index still reflects some of the most acute shortages of skilled tradespeople since HIA started this report in 2003, the trajectory is most encouraging,” Mr Devitt said.

“The Report’s Trades Availability Index registered -0.62 for the June Quarter 2023, compared with the -0.92 peak a year ago. An index of less than zero represents a shortage of tradespeople and an index of greater than zero represents a surplus.

“Some of the greatest improvements in availability over the last year have been in the trades of carpentry, roofing, and bricklaying, precisely where the most acute shortages had been a year ago.

“The return of skilled workers since the re-opening of Australia’s international borders in late 2021, is making a difference to a number of sectors, including house and apartment construction, and manufacturing businesses," Mr Devitt said.

“As tradespeople have become more available, the price of trades has also slowed. The price of skilled trades increased by 3.4 percent in the last year, compared to the 10 percent peak a year earlier. This is much closer to the 2 percent average annual increase that prevailed in the decade-and-a-half before the pandemic.

“The outlook is that as home building activity declines, demand for skilled trades will slow further," he said.

“The rise in the RBA’s cash rate over the last year has seen a significant drop in new work entering the pipeline. The record volume of projects awaiting commencement has shrunk, but there are still more than 100,000 houses under construction around the country.

“Builders have struggled to complete these projects, held back by the materials and labour shortages that have plagued the industry in the last few years," Mr Devitt said.

“Next year, the rise in interest rates that we have already seen is expected to produce the weakest year of new house commencements since 2012. An increasing number of projects will also reach completion.

“This is expected to produce a further easing of trades shortages, with the volume of homes under construction shrinking rapidly from late this year.

“Next year will be the ideal time for governments to start investing in new public housing stock. The timing of this investment will not only ensure that governments are able to gain the greatest return on their investment, as costs and delays will be at a minimum, but also ensure that skilled tradespeople are not lost to other industries and that the industry can rebound on the other side of this RBA-induced trough,” Mr Devitt said.

www.hia.com.au

ends