1. In a move to leap into the future, Medicare announced it would be offering an online claims service for patients to be reimbursed for doctors’ fees electronically.
Minister for Human Services, Tanya Plibersek welcomed the service saying it would provide greater convenience and followed a trend away from manual claiming.
“Claiming online is a great alternative for people who are unable to lodge their claim at the doctor’s or visit a Medicare office,” she said. Customers would now be able to claim their benefits from the comfort of their own home.
2. Continuing with the health theme, the Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Carers, Senator Jan McLucas announced a National Disability Strategy to improve the lives of Australians with disability, their families and carers.
She said the strategy set a 10-year reform plan for all Governments to address the barriers faced by Australians with disability and to ensure that mainstream services including healthcare, housing, transport and education addressed the needs of people with disability.
3. The Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) was also feeling helpful, launching a website to help people manage their personal finances.
ASIC Chairman, Tony D’Aloisio said the MoneySmart site would help people make good financial decisions by providing free, independent and unbiased information and motivation.
He said the website included 26 calculators and tools to help people take simple steps to get quick answers to their questions about money.
4. In the wake of the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day, Victorian Public Servants were among the 20 names added to the State’s Honour Roll of Women.
Minister for Women’s Affairs, Mary Wooldridge said the Roll celebrated the achievements of inspirational women in Victoria.
The inductees included one of the State’s first women school principals, Cecilia Conroy; the first female Director of a TAFE Institution in Victoria, Virginia Simmons; and Chief Executive and Chief Conciliator of the Victorian Equal Opportunity Commission, Diane Sisely.
5. Honours were also being handed out in Queensland with Brisbane’s Gateway Upgrade Project judged the country’s best for its “iconic status, its engineering brilliance and sheer scale” by Infrastructure Partnerships Australia (IPA).
The award was considered the most prestigious for infrastructure projects in Australia and Chairman of IPA, Mark Birrell said the $2.5 billion Gateway Upgrade was also Australia’s biggest road and bridge project.
6. Meanwhile in Western Australia, the first stage of the National Broadband Network in the State was completed.
The 449-kilometre Perth to Geraldton fibre-optic link formed part of the Australian Government’s $250 million Regional Backbone Blackspots Program, delivering 6,000 kilometres of fibre backbone across regional Australia, benefiting around 400,000 people.
