Whether you like it or not, it’s officially a Tuesday. Moreover, if you have a problem with this, I’m not sure who should take your issue up with. But instead of being devastated by the fact that you cannot manifest an early weekend using sheer willpower, you should focus on the here and now. Here are today’s biggest headlines:
Should Tasmania Make Its Nursing Degrees Free?
Yesterday, The Latch reported that Victoria’s Premier, Daniel Andrews, announced the GigaChad move of making over 10,000 nursing and midwives degrees free for anyone who studies in the state. However, this has now caused some folks in Tasmania to call upon their state government to legislate a similar move. As per the ABC, this is because Andrews’ decision could incentivise a significant number of young folks to leave Tassie.
“There’s no doubt free education will see people move to Victoria to take up that opportunity,” explained Health and Community Services Union’s Tim Jacobson. “We know it’s cheaper to live there, we know that wages are better.” If Jacobson’s assumption is correct, this could be catastrophic for Tasmania. This state is already suffering from a critical shortage of nurses, and nobody wants this situation to get even worse.
Hopefully, the Tasmanian Government can get on Victoria’s level. Which, for now, I wouldn’t rule out from happening. On August 29, the state’s Premier and Health Minister, Jeremy Rockliff, said, ‘We cannot be left behind by other states.” Rockliff additionally stated that he’ll “take note of what other states are doing and ensure that we have the required incentives in place that we can continue to build our workforce.”
NASA’s Rocket Launch Just Didn’t Happen
NASA’s baller moon rocket launch was supposed to happen yesterday. This was a part of their Artemis program and was supposed to be an uncrewed test of their tech. Note the words, “supposed to,” because this event didn’t take place. “We don’t launch until it’s right,” explained NASA’s Administrator, Bill Nelson. He then went on to admit that there was some bleed in one of the spacecraft’s engines.
When discussing what the Artemis team will do in regard to this problem, Nelson outlined, “They’ll get it fixed, and then we’ll fly.”
Related: In More Totally Normal News, Jeff Bezos Is Planning to Build a ‘Space Business Park’
Related: This Image From the James Webb Telescope Could Reshape Our Understanding of the Universe
The COVID Iso Time Might Get Bumped Down
In shocking news if you never lived in Australia, NSW and Victoria are butting heads on an issue. However, this time, it’s over something serious. According to The Sydney Morning Herald, the NSW Premier, Dominic Perrottet, wants to drop the national COVID isolation time down from seven days to most likely five. However, Andrews remains unsure of such a decision.
Perrottet has been advocating for such a change since December of last year. He has previously argued, “We have to get to a point where if you are sick you stay at home and if you are not sick, you can go to work.” Nevertheless, it’s worth noting that you can be contagious with COVID while not feeling sick.
Andrews, on the other hand, has indicated that he’d prefer to play it safe than be sorry. In discussing the idea of reducing Australia’s COVID isolation period, he’s said, “I would not want to do anything that made the job of our health professionals harder.”
Should Australia Get Some Nuclear Power on the Go?
When discussing nuclear power, a lot of people are rightfully concerned. Nobody wants a five-armed possum or a bright green magpie in their backyard. But be that as it may, nuclear power could be used to battle the climate crisis. As the small-scale reactor company, NuScale, said to The Australian, one of their reactors could power up to almost 700,000 homes.
However, the Federal Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, doesn’t believe that this tech is a fit for Australia. On June 17, he said, “Nuclear is the most expensive and slowest form of new energy. Its adoption in Australia would push up power prices, and crowd out cheaper and cleaner technologies.”
Bowen also asserted, “Firmed renewables are quicker to build and cheaper to operate. Those who say otherwise are either dangerously ignorant or simply seeking to perpetuate the climate wars.”
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