Here are a few I have come across the last week or so. Note: Each link is followed by a title and a few paragraphs. For the full article click on the link above title of the article. Note also that full access to some links may require site registration or subscription payment.
General Comment
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Interestingly – there seemed to have been quite a bit going on last week. Enjoy the browse!
I agree strongly with the article complaining about being forced to move to inferior NBN speeds for more money!
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https://www.nationaltribune.com.au/racgp-welcomes-permanent-telehealth/
RACGP welcomes permanent telehealth
· 13 Dec 2021 8:42 am AEST
RACGP
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has welcomed the Federal Government announcement of permanent telehealth, which the College has been advocating for.
Health Minister Greg Hunt announced the news at a press conference on Monday morning, along with a slew of other investments totalling $308.6 million, including:
· $106 million over 4 years for a permanent telehealth for Australian patients, including $31.8 million for the Workforce Incentive Program (WIP) to provide additional funding to general practices through the inclusion of ongoing telehealth items in the calculation of the Standard Whole Patient Equivalent (SWPE)
· $58.5 million to support Australian’s mental health through the Better Access scheme
· $41.2 million to deliver better health services in regional and rural Australia
· $77 million to improve access to Medicare
· $25.6 million to support COVID-19 efforts through primary care.
RACGP President Dr Karen Price said making telehealth permanent was a big step forward for Australia’s health care system
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https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/professional/a-wonderful-day-telehealth-to-become-permanent
‘A wonderful day’: telehealth to become permanent
Minister for Health and Aged Care highlights RACGP’s role ‘as principal partner’ in introduction of ‘transformational’ telehealth service on an ongoing basis.
13 Dec 2021
RACGP President Dr Karen Price has welcomed the Federal
Government’s announcement that telehealth will become a permanent feature
of the healthcare system.
It confirms the ongoing presence of one the biggest changes to general practice
prompted by the pandemic and is a move the college has strongly advocated for.
Dr Price called it a ‘wonderful day in the history of general practice’.
‘The era-defining episode of COVID has served to highlight just how intertwined
health service delivery is with the health of the nation,’ Dr Price said at a
press conference held alongside Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt on Monday
morning.
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Telehealth to become a permanent fixture in Australia's healthcare system
Over AU$100 million will be spent by the Australian government to create permanent telehealth.
Written by Campbell Kwan, Journalist
December 13, 2021 | Topic: Digital Health and Wellness
The federal government has announced it will invest over AU$100 million to make telehealth a permanent fixture within the country's healthcare system.
The AU$106 million put into telehealth is part of a AU$309 million investment into Australia's primary healthcare system. The remainder of that AU$309 million will be allocated towards supporting Australia's mental health, improving health services in regional and rural Australia, improving access to Medicare, and supporting COVID-19 efforts.
Minister for Health Greg Hunt explained that the AU$106 million telehealth investment would be spent over four years, and includes almost AU$32 million of additional funding to support general practices in their efforts to provide ongoing telehealth services.
"Telehealth has been transformational to Australia's universal health care and has played a critical role in ensuring the continuity of care for hundreds of thousands of Australian patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, protecting the health of patients and health professionals. It offers greater flexibility to health care as part of universal Medicare," Hunt said.
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https://www.ausdoc.com.au/news/fed-govt-confirms-plans-permanent-mbs-telehealth
Fed Govt confirms plans for permanent MBS telehealth
With the current items due to expire at the end of the month, the announcement has been met with relief by the RACGP and AMA.
13th December 2021
The Federal Government has announced telehealth will be a permanent fixture of the health system, with the current MBS items expected to remain in place next year.
However, one major change will be that telehealth consults will be included in the calculations for how much practices receive from the Practice Incentives Program.
It comes after a campaign by GPs, angry that consults via phone or video were being disregarded when calculating payments based on patient load, known as Standardised Whole Patient Equivalent (SWPE).
The Department of Health had argued the move was justified to encourage face-to-face care because it did not regard telehealth as a “full substitute” for in-person consults.
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https://medicalrepublic.com.au/funding-to-keep-telehealth-on-the-line/59740
13 December 2021
Funding to keep telehealth on the line
By Leanne Akiki
Telehealth will become a permanent fixture of primary care, confirming a promise made a year ago that the service will be funded for good.
At a press conference this morning, Health Minister Greg Hunt announced $106 million over four years to establish permanent Medicare-funded telehealth for patients.
The pre-MYEFO announcement is part of a broader plan which promises $308.6 million to strengthen Australia’s primary healthcare system.
According to the Department of Health, since early March 2020 more than 86.3 million telehealth services have been delivered to 16.1 million patients.
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https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/professional/details-of-permanent-telehealth-arrangements-publi
Details of permanent telehealth arrangements published
The fact sheets for ongoing MBS telehealth have now been released, with the changes to come into effect from the beginning of 2022.
16 Dec 2021
Full
details of the permanent telehealth arrangements announced
earlier this week have now been published by the Department of Health (DoH).
The fact sheets, available on the DoH’s
MBS Online website, include permanent MBS item numbers that will allow
telehealth services – initially fast-tracked in response to the pandemic – to continue
indefinitely. The new arrangement comes into effect from 1 January, 2022.
A number of changes have been flagged, including:
- an extended phone consultation item for 20 minutes or more has been resinstated for patients in rural and remote communities (Modified Monash 6 and 7 regions)
- COVID-19 GP ‘hotspot’ telephone items for consultations longer than 20 minutes will stop
- patients isolating or in quarantine due to COVID-19 public health orders will have unrestricted access to telehealth and will not need to demonstrate an established clinical relationship with their telehealth provider
- specific GP nicotine and smoking cessation services including telehealth have been extended until 31 December 2023. These services do not require an established clinical relationship when provided by telehealth
- GP sexual and reproductive health services and non-directive pregnancy support counselling will now continue until 30 June 2023. Again, no established clinical relationship will be required.
Apart from limited exceptions, GPs and other medical professionals
(OMPs) working in general practice will only be able to use telehealth for
patients with whom they have an existing clinical relationship.
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App could be the key to stop Australians dying from strokes
News Corp Australia Network
1:45PM December 8, 2021
An Australian company has developed life-changing technology that helps keep stroke patients alive by allowing doctors to diagnose victims sooner.
StrokeViewer is the “game changer” breakthrough from Australian health tech company Nicolab that uses state-of-the-art AI technology and algorithms to identify salvageable brain tissue.
Doctors can now more quickly diagnose stroke victims using CT scans, saving critical minutes, which can keep more people alive from a condition that strikes an Australian every 19 minutes – killing at least 9,000 annually.
The app also connects medical teams to each other so they can quickly access the same level of information, more easily confer, and make informed decisions to plan for treatment.
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https://www.miga.com.au/Bulletin/my-health-record-emergency-access
My Health Record – Emergency access provisions
10 Dec 2021
Carmelina Parisi Solicitor – Legal Services
My Health Record is an online summary of a patient’s key health
information. It is not intended to be a patient’s full health record and
does not replace the medical records held by treating doctors and healthcare
organisations.
By default, documents on a patient’s My Health Record are set to general access
for registered healthcare providers. This means that all documents can be
viewed (except those entered in the personal health notes section or documents
that have been removed or hidden by the patient).
Patients can choose to restrict access to their My Health Record or to specific
documents. They are able to authorise nominated healthcare providers to
access and add to their My Health Record. Patients can also add certain
information themselves including health information and notes, advanced care
documents and emergency contacts. Although the function to restrict
access is available, it is not used by the majority of people.
Healthcare providers can obtain emergency access to a patient’s My Health
Record when they are not a nominated provider, but only in certain
circumstances.
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https://www.miragenews.com/ama-successfully-lobbies-against-linking-my-695799/
AMA successfully lobbies against linking My Health Record uploads to claiming Medicare Benefits
Australian Medical Association
The AMA has successfully lobbied against a proposal by the Department of Health for My Health Record pathology uploads to be a requirement to claim Medicare benefits.
The AMA argued that rebates exist to support patients to access medical services. While the AMA is keen to see more patient information being uploaded, funding to incentivise information upload should be prioritised.
AMA members raised concerns around ongoing issues with My Health Record use and interoperability, and the consumer-controlled nature of My Health Record content making it a potentially incomplete information source.
After receiving feedback from the AMA, the Australian Government agreed not to pursue this proposal.
The AMA also supported patients being able to immediately access COVID-19 test results via the My Health Record, recognising that there are matters specific to COVID-19 that would justify immediate access, including support provided by Public Health Units for those patients with positive results, and the need for early access to test results to assure safe travel. However, the seven day rule for other diagnostic tests should remain due to the importance of medical interpretation and clinical explanation to patients of the outcome of their test results.
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South Australia's CALHN rolls out smart staff scheduling solution
The Core Schedule system implementation is part of the health network's Rapid COVID Response Project.
By Adam Ang
December 17, 2021 11:32 AM
The Central Adelaide Local Health Network in South Australia has deployed Core Schedule's smart staff rostering and scheduling platform across 15 services.
Core Schedule streamlines the rostering and scheduling process for hospitals and healthcare facilities. Its installation is being tailored to suit a client’s hospital department, area, and team.
WHY IT MATTERS
Taking note of the success in the adoption of the Core Schedule system at the Royal Adelaide Hospital Emergency Department, CALHN further expanded its installation as part of its Rapid COVID Response Project. The health service network is preparing to face a potential surge in COVID-19 cases due to the Omicron variant outbreak and the further reopening of state borders.
Core Schedule emphasises the role of smart scheduling in creating a safe and healthy healthcare environment. It claims to “place the right people into the right place at the right time”. Its suite of tools can "easily manage complex rules and requests, creating a clear, fair and accessible system".
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PHNs employ digital communications to dispel vaccine hesitancy among Australia's indigenous communities
The communications package includes video messages from community leaders and SMS text about vaccination appointments.
By Adam Ang
December 14, 2021 04:49 AM
The Western Sydney Primary Health Network and Gold Coast Primary Health Network have been using a digital communications tool by Melbourne-based health technology firm Healthily to deliver COVID-19-related messages to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse people.
WHAT IT DOES
The SMS reminder tool called GoShare Plus combines health analytics with an extensive content library and content bundle delivery method by Healthily. It assists general practice staff in sending credible information related to preventive health and quality improvement to patients.
A health information package for the PHNs was formed on the web-based platform which includes video messages from community leaders sharing the importance of vaccinations and COVID-safe behaviours in protecting the family, community, country, and elders. Aside from community leaders, medical professionals were also recorded speaking in multiple languages to communicate similar messages.
Through the platform, clinicians can send SMS texts instructing patients how to make vaccination appointments. A recipient list can be filtered by vaccination status, age or existing chronic conditions.
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SA gov employee data stolen in Frontier Software ransomware attack
By Justin Hendry on Dec 10, 2021 4:48PM
At least 38,000 staff impacted.
As many as 80,000 SA government employees may have had their personal details accessed in the ransomware attack against payroll system provider Frontier Software last month.
Treasurer Rob Lucas on Friday revealed that “significant personal information” had been stolen from Frontier’s systems and, in some cases, published on the dark web following the breach.
The government confirmed the extent of the data exfiltration after Frontier began notifying impacted customers earlier this week.
“I have been advised that the records of at least 38,000 employees were accessed and that up to 80,000 employees might have been accessed,” he said.
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NZ public health services to get more cybersecurity tools under single Microsoft contract
The government has also outlined a strategy and roadmap to enhance health data collection and management.
By Adam Ang
December 13, 2021 12:19 AM
The New Zealand Ministry of Health has negotiated a single digital services contract with Microsoft for the country's health and disability system.
WHAT IT'S FOR
The agreement, executed by digital health services provider Spark Health, will deliver a number of benefits, including NZ$27 million ($18 million) in savings over three years and enhancements in cybersecurity protection. It is expected to support sector reforms, which cover the ministry, Health NZ, Maori Health Authority, and district health boards and their shared service agencies.
Worth NZ$45 million yearly, the Microsoft deal will also provide new health sector entities with IT and software services.
The MoH on behalf of the health sector manages both Microsoft and Spark Health contracts.
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Auckland DHB announces patient administration system revamp
Its new system from InterSystems will streamline business processes and workflows.
By Adam Ang
December 13, 2021 10:33 PM
The Auckland District Health Board has chosen health technology vendor InterSystems to supply a fit-for-purpose patient administration system that will replace three of its existing patient management systems.
It will implement the system starting next year January in multiple Auckland health facilities, such as Auckland City Hospital and Starship Children’s Hospital, that cater to 145,000 inpatient and a million outpatient visits each year.
WHY IT MATTERS
With a new PAS, the DHB will be able to streamline its business processes and workflows. It will be enabled to have proactive communication with other care providers in the region and with the communities. Aside from this, InterSystems said, the health provider is set to benefit from TrakCare's modern, easy-to-use interface, more efficient workflows, and secure access from mobile device access. The vendor's PAS also claims to deliver a "better" patient experience through such capabilities as customer-centric appointment booking.
According to InterSystems, TrakCare is able to extend its capabilities in order to rationalise the number of applications required to meet its functional requirements and integrate with a new, common identity and access management platform; its data services integration layer empowers improved data sharing with other health providers.
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Medical device monitoring challenges
Wednesday, 15 December, 2021
Improved collaboration between industry, health systems, medical societies and individual healthcare providers is needed to effectively manage implanted medical device recalls, according to an article published in Heart Rhythm Case Reports.
The journal, published by Elsevier, has documented two instances of premature battery failures in a recalled subset of St. Jude Assurity and Endurity pacemakers (manufactured by Abbott) that shed light on a potentially lethal flaw of remote monitoring.
“The cases we present highlight the limitations of remote monitoring for the early identification of CRM device battery failure, particularly in cases in which sudden complete battery failure is possible,” said author Michael J Cutler, DO, PhD, Intermountain Heart Institute, Murray, Utah, USA.
“As such, current manufacturer recommendations for reliance on remote monitoring for early detection of premature battery depletion are likely not sufficient for pacemaker-dependent patients.”
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https://www.digitalhealth.gov.au/careers/compliance-officer
Compliance Officer
APS6
($99,860 - $112,659)
Digital
Strategy Division > Monitoring and Audit
Brisbane,
Canberra, Sydney
Closing - 3 Jan 2022
Division Overview
Digital strategy – responsible for national digital health design and strategy, underpinned by strong clinical governance and digital health standards.
Primary purpose of position
Working within the Digital Strategy Division, the APS6 Compliance Officer will be responsible for undertaking regulatory compliance activities and supporting Senior Compliance Officers to deliver the annual Compliance Workplan in alignment with the Agency’s Compliance Framework. A Compliance Officer is accountable for:
- Undertaking compliance functions including audits, issues management, quality assurance and stakeholder engagement, with a primary focus on compliance with the My Health Records Act 2012 and associated legislation.
- Supporting the legislative compliance response to events and incidents managed under the Agency’s Event and Incident Management Framework.
- Promoting ongoing awareness of, and adherence to, legislative obligations by participants in the My Health Record system.
- Applying strong problem-solving skills and undertaking systematic analysis of compliance related matters, to draw accurate conclusions, based on evidence.
- Developing guidance and education materials to promote awareness and understanding of compliance obligations, regulations and processes.
- Contributing to the development of compliance plans, including annual compliance priorities and focus areas.
- Maintaining a positive culture of ‘continuous improvement’, whereby lessons learnt around compliance activities are identified, communicated and implemented.
- Applying comprehensive work knowledge, legislation, policy, procedures and guidelines to situations involving complexity and sensitivity which require considerable interpretation and analysis.
- Collaborating with a range of stakeholders to manage complex stakeholder relationships, both internally and externally.
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https://marketplace.service.gov.au/2/digital-marketplace/opportunities/18192
Australian Digital Health Agency
Cloud Engineer
Opportunity ID 18192
Deadline for asking questions Thursday 6 January 2022 at 6pm (in Canberra)
Application closing date Monday 10 January 2022 at 6pm (in Canberra)
Published Wednesday 15 December 2021
Category Digital sourcing and ICT procurement
Overview
This position is an operational position designed to maintain system uptime and performance to allow maximum company productivity for clients. Performing changes to the systems infrastructure in accordance with the Agency’s change policies. The position is responsible for providing technical support, assistance and knowledge sharing to other members of the IT team and business. The position also involves project work and meeting deadlines, as well as continuing to learn new skills and evolving trends.
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https://www.miragenews.com/clarity-imaging-can-now-upload-patient-reports-695233/
Clarity Imaging can now upload patient reports to My Health Record
Australian Digital Health Agency
Newcastle-based Clarity Imaging is now sharing diagnostic imaging reports with patients and healthcare providers through My Health Record.
Clarity Imaging radiologist Dr Virgil Chan said his practice was pleased to offer people online access to their reports.
“When my patients need subsequent treatment or travel away from the area, their reports are available to doctors anywhere in Australia” he said.
Patient, Ms Mason said “I have regular scans to monitor my medical condition, so it is reassuring for me that my reports from Clarity will be easily accessible to my GP and specialists when I see them.”
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$20m Digital Health Accelerator selects five companies for first cohort
Monday, 13 December, 2021
Digital Health Accelerator ANDHealth has selected the first cohort of five companies that will take part in the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) funded ANDHealth+ program.
The inaugural cohort announcement follows ANDHealth+ receiving $19.75m in funding from the government’s MRFF Early-Stage Translation and Commercialisation Initiative in August. The funding will be used to run four ANDHealth+ cohorts over four years.
The five companies will share in a pool of $3.75m of project funding via the accelerator fund and over $500K of pre-screened expert professional services.
Announced at the ANDHealth Summer Summit 2021–22 by Dr Katie Allen, MP, the cohort includes the following companies:
- Cardihab — Digital Cardiac Rehabilitation providing care to patients at a time and place that works for them.
- Gheorg — The friendly robot helping children with anxiety; an AI enhanced first responder for children with mental health issues and expert guide for parents.
- Perx Health — A motivation and engagement platform changing the way people and companies create habits for managing medical conditions.
- Sound Scouts — Free online hearing test app for kids. Fun, clinically proven technology enabling hearing to be checked efficiently and reliably.
- ·VaxApp — An immunisation management platform that enables healthcare providers to deliver and monitor vaccination and rapid antigen testing programs.
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https://nwmphn.org.au/news/health-care-providers-asked-to-prepare-for-nash-changes-now/
Health care providers asked to prepare for NASH changes now
14 December 2021
NWMPHN
The Australian Digital Health Agency is upgrading the National Authentication Service for Health (NASH) authentication system.
Primary health care providers are asked to please read the fact sheet (.pdf) to make sure your practice is ready.
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Alcidion
A message from our Managing Director
With the end of 2021 fast approaching, I look back on a year
that was full of challenges and also many successes.
I am pleased to welcome Silverlink Software to the Alcidion Group. This
acquisition will provide Alcidion with PAS capabilities to complement the
existing clinical capacity available with Miya Precision. The combination of
Alcidion’s Miya Precision and Silverlink’s Patient Care System (PCS) alongside
our network of partners provides Alcidion the opportunity to deliver a
cloud-native, modern and modular Electronic Patient Record (EPR) / Electronic
Medical Record (EMR) system cementing our commitment to growing our product
capability for our customers.
It was great to announce the recent go-lives in New Zealand and the UK. Working
in partnership with Better Meds and Taranaki DHB, we have piloted the first
instance of the Better Meds eMedicine product in the Southern Hemisphere at
Hāwera Hospital. We are deploying this capability in the UK and I look forward
to the benefits and findings from the pilot completion in January 2022.
Congratulations to South Tees and Dartford & Gravesham NHS Trusts on deploying
the Miya Observations and Miya Flow modules last month. It is pleasing to see
the results of commitments both Trusts have made to continue transforming their
systems and adapt to digital solutions that improve patient care, clinician
resources and time.
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https://wildhealth.net.au/aged-care-provider-rolls-out-cloud-based-smart-wfm/
16 December 2021
Aged care provider rolls out cloud-based Smart WFM
Aged Care Cloud COVID-19 Technology
By Holly Payne
A new workforce management system has helped Sydney aged care provider Montefiore decrease its reliance on temporary agency staff, creating better continuity of care.
Cloud-based system Smart WFM uses a central application to monitor staff availability and rostering.
Importantly, the app enables reallocation of shifts when staff are unable to attend because they are self-isolating or can work at only one facility because of pandemic working arrangements.
The implementation was timely, given that the final report from the Royal Commission into Aged Care Safety and Quality was especially critical of substandard staffing levels, which the commissioners said fell “well short of good or even acceptable practice standards”.
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The NBN was born mediocre. Now I’m having mediocrity thrust upon me
The NBN is like something out of Catch-22. You know, act boastfully about something we ought to be ashamed of. That’s a trick that never seems to fail.
Tony Davis Motoring Writer
Dec 17, 2021 – 11.18am
The National Broadband Network has arrived in my street. Yippee! Sure, it’s 12 years since it was announced, it’s running at least five years late, and has cost as much as putting a breeding pair of white rhinos on Mars.
But hey, it’s the National Broadband. It’s the whizz-bang technological marvel that – to quote the official website – “is transitioning Australia to a digital future and will bring new opportunities to the whole country”.
So, it’s goodbye to my 10-year-old cable system and hello to a slice of the future, an entirely new internet experience that will run so fast it will blow back my hair. Or not.
Because here’s the thing. My 10-year-old cable system runs at just over 100 megabits per second (mbps) and doesn’t vary much, night or day. Yet, Telstra, my provider, says the fastest reliable speed it can guarantee with the fibre to the kerb in my area is 50 mbps. So, after spending something exceeding $50 billion (with more work to be done, and many more generous executive bonuses yet to be paid), the NBN is offering half the speed I currently have.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/telstra-trial-pushes-theoretical-5g-uplink-speeds-to-986mbps-574183
Telstra trial pushes theoretical 5G uplink speeds to 986Mbps
By Ry Crozier on Dec 17, 2021 10:53AM
Combining millimetre-wave and 3.6GHz spectrum.
Telstra has participated in a technical 5G trial that enabled it to achieve a “theoretical maximum” uplink speed of 986Mbps.
Enabling the configuration commercially would enable Telstra “to more than double the current uplink throughput in its 5G network,” it said in a joint statement with Ericsson and Qualcomm.
“This is particularly important for supporting applications and services that involve uploading vast amounts of data.”
Telstra’s group executive of networks and IT Nikos Katinakis said the near 1Gbps mark “set a new record in the uplink on a commercial 5G network”.
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NBN Co can't say which premises are eligible for a free fibre upgrade
By Ry Crozier on Dec 17, 2021 11:52AM
In advance of construction.
NBN Co said the “specific” number of premises in fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) areas that are eligible for a free fibre upgrade under its $2.9 billion overbuild program “is not known” before construction is completed.
The operator has progressively released lists of cities and towns that are currently served by FTTN infrastructure where it says “eligible premises in parts” of these locations will be able to request a full fibre service.
With upgrades now officially under trial, it is still extremely difficult for FTTN users, even in named trial suburb locations, to determine if they are eligible or not, and which retail service providers (RSPs) are participating.
A Whirlpool forum poster said yesterday they had been proactively offered what appears to be a place on the trial. The identity of the RSP is unclear.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/nbn-co-has-one-third-of-its-it-workloads-in-public-cloud-574060
NBN Co has one-third of its IT workloads in public cloud
By Ry Crozier on Dec 16, 2021 7:04AM
Offers a rare look inside its cloud migration works.
NBN Co has about one-third of all its IT workloads in public cloud, unevenly split between AWS and Azure, and is exploring the redesign or re-platforming of some already migrated systems.
Chief information officer Debbie Taylor revealed the number in an Infosys Knowledge Institute podcast, which provided a rare view inside NBN Co’s IT organisation.
iTnews has built up a composite though limited view of NBN Co’s hybrid cloud environment over several years, including the likely architecture of the public and private cloud environments, and the split of workloads in public cloud with 80 percent in AWS and 20 percent in Azure.
However, until the Infosys podcast, the broader split of workloads between public and private cloud was unknown.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/nbn-co-tables-new-price-construct-to-industry-574016
NBN Co tables new 'price construct' to industry
Offers to widen application of flat wholesale pricing "over time".
NBN Co has tabled an "indicative price construct" to its key retail service providers that proposes flat wholesale prices initially just for high-tier services, with potential “expansion” - presumably to lower speed tier services - "over time".
The new construct is not publicly accessible, but a summary [pdf] released on Tuesday afternoon shows it is similar to a proposal called ‘construct two’ that NBN Co first outlined in June.
The construct does not go as far as many NBN retail service providers want, which is to end variable usage-based charges levied on NBN services.
Instead, it offers a part flat-price, part “volumetric” charging model.
NBN Co favours this because the company argues that a flat-rate charge for NBN services would disadvantage the bottom end of the market, making internet too expensive for up to 170,000 users.
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It’s no longer relative: international study confirms Einstein’s genius
12:00AM December 14, 2021
More than a century after Albert Einstein presented his general theory of relativity at the University of Gottingen in 1915, a group of leading astrophysicists has reaffirmed the “perfect genius” of his discoveries, concluding an 18-year research project that tried to challenge the basis of his gravitational theories.
A team of more than 50 international researchers, including five Australians, has published a landmark study in the American journal Physical Review X, which tested Einstein’s gravitational theories against an orbiting Double Pulsar system first detected by the Parkes Radio Telescope in NSW in 2003.
The discovery of the Double Pulsar, a binary system that includes two dead neutron stars orbiting one another, allowed the team of researchers to observe their orbit and test them against Einstein’s theories.
“As soon as the system was discovered, it was obvious to everybody it was going to have a big impact and be ideal for testing theories of gravity,” said co-author Dick Manchester, who led the team that located the Double Pulsar in 2003.
“They are essentially very precise clocks, which allowed us to test Einstein’s as well as several other theories. They’re out in space spinning away, and they’re massive – they have a mass of about 30 per cent more than the sun, but they fit into a star that’s only about 20km across – about the size of a medium-sized city.”
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Enjoy!
David.
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