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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Lots of NBN news this week with more discussion of what a waste of time and space the MyHR is.
Given the whole world is going to Epic just what is the MyHR going to be good for???
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My Health Record struggles to be useful for patients
Tom Burton Government editor
Nov 30, 2022 – 4.28pm
Poor uploading of pathology and diagnostic imaging reports, lack of participation by specialists and clunky interoperability between clinical systems continue to hamper uptake of My Health Record, with only about a quarter of registered users participating in the e-health system.
My Health Record is only capturing a fraction of clinical information and despite efforts to lift participation, officials say progress has been slow.
Despite a boost from COVID-19 PCR testing, health officials estimate only around half of all pathology test results are being uploaded to patients’ My Health Record. In radiology, federal authorities estimate that only about 20 per cent of diagnostic reports generated annually in Australia are being uploaded to the system.
Statistics from the Australian Digital Health Agency show that only 12 per cent of all specialists are using the system. Key sectors such as first responders and ambulances have limited access patients records to inform their clinical response for emergencies. Aged care usage remains similarly limited.
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'The security model for My Health Record is appalling' - privacy expert
Published 3 December 2022 at 7:30am
By Arianna Lucente
Source: SBS News
Experts say more steps need to be taken to protect the health data of Australians, following the Medibank hack. It comes as new laws pass parliament increasing the maximum fine for serious data breaches to $50 million dollars.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/govs-new-privacy-breach-penalties-pass-parliament-588401
Gov's new privacy breach penalties pass parliament
By Ry Crozier on Nov 28, 2022 5:57PM
With only minor wording change.
The government has secured passage of a sizable increase in civil penalties for organisations that experience “serious” or “repeated” privacy breaches.
The new penalties will come into effect a day after Royal Assent by the Governor-General.
The bill passed the senate on Monday with only one minor wording amendment, and was then approved by the lower house later in the afternoon.
The catalyst for government action was a series of high-profile privacy breaches in Australia, for which the maximum fine payable is $2.22 million.
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https://itwire.com/business-it-news/data/fhir-interoperability-to-rise-sixfold-report.html
Monday, 28 November 2022 15:08
FHIR interoperability to rise sixfold: report
A report prepared by tech advisory firm Ecosystm for health software provider InterSystems found that a large majority of healthcare executives want to change their existing data exchange mechanisms, and that the adoption of FHIR-enabled interoperability is expected to increase sixfold.
The State of Healthcare Analytics & Interoperability Study – Australia & New Zealand draws on a survey of 180 healthcare executives around the region.
Findings include 94% of healthcare executives wanting to change their existing data exchange mechanisms, 66% wanting healthcare organisations to focus more on the standardisation of data exchange, and an expectation that the adoption of FHIR-enabled interoperability would increase from 11% to 66%.
Around half (52%) of healthcare organisations could use inpatient clinical data in their health analytics solutions, but only 41% could analyse data from diagnostic systems, and only 38% could analyse patient administration data.
Clinical data from outpatient services was available for analysis at just 34% of surveyed organisations surveyed, while less than a quarter could analyse text from communications systems or log files. Less than a fifth could use sensor or medical device data for analytics.
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Most ANZ healthcare execs demand standardised data exchange: report
Many healthcare organisations in the region have been underutilising volumes of data due to interoperability issues.
By Adam Ang
November 27, 2022 11:13 PM
Healthcare organisations in Australia and New Zealand have found it difficult to harness the power of data and analytics to improve clinical and patient outcomes due to their inability to exchange data seamlessly and in real time. To address this challenge, healthcare executives in the region are calling for the standardisation of data exchange, according to a new report.
A new study commissioned by InterSystems sought to understand the present state of healthcare analytics and interoperability in ANZ. Conducted by tech advisory firm Ecosystm, the survey gathered responses from 180 healthcare executives in the region.
FINDINGS
Based on the survey, almost eight in 10 healthcare organisations polled have regarded analytics as a top priority in their businesses. They mainly expect analytics solutions to help in identifying patient risks, reducing clinical errors, improving patient outcomes and experience, and cutting down costs.
For 2022-2023, ANZ healthcare organisations said they will focus on the following key technology areas: EMR revamp, cloud IT optimisation, clinical analytics and AI, and data interoperability.
Despite having the will to pursue digital transformation through using data and analytics, these organisations are still found to underutilise the immense volume of data at their disposal.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/medibank-faces-formal-privacy-investigation-588614
Medibank faces formal privacy investigation
By Staff Writer on Dec 2, 2022 6:55AM
And prospect of penalties.
Medibank is facing the prospect of financial penalties for its data breach after the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) opened an investigation on its personal information-handling practices.
The OAIC said its investigation would “focus on whether Medibank took reasonable steps to protect the personal information they held from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.”
“The investigation will also consider whether Medibank took reasonable steps to implement practices, procedures and systems to ensure compliance with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs),” the office said in a statement.
An adverse finding could expose Medibank to penalties of up to $2.2 million for each contravention.
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https://www.innovationaus.com/privacy-watchdog-opens-investigation-into-medibank-breach/
Privacy watchdog opens investigation into Medibank breach
Justin Hendry
Editor
1 December 2022
Australia’s privacy watchdog has launched an investigation into the Medibank data breach that compromised the personal details of 9.7 million customers, on the same day the would-be hackers posted the full trove of data on the dark web.
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) announced the investigation on Thursday, having already conducted preliminary inquiries in the immediate aftermath of the breach in October.
A similar investigation into Optus’ September data breach – which compromised the personal information of around 10 million past and present customers, including identity credentials – is ongoing.
The critically underfunded OAIC received a $5.5 million boost in the October federal Budget to conduct the Optus inquiry. It is unclear whether the funding will also now be used to probe the Medibank breach.
In a statement, the OAIC said the new investigation will consider whether Medibank took “reasonable steps to protect the personal information they held from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure”.
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Analytics and Data-Driven Healthcare to Be Fuelled by FHIR Interoperability Boost: InterSystems ANZ Study
Survey of 180 ANZ healthcare executives reveals a sixfold expected increase in FHIR adoption that would increase the limited data currently available for health analytics
Sydney, Australia & Auckland, New Zealand – November 28, 2022 – InterSystems, a provider of next-generation solutions for enterprise digital transformation to help customers solve the most critical data challenges, today revealed expected changes in Australia and New Zealand’s interoperability landscapes that would increase the limited data currently available for health analytics and boost data-driven care.
A new study, The State of Healthcare Analytics & Interoperability Study – Australia & New Zealand, was conducted by tech advisory firm, Ecosystm for InterSystems. It surveyed 180 healthcare executives across public and private organisations, large and small hospitals, and city and rural locations. Among its findings are that:
- 94% of healthcare executives want to change their existing data exchange mechanisms
- 66% want healthcare organisations to focus more on the standardisation of data exchange
- Adoption of FHIR®-enabled interoperability is expected to increase sixfold from 11% to 66%
These improvements in interoperability would address limitations in the data available for health analytics that currently hamper data-driven care initiatives needed to meet community expectations and boost the effectiveness of healthcare without increasing costs.
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https://swsphn.com.au/news/my-health-records-medicare-overview/
My Health Record’s Medicare Overview is important source of patient health information
30 November 2022
What is My Health Record?
My Health Record is a secure online summary of important patient health information which has been shared between healthcare providers across the sector.
Medicare Overview – MBS and DVA information
The Medicare Overview section of My Health Record is an underutilised source of information. As consumers interact with the Medicare system, a record of these interactions will be displayed in their My Health Record.
It can reveal information about other services your patients have accessed through the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) such as allied health, pathology, imaging, specialists and other GPs.
Medicare information may include:
MBS/DVA claims information
MBS and DVA claims information. The MBS provides benefits for an extensive range of medical services, procedures, and consultations, including consultation fees for doctors and specialists, tests and examinations doctors require to diagnose and treat illnesses, for example X-rays, ultrasounds, and pathology tests.
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Digital Health Foundations Series 4 - Setting up access to My Health Record and Electronic Prescriptions
Posted Friday 02 December 2022 | Australian Digital Health Agency
The meaningful use of digital health in Australia is underpinned by healthcare organisations connecting to the Healthcare Identifiers service.
This four-part webinar series will provide managers of medical practices, community pharmacies and other healthcare organisations with an understanding of the foundations of digital health and how to put in place the pre-requisites required to connect to digital health services (such as Electronic Prescriptions, My Health Record and Secure Messaging).
This session, ‘Setting up access to My Health Record and Electronic Prescriptions’, is the fourth in the series and will cover the steps required to set up an organisation for My Health Record and Electronic Prescribing after registration with the HI service has been completed. The session will cover NASH certificates, CSP linking, system configuration and Electronic Prescribing requirements
Last updated: Tuesday 29 November 2022
Event details
Webinar series Friday 16 December 2022 12.30pm-1pm Online
Primary care providers
Free
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Using My Health Record
Digital health offers local health care providers and their clients a streamlined means of accessing information which aims to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of care.
Once your organisation has completed the digital health registration and set-up steps to connect to the national My Health Record system, your organisation will be able to start using the My Health Record system features that are available in your clinical software.
To achieve the full potential benefits of digital health for both your organisation and patients, it is important to find ways to incorporate use in to your daily activities.
Resources for GPs
- RACGP resources, webinars, videos
- My Health Record in General Practice
- My Health Record in Practice Management (includes links to MHR Handbook for Practice Managers and MHR Practice Manager registration guide)
- Online training for healthcare professionals
- My Health Record system participation obligations
- Promote your organisation
- Organisation Readiness Checklist
- Overview of digital health directories for healthcare providers
- Digital Health provider contacts
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https://cesphn.org.au/allied-health/healthpathways
HealthPathways (Sydney and South Eastern Sydney)
Overview
HealthPathways (Sydney and South Eastern Sydney) is an online local health information portal to support local GPs and health professionals to the point of consultation. It provides clinical decision support frameworks on how to assess and manage medical conditions, and how to appropriately refer patients to local services and specialists in the most efficient way.
HealthPathways Sydney is based on a highly successful model of collaboration developed in New Zealand. It has resulted in significant improvements in the way that hospitals and general practices share the care and clinical management of patients. It has reduced costs and improved the quality of patient care.
The name HealthPathways reflects the referral lines, or ‘pathways’, which link patients to the most appropriate treatment, local service or specialist. While HealthPathways is aimed at general practitioners, it can also be used by hospital specialists, practice nurses, Residential Aged Care Facility staff and allied health providers.
HealthPathways is a dynamic collaboration between Central and Eastern Sydney PHN and neighbouring Local Health Districts (LHDs) and Local Health Networks (LHNs). General practitioners, hospital specialists and community and allied health providers are all actively involved in creating and reviewing HealthPathways.
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https://www.innovationaus.com/anao-asks-for-procurement-rules-rethink-after-damning-audits/
ANAO asks for procurement rules rethink after damning audits
Joseph Brookes
Senior Reporter
28 November 2022
The federal watchdog has asked Parliament to consider if the rules at the heart of the government’s $80 billion procurement framework remain “fit for purpose” after its series of scathing audits uncovered non-compliance and unethical behaviour.
A joint committee is currently examining Commonwealth procurement after five concerning reports from the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) that covered billions of dollars in government spending on technology, defence assets, infrastructure, and grant programs.
The recent audits found evidence of conflicts of interest, bias towards certain suppliers, above market rates, duplicate payments, poor management of contracts, and proper tender processes being bypassed.
The contract management process – to ensure suppliers are delivering on their commitments once the contract is signed – is also “not systematically monitored” across government, while there are significant gaps in capability across the Australian Public Service, the ANAO said.
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Workforce in focus at MedInfo Sydney 2023
Monday, 28 November, 2022
MedInfo 2023, the 19th congress on medical and health informatics, will be held in Sydney from 8–12 July 2023.
Presented by the Australasian Institute of Digital Health (AIDH), an industry body for digital health representing a united and influential single voice for health informatics and digital health leaders and practitioners, on behalf of the International Medical Informatics, the conference will be held at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Sydney, Australia.
The conference, supported by the NSW Government and Business Events Sydney, will bring together thousands of digital health leaders and practitioners at the forefront of health care and is considered a landmark event on the global calendar.
Themed ‘the future is accessible’, the conference puts the focus on building a health sector where data is not locked in silos and where both clinicians and consumers can work together in true partnership towards the vision of the AIDH — ‘healthier lives, digitally enabled’.
Early bird registrations close 7 April 2023 and delegates can purchase one-, three- or five-day passes at medinfo2023.org.
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https://www.hinz.org.nz/news/624449/Big-decisions-on-future-of-Covid-tech.htm
‘Big decisions’ on future of Covid tech
Monday, 28 November 2022
NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth
Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand is assessing the future of
more than 110 systems built as part of the Covid response, as well as embedding
learnings on how solutions are developed and delivered.
Budget 2022 allocated $125 million to provide ongoing funding to retain
selected capability and infrastructure developed in response to the Covid-19
pandemic and to provide a basis for future population health and disease
management digital capability.
Te Pae Tata the Interim New Zealand Health Plan, made a recommendation to
“scale and adapt population health digital services developed to support the
COVID-19 response to serve other key population health priorities.”
Michael Dreyer, group manager national digital services and chief technology
officer, Te Whatu Ora, is presenting at Digital Health Week 2022 and says there
are big decisions to be made regarding the technology developed as part of the
Covid response.
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National Data Platform to ‘simplify and unify’ data environments
Sunday, 27 November 2022
NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth
Te Whatu Ora has released a call for Registrations of
Interest (ROI) for a partner to design and implement a National Data Platform,
which will “simplify and unify” the health system’s data environments.
The ROI document says Te Whatu Ora is “seeking to establish a
nationally consistent system of data capture, analytics and intelligence that
supports the use of health intelligence and insights to ensure equity of access
and outcomes from all health services across Aotearoa New Zealand”.
Core to this is a federated data platform, made up of a suite of integrated
technology products, which has at its centre national datasets organised into
an integrated, conformed data model, called a National Data Platform (NDP), it
says.
“At its periphery will be self-governing zones where Te Whatu Ora, its
districts and regions, Te Aka Whai Ora and potentially other organisations can
manage their own data, complemented by data sharing to and from the central
data model.”
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‘We’ve come full circle’: Labor declares regulatory reset of NBN
By Jessica Yun
December 2, 2022 — 3.51pm
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland has defended the Labor government’s policy to return the national broadband network closer to its original design despite fresh admissions it will not be able to recover $31 billion invested into the project.
Speaking alongside Finland’s Prime Minister Sanna Marin, as the pair announced a major upgrade that aims to boost internet speeds for 7 million Australians by 100 times, Rowland said the current government’s policy would future-proof the NBN.
“I think by coming in, myself and Finance Minister [Katy] Gallagher as shareholder ministers, we have effectively undertaken a regulatory reset,” Rowland said.
“We will keep the NBN in public ownership for the foreseeable future whilst we finish this job of making it a better network.”
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https://www.afr.com/companies/telecommunications/nbn-warns-on-fixed-wireless-threat-20221202-p5c33q
NBN warns on fixed wireless threat
Lucas Baird Reporter
Dec 2, 2022 – 5.08pm
NBN Co says it is increasingly at risk from fixed-wireless alternatives offered by major telcos, arguing it is at a serious cost disadvantage and under siege from increasing investment by smaller players in major cities.
In a new pricing proposal lodged with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) this week, in which wholesale prices would be cut on the higher end of the spectrum but increase on the middle-speed tier, NBN Co said competition from new 5G technology was “accelerating”.
“[Mobile Network Operators (MNOs)] are increasingly advertising 5G home broadband products as alternatives to NBN services and pricing them below comparable NBN-powered retail services,” the submission says.
This references efforts by Telstra, Optus and TPG Telecom, which NBN says are all advertising comparable fixed-wireless services at anywhere from $5 to $15 less than its similar fixed-line option.
Fixed-wireless services are seen as a way for telcos to fatten anaemic home internet margins where NBN dominates. With a fixed-wireless service, telcos bypass the NBN and offer internet service over a mobile signal like 5G.
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NBN won’t ever earn commercial return
Dec 2, 2022 – 5.38pm
The National Broadband Network will never earn a commercial return for taxpayers as pledged by the Rudd Labor government, and a former NBN executive says the $29.5 billion equity value should be cut.
The federal government’s accounting for NBN Co is under scrutiny, after the Department of Infrastructure and Communications estimated its equity value was $10 billion less than the federal budget booked.
The NBN has been praised for allowing people to work from home during the pandemic, but its relatively slow speeds by international standards have frustrated some users.
NBN Co told the competition watchdog this week it will not seek to recover at least $31 billion of $44 billion of accumulated losses to build and maintain the network, to allow it to cut wholesale internet prices and claw back only $12.5 billion from retail internet providers.
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NBN writes off recovering $31b of government investment
Lucas Baird Reporter
Dec 1, 2022 – 7.24pm
NBN Co will not recover at least $31 billion the government invested to build the network in a move designed to allow it to cut wholesale internet prices in the future.
In a new draft pricing proposal lodged with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission this week, the government-owned company said it would no longer seek to recover the full $44 billion sunk into the initial build and instead would only claw back $12.5 billion from retail internet providers.
NBN Co stressed the $31.5 billion contraction to its Initial Cost Recovery Amount (ICRA) would not itself lead to any writedown or impairment of its value, which would hurt the federal budget’s bottom line, saying it will allow instead the setting of “lower wholesale prices in future” than otherwise.
“[ICRA] is a recognised regulatory concept that reflects NBN’s un-recovered costs to date,” a spokesman said. “Limiting drawdown of the ... ICRA is not a write-down, and NBN Co has no plans for a write-down or impairment.“
The regulatory write-off comes largely down to the shock reset of NBN Co’s policy aims in August, when Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said the company would stay in public hands for the foreseeable future and opened the door to forgetting about recovering some costs incurred in the building and maintenance of the network.
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NBN Co lobs new pricing proposal after criticism
By David Swan
7:03PM November 30, 2022
Australian consumers are a step closer to lower NBN prices across some speed tiers after Australia’s competition and consumer watchdog published proposed plans to axe controversial capacity charging and implement new wholesale prices from July 2023.
NBN Co in July backed down from changes that would have locked in price rises until 2040 and doubled the price of entry-tier plans, after new Communications Minister Michelle Rowland intervened and called for a “reset”.
NBN Co’s submission, known as the Special Access Undertaking (SAU), provoked an angry response from telcos and many consumers who are facing cost of living pressures amid higher interest rates and rising inflation.
The company withdrew those proposals, and its new submission, which would lower the cost of most wholesale speed tiers – though not its most popular ones – was made public by the regulator on Wednesday.
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Wednesday, 30 November 2022 14:41
NBN Co submits revised Special Access Undertaking variation: ACCC
By Staff Writer
The competition watchdog, the ACCC has published National Broadband Network operator NBN Co’s revised proposed variation to its Special Access Undertaking and the material that NBN Co has so far provided in support of its proposal.
The Special Access Undertaking is a key part of the regulation of the NBN, setting out the rules for broadband providers to access the NBN over the coming decades, which can include minimum service standards and wholesale price controls.
In July this year, NBN Co withdrew its previous proposal and notified industry, Government and the ACCC that it would develop a revised variation.
The ACCC says that when the it receives the remainder of NBN Co’s supporting material, it will confirm that material meets the ACCC’s disclosure requirements - and the remaining documents will then be published at NBN Co SAU variation 2022.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/nbn-co-warns-of-copper-networks-mounting-costs-588537
NBN Co warns of copper network's mounting costs
By Ry Crozier on Dec 1, 2022 12:09AM
Four times as many faults as fibre, and continuing to degrade.
NBN Co has made its strongest criticism of copper-based broadband yet, arguing it faces mounting operational and maintenance costs for premises it can’t switch over to fibre.
The network operator finally filed a revised 400-page special access undertaking (SAU) on Wednesday afternoon, but the real interest will be in its explanatory notes. [pdf]
These include, among other things, an entire chapter devoted to “the rationale for investing in fibre”, which paints an unflattering image of the enormous costs of operating copper-based services compared to fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP).
The company revealed that fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) fault volumes averaged “approximately 27,000 in FY22, which is nearly four times higher than the average FTTP fault volumes at approximately 7200”.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/nbn-co-struggles-to-stack-up-for-value-against-the-competition-588541
NBN Co struggles to stack up for value against the competition
By Ry Crozier on Dec 1, 2022 1:56AM
Complains about increased ‘cherry-picking’ of its addressable market.
NBN Co says its fixed-line broadband services are increasingly seen by users as not providing value for money compared to alternatives.
The company said yesterday [pdf] that a survey it had commissioned and run over the past six years showed a gradual erosion in customer sentiment about the cost-performance of its broadband services.
NBN Co has previously only once released these figures - in late July [pdf] - but they did not contain the 2022 numbers.
The addition of the 2022 numbers show that the value-for-money gap is widening between NBN and non-NBN fixed-line and mobile services.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/nbn-co-sets-ericsson-up-as-sole-radio-backhaul-supplier-588542
NBN Co sets Ericsson up as sole radio, backhaul supplier
By Ry Crozier on Dec 1, 2022 7:30AM
Unveils contract extension to cover $750m 5G wireless upgrade.
NBN Co has extended a decade-long partnership with Ericsson to cover upgrade works to its fixed wireless network, and to consolidate the supply of related transport infrastructure.
In a statement, Ericsson said it had picked up the contract “extension” to make 4G and mmWave 5G upgrades to NBN Co’s fixed wireless network.
The upgrades were announced earlier this year at a total cost of $750 million, of which $480 million will come from the government.
In addition to upgrades for the existing footprint, spanning some 650,000 premises, “the additional capacity and reach of the upgraded network will provide up to 120,000 homes and businesses in NBN Co’s satellite footprint access to fixed wireless for the first time,” Ericsson noted.
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https://itwire.com/it-industry-news/telecoms-and-nbn/vocus-to-resell-starlink-business.html
Wednesday, 30 November 2022 10:48
Vocus to resell Starlink Business
Network provider Vocus has signed an agreement with SpaceX to sell Starlink Business services to Australian enterprise and civil government customers.
The services will be branded as Vocus Satellite – Starlink, and will include 100% Australian-based support and integration with existing network solutions.
Customers will be able to choose to install the equipment themselves, or have the job done by Vocus technicians.
Vocus staff are also available if required to integrate the service with managed firewalls, software defined WANs and private LTE/5G networks.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/nbn-co-names-its-next-cio-588458
NBN Co names its next CIO
By Ry Crozier on Nov 29, 2022 4:36PM
Former Telstra architecture director returns from Asia.
NBN Co has named Rob Sewell as its new permanent chief information officer.
Sewell has spent the past decade in Asia, and is currently the chief technology strategy officer at Malaysian telco Maxis.
However, he is also a former long-time Telstra staffer, and was at one time its director of architecture.
Sewell will relocate to be based in Melbourne, and will start in the CIO role at NBN Co from February 6, 2023.
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https://www.itnews.com.au/news/government-urged-to-end-broadband-tax-588425
Government urged to end 'broadband tax'
By Richard Chirgwin on Nov 29, 2022 11:51AM
And fund loss-making NBN wireless and satellite itself.
The federal government should scrap its so-called “broadband tax” and spend $750 million directly funding NBN Co’s loss-making remote satellite and wireless services, according to a two-year investigation by a unit of the Productivity Commission.
The investigation, by the Australian Government Competitive Neutrality Complaints Office (AGCNCO), was launched in 2020 in response to a complaint from fibre builder Opticomm, which asked the office to look into whether NBN Co’s debt accounting, tax treatment, and regulatory obligations breached the government’s competitive neutrality policies.
The office delivered its report [pdf] today, and mostly rejected Opticomm's complaint.
However, the office found that NBN Co’s is financially advantaged by its government ownership, which provides the company access to cheap debt, on terms that non government-backed telcos could not hope to replicate.
AGCNCO estimated that to be worth around $150 million a year. It said NBN Co should pay that to the government instead of holding onto it.
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What happens when a star gets too close to a black hole?
By Chloe Whelan
3:00AM December 1, 2022
Scientists at Swinburne University of Technology have helped to capture the moment a star travelled too close to a black hole and was torn apart, emitting a powerful jet of light and matter – an entirely unique stellar event.
Artistic impressions, released in Nature magazine on Thursday and provided exclusively to The Australian, revealed the moment a star found a supermassive black hole in its path.
“It was extremely bright and fading fast,” astronomer and co-author Jeff Cooke said.
“We could see a star travelled too close to a supermassive black hole – a black hole millions of times more massive than our Sun – which wasn’t very good for the star but was very cool for us, as it provided crucial information.”
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Enjoy!
David.
