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Teeth filing dentist avoids jail

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 29 November 2013 | 11.28

A SYDNEY dentist who "callously" exploited elderly nursing home residents by unnecessarily filing down their teeth to make extra money has avoided jail.

Andrew Istephan will instead serve his two-year sentence by way of an Intensive Correction Order.

The former Liberal deputy mayor of Hurstville was accused of performing unnecessary major dental surgery on 12 nursing home residents, some of whom had dementia.

A jury found him guilty last month of five counts of assault, but failed to agree on the other seven counts.

In sentencing the 34-year-old at Sydney's District Court on Friday, Judge David Frearson said he had engaged in the "deliberate, callous and systematic exploitation of the residents with the view of financial reward".

Motivated by greed, Istephan had been "arrogantly dismissive" of the fundamental human right for bodily integrity, the judge said.

"The frail and elderly have a right to be treated with dignity and respect," he said.

"It's wholly reprehensible to exploit the elderly for financial gain."

Istephan was contracted by an organisation, then named Elderlink, to undertake government-funded dental work at nursing homes.

Judge Frearson found Istephan had carried out unnecessary work, filing down the teeth of elderly patients in order to fit them for crowns they did not need.

He didn't use anaesthetic.

While the judge found that Istephan showed no remorse for his crimes, he said he had a good chance of rehabilitation and was unlikely to reoffend.

He also said the former deputy mayor would benefit from a dose of humility, which the correction order would afford.

The non-custodial order requires Istephan to meet a number of requirements, such as community service and reporting to police.

A family friend of one of the victims described the sentence as "disgusting".

"He has defrauded the government, the taxpayer and everyone else he seeks to represent," Joanne Goude told reporters outside court.

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Don't junk Qld helmet laws: cycling group

A new Queensland report has recommended helmet requirements be scrapped for public cycle schemes. Source: AAP

THE Queensland government is under pressure to ignore expert advice and retain laws requiring cyclists to wear helmets.

A committee tasked with looking at cyclist safety has made a raft of recommendations, including trialling a requirement for motorists to stay at least a metre away from riders.

But it's also said there's insufficient evidence about safety benefits to justify the current law requiring riders to always wear helmets.

It has recommended a two-year trial giving riders aged 16 and over the freedom to chose whether to wear helmets in parks, on foot and bike paths, and on roads where the speed limit is 60km/h or less.

The Amy Gillett Foundation, which campaigns on cycling safety issues, has welcomed the government's pledge to trial the one-metre rule.

But it says the government should reject any watering down of laws about helmets.

"While implementing the proposed safety measures we recommend the Queensland government uphold current helmet laws to avoid taking one step backwards for safety at the same time we are taking a step forward," the foundation's chief executive Tracey Gaudry said in a statement on Friday.

Government MP Bruce Flegg, who is also a doctor, says the one-metre trial represents great progress but he's worried about the suggestion on helmets.

"We should think long and hard before relaxing helmet laws. Helmet laws potentially prevent significant brain injuries," Dr Flegg said in a statement.

"Any relaxation, such as on bike paths, should be seen as the exception rather than the rule."

Transport Minister Scott Emerson is yet to say if he's likely to accept that recommendation.

But he has already committed to some others, including the one-metre trial, and allowing motorists to cross unbroken lines to overtake riders when it's safe to do so.

The Amy Gillett Foundation was formed after the cyclist was killed by an out-of-control driver while training with her Australian cycling teammates in July 2005.

But Queensland's peak motoring group, the RACQ, says the one-metre overtaking rule, and a proposal to let riders treat stop signs as give-way signs, could actually increase aggression between cyclists and other road users.

RACQ safety policy spokesman Steve Spalding says motorists must give cyclists at least that amount of space as a buffer, but it should only be used as a guideline.

"Education around safe passing distances will be far more effective and actually lead to a safer and more courteous road sharing environment," he said in a statement.

"The fact is, in order for our transport system to work, we all have to share the road. Changing laws and increasing fines make for good headlines, but without enforcement it's a waste of time."

The committee has also recommended increasing fines for cyclists who do the wrong thing on the roads, so they match those that apply to motorists.

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We'll help Palmer keep plant open: Newman

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 28 November 2013 | 11.27

THE Queensland premier says his government will help federal MP Clive Palmer keep his Townsville nickel refinery open.

Campbell Newman has called on the mining magnate to keep his promise to invest $1 billion in the Yabulu plant, protect existing jobs, and create 500 new positions.

"We haven't seen it," the premier told Fairfax radio on Thursday.

He said the plant was a cause of concern for the government.

"We might have had our disagreements, but if he needs the support of the government with any application to actually reinvest, to build the refinery up, to secure those jobs, he has our full support," Mr Newman said.

"We want to see those existing jobs protected. We want to see more jobs at the refinery."

Mr Newman said media reports had suggested a cloud was hanging over the plant's future, and Mr Palmer needed to act on his investment pledge to allay the government's concerns.

"If that's not going to happen I suppose I'll need to take a closer look about what's going on."

AAP has sought comment from Mr Palmer, who has previously said the refinery's future is secure.

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Doctors urged to take fractures seriously

PEOPLE with osteoporosis could be put at risk by medical practices that do not take their fractures seriously, according to Australian scientists.

They say most people with osteoporosis who suffer a fracture should be given bone-strengthening drugs.

However, this is common practice only for hip and vertebra fractures, say Associate Professor Jackie Center and Dr Dana Bliuc from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research.

Their study shows any fracture can be dangerous to a person with osteoporosis, potentially shortening their life or leading to secondary fractures.

A third of Australian men and half of women over the age of 65 will have at least one fracture as a result of osteoporosis, according to the institute.

About half of fractures are to a hip or vertebra, and these patients are more likely to be given bone-strengthening drugs than for other types of fracture, which tend to be taken less seriously.

But only about 20 per cent of women and 10 per cent of men receive effective treatment.

There is a sliding scale of severity, with hip fractures the most serious, according to the report published online in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

Those close to the body, such as rib or pelvic fractures, could be as serious as vertebral fractures and have the potential to shorten life, said Dr Bliuc.

Wrist or ankle fractures did not in themselves shorten life, although they doubled the risk of new fractures elsewhere in the body, according to the scientists who analysed data from the Dubbo Osteoporosis Epidemiology Study, the world's longest-running large-scale study of osteoporotic bone fractures.

"For people over 75, the risk of having a subsequent fracture is the same, no matter what the initial fracture type. This is important to know, because the second fracture could be a hip or vertebral fracture," said Dr Bliuc.

Prof Center said most osteoporotic fractures should be treated with drugs to reduce the risk of further fracture.

"Most doctors know it is wise to treat hip and vertebral fractures, but many do not take the other fracture types as seriously.

"There are several drugs that are well tolerated and proven to be effective in reducing risk of fractures and offering people a better quality of life for longer."

11.27 | 0 komentar | Read More

Retailers cashing in after solid year

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 27 November 2013 | 11.27

WHO said Australian retailing was dead?

JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman have proved the naysayers wrong, with their share prices almost doubling this year.

And while people were writing off department stores David Jones and Myer 18 months ago, there appears to have been a rethink in values as traditional retailers embrace online shopping and focus on fashion.

Well-known players have significantly outperformed the overall sharemarket during 2013, however share prices are still around 2009/10 levels.

Among the lesser known consumer goods, sports and fashion brands, Super Retail Group, Specialty Fashion and Breville Group have all performed well in 2013.

The ASX200 index has rallied 15 per cent since the start of the year as consumer confidence builds and the busy Christmas trading season gets into full swing.

The buoyant mood has prompted electronics retailer Dick Smith to follow a recent string of successful floats as it looks to raise almost $345 million by listing on the share market on December 4.

Analysts say share price gains among the major retailers in 2013 are significant, but they need to be taken in context.

"The retailers have been the standouts this year," CommSec analyst Steven Daghlian told AAP.

"But putting that in perspective, they didn't do very well in the year's prior, in 2010/11 when consumers were very cautious to part with their dollars and while the Aussie dollar remained quite high."

Recent share market highs had boosted investor confidence and helped retailers like Harvey Norman, Myer and David Jones.

"We're seeing a bit of a recovery," Mr Daghlian said.

"They're just back to where they were five years ago."

If you bought shares in JB Hi-Fi this time last year you could now double your money.

And cashing in your Harvey Norman shares would deliver an 80 per cent premium on a 12 month investment.

Gains among David Jones and Myer have been more modest, but investors are still well ahead of the local index.

David Jones shares jumped 32 per cent this year while Myer shareholders are looking at a 27 per cent profit for 2013.

Sports and leisure retailer Super Retail is also in the money, putting on 37 per cent while electronic appliance maker Breville is up 29 per cent in the calendar year.

Despite several measures of consumer confidence and spending showing improvements since the September election, the big retailers remain cautious.

Harvey Norman CEO Gerry Harvey is the latest big retailer to say his business has not felt the benefits as he continues to complain about the GST exemption on foreign purchases less than $1000.

Department store chain Myer is also cautious as it faces a challenging economic and consumer environment while David Jones is waiting for consistent consumer sentiment results.