REFLECTING ON A MILESTONE YEAR
Coast Bendigo Bank celebrates 25 years
2025 was an incredibly productive year for Community Bank East Gosford and Districts, with the group franchise celebrating 25 years of community commitment and $169.8k of community support to 70 organisations.
PRESCRIPTION COSTS ARE OUT OF CONTROL
NEW research shows millions of Australians are skipping or rationing medicines due to cost-of-living pressures, with nearly four million unable to afford prescriptions in the past three years. The Pharmacy Guild says cutting the PBS co-payment to $25 from 1 January 2026 will ease access and reduce hospitalisations caused by delayed treatment. Support is strong, with 84% backing lower co-payments, particularly for non-concession patients most affected by rising costs.
BIG ENERGY COMPANY FINED $450,000
A MAJOR Australian energy company, GE Grid Australia, has been fined $450,000 after failing to report imports of equipment containing the potent greenhouse gas sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) over eight reporting periods from 2018–2022. The Federal Court found repeated, serious breaches of environmental law under the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Act 1989. Authorities said the case reinforces that companies must meet reporting obligations, as SF6 has extremely high global warming potential.