Photo: Cover of Independent review of the EPBC Act Interim Report

Melbourne's hard lockdown created unique challenges for people who use alcohol and other drugs. Adjunct Professor Nicole Lee from the National Drug Research Institute at Curtin University discusses how the Victorian government responded and what we can all to manage our alcohol use and stay safe during Covid-19.

This month saw the approval of a pregnancy warning label that will appear on alcoholic beverages in Australia and New Zealand; labels that will be mandatory in the future.  But doesn't everyone already know that alcohol use during pregnancy may be damaging to the mother and the foetus? Well, maybe not. Elizabeth Elliott, Professor of Paediatrics at the University of Sydney discusses why pregnancy warning labels on alcoholic beverages are needed. She tells us about the campaign to have have the labels mandated, the groups that supported it and the opposition from the alcohol industry.

Two reports released a month apart have highlighted the parlous state of Australia's environment and the Federal Government's failure to protect Australia's unique wildlife and habitat. Both the Auditor-General's report Referrals, Assessments and Approvals of Controlled Actions under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act and the Interim Report of of the Samuel Review of the EPBC Act have highlighted the need for urgent action. James Trezise, Nature Policy Analyst from the ACF, explains why action is needed and his concern that the Federal Government will cherry-pick the recommendations that suit their desire to reduce so-called 'green tape', leaving the environment even more at risk.