Health measures like Greens ban on junk food advertising to Children must start now

The Greens have welcomed a new report into improving the nation's hospitals, but say plans for a universal Denticare scheme must be genuine and start immediately.

Australian Greens Leader Senator Bob Brown said access to adequate dental care for all Australians was long overdue and the Government had been slow to commit to improve it.

The Greens and Senator Xenophon will move to help consumers safeguard Australian jobs, by introducing a bill for truth in food labelling when Parliament resumes next month.

“The ‘Made in Australia’ label is currently being given to some foods that only incur half of their total manufacturing costs in Australia,” said Greens Leader Bob Brown.

Bob talks to 2UE radio about the death of rockstar Jimi Hendrix in a hospital in London.

Copyright 2UE radio.

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown today urged Prime Minister Rudd to support Malcolm Turnbull's call for an increase in cigarette taxes.

Senator Brown said the Greens would move in the Senate to have money saved from means testing the private health insurance rebate allocated to public health and hospitals.

"This $1.9 billion should go to saving lives rather than the budget bottom line," Senator Brown said.

GPs and pharmacists are at the front line of Australia's response to the swine flu epidemic and should be properly prepared and protected at the outset, Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.

"Doctor's surgeries and pharmacies are the first ports of call for people with flu symptoms and yet we are getting feedback from health professionals that they are not properly prepared to respond," Senator Brown said.

"The details of how GPs and pharmacists should handle patients in a pandemic are not clear and the Government should immediately address this situation.

The Government should be under way in educating Australians on how to beat swine flu, Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.

Greens Leader Bob Brown is calling for immediate action to protect Australia from the threat of a swine flu pandemic.

An outbreak of swine flu, which is transmitted from human to human, has claimed more than 80 lives in Mexico and infected more than 1300 people in Mexico, Texas, California, Kansas and New York. The death toll is mainly made up of otherwise healthy, young people.

“This is obviously a potential cause of huge trauma and misery around the world, including Australia,” Senator Brown said.

The latest episode of Hack TV looks into the issue of teenagers struggling with addiction, and the need for targetted rehabilitation programs. They spoke to Bob for a Greens persepctive, who alongside years in politics, is a trained and once-practising GP.