Powerd NewsWrap 25th February 2026

Vision Australia ID  0:00  
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Speaker 1  0:20  
on the Vision Australia and reading radio networks. This is the Powerd news rap.

Sam Rickard  0:25  
G'day, I'm Sam Ricard. It's the 25th of February, two months already down. We're reading articles from the Powerd dot media website. And of course, joining me, fresh back from a fresh vacation, as it were, is Emma Myers. G'day, hello, Sam. How are we going today? Yeah, fantastic yourself. I am, well, looking forward to in inverted commas, a busy day ahead, editing stuff. Anyway, we've had a bit of a break, but we are still going back through some of the oldies, but goodies as it were, articles that were published some time ago but still are just as valid as they were, and one of those, one of those things that won't go away, really, is motor neuron disease.

Emma Myers  1:06  
Yeah, as much as we wish it would, unfortunately, it's safe to stay for the foreseeable future, but there could be some hope for people with the condition, because the government has decided to invest in more than $40 million into trading.

Sam Rickard  1:26  
Of course, it's come to the public attention because a certain footballer, of course, had acquired the disease Neil Danaher. But I mean, it's been around a lot longer. It's just, I suppose, what we hope for is if you have a rare disease that somebody famous gets it?

Emma Myers  1:43  
Yeah, well, nothing really gets the government's attention like a famous person calling them out on not doing enough, indeed.

Sam Rickard  1:51  
And I don't want to be too flippant about it, because, yes, it is a literally, a crippling condition. I can't picture what it would be like to have something like this, or MS or something that essentially all you've got to look forward to is getting worse, as it were. I mean, I think we're both relatively lucky as far as what we've got is what we've got.

Emma Myers  2:10  
Yes, Sam, you're right. Is quite a unique experience to the individual who was experiencing it. And even as a world care units in myself who goes through fluctuant stages, at least, I know what to expect in my body on a given day, but people with motor neuron disease and MS, their bodies are only going to get worse as the condition does. And so I guess any help or any research that can go towards alleviating some of the symptoms can only be a good thing.

Sam Rickard  2:53  
And what we did see recently was when Mr. Danaher was honored, they actually spoke to him via AI, which was rather remarkable, because, yes, it sounded like he was his old self. So sometimes there are small mercies within the technological realm, which is, as I said, Not a huge mercy, but maybe a small one. Yeah, definitely. And that's all sometimes we can hope for, is just those little things. In the meantime, we cross to Beth mcaleen with the news

Speaker 1  3:22  
people living with motor neurone disease could soon have broader access to clinical trials following the government's decision to invest more than $40 million into treating the condition, the funding will go towards the creation of the Neil Danaher national MDN Clinical Network, which could see an improvement In local research, expand clinical trials and improve outcomes for people with motor neurone disease, according to Minister for Health and Aging Mark Butler, motor neurone disease is one of the most harrowing conditions we face. It is progressive, fatal and there is no known cure. We want to accelerate the development and delivery of effective treatments and ultimately a cure for MND, the network's namesake, Neil Danaher ao was diagnosed with a condition in 2013 honored as 2025 Australian of the Year in recognition of his leadership and advocacy for MND research. Mr. Danaher believes the funding commitment from the Albanese government is a powerful step forward in eradicating the disease. The investment isn't for my benefit. It's about laying the foundations so others don't have to go through what I have. Mr. Danaher's own foundation, fight MND has already funded 17 clinical trials involving more than 700 people with motor neurone disease at sites across Australia, according to fight MND, Motor Neurone Disease is a progressive and fatal neurological condition affecting approximately 2700 Australians every day in Australia, two people are diagnosed with a condition and a further two people die of it this time last. Year, as Mr. Danaher made his Australian of the Year speech, he asked the Australia to imagine unlocking the mysteries of the neurological condition right here in his home country a year on, and that dream is one step closer to becoming a reality. The science is advancing, the momentum is building, and the establishment of the Neil Danaher national MND Clinical Network strengthens the foundations needed to drive real progress. The new investment is expected to bring more cutting edge drug trials to Australia, as well as increase the number of sites for clinical trials and make it easier for people in regional, rural and remote areas to participate, according to the health minister, with the establishment of the Neil Danaher national MND clinical network, we hope to improve outcomes for those living with this devastating condition, as for Mr. Danaher, he says he's grateful for their support. It's going to help turn hope into action for future generations.

Sam Rickard  5:59  
Noah second wrote us a nice article on what is swiftly becoming a disabled people's drinking game. Really, anytime we say we hear the word thriving kids, we sink a

Emma Myers  6:09  
shot, then we really can't be responsible for our responses.

Sam Rickard  6:13  
Indeed, this is really mixed news, because, I mean, it deals with the Closing the Gap Report for 2025

Emma Myers  6:21  
Yes, and so. So really, the good news is that 95% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are now enrolled in early childhood education, which is a massive leap from what it was. The bad news is there hasn't really been much else that's happened.

Sam Rickard  6:45  
So yes, we are going to again, a new news reader, and that is me to read the rest of the article for you. The peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children is confident the tide will turn on. First Nations disadvantage. The federal government has handed down the latest Closing the Gap Report for 2025 on the 18th anniversary of the apology to the Stolen Generations, the latest report shows four of the 19 Closing the Gap targets are on track to be met by 2031 one of these was achieved last year, the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children enrolled in early childhood education has reached 95% development outcomes for First Nations children in their first years of life, however, have deteriorated in the latest data. Snaicc, the peak representation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children has called for in inverted commas wrap around services in recent years and has welcomed the government's thriving Kids program, snaicc CEO Catherine little says thriving kids offers a Medicare moment for First Nations children. We need Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children to be ready for school, because if they start preschool with a gap already in their learning development, we know that gap gets bigger and bigger. Says miss little miss little says self determined. Grassroots indigenous programs are the answer to addressing disadvantage thriving kids will be an incredible investment into ensuring children get the support they need when they need it in an environment that suits them. There are concerns the remaining 15 Closing the Gap targets won't be reached by the 2031 deadline, due to the states and territories falling short of their commitments. In his closing the gap speech to Parliament, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a number of new funding commitments for First Nations communities in health. This includes $144 million in upgrades to dozens of Aboriginal community controlled health services, and $450 million from the recent hospitals agreement approved by national cabinet last month to go to Indigenous Health Indigenous Affairs Minister, malady McCarthy says she is hopeful the leadership in closing the gap at a federal level will carry through the system. I can only do what I can do in the remit I have, but the states and territories can do a hell of a lot as well, and I hope by our leadership at the Commonwealth level that we are setting a really firm example that this is possible. We can achieve this, the

Speaker 1  9:24  
culture and social impact of creatives with disability is being immortalized in a digital archive capturing over 50 Years of advocacy work through artistic expression, launched in October 2025 the disability arts history Australia archive documents the transformative impact of artists art organizations and allies working in the creative sector from the 1970s to the present, over 100 artists with disability and their allies have collaborated with the Australian Research Council, with the added support from Creative Australia Arts Access Victoria. And multiple universities across the country to bring the project to life. According to the website, the archive features information about disability leaders and innovations with over 10,800 people, organizations and works being highlighted. It also acts as a practical tool for implementing real change for the community by including training resources and candid lived experience history records of people with disability to support change makers looking to improve inclusion across the sector. Recently, an arts exhibition created by a group of women with disabilities on the central coast was awarded $19,400 by the New South Wales State Government to celebrate women's achievement and empower them to seize new opportunities. The grant coincides with New South Wales women's week, which runs from Monday, the second of March 2026, to international women's day on Sunday, Eighth of March 2026, showcasing the stories and remarkable achievements of women, celebrating female artists with disability will be a week long art exhibition running second to the Eighth of March 2026 at the Fairhaven op shopping village in pointe Claire, according to Gosford Council, fair Haven's retail manager Hannah Atkin explains, The exhibition will feature paintings, photography, sculpture, textiles and mixed media, with each artwork displayed alongside artist statements that share personal stories by presenting women with disability as creative leaders and skilled professionals in a higher traffic retail space, we're challenging intersectional stereotypes about disability and gender. The exhibit itself will be on display and available for purchase during 2026 women's week.

Speaker 2  11:47  
Anyway, Emma, so the final article we finish on is extremely accurate, yes.

Emma Myers  11:53  
And so we know that the disability sector is hugely involved in the art sector as well, and vice versa. So so there's been a digital archive launched late last year to kind of showcase the role that art plays in disability advocacy, but we've also looked at an actual arts exhibition that's going to be held on the New South Wales Central Coast at the beginning of the next month, as it happens.

Sam Rickard  12:29  
And that's it's serendipity, as it were. We weren't exactly planning on covering this at this particular time, but we can actually promote it now, because, yes, it's next week in the lead up to International Women's Day,

Emma Myers  12:39  
it is, and it's called Voices unheard, celebrating female artists with disability, and it's great to see them recognized, and they'll actually be selling their works at this exhibition.

Sam Rickard  12:55  
Now, disability art can cover any number of different things, but so what sort of exhibitions are we looking at here? This this time around,

Emma Myers  13:04  
there'll be a mixture of paintings, photography, textiles, sculptures, really, anything you can think of that encapsulates artistic expression. It'll be Uncharted, indeed.

Sam Rickard  13:17  
And if you want to know more about it, we will include the New South Wales government's link to the exhibition and the promotion in the podcast notes of this show. Okay, so this is a wrap for this rap. What have we got to look forward to in the near future?

Emma Myers  13:32  
Well, I've got interviews with a few remarkable women for International Women's Day coming up, and I've also got some positive stories on Accessible Adventures. So stay tuned for that, indeed, till then.

Speaker 1  13:52  
Bye, for now. Bye. You can find these articles and more by going to Powerd dot media, along with the podcast of this show, the Powerd news rap was brought to you by disability media Australia. This show was produced by Sam Ricard in the Adelaide studios of Vision Australia radio.