The Garling Report

The Garling Report (formally titled the Final Report of the Special Commission of Inquiry into Acute Care Services in NSW Public Hospitals) is a 2008 report prepared by the office of the Australian Commissioner Peter Garling, SC following a series of high-profile medical mishaps in the New South Wales public hospital system. For the duration of the commission, it was well covered by mass media. Its final 139 recommendations stimulated considerable discussion and controversy.

Background

In November 2005, an Australian teenager named Vanessa Anderson died at Royal North Shore Hospital following a golfing accident. Her death, widely reported in the media, led to long-running controversy and motivated government-level changes to public hospital policy. It was alleged that her death occurred due to inadequate care and a systemic hospital failure to recognize signs of a deteriorating patient.

On 6 November 2005, while attending a school sporting event at a golf course, Vanessa Anderson was hit on the head by a golf ball. She was taken to Hornsby Hospital and subsequently transferred to the Royal North Shore Hospital. She was allegedly treated inappropriately for a fractured skull, and two days later, suffered a seizure and died. The coroner determined that Vanessa died from respiratory arrest due to the depressant effect of opiate medication.

I'm Talking

I'm Talking was a 1980s Australian funk-pop rock band, which featured vocalists Kate Ceberano and Zan Abeyratne. They formed in 1983 in Melbourne and provided top ten hit singles "Trust Me", "Do You Wanna Be?" and "Holy Word" and a top fifteen album, Bear Witness, before disbanding in 1987.

History

After the break-up of Melbourne-based experimental funk band Essendon Airport in 1983, members Robert Goodge on guitar, Ian Cox on saxophone and Barbara Hogarth on bass guitar set about forming a band to create inventive, commercial, funk-pop music. I'm Talking's original line-up were Kate Ceberano on vocals (ex-Expozay, Hoagy Cats), Stephen Charlesworth on keyboards, Cox, Goodge, Hogarth and Cameron Newman on drums. They introduced sophisticated dance beat music to the pub rock scene, performing for a year before recording their debut release. The EP Someday was released in May 1984 on the independent Randelli label. They also contributed to the soundtrack of the short film More Sex Stories, they attracted the attention of manager Ken West and then signed to Regular Records.Zan Abeyratne (ex-Grand Wazoo, Bang) joined as a second lead vocalist.