When little-known senator Ralph Babet jumped to his feet on Tuesday to raise concerns about the transparency of Scott Morrison’s government, there was a split- second of silence as his colleagues pondered his question.

The question was directed at Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong, who represents the Prime Minister in the Senate. 

The United Australia Party senator asked her: ‘Now minister… the former Morrison government, this mob over here, honoured an appallingly low rate of just 48.7 per cent of Senate order for production of document requests. How terrible. 

‘Does the minister believe that the former Morrison government was a transparent government? Because I don’t think they were.’

She rose to her feet as those behind her appeared perplexed. Some even grumbled about the failings of the previous government.

Then Liberal senator Michaelia Cash stated the obvious: Beware the supplementary questions. 

The Government is under increased pressure to be more transparent, amid further questions about the decision to block Qatar Airways from having more access to Australia. The decision is said to have cost Australian travellers up to 40% on their airfares. 

But Penny Wong has been in parliament for 21 years, and her guard was up.

‘I am going to anticipate your next question… I am someone who has been her for quite a long time. I have never seen as many OPDs [orders for the production of documents] used as indiscriminately as the Opposition… are using them,’ she said.

‘I don’t believe any fair minded person looking at Mr Morrison’s secret ministries or the Robodebt tragedy would think the standards of transparency were sufficient.

‘We remember what Mr Morrison was like and the lack of accountability… even to his own colleagues when he took their jobs from them.’

Mr Babet said she obviously knew where he was going this ‘not being your first rodeo’. 

‘Your government is at 20.4 per cent. Twice as secretive as Scott Morrison’s government. Why?’

Ms Wong argued there had been a significant increase in the amount of OPDs being filed, and the amount being approved, but has vowed to investigate Mr Babet’s question. 

Ms Wong was subjected to most of the scrutiny in the Senate on Tuesday given her role as the representative for the Prime Minister in the chamber.

She was also peppered with questions from Nationals Leader of the Senate Bridget McKenzie, who questioned the division within Labor about the Qatar Airways decision.

Ms McKenzie asked for clarity as to ‘what exactly the national interest grounds’ in blocking additional flights from Qatar were.

‘The minister considers a range of factors when determining whether an expansion of bilateral air rights is in our national interest,’ Ms Wong said.

She maintained there was nothing unusual about the government’s decision, and noted Qatar is welcome to increase flights into Adelaide, Avalon, Cairns, Canberra and the Gold Coast. 

Her answer was met with jeers from the Coalition, demanding to know just what those factors were.

Meanwhile, in the House of Representatives, Mr Albanese was facing intense questioning of his own. 

The Nationals MP for Cowper, Pat Conaghan asked if the PM had ‘a conversation of any kind with Mr Alan Joyce prior to the government’s decision concerning Qatar Airways’.

The PM, realising the breadth of the question, responded: ‘I can confirm that I’ve met Alan Joyce, which is basically what the question was.’

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton later asked if Mr Albanese had any conversations with Virgin Australia over the application.

Mr Albanese said: ‘Yes.’

Later, Mr Albanese faced another question, this time from LNP’s Bert van Manen, who asked if he had any conversations with Mr Joyce or senior execitves regarding the application before a decision was handed down.

Mr Albanese said: ‘No.’   

Labor was elected on a policy of transparency, and is now facing increasing calls from across the chamber to honour that commitment.

While the Coalition would like an inquiry into the Qatar decision, the Greens are first calling on the government to release documents from the time of the decision. 

Melania Trump believes former President Donald Trump‘s fourth indictment is ‘another problem for her husband’ and ‘not for her,’ as she’s kept a low profile in New York City amid the ex-president’s legal woes. 

People Magazine gave an update on the former first lady Wednesday evening, with a social source telling the magazine that ‘Melania publicly supports her husband but privately prefers a life with 100 percent privacy and no press scrutiny.’ 

‘She hates all of the legal problems and says very little about them anytime anywhere,’ a source stated. ‘She leads her own life.’ 

The revelation came days after a Georgia grand jury indicted Trump and 18 others for their alleged roles in trying to overturn the 2020 election in the state. Trump has blasted the RICO charges, calling them a political witch hunt.

Melania’s latest apparent feelings seem to echo her famous green coat that drew ire when she wore it as her husband was president and read: ‘I really don’t care. Do you?’

Trump faces criminal cases in Florida, Georgia, New York and Washington, DC. He was indicted in New York on charges related to the alleged hush-money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels. 

His Florida case is on federal charges related to the handling of classified documents. He was also indicted by special prosecutor Jack Smith for allegations of election interference. 

 DailyMail.com exclusively reported that Melania joined the ex-president and Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo and her husband Jonathan for a double date at Bedminster after Trump returned from federal court in Washington, D.C., on August 3, for an appearance related to the election interference charges. 

No pictures were captured, however, of the former first lady at the Bedminster dinner. 

It marked the only time, thus far, that Trump didn’t address a crowd of supporters after a day in court. 

In April he spoke before a filled ballroom at Mar-a-Lago after being arraigned in the Stormy Daniels hush-money case. 

In similar fashion, he hosted a crowd in front of his Bedminster clubhouse in June after spending time in court in Miami for the federal classified documents case.  

Another one of People’s sources said that Melania Trump prefers the couple’s pad at Trump Tower in New York City over the Bedminster, New Jersey, golf resort, where they spend the summers with Mar-a-Lago – located in Palm Beach, Florida – being too hot.

‘Melania has a small circle of family and very few trusted friends,’ the social source said. ‘Unlike others who belong to her husband’s clubs, she doesn’t rely on outside stimulants to guide her daily life.’ 

Melania was last photographed in public running errands in Manhattan on August 9. 

‘She has her son, other family members, and select friends,’ the source said. 

Melania Trump’s parents have also been photographed outside of Trump Tower in recent months. 

The source pushed that just because the former first lady hasn’t attended Trump’s post-indictment events or been seen on the campaign trail, doesn’t mean she’s not supportive. 

‘She knows how her husband is but still believes there has been too much dumping on him and wants nothing to do with any of it,’ the source said. 

The ex-president was indicted for a fourth time Monday night, this time by a grand jury out of Fulton County, Georgia, over Trump’s efforts to overturn President Joe Biden’s 2020 election win in the state. 

‘She hates all of the legal problems and says very little about them anytime anywhere,’ the source added. ‘She leads her own life.’ 

My husband had an operation on his heart last year due to angina. He is on blood thinners, statins and medication for high blood pressure. But he also drinks a lot, most days, and I worry that he has a problem. Should I try to get him to stop?

This is a problem I often hear in my clinic. Alcohol is a huge health risk, particularly if a person drinks excessively.

On the other hand, not everyone who drinks a lot ends up unwell – it is all to do with an individual’s constitution and genetics.

People often worry about liver disease due to alcohol but this is by no means the only issue drink can cause. High blood pressure, heart disease and cancer, not to mention brain diseases such as dementia and depression, are all linked to alcohol intake. And it is very addictive – I often see people who can’t cut down for a sustained period of time, let alone stop.

My worry for someone drinking while on blood thinners and other heart drugs is the effect of alcohol on those medications. There’s also the chance of falling if drunk and then having a serious bleed from an injury due to bleeding a lot more than usual when on blood thinners. A head injury would be a particular concern.

Safe drinking for men and women is considered to be under 14 units a week – that’s about six pints or glasses of wine.

Sometimes there are very clear signs that someone drinks too much: opting to drink over other activities, not being able to say no or even hiding the habit. It can be hard to broach the subject with a loved one without being judgmental or confrontational.

Talking about your concern and being supportive – when they’re sober – is the best way, rather than using accusatory words such as alcoholic.

Drinkaware.co.uk has more advice on what to do if you’re worried about someone’s drinking, including tips on what to say and what not to say.

I am suffering from a dragging and pushing feeling in my pelvis, a swollen tummy and discomfort around my bottom. My GP checked for a prolapse but she said that wasn’t the problem. I then had an ultrasound and was told that they could see ‘congestion’ – which I’m not sure I understood. Could the doctor be missing something?

Dragging and pushing are classic features of a prolapse – when one of the organs within the pelvis, such as the womb, drops down into the vagina. It is normally caused by an issue with a weakened pelvic floor and often occurs after the menopause.

What the ultrasound revealed may be a condition called pelvic congestion syndrome. This can be identified on a scan as the blood vessels around the ovaries wider and different to normal.

It is usually seen in women before menopause and causes pelvic pain because the blood vessels are not working as efficiently as they should. It can cause a dull ache, a dragging type of pain, and piles which would cause discomfort in the anus. For proper diagnosis, you need a scan of the pelvic veins.

With no clear answer, it would be reasonable to ask for a further conversation with the doctor, another examination and even a referral to gynaecology. These are not symptoms to be ignored.

I’m on a drug called levothyroxine for my underactive thyroid. But when I take it, I get a feeling of pins and needles in my face and my ears feel blocked, as if I am on an aeroplane. It takes a few hours to wear off. The specialist I saw says it is not the drug, which I have been taking for 22 years, and until this year I have never had a problem. What do you think it could be?

An underactive thyroid gland, known as hypothyroidism, is where the thyroid, which is in the neck, does not produce enough hormones. These are important for maintaining energy levels, and symptoms of having insufficient amounts include tiredness, weight gain and feeling depressed.

Levothyroxine is a hormone tablet prescribed to treat these problems. It’s common for people with an underactive thyroid to also suffer nasal congestion, stuffiness, sinus issues and even impaired hearing – but they are not side effects of levothyroxine.

It is perfectly possible that these symptoms have nothing to do with the drug but that they occur first thing, before breakfast, which is coincidentally when you take your tablets – so you are wrongly associating the two.

It would not be unusual for your sinus and ear congestion symptoms to appear first thing in the morning. When we get up from lying down, it causes fluid to move within the ear or sinuses, which can cause these symptoms. If a medication has been taken long term – in this case 22 years – it’s possible these problems are a result of the condition not being controlled as well, and there may be a need for a dose adjustment.

It’s also possible the sinus problems are linked to an allergy, and a two-week trial of antihistamine tablets might be worth considering to see if this has any impact.

Tackling the nightmare of sleeping pill addiction 

UK health chiefs introduced a brilliant initiative which I want everyone to know about – a guide for patients who take sleeping tablets but want to reduce or come off their dose.

Sleeping pill dependence is a huge problem in the UK. About a million people take the pills – so-called z-drugs such as zopiclone and benzodiazepines – to help them sleep or tackle severe anxiety.

But they are not a long-term solution. They come with a serious risk of addiction – over time you have to keep taking more to get the same effect.

And after just a few weeks of use, my patients tell me that they suffer brain fog, struggle to concentrate and feel emotionally numb.

As a doctor, you worry that patients haven’t taken in the risks of these drugs, because they’re often prescribed in a time of crisis. But now they will have a simple guide to help weigh-up their pros and cons. It’ll also offer advice for those worried about going cold turkey.

I’ll be pointing my patients towards it, and other GPs should do the same. 

I was right about beta blocker

Earlier this month I answered a reader’s question about her husband’s heart condition, atrial fibrillation.

He was taking a medicine called bisoprolol and I mentioned that it was not often prescribed for the condition – it’s not what GPs would call first-line treatment. I suggested her husband ask the doctor why he was on it.

I’ve since received emails from other readers saying that they have atrial fibrillation and have been on bisoprolol for years without issue.

Bisoprolol is a beta blocker – it slows the heart beat – but it is only recommended for atrial fibrillation if the patient also has another medical condition, such as diabetes.

I suspect that the readers who say they are on bisoprolol for atrial fibrillation will also be suffering a concurrent problem.