⏱️This edition of the National Account’s newsletter is a six-minute read.
👋 G’day everyone, Archie here.
In today’s newsletter, we look at the Russian spy affair, which caused great damage to the Labor Party at the height of the Cold War in the 1950s.
Also, we investigate how thousands of Australians are avoiding endless hours stuck in an Emergency Department waiting room.
Finally, we look at what it takes to make a video game in Australia.
Let’s dive into it. 📝
One of the strangest and most consequential chapters in Australian political history
🗣️ Why did he say that?
In 1954, a Soviet spy based at the Russian embassy in Canberra defected.
His wife, meanwhile, was placed under house arrest at the embassy by Soviet agents before being bundled onto a plane back to Moscow.
The Petrov Affair saw a Cold War spy drama play out on Australian soil, the saga altering the balance of power in this country for a decade.
For my full rundown check out today’s video:
Relieving the pressure 🚑
Paramedics across country are using Virtual Emergency Departments (VED) to connect patients with non-urgent problems to emergency clinicians by video instead of taking them to hospital.
In Victoria, some ambos are taking advantage of the service four or five times a shift.
Victoria launched its virtual emergency departments in 2020. Now, Queensland, NSW, South Australia and WA all have them.
Do they work?
Watch my rundown below:
🎮 Game on
Australia’s video game industry mightn’t get the same mainstream coverage as film and TV, but it was worth more than $600 million in the last financial year, and employs many creative Australians.
So what does it take to make a game in Australia?
Watch my rundown below:
Thanks for catching up with me. I’ve really appreciated all of the feedback from last Wednesday’s newsletter, where I looked at the mystery of the Somerton Man.
In case you missed it, check out my YouTube Channel, where you’ll also find a whole bunch of National Account videos 👋.
Until next time,
Cheers, Archie