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Denmark coach Lars Sondergaard has labelled Australia's rout of Canada as "perfect", but he's confident his team boast the weapons to beat a Matildas side boosted by the return of Sam Kerr.

World No.13 Denmark secured their passage to the round of 16 of a Women's World Cup for the first time since 1995 with a 2-0 group stage win over Haiti in Perth on Tuesday night.

By finishing runners-up in Group D behind England, Denmark will now have to take on the might of the Matildas and a sellout crowd of around 80,000 fans at Stadium Australia in Sydney next Monday.

The Matildas' World Cup hopes were on thin ice following a shock 3-2 loss to Nigeria last week, but they found their groove with a 4-0 demolition of Olympic champions Canada to finish top of Group B.

Kerr didn't feature in the group stage after injuring her calf on the eve of the tournament, but she's set to be unleashed against Denmark.

"She can score goals, she has a fantastic header, she's quick ... she is perhaps the best striker in the world," Sondergaard said.

"Of course you have to have an eye on her - if she's fit of course.

"We have played Australia twice in the last couple of years, and Sam Kerr played in both of those games.

"So we know how to deal with her. Even though it's difficult, we know how she plays.

"We know she can be out of a game and then suddenly she's in the right place at the right moment.

"If she gets chances like some of the Haitian players got today, I think she probably would score."

Sondergaard was glowing in his praise of Australia's display against Olympic champions Canada.

"Their performance against Canada was perfect in a way," he said.

"The whole nation are standing behind them, and I think that's important for them.

"It could also be pressure if the game goes into the second half and it's still 0-0."

Star Denmark striker Pernille Harder knows all about Kerr's talents after playing alongside the Australian star for three years at Women's Super League powerhouse Chelsea.

"She's an amazing player, an amazing person," Harder, who has just joined Bayern Munich, said.

"I'm looking forward to seeing her, but not to play against her.

"She's a great striker. She knows where the goal is. She has some unbelievable skills with her header."

As for Denmark dealing with a heaving pro-Matildas crowd?

"I think I'll just imagine they're cheering Denmark instead of Australia," Harder said with a laugh.

Denmark's defence looked shaky against Haiti, especially in the second half.

But Sondergaard is confident in his team's abilities and talent.

"We have a pretty good defence, we have a player like Pernille, who can decide games," Sondergaard said.

"I think we have a good chance, but we also know it's going to be difficult, and we're looking forward to the game."

© AAP 2023

Dale Dunster and other medicinal cannabis users in NSW would no longer need to fear losing their driver's licence if proposed laws were passed.

The Legalise Cannabis Party will on Wednesday introduce a bill to state parliament that offers prescribed medicinal cannabis users a defence to roadside drug testing laws.

The proposal would not apply if the driver was impaired.

Mrs Dunster, who has Parkinson's disease and a lung condition, says the defence would mean she could get behind the wheel without having to plan out the medicine that makes her "feel normal".

"It plays on my mind if I have to go anywhere," the 73-year-old from Ballina in northern NSW told AAP.

"Tomorrow, I have to drive to the Gold Coast, so I'm thinking I won't be able to have the (cannabis) oil tonight."

Her son James, a demolition company supervisor, resorts to medication other than cannabis oil to treat his epilepsy unless he is certain he won't be driving in the coming days.

"It's very difficult when you know you might get pulled over and therefore lose your job," Mrs Dunster said.

Roadside drug testing in NSW looks for the presence of ecstasy, cocaine, methamphetamine or the psychoactive component of cannabis, THC.

Unlike breath testing for alcohol, the law ignores the drug's impact on driving and in the case of cannabis, whether it has been prescribed as a medicine.

Those caught face three months off the road and a $603 fine while repeat offenders are liable for automatic licence disqualifications.

No other prescription drug is unfairly penalised in this way by law enforcement, Legalise Cannabis MP Jeremy Buckingham said.

"The issue here is that cannabis remains detectable long after any impairment to driving has ceased," Mr Buckingham said.

"These unfair laws are specifically harsh for those in regional, rural and outer suburban areas where public transport is simply not an option."

While THC-free cannabis oils are available, Mrs Dunster said they cost about twice as much per dose.

New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Germany were among the jurisdictions with exemptions for cannabis oil patients without any apparent problems, University of Sydney psychopharmacology professor Iain McGregor said.

"This (NSW proposal) would simply put the legislative approach with medicinal cannabis on an even foot with other prescription drugs that have the capacity to impair driving," he said in a statement.

A similar bill introduced by Legalise Cannabis MPs in Victoria is currently before that state's upper house.

© AAP 2023

Climate change is causing an increase in extreme weather events and Australia is on the frontline, doctors warn.

A group representing more than 100,000 doctors on Wednesday issued a joint statement calling for Australia to better prepare for the next climate disaster.

"We, as medical experts, are very concerned that Australian healthcare systems remain unprepared to handle extreme weather events that may be just around the corner," they said.

The group said Australia's healthcare system has started to grapple with climate risks to health and health systems.

Australia's first national health and climate strategy is being developed to ensure the health system can cope, but the doctors want urgent action.

"GPs across Australia, and the world, are seeing the health impacts of climate change every day," Dr Kate Wylie, a member of the group, said.

"It is a health emergency, and our elected leaders need to act urgently."

Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists president Dr Elizabeth Moore said as well as providing immediate support, mental health care must be included in long-term disaster planning.

The World Meteorological Organisation recently declared an El Nino and Australia's Bureau of Meteorology says there is a 70 per cent chance of an El Nino developing here this year.

An El Nino event increases the risk of deadly heatwaves, bushfires and drought.

The broad coalition of doctors are calling on Australian governments to urgently ensure the planned strategy is properly resourced and signed off by national cabinet in time to be effective this coming summer.

The medical experts said the new strategy must do more than just reduce health sector emissions, as it also needs to build stronger, healthier communities that can withstand climate change.

Royal Australasian College of Physicians president Jacqueline Small said the strategy will help save lives.

But local communities need to know that if a climate event occurs, they are going to be able to get timely and effective healthcare - next week, next month, or next year, she said.

Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists environmental sustainability chair Dr Kristine Barnden said the choices made today will lock in health outcomes for generations to come.

"Children have the right to be born into a safe environment with a stable climate," she said.

© AAP 2023