Category: Australian News

Labor welcomes the Prime Minister’s concession today that Teddy Sheean is a war hero fit to be awarded a Victoria Cross (VC).
Today’s outcome is the correct decision. Teddy showed extraordinary bravery, sacrificing his own life to save and protect his comrades.
The Defence Honours and Awards Appeals Tribunal (DHAAT), Teddy’s family and supporters, our veteran community and all Tasmanians can all be proud that they did not give up on this fight to finally see justice for Teddy.
But it should not have taken a review of a review to do the right thing.
Earlier this year, the Minister for Defence told the Senate:
“…the government’s view is that the 2019 review by the tribunal did not present any compelling new evidence that might support reconsideration of the valour inquiry’s recommendation. That is also my view, and that is also the view of Defence.”
But we know the independent DHAAT – the most appropriate body to make such recommendations – already found new evidence and recommended that Teddy be awarded a posthumous VC.
There was never any ambiguity in the evidence they found as the Prime Minister has suggested in his announcement today.
The Prime Minister’s backflip comes only now, even after:

• The independent DHAAT unanimously recommending Teddy be awarded a posthumous VC following its 2019 review;
• His own Minister for Defence Personnel was in support of this decision to award Sheean a posthumous VC;
• The Chair of the DHAAT felt compelled to write to the Minister for Defence, forcing her to correct the record because she got the facts so profoundly wrong and saying she had misled the Senate;
• There already being a review, which Mr Morrison responded to by initiating another review of a review on this issue;
• Mr Morrison explaining one of the reasons for not recommending a VC for Teddy was he didn’t want to offend the Queen;
• More time and money has been wasted, with this process costing the taxpayer more than $62,000 for his own personal review panel.

Labor congratulates Teddy’s family and their fellow Tasmanians who campaigned so strongly to recognise Teddy’s bravery in the way he deserves.

Labor is calling on the Morrison Government to ensure MPs who cannot attend Federal Parliament because of COVID-19 can still contribute to debate via videolink.
The Chief Medical Officer has provided advice that Victorian MPs who want to attend Parliament will need to isolate at home or in the ACT for 14 days before sittings begin.
Labor does not dispute the medical advice but it clearly means many Victorian MPs, particularly those with caring or family responsibilities, will not be able to attend.
The Government must therefore ensure those MPs can still participate – and represent their constituents – by giving speeches, and asking and answering questions.
It has never been more important for Victorians to have their say in our Parliament. Given the medical advice, allowing Victorian MPs to contribute to debate via videolink will ensure the Victorian people can continue to have their voices heard.
For weeks Labor has been calling on the Government to put in place the arrangements that would allow Parliament to resume on August 24.
That’s why we called for a bipartisan working group with House of Representatives Speaker Tony Smith and Senate President Scott Ryan to ensure sittings could proceed.
It is disappointing Mr Morrison sought his own advice from the CMO before the working group had an opportunity to determine whether other protocols may have been possible. The working group was productive and cooperative.
Proper parliamentary scrutiny of the Morrison Government should not be a casualty of the coronavirus pandemic – particularly as it engages in the biggest spending program in Australian history.
The cancellation of Parliament should always be a last resort.
While Australians are adjusting the way they do their work or run their business to be COVID safe, it is fair that they expect their Parliament to keep working in their interests during this crisis.
 

The Greens have written to  the Prime Minister requesting that he urgently update the terms of reference for the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety to examine the impact of profit-making corporations on the provision and quality of aged care services.
The Greens say it is a scandal that private aged care providers are making mega-profits while failing to protect their residents from the coronavirus with the sector raking in $1.7 billion in profit in the 2018-19 financial year, at the same time as many not-for-profit providers are struggling with chronic underfunding.
A survey by accounting firm StewartBrown found that in March 2020 almost two thirds of aged care providers were operating at a loss, more than at the same time the previous year and part of a continuing trend where financial viability is bringing about pressure on quality of care and the viability of services. The situation is even more challenging in rural and remote areas, leaving these older Australians particularly vulnerable.
The Greens are also calling for the inclusion in the October Budget of an urgent $3 billion investment in aged care to increase hours of care, increase the staff to resident ratios and ensure a minimum of at least one registered nurse is rostered on 24/7 in each facility.
Greens Leader, Adam Bandt said:
“It is time to rethink the privatisation of aged care.”
“Privatisation and deregulation, driven by thirty years of neoliberal ideology, have produced a perfect storm of a casualised workforce and substandard service, and it is causing heartache for residents and their families.”
“Big corporations are profiting from the misery of their residents and the failure to protect their workforce. Worse, the public is subsidising these big corporations’ mega-profits while standards of care keep slipping.”
“The Prime Minister must act. After the problems in NSW early in the Covid crisis and now in Victoria, the government is on notice that privatisation is failing older people and residents in aged care facilities across the country are particularly vulnerable,” Bandt said.
Greens spokesperson on Aged Care, Senator Rachel Siewert said:
“There must be an immediate injection of $3 billion dollars into aged care to ensure adequate nursing and staff to resident ratios ensuring proper levels of care for residents. The PM must also update the terms of reference of the Royal Commission to look at the impact of profit making corporations on this aged care scandal.”
“The next step is to implement recommendations designed to end clinical failures identified by many including a Senate inquiry in April 2019.”
“The government had plenty of time to act before Covid arrived to overwhelm a system that we already knew was failing our vulnerable older people and their families. Now they have no excuses.”
“It is an absolute scandal that while the taxpayer is propping up the giant profits of corporations,  residents and workers are not being properly protected from the coronavirus,” Siewert said.
Source quoted: https://www.stewartbrown.com.au/images/documents/StewartBrown_-_Aged_Care_Financial_Performance_Survey_Sector_March_2020.pdf

The Greens have welcomed a new report from the Grattan Institute today, Cheaper childcare: A practical plan to boost female workforce participation, which illustrates that government investment to lower the cost of early learning will improve gender equity and opportunities for women’s financial independence.
Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Greens spokesperson on Education, said:
“Expensive childcare has held Australian women back for far too long. The reality is that child-rearing in Australia is highly gendered, and it’s women who lose independence and income when decisions have to be made about who will stay home.
“Government should invest in early learning and make it fee-free for all. This will benefit women, and it will benefit the whole community.
“Early learning and care should be recognised as a critical part of a child’s development, and funded as such by the government.
“It should be fee-free so every family can access it without barriers. It is an essential service,” she said.
Senator Larissa Waters, Greens Senate Leader and spokesperson on Women, said:
“This report confirms what women have been saying for years: childcare in Australia is unaffordable and inaccessible, and mothers, more often than not, are paying the price.
“It also highlights that fairer parental leave and workplace flexibility for both parents are needed to give families more choices when juggling caring responsibilities.
“But instead of looking at these options, the Liberal government is trying to force women back into the kitchen.
“Women are bearing the worst economic impacts from Covid, losing more jobs or hours of work than men, and performing a much higher care load.
“And our Treasurer’s response is to tell the women of Australia to have more babies to boost the economy.
“You want a real economic stimulus? Help women return to work by making childcare permanently free and making it easier for parents to share care.”

Today’s Aged Care Employee Day is a timely opportunity to thank all aged care workers for their outstanding devotion to senior Australians in care.
Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians Richard Colbeck said there has never been a more difficult time to work in aged care.
“The impact of COVID-19 in Victoria and New South Wales particularly has been simply tragic and devastating,” he said,
“The commitment of everyone working in the aged care sector throughout our nation has never been so vital.
“It’s important we promote and recognise excellence across the diverse and dynamic fields of endeavour in the age services sector.
“The passion and achievements of organisations, teams and individuals in the service of senior Australians is paramount as we work to increase community involvement in aged care and services.”
Minister Colbeck encouraged all Australian to reflect on the dedication and sense of duty of aged care workers.
“They devote themselves to the care of our loved ones, each and every day,” he said.
“Aged care employees deserve our gratitude and can be assured that their work is highly valued.”

The Greens are calling on the South Australian Government to guarantee the state won’t lose a single gigalitre of water allocated to it under the Murray-Darling Basin Plan after a feasibility study into SA’s desalination plant showed the Liberal Party was gearing up to cut SA’s allocation.
Greens Spokesperson for Water Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:
“The feasibility study – released more than a year after it was conducted – shows the Liberals have been gearing up to cut SA’s River Murray allocation permanently.
“Cutting SA’s water would be devastating for our river system, environment and our community’s water supply. The South Australian Government must rule out any moves in this direction, immediately.
“A reduction in water flowing over the border risks the health of the entire river system. Cuts to South Australia’s allocation is bad news for the environmental health of the Murray-Darling from top to bottom.
“Has Minister Speirs forgotten he is the representative for South Australia’s water and environment, not big upstream irrigators?
“The study shows the desal plant is not effective, not good for South Australia, not good for taxpayers and not good for the environment.
“Not only will it never be a substitute for water flowing down the river, it is outrageously expensive to run. The desal plant will cost taxpayers in the vicinity of 40 times the market value of water.
“This would make Adelaide’s water the most expensive in the country, and we’d still have a dead river.
“The Federal Water Minister finally released the review in the Water for Fodder program today too and together with the feasibility study it’s clear a second round of this program should be ruled out.
“The Greens will move to disallow the Water for Fodder Program in the Senate when the Parliament sits later this month. SA’s water supply needs to be protected, and we cannot afford to lose 60GL more, so upstream farmers can get some water. It puts the whole river system in jeopardy and will cost taxpayers an absolute fortune.”

Greens Leader Adam Bandt says today’s announcement that the government will expand JobKeeper suggests lessons have not been learned from the first round of JobKeeper, meaning millions in need will continue to miss out.
“The Government has shown today how easy it is to expand eligibility,” Greens Leader, Adam Bandt, said today.
“While we welcome an expansion, this was surely an opportunity to fill the gaps that see millions of workers unfairly missing out on JobKeeper.
“The biggest lesson we’re learning from COVID-19 is that you can’t leave anyone behind. It’s important that we provide everyone with the support they need to be able to cope with this pandemic and ensure restrictions have the best chance of working.
“JobKeeper must be expanded to include childcare workers, casuals, university staff and workers on temporary visas.
Don’t cut the rate
“It’s also very concerning that the Liberal/Labor agreement to cut JobSeeker continues unabated. We can never return to supports below the poverty line, and the Greens are the only party pushing for it to be retained at $1,100 a fortnight,” Bandt said.

Following the introduction of stage four restrictions in metropolitan Melbourne and stage three restrictions across regional Victoria, the Morrison Government will help more businesses qualify for JobKeeper.
Key adjustments include:

• A change to the employee reference date – from 3 August 2020 the relevant date of employment for an eligible employee will move from 1 March to 1 July 2020, expanding employee eligibility.
• A change to the turnover reference period – to be eligible for JobKeeper post 28 September 2020, organisations will only have to demonstrate that their actual turnovers have significantly declined in the previous quarter.

As a result, organisations that are able to demonstrate a significant decline in turnover in the September 2020 quarter will be able to access the JobKeeper extension in the December quarter. An organisation able to demonstrate the requisite decline in turnover in the December 2020 quarter would be able to access the JobKeeper extension in the March 2021 quarter.
The combined effect of the economic deterioration in Victoria which will see more firms needing to rely on JobKeeper and the eligibility changes being made to the program will see the cost of JobKeeper increase by around $15.6 billion in 2020-21.
While these changes will apply nation-wide, it is expected that more than 80 per cent of the increased payments will flow to Victorian businesses and employees.
These changes, combined with a deterioration in the economy as a result of the stricter restrictions imposed in Victoria will see the total cost of the JobKeeper program increase to $101.3 billion.
It is now expected that around 4 million Australians will be benefiting from JobKeeper Payments at the end of the September quarter, falling to around 2.24 million in the December quarter and 1.75 million in the March 2021 quarter.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Government was doing whatever it took to save lives and save livelihoods.
“Australia is facing a situation that is constantly changing. Our response is to get the right support to all those Australian families, workers and businesses that need us, as these circumstances change,” the Prime Minister said.
“This means more support for more workers and more businesses for longer, as we battle this latest Victorian wave.”
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the introduction of stage four restrictions by the Victorian Government will have a severe economic impact on the Victorian and Australian economy.
“Already more than 270,000 businesses covering around 975,000 employees in Victoria are being supported by the Morrison Government’s JobKeeper Payment.”
“To help keep more businesses in business and Australians in jobs through this incredibly challenging period, the Government will ease the eligibility criteria to make it easier for organisations to qualify for the JobKeeper extension from 28 September 2020.”
“These change will add to the $15 billion the Morrison Government has already contributed to the Victorian economy through JobKeeper and small business CashFlow boost payments.”
Every arm of government is working to keep Australians in jobs and businesses in business.
The Morrison Government will continue to do what it takes to cushion the blow and help Australians get to the other side of the coronavirus crisis.

The Morrison Government’s $10million for Fox Sports to broadcast women’s and niche sports is part of its Covid Response Package, yet no extra funding has been given to the ABC or SBS during the pandemic, the Senate’s Covid Select Committee has heard today.
Under questioning from Greens Spokesperson for Media and Communications, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, the Department of Communications told the Committee the program which has already seen $30m given to Murdoch, was extended to help get women’s and niche sports broadcast once they’re back up and running.
“It’s extraordinary the government has tried to justify this corporate welfare by calling it a Covid response measure,” Senator Hanson-Young said.
“This is just another example of the Morrison Government using the pandemic to justify giving public money and free passes to their corporate donor mates.
“The public broadcasters should’ve been given this money so that taxpayers who can barely afford to eat and pay rent let alone subscribe to Fox Sports, could watch women’s and niche sports for free.
“The Department officials confirmed to me despite the enormous increase in traffic to the public broadcasters, no additional funding has been given to the ABC or SBS during Covid19.
“Giving $40m to Murdoch when the ABC is laying off staff and small and regional publishers across the country are closing up is a kick in the guts. The ABC, SBS and small and regional publishers have played a vital role in getting life-saving information into our communities during this pandemic.
“This program makes a mockery of the Morrison Government’s Covid response measures and should be cancelled or redirected to ABC and SBS.”

Greens Senator for South Australia Sarah Hanson-Young has called for South Australia to be included in the Federal Government’s Paid Pandemic Leave scheme, with ABS data revealing 186,000 South Australian workers have no leave entitlements.
Senator Hanson-Young has written to SA Premier Steven Marshall asking him to make the request to the PM to add the tool of paid pandemic leave to SA’s arsenal in the fight against Covid19.
“Prevention is always better than cure. Paid Pandemic Leave would help prevent a further health crisis, like that engulfing Victoria, from happening here in SA. Steven Marshall shouldn’t wait till SA is in a state of disaster, we need to act now,” Senator Hanson-Young said.
“Insecure work is spreading the coronavirus and with more than a quarter of the South Australian workforce having no paid leave entitlements, we are at risk of a second wave here.
“If people are sick, have symptoms or are waiting for the test results they must be able to afford to stay at home and take time off work. Paid leave for workers who is sick will help protect the rest of the community from further infection.
“80% of transmissions in Victoria occurred through the workplace. Paid leave could be the difference between South Australia continuing it’s relatively good run or a new outbreak.
“The PM should not be requiring states to wait until there’s thousands of infections like in Victoria before granting other states paid pandemic leave.
“Waiting until a state of disaster is declared in other states and territories is negligent. The PM should be offering support right now to help prevent the disaster from happening in the first place.
“These figures show that Scott Morrison’s unwillingness to grant paid pandemic leave across the board lifts the risk of another Victorian-style outbreak.
“Nationwide more than a million people are going to be pushed back to work without sick leave, which puts them at risk and jeopardises our nation’s social and economic recovery.
“Each one of those people risks having to decide whether that sore throat is worth cancelling the one shift they have that week. They’ll need to decide between following the health advice and keeping a roof over their heads, and we’ve seen in Victoria how that difficult decision leaves everyone worse off.
“The Greens were the first party to call for paid pandemic leave and we have a bill in Parliament to make it happen. Given the scale of the risk in virus-prone states and Scott Morrison’s unwillingness to act, the Greens will press ahead with our bill when Parliament resumes.”