Category: Australian News

The foreshadowing of a package for the arts and entertainment industry by the PM is welcome, but the devil will be in the detail, the Greens say.
Greens Spokesperson for the Arts Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said the arts and entertainment industry has been pleading for Government intervention for months.
“The Prime Minister likes his sport, I hope today’s reports are a sign he’s starting to recognise the arts and entertainment sector is important too. But the devil will be in the detail,” Senator Hanson-Young said.
“The arts and entertainment industry was effectively shut down overnight as the first of the social distancing restrictions came in back in March. Finally, some three months later, the PM has now checked his blind spot and started talking about the need for specific industry assistance.
“Backing Australian artists and the entertainment industry is backing Australian jobs and Australian-made products. It’s a no-brainer for the community, jobs and the economy.
“There is a real opportunity here to simulate the economy, put people back into work and create new jobs, not just in arts and entertainment but our hospitality and tourism industries too.
“The Greens have been pushing for a $2.3 billion package to get our artists, musicians, writers, creators, and crews back producing content for our screens, theatres, live music venues, festivals and galleries. Supporting the big players in the industry won’t be enough, there must be help across the board, in our cities and our regions.
“If the government doesn’t come up with the goods, the Greens will move in Parliament next week, to fix the problem.
“Artists, entertainers and creatives have been out in the cold far too long. It’s time the Government gave back to an industry that gives so much to us – our economy, culture and social fabric.”

Chair of the Senate Inquiry into Press Freedoms, Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, has vowed to look at the treatment of the press covering the protests in America after a shocking attack by police in Washington DC on a 7 News Australia crew.
“Police and riot squads punching and assaulting journalists who are doing their jobs is simply unacceptable. We have seen footage not just of Australian press being treated this way but local media who have been arrested, shot with rubber bullets, tear gassed and bashed by police across America,” Senator Hanson-Young said.
“It’s wrong when it’s happening in Hong Kong and it’s wrong when it’s happening in America.
“Here in Australia we are not immune with police raids on journalists and state and federal governments cracking down on the democratic right to protest, perpetuating a dangerous culture of government shutting down dissent.
“A free press is essential for democracy. This shocking violence towards the media in the USA is an attack on press freedom everywhere.
“A free and open democracy depends on its citizens having access to information and independent reporting of events, activists and behaviour of Government and authorities.”
“As Chair of the Inquiry, I’ll be asking the Committee to look at what has occurred in the US towards the press and what Australia’s response has been.”

Labor today called on the Federal Government to lift the cap on the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme for first home buyers who build new homes.
This will help save the jobs of tradies and help more Australians purchase their first home.
Work in the housing construction industry is about to fall off a cliff and estimates by the Master Builders Association indicate 450,000 tradies jobs could be at risk if the government doesn’t act.
Labor has been calling on the government for 5 weeks for a National Housing Stimulus program to save thousands of jobs.
History shows that stimulating housing has been central to the national recovery from economic shock.
The First Home Loan Deposit Scheme currently assists 10,000 first home buyers each financial year to purchase a home with a deposit of as little as five per cent without the need to purchase mortgage insurance.
According to the Minister for Housing, in the first six months of operation the scheme is likely to be fully subscribed and most of the assistance will be provided to first home buyers to purchase existing homes.
We need to provide more support for the construction of new housing to help keep tradies working and off the dole queue.
Labor is therefore calling for the cap to be lifted on the Scheme  for first home buyers who build new homes (subject to the existing income and price caps).
The existing cap of 10,000 would remain in place for first homeowners purchasing existing homes.
This will encourage the construction of more new homes, keep more tradies in work, and increase the nations’ housing stock.
The Master Builders Association, Housing Industry Association and the Urban Development Institute of Australia have all warned the Federal Government that the housing construction industry is about to go off a cliff and have called for an expansion of the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme.
Almost one million people work in the housing construction industry.
Before COVID-19 hit between 171,000 to 160,000 homes were expected to be built this year.  Now it is predicted to be as low as 100,000.
To help fill this gap Labor has already called on the Government to:

1. work with state governments, the private sector and superannuation funds to invest in more social and affordable housing and the repair and maintenance existing social housing; and
2. build more affordable rental housing for the true heroes of the COVID-19 crisis – nurses, cleaners, aged care workers, supermarket workers, bus drivers, and other front-line workers – closer to where they work.

Lifting the cap of the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme for first home buyers who build new homes is another important measure which should form part of a National Housing Stimulus Plan.
The government needs to stop delaying and help save the jobs of thousands of Aussie tradies.

The Morrison Government’s economic response to the Coronavirus crisis is providing $259 billion or 13.3 per cent of GDP in support for workers, households and business.
The position of strength from which we entered the crisis together with this unprecedented support has seen the Australian economy perform better than almost every developed economy in the world.
In April, the Government indicated that it would provide an update on the economic and fiscal outlook in June.
Since then, Australia’s continued success in flattening the curve means we have been able to begin reopening our economy more quickly than initially expected.
Treasury has also since commenced its review of the JobKeeper program, which is not expected to be concluded until the end of June.
As a result, the Government has taken the decision to defer the economic and fiscal update to 23 July 2020, so that it can incorporate the outcomes of the JobKeeper review.
Delivering the update in July will also enable the economic and fiscal outlook to take account of progress made under the three step plan outlined by National Cabinet in early May which had the objective of seeing a sustainable COVID safe Australia in July 2020.
The Government will continue to provide updates on the fiscal position through the release of the Australian Government General Government Sector Monthly Financial Statements.

Today’s ABS Household data survey provides further confirmation that the impacts of COVID crisis are falling disproportionately to women. The Greens are calling on the National Cabinet to ensure that addressing these disparities is at the forefront of any recovery plans.
The ABS results reveal that women are almost three times as likely as men to have looked after their children full-time on their own during the crisis.
The ABS results also confirm reliance on unpaid care work, with one in eight adults taking on additional caring responsibilities for a vulnerable person outside their household because of Covid-19.
Greens Senate Leader and Spokesperson on Women, Senator Larissa Waters, said:
“The health and economic crisis highlights the unequal burden of unpaid care work that has long been carried by women. As we plan our recovery, we must look at better ways to acknowledge the value of care work and give families more options to fairly distribute caring responsibilities.
“Universal free childcare and more flexible workplace arrangements are an essential part of that.”
“The government must invest in recovery in ways that address gender inequality”
Read the ABS’ Household Impacts of COVID-19 Survey here:
https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/4940.0

The Greens have criticised the Morrison Government’s plans for a stacked inquiry into domestic and family violence, saying more funding is needed for frontline services, not another inquiry which is designed to endorse the government’s inadequate response to the national crisis.
Greens Senate Leader and Spokesperson on Women, Senator Larissa Waters, said:
“Setting up another inquiry is pretty insulting when this Government continues to ignore the findings of previous domestic violence inquiries, and two weeks ago colluded with Labor to shut down a Senate DV inquiry months early with no hearings or recommendations.
“Countless inquiries into DV have been held and the Morrison government keeps ignoring the recommendations.
“With 23 women killed by violence in Australia so far this year, it’s time the government took action and properly funded frontline services so no survivor is turned away.”
“Sending this urgent issue to another inquiry, to a Committee which is government-dominated and excludes the Senate, shows the Government is desperate to sing its own praises because nobody else is.
“The Government has allocated just $150 million from the $1.1 billion package to addressing domestic and family violence – that is pittance when violence is at epidemic levels.
“This Government should not expect praise for promising miniscule funding increases that do not meet increased service demand and withholding the billions needed for effectively tackling domestic and family violence.
“The proposed terms of reference also ignore the difficulties many women experience in accessing the justice system. The Government must examine the legal impediments to safety, including the inadequacy of funding to the legal assistance sector which is making the situation worse for women suffering violence.
“Despite concerns regarding this latest inquiry, the Greens welcomed news that the Women’s Safety Council will continue under the National Cabinet, and called on the government to prioritise coordination and resources to respond to the national crisis of violence against women. “

Construction will start this year on the around $11 billion Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport rail, locking in thousands of jobs and providing a long-term economic boost to the Western Sydney and New South Wales economies during the COVID-19 recovery.
Under a new agreement between the Morrison and Berejiklian governments, a further $3.5 billion will be injected into the project, which will service the greater Western Sydney region, in time for the opening of Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport in 2026.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the investment was a further demonstration of the Coalition’s commitment to transforming Western Sydney into an economic and jobs powerhouse.
“It also demonstrates our partnership approach to creating jobs with the New South Wales Government. Working with state governments on bringing forward and investing even more in major infrastructure projects is central to our JobMaker plan to restore our economy,” the Prime Minister said.
“The new Metro and the new airport will deliver billions of dollars and thousands of jobs to Western Sydney, while establishing the infrastructure needed now and into the future.
“Construction is already well underway on the airport, and later this year works will start on this new Metro service which will link the suburbs of Western Sydney to the rest of Sydney.
“Getting work started on this project and many other infrastructure projects across New South Wales and Australia is critical to my government’s JobMaker program as we rebuild the economy during COVID-19.
“Late last year we agreed to bring forward $4.2 billion worth of infrastructure investment across Australia to secure jobs and support the national economy, and we continue to look at further opportunities to accelerate projects in all states and territories.”
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport was a key part of the state’s record $100 billion infrastructure pipeline.
“Now more than ever we need projects that provide jobs to support families and this project is major economic stimulus right in the heart of western Sydney,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“This project is moving forward, through the hard work that has been carried out by the Federal, New South Wales and local governments over the past year.
“The opportunities this mega project will provide are vital as our economy recovers from the financial impact of the COVID-19.”
The Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport includes six proposed metro railway stations, including:

• Two stations within the airport site, at the airport terminal and at the airport business park;
• A station serving the commercial heart of the Western Sydney Aerotropolis;
• A station at St Marys, interchanging with the existing suburban railway station and connecting customers with the rest of Sydney’s rail system;
• A station at Orchard Hills; and
• A station at Luddenham to service a future education, innovation and commercial precinct.

Federal Minister for Population, Cities and Urban Infrastructure Alan Tudge said Western Sydney residents will reap the benefits of this investment well before the first train leaves the station.
“This project will support 14,000 jobs, bringing new opportunities for the people of Western Sydney, closer to home.”
“It represents an economic stimulus in the middle of Western Sydney, supporting jobs for electricians, carpenters, plumbers, tunnellers, surveyors, crane and forklift operators and truck drivers.
NSW Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said supporting the airport and Aerotropolis is a key part of the Western Sydney City Deal, a 20-year agreement signed in March 2018 by the Commonwealth Government, NSW Government, and eight Western Sydney councils.
“The Metro Western Sydney Airport project will be a game-changer for the region, providing the backbone for the economic and broader development,” Mr Ayres said.
NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance says the new line will service greater Western Sydney and the new Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport.
“This new metro railway line will become the transport spine for the region, connecting travellers from the new airport to the rest of Sydney’s public transport system.”
The Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport is being funded on an equal joint basis by the Commonwealth and New South Wales governments under the Western Sydney City Deal.
The $5.3 billion Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport is being fully funded by the Commonwealth Government.

Australians with asthma and multiple myeloma will have broader access to life changing medicines as a result of expanded medicines listings on Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) from 1 June 2020.
The listing of Symbicort® (containing budesonide and formoterol) will now be available at PBS prices for adolescent and adult patients with mild asthma.
Symbicort will be available in two strengths of inhaler, Symbicort Turbuhaler® 200/6, and Symbicort Rapihaler® 100/3.
Asthma is a common chronic condition, and can become serious, especially if untreated. Almost 400 Australians die from asthma each year.
This medicine has previously been available for patients with more severe forms of asthma.
This expanded listing is estimated to provide new treatment options for over 170,000 patients with milder forms of asthma each year.
Patients would pay around $137 per year without subsidised access through the PBS. They will now pay as little as $6.60 per script with a concession card.
Patients with more severe forms of asthma will also benefit from the listing of a new pre-filled self-administered autoinjector pen, from 1 June.
The Nucala® pre-filled pen will be an important new treatment option for patients suffering from severe eosinophilic asthma, allowing them to self-administer their treatment at home avoiding the need to travel or attend a clinic to receive their monthly treatment.
Over 1,400 patients per year access Nucala® through the PBS and may benefit from the listing of Nucala® pre-filled pen. Without subsidy they would pay over $20,000 per year for treatment.
The listing of Revlimid® (lenalidomide) on the PBS Highly Specialised Drugs Program will also be expanded, to allow use in combination with Velcade® (bortezomib) and dexamethasone for previously untreated multiple myeloma.
Multiple myeloma is a type of blood cancer that develops from plasma cells in the bone marrow.
It is estimated up to 2,300 patients may benefit from this listing each year, which might otherwise cost more than $64,000 per course of treatment.
Additionally, new PBS listings are being introduced for smaller maximum quantities of medicines for the treatment of short-term acute pain following surgery or injury.
The revised listings form part of a broader suite of measures to support appropriate use of opioids. These include education and awareness campaigns, changes to clinical guidelines and a national real-time prescription monitoring system.
Since 2013, the Australian Government has approved more than 2,350 new or amended listings on the PBS.
This represents an average of around 30 listings or amendments per month – or one each day – at an overall investment by the Government of $11.5 billion.
The Government’s commitment to ensuring that Australians can access affordable medicines, when they need them, remains rock solid.
All new medicines listings on the PBS are about saving and protecting lives.

The National Cabinet met today to further discuss Australia’s current COVID-19 response, easing restrictions in the coming months, helping Australians prepare to go back to work in a COVID-Safe environment and getting the economy moving again.
The Chief Medical Officer, Professor Brendan Murphy, provided an update on the measures underway, the latest data and medical advice in relation to COVID-19.
There have been over 7,100 confirmed cases in Australia and sadly 103 people have died. There are now less than 500 active cases in Australia, and over the past week, daily infection rates have remained low. Testing remains high, with more than 1.37 million tests undertaken in Australia.
We need to continue to have the right controls in place to test more people, trace those who test positive and respond to local outbreaks when they occur. These are precedent conditions to enable Australia to relax baseline restrictions and enable Australians to live and work in a COVID-19 safe economy.
National Cabinet again encouraged Australians to download the COVIDSafe app to ensure that we can protect Australians and continue to ease baseline restrictions.
More than 6.1 million Australians have already downloaded the COVIDSafe app. This is an enormous achievement but more is needed.
National Cabinet will meet again on Friday 12 June 2020.
Review of Restrictions
On 8 May 2020, National Cabinet approved the 3-Step Framework for a COVIDSafe Australia and agreed to a minimum of three weeks between implementation of each step of the framework. Movement into subsequent steps will be informed by monitoring for any evidence of increases in transmission or outbreaks, increased pressure on the health system, testing or personal protective equipment demand, demands on the public health response to cases and community adherence and acceptance of these measures.
The number of new cases has remained low, and we have responded effectively to localised outbreaks. We’ve made economic and social gains – with businesses starting to open back up, people getting back to work, and friends and families getting back together.
The AHPPC has advised that there has been continued progress on meeting the majority of precedent conditions under the Pandemic Health Intelligence Plan to enable restrictions to be removed under the 3 Step COVID-Safe Australia. The precedent conditions include access to PPE, testing rates, use of the COVIDSafe App.
While it is still too early to determine the success of our measures – but the initial signs are very positive.
All states and territories have reduced transmission, enabling Step 1 conditions to be established. Some jurisdictions have been able to move further than Step 1 due to their local conditions. Successfully removing restrictions under Step 1 is estimated to return 250,000 jobs and increase economic activity by $3.1 billion.
Given the success of the health system in reducing transmission, states and territories now have plans in place to move to Step 2 conditions under a COVIDSafe Australia 3 Step Framework in June 2020. This will allow most businesses to reopen with physical distancing, hygiene and COVID Safe work plans. It is estimated that Step 2 will return an additional $3 billion in economic activity and 275,000 jobs to the workforce.
National Cabinet noted further updated AHPPC advice – including updated modelling, the Australian National Disease Surveillance Plan for COVID-19 and advice on use of masks.
National Health Reform Agreement
National Cabinet has finalised the 2020-2025 National Health Reform Agreement.
Under the Agreement the Commonwealth will invest an estimated $131.4 billion in demand driven public hospital funding to improve health outcomes for all Australians and ensure the sustainability of our health system now and into the future.
The new Agreement also includes a commitment by all Australian governments to a shared long-term vision for health reform, at a time when shared investment and coordination in health has never been more important.
Principles for Public Transport operations
National Cabinet agreed that public transport services are the responsibility of the states and territories, and that it was important to continue to work together to ensure services can continue to run as safely as possible for both the workforce and passengers.
To support this effort, National Cabinet endorsed principles approved by the AHPPC which will help manage the health and safety of workers and passengers on public transport networks.
The principles outline the responsibility passengers must take when traveling on public transport including not travelling when feeling unwell, maintaining physical distance from drivers and other passengers, and avoiding handling cash.
Under the principles, public transport users are not required to wear masks but may do so on a voluntary basis.
The principles should be considered alongside Work Health and Safety requirements, public health advice and other advice jurisdictions provide in relation to mass gatherings, including on public transport.
National Cabinet agreed that the principles will be reviewed as governments progress through the three-step plan to take into account any emerging challenges or innovative solutions, or as interactions with international travel start to be considered.
The principles can be found at: https://www.health.gov.au/committees-and-groups/australian-health-protection-principal-committee-ahppc
National Cabinet
National Cabinet has agreed to the formation of the National Federation Reform Council and the cessation of the COAG model.
National Cabinet has worked effectively to respond to COVID-19. The new National Federation Reform Council agreed to by Premiers, Chief Ministers and the Prime Minister, will change the way the Commonwealth and states and territories effectively and productively work together to address new areas of reform.
The National Cabinet will be driven by an initial single agenda – to create jobs. A job making agenda.
By any measure, National Cabinet has proven to be a much more effective body for taking decisions in the national interest than the COAG structure.
At the centre of the National Federation Reform Council will be National Cabinet.
National Cabinet will continue to meet regularly and will be briefed directly by experts such as the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee.
Initial reform areas will be agreed by National Cabinet.
During the COVID-19 period, National Cabinet will continue to meet every two weeks. In the future, these meetings will take place once a month.
The Council on Federal Financial Relations (CFFR), which is essentially a meeting of all Treasurers, will report to National Cabinet. CFFR will take responsibility for all funding agreements including National Partnership Agreements.
Important taskforces will continue in areas that are critical to our National Agenda. The taskforce on women’s safety and domestic violence will continue their critical work, as will the Indigenous affairs taskforce with a particular focus on Closing the Gap.
Once a year, National Cabinet, CFFR and the Australian Local Government Association will meet in person as the National Federation Reform Council with a focus on priority national federation issues such as Closing the Gap and Women’s Safety.
This new model will streamline processes and avoid endless meetings that do not result in action. This is a congestion busting process that will get things done with a single focus on creating jobs.
This is an exciting new agenda for our federation and is about rebuilding confidence to get Australians back into work.
Further details of the National Federation Reform Council and consolidation and reset of the Ministerial Forums and Ministerial Regulatory Councils will be reviewed by National Cabinet.

Public hospitals across the country will have record funding for the next five years after all states and territories signed onto the Morrison Government’s new health reform agreement.
This record funding agreement will deliver more doctors, more nurses and more services across public hospitals in every state and territory.
This commitment ensures the Australian health system remains stable and nationally coordinated, particularly throughout this unprecedented time.
Overall, the Commonwealth will invest an estimated $131.4 billion in demand driven public hospital funding to improve health outcomes for all Australians and ensure the sustainability of our health system now and into the future.
The new 2020‑25 National Health Reform Agreement provides an estimated $31.4 billion in additional funding to public hospitals over five years from 2020–21. This is in addition to the over $8 billion health investment by the Commonwealth during the COVID-19 response.
As part of the new Agreement, the Morrison Government has provided a funding guarantee to all states and territories to ensure no jurisdiction is left worse off as a result of the COVID‑19 pandemic, and guarantees the Commonwealth’s funding contribution for public hospitals over the next five years.
This guarantee is critical to ensuring state and territory governments can continue to deliver safe and effective public hospital services for all Australians, especially when all Australian governments are working to respond to the COVID‑19 pandemic.
Under this Agreement, a small number of very sick children across Australia will receive lifesaving, high cost therapies such as immunotherapy, to reduce and rid cancer from their body, free of charge.
Commonwealth and states have agreed to jointly fund this cancer treatment. Without this support patients could pay around $500,000 per treatment for cancer immunotherapy.
States are also funded to deliver more flexible care, including hospital care in the home, to give patients care where and when they need it.
This will include rehabilitation after a stroke in the home. This provides better long term outcomes for patients. It will help many Australians with approximately 50,000 strokes occurring per year.
This agreement also builds on the collaboration between the Commonwealth and the states in responding to COVID-19.
New funding arrangements under the Agreement mean people with some of the rarest conditions will have better access to new innovative life-saving high-cost therapies in public hospitals around the country.
Importantly, the Agreement strengthens all governments’ commitment to ensuring equitable access to public hospitals for all Australians by removing incentives that can lead to the preferential treatment of private patients.
The new Agreement also includes a commitment by all Australian governments to a shared long-term vision for health reform, at a time when shared investment and coordination in health has never been more important.
The reforms aim to make it easier to provide flexible, high-quality care that meets the needs and preferences of Australians, and reduces pressure on hospitals.
Through this Agreement, we will ensure Australia’s health system continues to be one of the best in the world, delivering the best possible health outcomes for Australians.
State and territory funding breakdown

• The Australian Government funding contribution for public hospital services in New South Wales is estimated to grow substantially to an estimated $40.1 billion over the next five years, delivering an additional $9.3 billion in funding.
• The Australian Government funding contribution for public hospital services in Victoria is estimated to grow substantially to an estimated $32.4 billion over the next five years, delivering an additional $7.3 billion in funding.
• The Australian Government funding contribution for public hospital services in Queensland is estimated to grow substantially to an estimated $30.1 billion under the new agreement, delivering an additional $8.4 billion in funding.
• The Australian Government funding contribution for public hospital services in Western Australia is estimated to grow substantially to an estimated $14.1 billion over the next five years, delivering an additional $3.4 billion in funding.
• The Australian Government funding contribution for public hospital services in South Australia is estimated to grow substantially to an estimated $7.8 billion, delivering an additional $1.3 billion in funding.
• The Australian Government funding contribution for public hospital services in Tasmania is estimated to grow substantially to an estimated $2.4 billion under the new agreement, delivering an additional $400 million in funding.
• The Australian Government funding contribution for public hospital services in the Northern Territory is estimated to grow substantially to an estimated $2.0 billion over five years to 2024-25, delivering an additional $707 million in funding.

The Australian Government funding contribution for public hospital services in the Australian Capital Territory is estimated to grow substantially to $2.5 billion in funding, delivering an additional $598 million in funding.