Category: Australian News

The Abbott Turnbull Morrison Government has slashed average annual investment in the Barton Highway by more than 65 per cent in the last seven years.
Under the former Federal Labor Government, it averaged $5.4 million per year. Now, it stands at a meagre $1.7 million.
While funding for the Barton Highway keeps dropping under the Liberals and Nationals, traffic between Yass and Canberra, keeps going up.
Local residents should use the upcoming Eden-Monaro by-election to send Mr Morrison a clear message that his neglect of the electorate’s road infrastructure needs is not good enough.

 
The Barton Highway is used by 12,500 vehicles a day, including about 1000 trucks.
Mr Morrison should be working with the New South Wales Government to expedite the full duplication of the road.
This would not only improve road safety for motorists, but also boost economic productivity by expediting the movement of freight around the region.
Instead, the Liberals and Nationals are leaving the people of Yass behind.
Indeed, the Coalition has cut road investment in regional Australia and tried to conceal its cuts with promises of investment not due until years into the future.

The 100th GP-led respiratory clinic opens today in Mudgee, New South Wales, as part of the Australian Government’s $2.4 billion health response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Since the first GP-led respiratory clinics opened in Macquarie Park and Morayfield on the 21st March, more than 100 clinics have since opened around the country to assess and test patients with mild to moderate COVID-19-like symptoms, reducing pressure on hospital emergency departments and local general practices.
Clinics in Wodonga and Morwell in Victoria; and Hazelbrook in NSW also opened today.
Throughout Australia there are now 436 clinics operating nationwide that include:

• 102 GP led respiratory clinics funded by the Commonwealth
• 305 state fever clinics funded jointly by the Commonwealth and States
• 29 ADF clinics funded by the Commonwealth.

The clinics supplement a range of measures, including additional practice incentives and the expansion of telehealth, to enable the medical workforce to continue to care for Australians through the pandemic.
“While Australians and our wonderful health professionals have done an outstanding job of containing the virus so far, we need to be prepared for further cases,” Minister for Health, Greg Hunt said.
“With 100 GP-led respiratory clinics open across all states, with more on the way, we will be extremely well-prepared to stamp out any new outbreaks, wherever they occur.
“In collaboration with the states and territories, these clinics have been rolled out extremely fast since the initiative was announced on 11 March.
“This has only been possible because of the dedication and professionalism of our GPs, their staff and their representative organisations, all of whom deserve our thanks.”
Regional Health Minister, Mark Coulton said the clinics are helping to ensure rural patients with mild respiratory issues could see a doctor, without putting other patients at risk, almost half of the clinics are located in regional, rural or remote areas.
“Regional Australians are doing a brilliant job of protecting their communities by following the advice of experts, however if you have a fever, cough, sore throat or other respiratory symptoms, I urge you to make an appointment at one of these clinics to get tested,” he said.
“Regional people and communities must remain vigilant as we see the number of cases decline and continue to practice good hygiene and social distancing.
“It’s equally important that people keep appointments and continue to consult their doctor without delay if they have a non-COVID related health issues.
“I’ve convened regular roundtables to ensure our response recognises the unique challenges in rural and remote areas, and I acknowledge the work of the Rural Health Commissioner supporting local doctors to establish these GP clinics.
Included in the 100 operational clinics are nine Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service (ACCHS)-led clinics. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are significantly overrepresented in the high-risk categories for COVID-19 – including through a much higher burden of respiratory and other chronic diseases. A further seven ACCHS-led clinics are being offered contracts.
“It is critical that respiratory Clinics are easily accessible to ensure safe and culturally supportive screening and follow-up care management,” Minister Hunt said.
All Australians are encouraged to download the COVIDSafe app to improve tracing and help keep more people safe.
The respiratory clinics have thorough infection prevention and control protocols to minimise the risk of transmission of COVID-19. They provide assessments and testing for all people with symptoms to detect cases and allow them to be isolated as early as possible.
Patients attending a GP-led respiratory clinic should make a booking via the online booking system on health.gov.au or by phoning their nearest clinic.

The Greens have lodged a motion in the Senate to disallow parts of the Coronavirus Economic Response Package (Payments and Benefits) Amendment Rules (No. 2) 2020 that have the effect of excluding universities from accessing the JobKeeper wage subsidy.
The motion would only disallow provisions of the rules regarding JobKeeper eligibility for higher education providers, which extend the turnover calculation period from one to six months for universities and mandate that government funding be included in the calculations.
Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Australian Greens spokesperson for Education, said:
“Through multiple changes to the rules, universities have been targeted by this government and deliberately excluded from the JobKeeper wage subsidy scheme.
“30,000 jobs are on the line, with impacted staff in every corner of the country. The unfair treatment must end this week. Parliament has the opportunity to reject this malicious exclusion of universities.
“The government keeps shifting the goalposts and the madness has to stop. The failure to support universities through this crisis jeopardises not just our recovery but also our long-term future.
“I call on Labor and the crossbench to do the right thing and back this motion, which would potentially save jobs in every state and territory, and deliver much-needed support to our universities and their staff at this very difficult time.
“In addition to JobKeeper, universities need a dedicated rescue package to massively boost funding, save jobs and research, improve conditions and abolish fees,” she said.

Greens Spokesperson for the Environment Senator Sarah Hanson-Young responded to the Federal Government’s announcement of $150million for Bushfire Recovery for Species and Landscapes:
“This announcement is much more about trying to win a by-election than anything to do with helping the environment and wildlife.
“If the Government cared a bit more about protecting koalas than they do protecting their seats in parliament, we might have faith they have a plan for bushfire recovery.
“Environmental recovery after the catastrophic bushfires was always going to need much more than $50m and the government flagged more was coming, but this still isn’t enough. The Greens called for a $500m fighting fund for the environment in January when the fires were still burning, when we already knew more than a million animals had been lost and millions of hectares of habitat destroyed, yet it’s taken four months to get more than $50m.
“$50m was never going to cut it and $150m more now still won’t be enough especially when the government is going to allow more damage to the environment with salvage logging and cut to environmental protections.
“The Federal Government announced yesterday the bushfire recovery funding includes $15m for transporting salvaged logs. This is despite the science clearly showing salvage logging will be devastating to bushfire affected areas causing further disturbance to these ecosystems and hampering regeneration and recovery.
“So on the one hand the government says it is putting more money on the table for the environment but on the other hand, they are supporting salvage logging and planning to cut environmental protections.
“Attempting to win elections by suddenly remembering forgotten bushfire communities won’t fly. Australians care about the environment more than ever and they want it protected, not trashed in favour of the government’s big business mates.
“The Environment Minister should take another look at the policy and start doing the right thing by our native wildlife and environment before we’ve lost even more of it.”

The tireless work of Australia’s nurses – particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic – have been recognised by the Federal Government as part of International Nurses Day.
Minister for Health, Greg Hunt, said the virus emergency had created challenges for many, none were tougher than for our world-class health professionals working on the frontline.
Today, 12 May, marks the day one of the founders of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale, was born.
“Her pioneering work during the Crimean War focused on the importance of sanitation and hygiene including handwashing,” Minister Hunt said.
“These hygiene principles are now at the heart of Australia’s coronavirus response and we have seen it work.”
Minister Hunt said there are more than 390,000 nurses registered in Australia.
“Today is a day when all Australians should stand as one and applaud our amazing nurses,” he said.
Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians, Richard Colbeck, said more than 31,000 registered nurses and more than 18,000 enrolled nurses are working in aged care across Australia.
“Aged care nurses make up around 14 per cent of Australia’s total nursing workforce and care for more than 1.2 million senior Australians,” Minister Colbeck said.
“Nurses working in aged care lead multidisciplinary teams working in residential aged care facilities and the community.
“In particular, they are ensuring vital infection prevention and control processes are in place to better protect senior Australians in care from this virus.
“The nurses working across aged care are more important than ever.”
Minister for Regional Health, Mark Coulton, said more than 95,000 nurses work outside of Australia’s metropolitan areas — around 27 per cent of the total nursing workforce.
“Nurses are the lifeblood of small communities responding to increasingly complex health needs away from major hospitals,” Minister Coulton said.
“Rural nurses are highly skilled generalists that country communities rely on—often with reduced access to the clinical supports and assistance found in our cities.
“Whether in charge of a clinic or providing nursing care to outback patients, our nurses are valued and respected health professionals in rural, regional and remote communities.”
“Remote nursing organisation CRANAplus has provided important local insights throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure the government’s health response meets the needs of regional communities.”
The Australian Government recently provided $4.1 million to fund up to 20,000 new online education places so Registered Nurses (RNs) can further assist in the delivery of care in intensive care and high dependency units across Australia.
Additionally, an online refresher course to allow 3000 RNs who are not currently in clinical practice to update their knowledge to re-join the health workforce is also available.
“Together, we thank and acknowledge Australia’s extraordinary nurses for their ongoing commitment and dedication to deliver exceptional frontline health care during this unprecedented time,” Minister Coulton said.

The Greens will today launch their proposal for an economic stimulus package targeted at engaging the hundreds of thousands of artists and creatives who have lost their jobs during Covid-19, and the thousands more workers who have lost their jobs due to the flow on impact on hospitality and tourism.
The plan comprises three main elements including ‘Creating Australia’s Future’ which would see artists in residence in every school and library across the country, the ‘Billion Stories Fund’ to kick start our local screen industry prioritising Australian stories and children’s content, and ‘Australia Live’ which would inject funding into Australia’s festival, music and live performance sector.
Greens Spokesperson for the Arts Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:
“The arts and entertainment industry was one of the first to be hit by social distancing restrictions, it has suffered enormously throughout the lockdown and will be one of the last to recover.
“Yet, it has also been an industry so integral to helping Australians get through this crisis. Despite the job losses, social isolation and mental health problems, this anti-arts government has failed to recognise helping the industry to survive helps us all.
“The arts and entertainment industry will be absolutely vital to our economic recovery. Not only are other industries like tourism, hospitality and accommodation all going to benefit from its revival, but the sector is primed for stimulus. The industry can go in early and hard and put money into the pockets of workers who are in great need of an income and are going to spend what they earn. Without action, we stand to lose a generation of artists.
“The Green’s Create Australia plan is jobs rich and a funding commitment of $2.3 billion makes up less than 1% of what the Government has already spent on the Covid-19 response ($320 billion).
“The Morrison Government has a golden opportunity to enhance Australia’s sovereignty and cultural identity. Artists in Residence throughout our schools and libraries will be of enormous educational benefit to students and entire communities.
“Our screen production is world class and with Hollywood all but shut down we should be seizing the opportunity to create more Australian shows and films than ever. The decision by the Federal Government to let broadcasters out of their local content requirements was a kick in the guts to an industry on its knees, the Arts Minister must make amends.
“There can be no denying our arts and entertainment industry has been there for us during times of crisis and even during COVID-19 when many artists don’t even have an income, they’ve still stepped up to keep creating and connecting with community. If we are going to restore our social fabric we need to bring people back together through live performance, when it’s safe to do so, and that is going to take funding support. But it will be worth it as the return on investment from this sector will be enormous and in more ways than one.”
BACKGROUND
Creating Australia’s Future – Artist in Residence Program
A $300million project that would see an Artist in Residence in every school and library in the country. This would enable young artists in particular, to engage their skills while helping to mentor Australia’s youth and students. This project is focused on job creation, community development and building an enhanced appreciation for creative industries. It could of course be used to create community art projects in local areas, whether that is street art, theatre or music productions and local exhibitions.
 A Billion Stories Fund
A $1billion Australian content fund to kick start Australia’s screen industry (film, TV and documentary). Productions are job rich, from the creatives, script writers, IT, lighting and sound engineers, crews, costumes, trades people, marketing, logistics (including on location travel, hospitality etc). In particular, Australian stories and children’s content would be prioritised, vital for our cultural identity, education and local jobs.
Australia Live
A $1billion grant fund to inject money into Australia’s festival, music and live performance sector which needs cash flow to restart. Investing in and creating incentives for the planning and delivery of events, live music and performance projects for both metropolitan and regional communities. These projects are job rich and the economic kickback is instant in the communities they occur. Local tourism, hospitality and retail also benefit greatly, of course, along with local construction jobs for those projects that require infrastructure. This fund would also be able to fund small-medium infrastructure projects for the construction and upgrade of local community concert, exhibition and studio spaces. Infrastructure that is purpose built for the creative industries, rather than just sport or conference facilities.

Australian Greens Education spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has said the Education Minister must rule out the reintroduction of childcare fees in his current review of the COVID-19 childcare package.
Senator Faruqi said:
“Free and universal childcare has been a huge step forward for access to childcare. It should be made permanent.
“The Minister should be looking at how to ensure ongoing access to free childcare, and options for expanded public operation of childcare.
“The government has finally recognised childcare and early learning for what it is: an essential service that we all rely on and everyone can access, not only those who can afford to pay.
“Childcare cannot be seen as a way to turn a profit, but as a way to make our society more equitable.
“We are now at a really important turning point for early childhood education and care. Let’s not waste it. Free childcare should be here to stay,” she said.

Local economic recovery plans will help towns and regions hit by bushfires get back on their feet as part of a new $650 million package of support from the Morrison Government.
As part of the Regional Bushfire Recovery and Development Program, bushfire affected communities will share in $448.5 million from the Morrison Government to support the delivery of local recovery plans with priority given to the most severely impacted regions, drawing on local voices and local governments in close partnership and as part of cost-sharing arrangements with states.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the National Bushfire Recovery Agency (NBRA) would lead work to drive a strong economic recovery so the more than 18,600 families and businesses in bushfire-affected areas could get back on their feet.
“The same communities that were hurting most from the bushfires are hurting from the impacts of COVID-19. The impacts have been devastating,” the Prime Minister said.
“This funding injection comes as the damage from the bushfires has made itself clear in the weeks and months after they passed and regions have been finalising the sorts of projects they want to get underway to build back better.
“Every community is different and every community is at a different point in their recovery. That’s why the projects that these funds will support are not one-size-fits-all – they will reflect community needs.
“This is about locals leading the recovery with the NBRA and our state and local partners ensuring our support gets to where it’s needed most.”
“I urge local communities to work with their state governments and to provide the National Bushfire Recovery Agency with their priority projects as soon as possible.
The support will back local projects and recovery plans, in specific areas, as well as initiatives that benefit all bushfire-affected communities. The projects could include those that build community capability and wellbeing, including through workshops and events, projects that focus on the landscape and water, replacing produce and stock, supporting local jobs and building future resilience.
Minister for Emergency Management David Littleproud said I’ve always wanted a locally led recovery not a Canberra led recovery. This is the mechanism to deliver that and to build it back better.
“We’re working side-by-side with families, small businesses, primary producers and the tourism sector to deliver a well thought-out economic recovery as quickly as possible,” Minister Littleproud said.
“We know and have seen firsthand just how severe the impact from the bushfires and now COVID-19 has been. The past six months have been incredibly tough for so many Australians.
“To date, the efforts of every level of government have been focused on emergency relief, the restoration of basic services, clean-up operations and the immediate wellbeing needs of people in the most severely impacted communities.
“While we recognise not all communities are at the same point of recovery, some communities are starting to consider longer-term planning. We’re here to support them with opportunities to rebuild.”
Minister Littleproud said the Government’s assistance came on top of more than $1.33 billion dollars rolling into bushfire affected communities which includes around half a billion dollars of grants and loans that has already flowed to families and businesses, as well as $214.9 million in disaster recovery payments and $240 million in Community Recovery Packages.
“We’re also stepping in to help regenerate Australia’s wildlife and habitats, better prepare our telco network for future emergencies, boost mental health support and help our forestry industry salvage their products,” Minister Littleproud said.
“These bushfires affected Australia in many ways and we’ll be dealing with the aftermath for a long time to come, but communities should know that our government will be with them every step of the way.”
The new support also includes:

• Forestry Transport Assistance ($15 million): To assist the forestry industry with the increased costs of transporting burned salvaged logs over longer distances to surviving timber mills or storage sites in bushfire affected areas in Victoria and New South Wales.
• Community Wellbeing and Participation ($13.5 million) – backing Primary Health Networks with additional funding to provide critical, localised emotional and mental health support for bushfire affected individuals.
• Bushfire Recovery for Species and Landscapes ($149.7 million) – supporting efforts that go beyond the immediate devastation on species and natural assets through habitat regeneration, waterway and catchment restoration including erosion control, weed and pest management.
• Telecommunications Emergency Resilience ($27.1 million as well as $10 million from the mobile blackspots program) – strengthening telecommunications capabilities prior to future natural disasters, including the deployment of approximately 2000 satellite dishes to provide a link if other connections are damaged, plus batteries and solar panels, to rural fire depots and evacuation centres.

The $2 billion Bushfire Recovery Fund has been committed to programs and initiatives to support bushfire recovery in affected communities. This is in addition to those funds already available through existing disaster recovery measures.

• Over 16,700 applications for the $10,000 small business support grant have been approved – worth $167 million.
• More than 1300 applications for the $50,000 small business grant have been approved – worth $37 million.
• 1700 applications for the Primary Producer Grant have been approved to date, with a total of $106 million provided to primary producers to date.

To access support and to find further details, visit the National Bushfire Recovery Agency website at www.bushfirerecovery.gov.au

The Australian Greens have called on the government to establish publicly funded vaccine manufacturing capacity in Australia to ensure any COVID19 vaccine is available to all Australians.
A recent Defence science technology report outlined in today’s media has warned of a shortage in vaccines in Australia during a pandemic because of the lack of production capacity in Australia.
Speaking in Melbourne Greens Leader Adam Bandt MP and Greens Health spokesperson Dr Richard Di Natale called on the Morrison government to immediately invest $70 million in expanding the CSIRO’s vaccine manufacturing facilities and to develop a plan to stand up a publicly funded manufacturing capacity by working with the Australian medical industry.
The Greens also want the Australian government to ensure the vaccine is available free of charge and have repeated their call for the flu vaccine to be fully available and free.
Adam Bandt said:
“We need a publicly backed vaccine manufacturer.”
“Currently most vaccine manufacturing happens in the United States, China and Germany. Australia risks being at the back of the queue.”
“Australians shouldn’t have to rely on Donald Trump putting us ahead of his reelection chances and expect that vaccines made in the United States will come here quickly.”
“We have wonderful medical scientists who are already working on vaccine candidates and some manufacturing capacity at the CSIRO and elsewhere that could be scaled up with the right investment from the Commonwealth.”
“If we can’t get the vaccine through other means, a publicly-owned COVID vaccine manufacturer may be the only way to save lives.”
Dr Richard Di Natale said:
“The government has a responsibility to ensure that Australians have timely, secure and free access to any COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available. We know that the pandemic will likely disrupt existing supply chains for vaccines at a time when unprecedented supply will be required.”
“In past pandemics we have seen uneven and unfair distribution of vaccines in which wealthy nations have placed huge early orders and squeezed out smaller nations. By producing the vaccine locally Australia can secure domestic access for vulnerable Australians and also assist in ensuring access in our region.”
“The government also needs to ensure any COVID19 vaccine is free and widely available.”

Scott Morrison must order a full review of the early access to superannuation scheme and explain to Parliament next week how it came to be rorted by fraudsters who have stolen retirement savings of at least 150 Australians.
The Government’s failure to listen to warnings from Labor and the superannuation industry that there were serious flaws in the early release superannuation program has now cost people up to $10,000 of their hard-earned retirement dollars.
Yesterday it was nothing to see here. Today the Government has been dragged into action
Money should be going to people in dire financial need, not fraudsters and crooks.
We welcome the news that the scheme has been frozen. It should have happened a week ago when this fraud first came to light.
The Government has designed a system for speed not accuracy.
If you want to implement major reforms quickly you need to listen to stakeholders. The Government has placed the hard-earned savings of Australians at risk because they refused to listen to advice.
 
We expect a full explanation from Government Ministers on what measures they are taking to protect the integrity of our superannuation system and to ensure no further fraud takes place.
Just like the automated Robodebt fiasco, this is a Government error which requires a Government solution. Individuals and super funds should not be left thousands of dollars out of pocket because the Government did not heed warnings from Labor and industry.
No one should be out of pocket because of a Government mistake. They must fix it and compensate those affected.
Australia has a world class superannuation system. We must protect the integrity of retirement savings at all costs.