Category: Australian News

Dr Richard Di Natale has today called on the Australian government to urgently release its COVID-19 modelling in the face of confusing and fragmented advice from state premiers, first ministers and the commonwealth.
“COVID-19 is presenting an unprecedented public health threat, and Australians are understandably extremely concerned,” Dr Di Natale, Greens health spokesperson said today.
“In establishing the ‘National Cabinet’ of states, territories and the commonwealth, the government told us they would be providing people with clear, consistent advice on how to protect themselves and their communities, as well as a coordinated national public health response.
“That consistency has now evaporated, with Australians in each state receiving conflicting advice.
“In a time of crisis Australians are looking for strong, clear leadership and consistency of message. This weekend we saw states and territories going it alone and a PM floundering to catch up.
“It is now time for the government to follow the UK’s example and publicly release the data and modelling that they are working from so that Australians can understand the extent of the situation and have what they need to make well-informed decisions.
“While it is clear this is a rapidly evolving situation with a great many unknowns, access to this information is essential to providing people greater clarity on the unfolding crisis and the link between the modelling and the government’s response.
As a public health specialist, Dr Di Natale worked on influenza pandemic planning in Victoria before entering politics, was part of Australia’s disease surveillance system and visited West Africa during the 2014 Ebola outbreak.

The Greens have said that today’s Depression-era job queues follow the Morrison Government’s failure to link its billions in stimulus payments to wage and job subsidies, urging the Government to reconsider its cancelling of Parliament so that the mess can be fixed up.
“The Greens pushed for a jobs and wages guarantee, because we know that every job we save now is a job we don’t need to recreate after this crisis is over,” said Greens Leader Adam Bandt.
“Depression-era challenges need a depression-era response, but instead we got a trickle-down stimulus with no jobs and wages guarantees.
“The government listened to the Greens when we said students needed support, the not-for-profit sector needed to be included in the stimulus package and that Newstart was too low. They should listen to us again and immediately implement jobs and wages guarantees, like we’re seeing in the UK.
“As casual work in hospitality and retail dries up, the Greens were pleased to get students the extra support they need, but carers and people on the Disability Support Pension are being left behind.
“Parliament may need to sit again in the next few weeks to fix the government’s stimulus package.
“Cancelling Parliament isn’t just a danger to democracy, it will get in the way of economic recovery. We need more democracy, not less, during this crisis. Parliament should sit again, if safe to do so, so that we can fix the holes in the government’s stimulus package.
“Australians also deserve a clear explanation of how the government will massively increase the number of intensive care beds. The availability of ICU beds and respirators will literally be the difference between life and death for many people, but we’re on track to run out of beds soon.”

Too many workers don’t have leave entitlements to allow them to economically survive a diagnosis of COVID-19. Frontline staff in people-facing industries are among the most vulnerable, given the required interactions with hundreds of people a day, but often have few legal protections should one of these interactions make them sick.
Greens MPs are moving across the country to extend workers compensation coverage to workers who contract or are suspected to have contracted COVID-19.
The Bills, the first of which has just been introduced in the NSW Parliament, will apply to full time, part time, contract and casual workers. This bill will cover:

• workers who are off work having been diagnosed with COVID-19
• workers who are self-isolated and awaiting COVID-19 test results
• casual workers who are tested for, or diagnosed with, COVID-19 within 21 days of last working, and
• workers who die from COVID-19.

Greens Leader Adam Bandt said:
“The Greens want to ensure that workers affected by coronavirus get supported through this crisis and this is a very straightforward proposal that all other political parties at State and Federal levels can support.
“Hundreds of thousands of people will be off work in connection with the coronavirus because they’re sick, in self-isolation or their workplace has had an incident.
“Governments are scrambling to support workers in this time of crisis, but part of the solution is right before their eyes.
“If we change the law so that sick or coronavirus-affected workers are automatically entitled to existing workers’ compensation schemes, they will maintain an income without imposing costs on their employer.
“This simple move also means we don’t have to create new payment systems and the delays that can come with that, because we’re using well-known and proven institutions who know how to get money to workers when they need it.”
Greens MP and spokesperson for workers’ right David Shoebridge said:
“We can and we must act urgently to provide far more protection for workers in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
“So many workers in industries like retail, hospitality and the entertainment sector, are employed as casuals and without these protections if they fall sick they will get nothing.
“The Federal and state governments are providing stimulus packages and bailouts to businesses, they must now act to protect workers.
“No worker should suffer a financial cost because they got sick at work or have to isolate after attending work.
“The Greens are calling on all political parties to support these changes  and act now before the COVID-19 crisis is at its peak’.
“All states and territories should consider introducing similar legislation, the COVID-19 crisis is a bigger challenge than anything we’ve seen in our lifetime, this is not a time for half measures.”

Australian governments are working together to slow the spread of coronavirus to save lives.
Every extra bit of time allows us to better prepare our health system and put measures in place to protect Australian lives.
We will be living with this virus for at least six months, so social distancing measures to slow this virus down must be sustainable for at least that long to protect Australian lives, allow Australia to keep functioning and keep Australians in jobs.
The Prime Minister, state and territory Premiers and Chief Ministers met on 24 March 2020 as the National Cabinet.
We are leading the world on testing with more than 161,000 Australians tested and around 2,000 Australians confirmed cases. In contrast to many countries, the majority of Australian cases of coronavirus have been from people returning overseas or direct contacts with people who had been overseas.
However, National Cabinet noted that there has been a significant growth in the number of cases in Australia, with a significant number of Australians returning from overseas and small community outbreaks associated with returned travellers.
National Cabinet reiterated that practicing good hygiene and keeping a healthy physical distance between individuals is our most powerful weapon in fighting this virus and saving lives.
The highest priority should be placed on social isolation measures as well as strict and rapid contact tracing of individuals. It is paramount that contact tracing occur quickly and thoroughly and that public data is available to support this effort.
Leaders again call on all Australian to do their bit to save the lives of other Australians.
Australians should stay at home, unless shopping for essentials, travelling to and from work – where you cannot work from home, going to school and exercising. Keep visitors to your home at a minimum. In outdoor spaces do not congregate in groups.
Leaders thank those members of the public who are adhering to social distancing measures. However, leaders expressed their disappointment at some members of the community who are disregarding social distancing measures and, by doing so, putting the lives of older and vulnerable Australians at risk.
Ban on Australians travelling overseas
Leaders noted that the Commonwealth Government will implement a ‘do not travel’ ban on Australians travelling overseas under the Biosecurity Act 2015.
This will help avoid travellers returning to Australia with coronavirus and the risks of spreading coronavirus to other countries.
Exemptions, which will be managed by the Australian Border Force, will apply to a range of categories of travellers, including for those citizens ordinarily resident overseas, where travel is essential or necessary, where travel is in our national interest, and on compassionate and humanitarian grounds.
This prohibition is aligned with the Government’s decision to raise the Smartraveller Travel Advice to Level 4 – Do Not Travel overseas.
Clarification of current measures and new measures
If we want to slow the spread of the virus, everyone must implement appropriate social distancing in accordance with state and territory laws.
National Cabinet agreed to new and enhanced social distance measures, building on the existing measures that are in place.
National Cabinet confirmed and clarified the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) advice regarding the requirements of previously announced measures, in particular those related to non-essential gatherings and outdoor gatherings.
National Cabinet will meet again on Wednesday 25 March 2020.
Additional prohibited activities and venues to apply from 11.59pm (local time) 25 March 2020

Action to prevent price gouging and exportation of critical sanitary and medical products
The Commonwealth Government will take action to help prevent exploitative price gouging and exporting products that are essential to preventing and controlling the spread of coronavirus.
These measures will help prevent individuals purchasing goods including face masks, hand sanitiser and vital medicines and either re-selling them at significant mark-ups or exporting them overseas in bulk, which prevents these goods from reaching people who need them in Australia.
These measures will not be designed to affect normal consumer buying of goods, commercial imports and exports, or other appropriate bulk sales.

The Greens have circulated amendments in the senate to make sure no-one is disadvantaged by the Government’s stimulus package.
The Greens will seek the support of the senate to:

• Extend the $550 supplement to Youth Allowance for students, Austudy, ABSTUDY, DSP and Carer Payment; Age Pensioners on Commonwealth Rent Assistance;
• Extend the one off $750 payment to people on low income health care cards;
• Ensure that people in the Cashless Debit Card trial sites get their stimulus payment paid into their regular bank account, rather than quarantined; and
• Extend an additional $750 per child for families with children receiving FTB Part A.

Greens spokesperson on Family and Community Services Senator Rachel Siewert said:
“The Greens have welcomed the increase to Jobseeker payment in this package but unfortunately some groups are missing out on an increase to their payments. The Greens have moved these amendments to ensure that everyone is supported to get through this crisis.
“Students, disabled people, carers and older Australians who are renting are already more likely to be living in poverty or on a very low income and should have had their payments increased in the second stimulus package.
“I am disappointed that those on low income health care cards, who by the very definition of the card are living on a very low income, will not receive the $750 payment. We know those on low incomes will spend the money.
“For current Cashless Debit Card trial participants, the Bill quarantines 100% of the $750 payment onto a person’s card. Doesn’t the Government want all Australians to be spending cash and stimulating the economy at the moment?
“This is more of the Government’s punitive approach to those on income support. I will seek to remove this from the Bill to ensure that people on compulsory income management receive the payments straight into their bank account.
“It’s also unfair that families with children receiving FTB Part A won’t receive additional relief during this time to acknowledge that extra resources are needed if you are raising a family.
“Failing to address these issues could place the safety of our communities at risk.
“The Government must act urgently and provide adequate funding for at-risk communities to ensure that everyone is supported to get through this crisis.
“Now is the time for us to unite and make policy choices that help people cope through this crisis.”

The Greens have called on the Morrison Government to urgently fund services needed to respond to the increased risk of family violence during the Coronavirus crisis.
Greens Senator Larissa Waters urged the government to recognise the risks presented by quarantining at home.
“Everyone deserves to feel safe at home. But experience overseas shows that being at home during the COVID-19 crisis can put some women and children at higher risk of abuse from violent or controlling partners,” she said today.
“In the coming months, violence exacerbated by financial pressures, anxiety, restricted access to friends and family, and lack of escape options will mean that some women and children are not safe at home.  Services to support those escaping violence are already struggling to meet demand, and the coronavirus will only make things worse.
The Australian Greens are calling on the government to:

• Urgently fund crisis accommodation.
• Waive time limits on accessing crisis accommodation to ensure women and children can safely self-isolate for a minimum of 14 days.
• Urgently increase funding for frontline domestic and family violence services to respond to
  • increased and changing demands by:
  • increasing staff;
  • implementing public health protocols;
  • investing in new technology to allow remote advice and support services to be delivered safely and securely.
• Increase funding for Safe at Home programs.
• Work with the COAG Women’s Safety Council to ensure specialist domestic and family violence police officers are available to oversee DVO / AVO applications and enforcement.

“To get through this crisis we all need to work together and find ways to ensure everyone is safe from violence,” Senator Larissa Waters said.

More than 250,000 Australians will have an extra $550 a fortnight to get through the Coronavirus crisis, after the Greens pushed the government to extend a crucial supplementary payment that had omitted Australia’s students.
Following questioning from Senator Rachel Siewert and Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Matthias Cormann said the government would now immediately regulate to make Abstudy, Austudy, and Youth Allowance (Student) eligible for the Coronavirus Supplement.
Adam Bandt MP, Leader of the Australian Greens:
“We successfully pushed the government over recent weeks to lift Newstart, extend the stimulus package to the not-for-profit sector, and now to include students in the Coronavirus supplement.
“Students whose casual shifts have dried up were in real strife. The government’s package left too many people behind. The Greens have kept the pressure on the government, and delivered for people doing it tough.”
Australian Greens Education Spokesperson:
“When students and the Greens fight together, they win. We’ve won recognition that, at a time when students are losing work and their studies are up in the air, they are absolutely deserve of the same support as anyone else.
“We’ll keep fighting to protect students throughout this crisis, including for an increase to rent assistance and better access to mental health services.”
Australian Greens Social Services Spokesperson:
“It took a lot of questioning and pressure to get the government to give students this basic dignity, and to realise the negative impact their approach would have had on young people. This victory shows the importance of holding the government to account, even when they’re adamant that they will not budge.
“This isn’t over. We need to make sure people on disability support pension and carer allowance will also see a raise in this time of crisis.
Tonight, Matthias Cormann admitted the Minister has the power to extent the Coronavirus Supplement to people on those payments. If they don’t, it will be a shocking act of cruelty to vulnerable people during one of the worst crises Australia has ever faced.”

“The Government has finally listened to the community and all those living in poverty who have been crying out for an increase to Newstart for years and years now.
“It shouldn’t have taken a crisis like this to show compassion and increase the Jobseeker payment.
“An increase to the jobseeker payment must be long term and permanent. It is absolutely untenable to drop people back onto $40 a day once this crisis period has passed.
“The Government now needs to address mutual obligations. It is not in the interest of public health and safety to have the current group on income support plus the new influx of people applying for income support having to meet mutual obligations.
“Many people do not have the infrastructure to just “go online”. Not everyone has a smart phone, computer or home internet and with libraries and community centres closing down they will have to continue to attend face to face appointments.
“The mutual obligation arrangements are a joke – especially as states may now progressively go into lock down. The Government still thinks that jobseekers can undertake training or volunteering within their community which is so unsafe.
“There will also be less jobs to apply for in these economic conditions so it does not make sense for jobseekers to be applying for even four jobs a fortnight to keep their payment.
“Mutual obligations should be suspended immediately.
“An increase of up to 5,000 staff for Services Australia is a welcome move but they need to address the systemic issues with Centrelink and the punitive approach to those on income support.
“I am very glad that the Government have now included the not for profit and community sector in the stimulus. The not-for-profit and community sector provide essential services to our community and employ over 3 million people.”

The Commonwealth Government has today released the second stage of its economic plan to cushion the economic impact of the coronavirus and help build a bridge to recovery.
A total of $189 billion is being injected into the economy by all arms of Government in order to keep Australians in work and businesses in business.
This includes $17.6 billion for the Government’s first economic stimulus package, $90 billion from the RBA and $15 billion from the Government to deliver easier access to finance, and $66.1 billion in today’s economic support package.
Our economic support package includes:

• Support for households including casuals, sole-traders, retirees and those on income support
• Assistance for businesses to keep people in a job
• Regulatory protection and financial support for businesses to stay in business

The Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Government was acting to cushion the blow from the coronavirus for businesses and households to help them get through to the other side of the crisis.
“We want to help businesses keep going as best they can and for as long as they can, or to pause instead of winding up their business. We want to ensure that when this crisis has passed Australian businesses can bounce back,” the Prime Minister said.
“Our focus is on cushioning the blow and providing hope to every Australian that we will get through this and come out the other side together.
“We know this will be temporary. That’s why all our actions are geared towards building a bridge, keeping more people in work, enhancing the safety net for those that aren’t and keeping businesses alive so they can get to the other side and stand up their workforce as quickly as possible.
“We know Australia’s more than 3 million small and medium businesses are the engine room of our economy. When they hurt, we all hurt.
“The next few months are going to be a difficult journey but we all have a role to play to adapt to the changes we’re facing, to cushion the impact of what is happening and to pull together so we can bounce back when we get to the other side.”
The Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the $189 billion economic support package was the equivalent of 9.7 per cent of GDP.
“The Government is taking unprecedented action to strengthen the safety net available to Australians that are stood down or lose their jobs and increasing support for small businesses that do it tough over the next six months.
“These measures build significantly on what we have already announced.
“These extraordinary times demand extraordinary measures.”
Support for workers and households
Coronavirus supplement
The Government is temporarily expanding eligibility to income support payments and establishing a new, time-limited Coronavirus supplement to be paid at a rate of $550 per fortnight. This will be paid to both existing and new recipients of the JobSeeker Payment, Youth Allowance jobseeker, Parenting Payment, Farm Household Allowance and Special Benefit.
The Coronavirus supplement will be paid for the next 6 months. Eligible income support recipients will receive the full amount of the $550 Coronavirus supplement on top of their payment each fortnight.
This measure is estimated to cost $14.1 billion over the forward estimates period.
An increase of up to 5,000 staff for Services Australia will assist to support delivery of new Government measures.
Payments to support households
In addition to the $750 stimulus payment announced on 12 March 2020, the Government will provide a further $750 payment to social security and veteran income support recipients and eligible concession card holders, except for those who are receiving an income support payment that is eligible to receive the Coronavirus supplement.
This second payment will be made automatically from 13 July 2020 to around 5 million social security, veteran and other income support recipients and eligible concession card holders. Around half of those that benefit are pensioners.
The first payment will be made from 31 March 2020 to people who will have been on one of the eligible payments any time between 12 March 2020 and 13 April 2020.
This measure is estimated to cost $4 billion over the forward estimates period.
Early release of superannuation
The Government will allow individuals in financial stress as a result of the Coronavirus to access up to $10,000 of their superannuation in 2019-20 and a further $10,000 in 2020-21.
Eligible individuals will be able to apply online through myGov for access of up to $10,000 of their superannuation before 1 July 2020. They will also be able to access up to a further $10,000 from 1 July 2020 for another three months. They will not need to pay tax on amounts released and the money they withdraw will not affect Centrelink or Veterans’ Affairs payments.
This measure is estimated to cost $1.2 billion over the forward estimates period.
Temporarily reduce superannuation minimum drawdown rates
The Government is temporarily reducing superannuation minimum drawdown requirements for account based pensions and similar products by 50 per cent for 2019-20 and 2020-21. This measure will benefit retirees by providing them with more flexibility as to how they manage their superannuation assets.
Reducing social security deeming rates
On top of the deeming rate changes made at the time of the first package, the Government is reducing the deeming rates by a further 0.25 percentage points to reflect the latest rate reductions by the RBA.
As of 1 May 2020, the lower deeming rate will be 0.25 per cent and the upper deeming rate will be 2.25 per cent.
The change will benefit around 900,000 income support recipients, including Age Pensioners.
This measure is estimated to cost $876 million over the forward estimates period.
Assistance to business to keep people in a job

• Boosting Cash Flow for Employers
• This builds on the support for business and business investment provided in our first economic support package, which included:
• increasing the instant asset write off
• backing business investment by providing accelerated depreciation deductions
• supporting apprentices and trainees
• targeted support for Coronavirus-affected regions and communities

The Government is providing up to $100,000 to eligible small and medium sized businesses, and not‑for-profits (including charities) that employ people, with a minimum payment of $20,000. These payments will help businesses’ and not-for-profits’ cash flow so they can keep operating, pay their rent, electricity and other bills and retain staff.
Under the enhanced scheme from the first package, employers will receive a payment equal to 100 per cent of their salary and wages withheld (up from 50 per cent), with the maximum payment being increased from $25,000 to $50,000. In addition, the minimum payment is being increased from $2,000 to $10,000. The payment will be available from 28 April 2020.
By linking the payments to business to staff wage tax withholdings, businesses will be incentivised to hold on to more of their workers.
The payments are tax free, there will be no new forms and payments will flow automatically through the ATO.
This measure will benefit around 690,000 businesses employing around 7.8 million people, and around 30,000 NFPs (including charities).
Small and medium business entities with aggregated annual turnover under $50 million and that employ workers are eligible. NFPs entities, including charities, with aggregated annual turnover under $50 million and that employ workers will now also be eligible. This will support employment at a time where NFPs are facing increasing demand for services.
An additional payment is also being made from 28 July 2020. Eligible entities will receive an additional payment equal to the total of all of the Boosting Cash Flow for Employers payments received.
This measure is estimated to cost $31.9 billion over the forward estimates period, including the value of the measure announced in the first package.
Regulatory protection and financial support for businesses to stay in business
Coronavirus SME Guarantee Scheme
The Government will establish the Coronavirus SME Guarantee Scheme which will support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to get access to working capital to help them get them through the impact of the coronavirus.
Under the Scheme, the Government will guarantee 50 per cent of new loans issued by eligible lenders to SMEs.
The Government’s support will enhance lenders’ willingness and ability to provide credit to SMEs with the Scheme able to support $40 billion of lending to SMEs.
The Scheme will complement the announcement the Government has made to cut red-tape to allow SMEs to get access to credit faster. It also complements announcements made by Australian banks to support small businesses with their existing loans.
This builds on the investment the Government is making to enable smaller lenders to continue supporting Australian consumers and small businesses, through providing the AOFM an investment capacity of $15 billion to invest in wholesale funding markets used by small authorised deposit-taking institutions (ADI) and non-ADI lenders.
It further supports the Reserve Bank of Australia’s announcement of a $90 billion term funding facility for ns ADIs, that will reduce the cost of lending, with particular incentives to lend to small and medium enterprises.
The measures the Government is announcing today, along with the previous announcements, will deliver a total of $125 billion to support Australians get through the impact of the coronavirus.
The Government will guarantee up to $20 billion to support $40 billion in SME loans.
Providing temporary relief for financially distressed businesses
The Government is temporarily increasing the threshold at which creditors can issue a statutory demand on a company and the time companies have to respond to statutory demands they receive. The package also includes temporary relief for directors from any personal liability for trading while insolvent. The Corporations Act 2001 will be amended to provide temporary and targeted relief for companies to deal with unforeseen events that arise as a result of the Coronavirus.
Support for the aviation industry
As previously announced, the Government is also providing up to $715 million in support for Australian airlines and airports, which will ensure that our aviation sector receives timely cash flow support through an unprecedented period of disruption to international and domestic air travel.
While these are challenging times, Australians can rest assured that the Commonwealth Government will do all that is necessary to support them and build a bridge to ensure that all Australians can get to the other side of this crisis.