Category: Australian News

Today’s Australian Bureau of Statistics Labour Force figures demonstrate the benefits of a strong economy, with 1,316,000 jobs created since the Coalition Government came to office in September 2013.
There are more Australians in work than ever before. Total employment has increased by 304,700 over the year to a record high of 12,791,500. Full-time jobs growth increased 48,300 in March 2019, and in the last twelve month 95 per cent of the jobs created have been full-time jobs.
Under the Coalition female employment has reached record highs, with female employment currently at 6,000,600. Under the Coalition we have also seen the lowest gender pay gap on record and record high levels of female workforce participation.
Minister for Jobs and Industrial Relations, the Hon Kelly O’Dwyer, said the Coalition’s economic plan is working.
“Our plan for a strong economy is working. There are more Australians in work than ever before, with more than 1.3 million jobs created over our time in Government,” Minister O’Dwyer said.
“But we want to see even more Australians in work, which is why our plan for a strong economy is so important.”
“A re-elected Morrison Government will pledge to create an additional 1.25 million jobs over five years, including an additional 250,000 jobs for young people.”
“Our personal income tax plan will encourage and reward hard work and help families get ahead. And our small business tax plan benefits 3.4 million businesses employing over 7 million Australians. Only a re-elected Morrison Government has a plan for a strong economy.”
“Labor and Bill Shorten’s $387 billion in higher taxes will weaken our economy, undermine small business, and put jobs at risk.”
“When Labor was last in government the unemployment rate jumped from 4.4 per cent to 5.7 per cent, and in their final year in office full-time employment fell by over 20,000.”
“The choice is clear. Only a re-elected Morrison Government has a plan for a stronger economy which will create jobs and guarantee the essential services Australians rely on,” Minister O’Dwyer concluded.

A Shorten Labor Government will invest in the NDIS workforce and get the scheme back on track by investing $40 million in local NDIS workforce trials and urgently developing a national NDIS workforce strategy.
Scott Morrison and the Liberals have short-changed the NDIS and the people who rely on it, delaying the rollout and capping staff in a bid to deliver a surplus.
The $1.6 billion underspend the Liberals booked in their budget is a direct result of their failure to deliver the NDIS as promised.
77,000 people with a disability and their families are going without vital services because of the delayed rollout.
And on average people are only using just 50 per cent of their first NDIS plan, largely because of a lack of access to services.
That’s not good enough and only Labor will get the NDIS back on track by properly investing in the workforce so quality services are delivered to people with disability.
As many as 90,000 extra NDIS workers will be needed over the next five years to meet the needs of the 460,000 Australians who will get access to the NDIS.
A Shorten Labor Government will establish two-year local NDIS workforce trials in 2020 and 2021 to establish the best way to sustainably grow and maintain a skilled NDIS workforce.
The trials will be flexible and place-based and will be a partnership between people with disability, providers, TAFE, government and workers.
The NDIS workforce trial will have three components:

1. Ensuring NDIS workers have the foundation skills they need, with up to 3000 training support payments of $2,000 for induction training;
2. Supporting NDIS workers to get Certificate III qualifications, with up to 2000 training support payments of $4,000; and
3. Providing a portable professional development entitlement for NDIS workers, with up to 5000 training support payments of $750 per year, so people can take time off work to specialise and upgrade their skills.

Labor will also scrap up-front TAFE fees for 20,000 students studying to get skills for the NDIS and aged care.
The trials will establish the best flexible local solutions to skills shortages, gaps in the training curriculum and course availability, and barriers to getting the right people working in the NDIS.
The initial trial sites will be:

• Canberra – where the NDIS is creating between 1000 and 1200 new jobs.
• Townsville – where the NDIS is creating between 800 and 950 new jobs.
• Joondalup – where the NDIS roll-out is just beginning and hundreds of new workers will be needed.

A Shorten Labor Government will work with state and territory governments to expand the workforce trial to other locations.
Labor will also develop a comprehensive national NDIS workforce strategy, in partnership with people with disability, families and advocates; service providers; state and territory governments; TAFE; and workers.
Only Labor can be trusted to properly fund, deliver and support the NDIS so that people with disability, their families and loved ones get the support they desperately need and deserve.

Australian Greens Senator for NSW, Dr Mehreen Faruqi,  has announced the Greens Environment Plan for New South Wales. The centrepiece of the Greens environment policy this election is a new Nature Fund, which would invest $2bn a year across the country to protect Australian flora and fauna and fund the development of recovery plans for at-risk species. The fund will also pay for qualified “environment managers”, and boost the number of Indigenous rangers. The plan is funded through a carbon price and making big polluters pay.
In New South Wales, the plan consists of:

• $8.9m for conservation of koalas including habitat restoration, support for community based programs and research.
• $17m a year to go to local councils through the Local Greening Program
• $6.8m a year from additional Landcare funding
• $2m a year to NSW Nature Conservation Council
• More Indigenous rangers – boosting the number of NSW rangers to 240
• Funding for the Environmental Defenders Office

Senator Faruqi said:
“Nature has intrinsic value, it is not just a commodity to be used and abused. As an environmental engineer, I know we need bold and evidence based plans to start reversing the decline of our precious ecosystems.
“The NSW and Federal Liberal-National Governments have declared war on our environment and we are reaching a point of no return.
“Our plan represents the biggest investment in environmental conservation in Australia’s history. It will begin to turn the tide of ecocide which sadly has become the norm in New South Wales.
“With overdevelopment, climate change and increasing land clearing in New South Wales, our environment is under threat like never before. Corporations are free to rip up, pollute and bulldoze our precious environment. We need bold action to protect our environment.
“We are rapidly hurtling towards a future in New South Wales where our next generations will not see a koala in the bush or in a national park and perhaps not even in a zoo. Koalas are on track to be extinct in New South Wales by 2050 if we continue our current path. This is an absolute tragedy.
“The Greens are drawing a line in the sand to stop our precious threatened species from slipping away,” she concluded.

Australian Greens Education Spokesperson and Senator for NSW, Dr Mehreen Faruqi has today launched a National Plan to ensure access to English Language Support, including through launching an urgent review to reverse the outsourcing of services provided by the Adult Migrant English Program.
The Greens’ plan will:
1.      Stop the undermining of the the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) and begin an urgent review to reverse the outsourcing of services.
2.      Ensure the development and implementation of a nationally agreed English language proficiency framework for assessing and reporting on the needs and progress of students learning English as an Additional (EAL) language in schools.
3.      Support the development of effective post-school education and training pathways for migrant and refugee youth who have difficulty accessing the education and training system due to a lack of English and prior education.
4.      Establish a dedicated unit in the Department of Education and Training to oversee and coordinate language in education and training.
The Greens will set aside $50 million over the forward estimates to implement the plan:
Senator Faruqi said:
“Confidence in reading and writing is fundamental for social interaction, education and employment, but some are being left behind by a lack of resources because successive Governments have ignored this important issue.
“The Adult Migrant English Service is an essential service that for decades assisted migrants to settle successfully in Australia. But the Liberal/National Government’s outsourcing experiment has undermined its effectiveness.
“The Greens will initiate an urgent review of the program to determine how to save the Adult Migrant English Program, reverse the outsourcing of services and ensure the focus remains on supporting migrants to successfully settle in Australia
“We cannot allow people to be left behind by Governments who are not prioritising English language support. The Greens stand with migrant communities and are building a future for all of us.

The Greens Plan

1. Stop the undermining of the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) and start an urgent review to begin the process of reversing the outsourcing of services.
The Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) is an essential service for assisting new migrants to settle more successfully and quickly in Australia. But since the Liberal/National Government’s contracting out of the service and a new business model that moves the focus from the successful settlement of migrants, the quality of the program has suffered. Stakeholders say it is no longer fit for purpose and doesn’t meet its primary goal of supporting migrants to learn the English they need for successful settlement in Australia. The Greens will initiate an urgent review of the program to determine how to save the program and reverse the outsourcing of services.
2. Ensure the development and implementation of a nationally agreed English language proficiency framework for assessing and reporting on the needs and progress of students learning English as an Additional Language (EAL) in schools.
Although English language support programs have been in schools for nearly fifty years, Australia still has no nationally agreed framework for identifying, assessing or reporting on English language learners’ English proficiency needs.  This situation prevents national identification, reporting and needs based funding for this group. The Greens will ensure that the framework is developed and implemented across state and territory jurisdictions.
3. Support the development of effective post-school education and training pathways for migrant and refugee youth who have difficulty accessing the education and training system due to lack of English and prior education.
Secondary aged humanitarian entrants who arrive in Australia who lack English and haven’t fully completed prior schooling are at risk of dropping out of school and missing out on access to further education and training pathways. These young people need basic education programs that develop English language, literacy and numeracy and work-related and personal development skills, integrated with settlement, wellbeing and vocational counselling support. Previous Youth Transition Support pilot programs showed models of effective early intervention across school, work and community settings supporting young people into education and employment pathways.
The Greens will support the up-scaling, development and effective implementation of these Youth Transition support programs and ensure that good practice models are sustained and used to improve education and training pathways for at-risk migrant and refugee young people.
4. Establish a dedicated unit in the Department of Education and Training to oversee and coordinate language in education and training.
There is no national leadership or expertise to oversee and coordinate language in education and training. The Greens will establish a dedicated unit in the Department of Education and Training to serve as a national agency focal point for supporting and monitoring language in education and training initiatives across government. This unit will work with states and territories to ensure English language support is integrated in related areas of Government, such as schools, TAFEs, early childhood and other areas.

You can’t trust a word Bill Shorten and Labor say on aged care, with independent experts repeatedly labelling Labor as “misleading” over its aged care funding lies. Misleading is a polite term for serial liar.
Now Bill Shorten’s candidate for Hasluck has been caught out perpetuating these mistruths – after Labor’s discredited claims were busted three times by respected analysts at Melbourne’s RMIT and the Australian National University.
RMIT found Labor’s “claim is misleading… our analysis and conclusions have not changed.
“Spending on aged care has risen by more than $1 billion per year under the Coalition.”
Health Department figures show aged care funding has grown from $13.3 billion under Labor to more than $20.5 billion this year.
Bill Shorten has a track record of scare campaigns and his latest aged care funding fibs echo his brazen attempt to hide his superannuation cash grab and his pulling of policy off Labor’s website.
He’s not across the detail and not prepared to be honest about what he will do to senior Australians.
In contrast, Scott Morrison has a clear commitment to a stronger economy that supports record funding in health, education and aged care.
With our Budget’s $7 billion aged care boost, we are listening to older Australians, actioning new plans and growing home and residential care services.
This includes 10,000 home care packages, lifting total home care package announcements to 40,000 in the past 18 months.
There’s $5.8 billion to fund essential Commonwealth Home Support Program services including meals, home modifications, transport and nursing.
The Budget also backs the biggest residential care growth in Australia’s history – 13,500 new places and capital grants – worth $967 million.
Aged care safety and quality innovation is a Budget priority, with $38.4 million for a real-time risk management system in residential care, and $17.4 million to increase safety compliance and grow the professional aged care workforce.
The fact is, under the Coalition aged care funding is up, home care packages are up and residential aged care places are up – to record levels.
You can’t believe a word Labor says on aged care.
In Bill Shorten’s Budget reply, aged care and ageing barely got a mention.
Labor has no plans for senior Australians – other than to tax them.

Today’s independent Pre-Election Economic and Fiscal Outlook 2019 confirms the integrity of the Budget delivered on 2 April 2019 and verifies that the Budget is back in the black.
The 2019 PEFO confirms the $7.1 billion surplus for this coming year, with surpluses building to a total of $45 billion over the next four years and increasing to 1 per cent as a share of GDP over the medium term.
In the 2019 PEFO the Secretaries of Treasury and Finance have certified that the assumptions and economic forecasts underpinning our 2019-20 Budget are credible and conservative.
In particular, the 2019 PEFO verifies the integrity of our medium term projections in the 2019-20 Budget and confirm that they reflect the impact of decisions that have already been taken and already been publicly announced.
It shows that the Government can boost funding for all the essential services Australians rely on, including for hospitals and schools, and deliver income tax relief to hard working Australians while delivering surpluses for the entire decade to 2029-30 and paying off Labor’s debt.
The 2019 PEFO also confirms that our Liberal National Government uses prudent, cautious and realistic forecasting assumptions as the basis for our Budgets, including for commodity prices.
This stands in clear contrast with Labor who had to admit to a $33 billion deterioration in their budget bottom line between their last Budget in May 2013 and the 2013 Economic Statement delivered by then Treasurer Chris Bowen. In just eleven weeks Labor presided over a staggering $3 billion a week deterioration in their Budget bottom line on the back of their last Budget in Government.
The 2019 PEFO also completely destroys any claims about supposed hidden spending cuts in our Budget. Labor’s ridiculous claims have been exposed as just another Labor lie.
There are no assumed undisclosed future spending cuts in the Government’s medium term projections. In contrast, when Labor was last in Government, they did precisely what they are now falsely trying to accuse our Government of.
Indeed, the 2013 PEFO exposed that Labor had baked secret undisclosed, in fact then undecided, future spending cuts into their medium term projections in their 2013-14 Budget.
The 2013 PEFO reported that real payments growth was expected to average 3.5 per cent per year over the medium term. Labor ignored that fiscal reality in front of them. Instead of doing the hard yards on savings decisions, their spending projections were artificially based on an imposed forecasting assumption that real spending growth would be kept below 2 per cent on average per year until the Budget was in surplus of 1 per cent as a share of GDP.
Neither Labor’s track record of actual real spending growth of 4 per cent on average per year during their time in office, nor their own underlying spending growth projections of 3.5 per cent beyond the then forward estimates supported that forecasting assumption of 2 per cent.
Imposing that 2 per cent cap on real expenditure growth on their medium term expenditure projections irrespective of what was actually expected to happen at the time, effectively locked in $175 billion of secret undisclosed, in fact then undecided, future spending cuts over that period (refer to pages 60 – 62 of 2013 PEFO).
Australians cannot trust Labor.
Labor does not know how to manage money and when they run out of money come after yours.
And they are not telling Australians the truth about the impact of their $387 billion in higher taxes on the economy, on jobs and on hard working Australians.
2019 PEFO shows the progress that has been made in turning around the situation we inherited. This is not the time to go back to Labor’s discredited ways of the past, which when they were last in Government delivered a weakening economy, rising unemployment and a rapidly deteriorating Budget position.

The Morrison Government will invest $30 million in Phase 1 of the Tasmanian Defence Innovation and Design Precinct at the University of Tasmania’s Australian Maritime College (AMC) in Launceston.
The new Precinct will help drive defence-related research and development projects, creating more jobs in Launceston and a world-class research precinct.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said it is estimated over 150 additional jobs in the region will be created each year, with up to 58 additional jobs in the region during the construction program.
“Our focus is on delivering more jobs for Tasmanians,” Mr Morrison said.
“Our plan for strong economy means we’re backing Tasmania’s defence industries and naval capability with a $30 million investment.
“Only the Liberals and Nationals have a proven track record of building Australia’s defence industry and capabilities.
“By contrast Labor will tax Tasmanians more and not build a single naval ship – that was their record in their six years of government.”
The Morrison Government will require local businesses and tradies undertake work on the projects, as is done for other defence infrastructure projects.
In particular, the Precinct will help the Morrison Government deliver on its massive $200 billion investment in defence capability over the next decade and its $90 billion national Naval Shipbuilding Plan.
The AMC and University of Tasmania are already supporting the Australian Defence Force and defence industry, by providing innovative research and development to support our defence capability.
The AMC’s Cavitation Research Laboratory is a crucial capability enabler for the Royal Australian Navy and the AMC is a key part of our National Shipbuilding College.
By supporting Phase 1 of the Research and Design Precinct, a re-elected Morrison Government will be supporting the high value testing and evaluation needs of the Royal Australian Navy; increasing opportunities for greater collaboration between Defence, academia and industry to deliver cutting-edge defence capability; and build the AMC’s ability to support the National Shipbuilding College as it builds the workforce of the future to deliver on our national Naval Shipbuilding Plan.
Tasmania is home to a growing defence industry, providing niche capabilities for the Australian Defence Force, and exporting world-class technology around the globe.
By creating a Tasmanian Defence Innovation and Design Precinct at the AMC, the Morrison Government will be bringing together Tasmanian industry to create more jobs.
The Coalition’s 2016 Defence White Paper committed $1.6 billion to defence-related innovation over a decade, supporting Australian science, technology and innovation to provide advanced home-grown Defence capabilities.
Only the Coalition can be trusted to deliver on its Defence commitments. Labor’s record when it comes to Defence is one of over $18 billion in cuts and slashing the Defence budget to its lowest level since 1938 as a proportion of GDP. Labor simply cannot be trusted on Defence.
The Coalition Government along with the University of Tasmania and Tasmanian Liberal Government, has been working on since the release of the 2016 Defence White Paper and our joint $500,000 investment in the development of a business case for the precinct in 2017.

Thousands of new jobs will be created as Tasmania’s horticulture industry grows, under the Morrison Government’s plan to invest $100 million to co-fund the Tasmanian Irrigation Scheme Tranche 3 Phase 1: the Pipeline to Prosperity project.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the project would be funded as part of the Government’s record investment to deliver secure water supplies to unlock the agricultural potential of our regions.
“The Liberal Nationals’ Government is determined to unlock the economic potential of our regions and we know often the answer is simply, ‘just add water’,” Mr Morrison said.
“I am proud this Government is backing farmers in Tasmania and this project has the potential when complete to deliver 78,000 megalitres of water, 479km of pipelines, seven dams, 23 pump stations and four power stations.
“This project will unlock thousands of jobs across Tasmania, strengthen our economy and support our farmers.”
Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said the north, north-west, central and south-east regions of Tasmania are all set to benefit from the scheme.
“Growth in agriculture in Tasmania is limited without large-scale integrated irrigation schemes. Tranche 3 means farmers can invest with certainty into the future and unlock high value horticulture production areas,” Mr McCormack said.
“This investment will see Tasmanian primary producers potentially expand their operations and take advantage of the iconic ‘clean, green’ fresh produce brand that is known the world over.
“By creating greater opportunities in the Tasmanian agriculture sector, we are growing local job opportunities.”
Tranche 3 is expected to deliver $114 million in economic benefit per year and 2,600 full-time jobs.
Phase 1 will focus on five immediate priorities including the Don Irrigation Scheme, the Fingal Irrigation Scheme, the Northern Midlands Irrigation Scheme, the Tamar Irrigation Scheme and the Sassafras Wesley Vale irrigation Scheme augmentation.
Following the assessment of an Independent Panel – the Australian and Tasmanian Governments will work together to finalise delivery milestones to ensure the projects get under construction as soon as possible.
The National Water Infrastructure Development Fund expansion to more than $1 billion, as well as the existing $2 billion National Water Infrastructure Loan Facility programme, means more than $3 billion is now available from the Australian Government to support State and Territory governments and their project partners in building new water infrastructure and provide greater social and economic opportunity for Australians.
The commitment today is built off the $1.78 million we committed in 2017 to the Tasmanian Government to fast-track feasibility studies for the next tranche of Tasmanian irrigation Infrastructure.
Further information on the National Water Infrastructure Development Fund is available at https://infrastructure.gov.au/infrastructure/water-infrastructure/nwi-development-fund/.

The Morrison Government will invest $1 million to support the installation of defibrillators at camping sites, throughout Australia, in an exciting partnership with the Caravan Industry Association of Australia.
An estimated 1000 Caravan Parks throughout the country will be given funding to ensure the installation of defibrillators at sites where over 11 million Australians choose to stay each year.
Minister for Health, Greg Hunt said heading off on that caravan and camping trip to regional Australia has just become that much safer.
“Research shows that if a person is defibrillated within the first five minutes of collapse, their chance of survival is around 90 per cent,” Minister Hunt said.
“For every minute that this is delayed, the chances of survival decrease by up to 10 per cent.”
“This initiative will save and protect lives,” Minister Hunt said.
Minister McKenzie said this investment will make those Australians who want to get out into the regions to explore the natural beauty, feel safer knowing that medical help is not far away.
“We know that more and more Australians are visiting our regions and by increasing their attractiveness to domestic and especially international visitors with better medical amenities, it will help grow regional economies.
“With 44 cents of every tourist dollar spent in regional areas and the industry providing 8% of employment in the regions, it makes smart economic sense as well as medical.”
CEO of Caravan Industry Association of Australia, Stuart Lamont welcomed the funding as an exciting and yet common sense initiative that will put the best technology into holiday locations across the nation.
Mr Lamont said, “Caravan parks are popular holiday destinations – particularly with senior Australians who are at an increased risk of heart attack.”
“We also know that in rural and regional areas it can take longer for an ambulance to arrive, given the distances they sometimes have to travel.”
“This program will ensure that if a person suffers a heart attack in a caravan park that lifesaving help is close to hand,” Mr Lamont said.
The Caravan Industry Association of Australia (CIA) will manage the implementation of the program on a 50:50 partnership with caravan parks contributing half the cost of each defibrillator and will work with caravan parks to ensure a speedy roll-out of the program. Funds are available in this financial year.
The Morrison Government is committed to ensuring access to vital health services and infrastructure when and where it is needed most.