Category: Australian News

A Shorten Labor Government will make sure Aussie kids have access to swimming and water safety lessons in primary school.
Whether it’s at the beach, the river or the backyard pool – enjoying the water is part of Australian life.
Aussies love swimming, but too many young people are growing up without learning sufficient water safety skills to keep them safe.
In 2017-18, nearly 250 people drowned in Australian waterways. One in five drownings were people under the age of 25.
This summer has been particularly tragic with 65 drownings in our waterways.
We want to make sure Australian children are strong swimmers and safe in the water.
Currently, access to school-based swimming lessons is inconsistent, with access depending on their location, type of school and whether their parents can afford private lessons.
This is unfair and unsafe. We don’t want children to miss out.
The Swim Smart program will deliver more swimming and water safety lessons for students during the school term.
From the 2020 school year, we will fund additional swimming lessons for schools that need it, catch-up lessons for kids needing extra support, and more support for the cost of transport and pool entry fees.
The new national program will be based on the Royal Life Saving Australia’s Year Four National Water Safety Standards. This includes the goal that children can swim 50 metres, tread water and know how to respond if they fall into water unexpectedly.
Currently, about one in five kids leave primary school unable to swim 50 metres.
Labor will work with states and territories, Catholic and Independent schools to deliver the program to schools who require extra support. We will also work with local government, swim schools and lifesaving clubs to help ensure students have access.
The program will also provide additional support to children with disability, to ensure they can participate in water safety and learn to swim programs just like their class mates.
Swimming lessons aren’t just something parents should have to organise on weekends or during the holidays. It’s a critical part of growing up safe in Australia, so it should be part of the school term.
The policy has been costed by the independent Parliamentary Budget Office to have a budget impact of $46 million over the forward estimates, and will be in addition to existing state and territory programs.
Labor can fund extra swimming lessons for kids because we’ve made tough budget decisions to make multinationals pay their fair share of tax, close tax loopholes used by the top end of town, and we won’t give a tax cut to the big banks.

The people of Brisbane’s northside will benefit from better access to affordable life-saving medical scans under a Shorten Labor Government.
Labor will deliver a full Medicare-funded MRI licence to The Prince Charles Hospital, ensuring locals can access the scans they need close to home without paying high out-of-pocket costs.
This is part of Labor’s Fair Go Action Plan to protect Medicare and fix our hospitals.
The Prince Charles is a major Brisbane hospital with over 600 beds. It has a particular speciality in heart imaging and has two MRI machines as part of its Centre of Excellence in Cardiovascular MRI.
However neither MRI machine has a full Medicare licence – meaning Medicare doesn’t cover scans for most outpatients.
Labor will upgrade one of these MRIs to a full licence, expanding access to bulk-billed MRI scans and cutting wait times.
A bipartisan Senate inquiry recognised Brisbane’s northside as an area of major shortage a year ago.
The Government’s own data shows that the Brisbane North Primary Health Network has one of the lowest numbers of fully eligible MRIs per capita in the country.
The Liberals have acknowledged there’s a shortage but after nearly six years in power they’ve done nothing about it.
That’s typical of the Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison Government. They know there’s a problem – but they’re too distracted by their own divisions to actually fix them.
This announcement builds on Labor’s commitment to also deliver an MRI licence to nearby Redcliffe Hospital. Elsewhere in Queensland, Labor has also promised an MRI licence for Gladstone.
MRI scans are used to detect and diagnose conditions that affect soft tissue – including tumours and cancer – and can mean the difference in detecting a disease as early as possible. But they only attract a rebate if they are performed on a machine with a licence.
Labor has a proud record on MRIs, granting 238 licences when we were last in office. That means hundreds of communities are benefiting from the early detection and diagnosis of disease today because of Labor’s investment.
The Liberals on the other hand neglected this issue for most of their time in office, granting just one a year in their first five years. It has only been in recent months they have recognised their dismal failure in this space and moved to match Labor’s commitments.
Labor has already announced 10 new licences for public hospitals around the country. We will still deliver a further 10 licences through a transparent application process if we win Government.
Labor’s investment in MRI licences comes on top of our commitment to invest an extra $2.8 billion in public hospitals.
We will reverse the Liberal public hospital cuts and ensure our emergency departments and hospital wards have the doctors, nurses and hospital staff to keep up with record demand.
Labor can afford to protect Medicare and fix our hospitals because we are tackling unfair tax loopholes and making multinationals pay their fair share.

A Shorten Labor Government will deliver better access to emergency and specialist outpatient care for the people of Logan – and reduce pressure on the local hospital’s emergency department – by building a new Urgent and Specialist Care Centre.
This is part of Labor’s Fair Go Action Plan to protect Medicare and fix our hospitals.
The Logan region is growing rapidly, and its population is ageing and has more complex health requirements than most, putting enormous pressure on local health services.
Labor will invest $33.4 million to establish the new Centre, which will treat people with urgent but not life-threatening illnesses and injuries – meaning they won’t end up in Logan Hospital, freeing up doctors and nurses to deal more quickly with more serious emergencies.
The Centre will be run by the hospital and include 11 urgent care beds to treat people with injuries such as minor fractures, dislocations, abrasions and lacerations, as well as respiratory tract infections.
Outpatient care will be a key focus of the Centre with the inclusion of 22 specialist consultation rooms – boosting Logan Hospital’s capacity by a third – and boast pathology, diagnostic imaging and pharmacy services.
The new walk-in Centre will operate seven days a week and is expected to see over 15,000 patients a year.
This will not only reduce pressure on Logan’s emergency department – and the hospital car park – but also reduce the need for people to travel for hospital services. More people will be able to access care in their own community.
This is another example of Labor’s commitment to delivering the best possible health care for all Australians, no matter where they live or how much money they have.
The Liberals on the other hand just cut and cut and cut: including a $6.1 million cut from Logan Hospital from 2017 to 2020, equivalent to 9,000 ED visits or 15,000 outpatient appointments. That’s part of a $160 million cut to Queensland and a $715 million cut nationwide.
Now Scott Morrison is trying to lock in those cuts for another five years – but the Queensland Labor Government has rejected their inadequate deal.
Labor will reverse the Liberal cuts with our $2.8 billion Better Hospitals Fund – including through projects such as this one.
This announcement builds on Labor’s proud record in Logan. In 2011, federal Labor invested $175 million to deliver 50 new beds and a new ED building at Logan Hospital.
And in 2017 Queensland Labor commited $281 million for the Logan Hospital redevelopment, including a bed increase from 448 to up to 640, and $12.6 million for a new maternity ward. This project will support the redevelopment.
The site for the new Centre will be determined in consultation with Logan Hospital and the local community, including the council and local education institutions.
Labor can afford to protect Medicare and fix our hospitals because we are tackling unfair tax loopholes and making multinationals pay their fair share.
Only Labor can be trusted to fix Queensland’s hospitals.

A Shorten Labor Government will invest $5 million to renew the Palmerston swimming pool, ensuring the local community has a modern swimming pool that will effectively meet the challenges of a growing community.
Palmerston is the second largest and fastest growing city in the Northern Territory, with the population forecast to reach over 70,000 residents in the following decades. As a regional hub, the pool services Palmerston and the surrounding local government areas.
The Palmerston pool is almost 30 years old, and it is in need of serious upgrades in order to operate effectively for a growing community and to provide more opportunities for health and well-being.
Labor’s $5 million investment will go towards:

• refurbishing the 50 metre pool with a ramp, wet deck and shade sails for community comfort and year-round swimming;
• a leisure pool with beach entry, interactive features and a dedicated learn to swim section with in-pool ledges;
• an adventure zone including water slides;
• a BBQ area for families;
• spectator viewing for swimming competitions; and
• a dry play area (interactive/adventure playground)

Local swimming pools like Palmerston are incredibly important – especially for Northern Australia where access to safe swimming beaches and rivers is limited, and in some cases restricted.
Every child also has the right to learn to swim. Access to local swimming pools for lessons through either school programs or local swim schools is critical to ensuring kids have this opportunity.
And because the Palmerston pool is the only public pool in the Palmerston and surrounding areas which can provide the community with this access to learn to swim classes, upgrading the pool is essential.
Labor knows that investing in infrastructure isn’t just about building roads and rail – it’s about investing in better lives for the community, through increased access to sports and leisure facilities like the Palmerston pool.
This pool upgrade is long overdue – the community has been campaigning long and hard for a new pool and thanks to the advocacy of Luke Gosling, Labor is delivering.
The total cost of the project is estimated to be $10 million. Labor will work in partnership with Chief Minister Michael Gunner and City of Palmerston Council to make sure this vital upgrade is delivered.
Labor has made hard budget decisions to ensure our priorities are fully paid for – we will make multinationals pay their fair share and close unsustainable tax loopholes, because we want the Palmerston community to have access to modern swimming facilities.

Reports today from the NSW Primary Industries Minister Niall Blair that there have been more fish kills across the State, including on the NSW-Victorian border at Lake Hume, are unacceptable.
This ecological disaster is now becoming a national emergency. The Australian Government needs to act now.
The reports of a new fish kills surfaced soon after it was revealed that the NSW Water Minister did not know about the Government’s “emergency meeting” that Ministers, including the Federal Water Minister, won’t attend.
Minister Blair is quoted in Fairfax Media saying:
“It was all news to us”
“I’m at a bit of a loss – what is it going to do?”
It is astounding that the NSW Water Minister doesn’t know why the meeting is happening. It is also being reported the reason the Federal Minister hasn’t visited affected areas is because he is travelling to Germany.
On Monday, the Shadow Minister for Environment and Water visited Menindee to inspect the disaster first hand, and to meet with locals. The Prime Minister must direct his Water Minister to do the same.
Labor has written to the Government requesting an urgent scientific taskforce to immediately get to the bottom of how this unfolding disaster has taken place. This review was to be focussed on the Darling River and Menindee. It now needs to include the latest fish kills.
Labor has offered to support the findings of the scientific review and if that means urgent changes to legislation, we will support that.
But Australia also needs the Prime Minister to show leadership:

• if reports are true, recall his Water Minister from Germany and direct him to visit affected areas;
• respond to Labor’s calls for a science taskforce, and establish and resource taskforce so it can report to Parliament;
• identify actions that can be taken now to prevent further fish kills, including where there is water in the system; and
• make available the full resources of the Commonwealth to help with river clean up as this is no longer just a matter for NSW.

Once we know all the facts the Prime Minister needs to convene an emergency meeting of Basin State leaders.
While acknowledging the drought is extreme, the nature of this is unprecedented and requires an immediate national response informed by experts.
At a time when a national emergency is developing, the Prime Minister, the Federal Water Minister and even the Government’s special envoy on drought, are nowhere to be seen.

A Shorten Labor Government will provide a record boost for Type 1 diabetes research by investing $50 million in clinical trials and supporting our best and brightest researchers in their quest for a cure for Australian children.
Labor will extend funding for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s Clinical Research Network, an effort we established in 2010, which takes research where it’s needed most – directly to the people living with this chronic disease.
More than 120,000 Australians have Type 1 diabetes and Labor has a proud record of supporting them. Today’s announcement is all about helping kids living with diabetes and finding a cure to protect them in the future.
Under the Liberals, the Network’s funding is due to expire in June 2019 – less than six months away. In its first Budget, a Shorten Labor Government will extend and increase that funding for a further five years to 2024 – meeting the request of JDRF and its thousands of advocates.
Labor’s extra funding would allow the CRN to enter phase three of its mission, which would involve:

• Increasing the volume and impact of type 1 diabetes clinical trials;
• Translating research findings into new technologies and treatments; and
• Supporting Australia’s world-class type 1 diabetes researchers in their bid to find a cure.

Labor’s commitment will cost $50 million from 2019-20 to 2023-24. Labor is able to make investments like this in health because we’ve made the right calls on unaffordable tax giveaways to wealthy Australians.
Of course Scott Morrison could end the funding uncertainty immediately – and we urge him to do just that by matching Labor’s commitment. The JDRF CRN is a world-leading research effort that deserves strong bipartisan support.
So far the Network – a collaboration between researchers, patients and industry – has enrolled 13,000 Australians in clinical trials of new drugs and devices, as well as prevention and early detection projects.
In addition to establishing the JDRF CRN in 2010, we went to the last election with a major commitment to expand support for Continuous Glucose Monitoring devices so that pregnant women and high-risk adults could get access to this life-changing technology. We are glad that the Liberals have recently emulated this policy after consistent advocacy from Labor and diabetes groups.
Labor believes in making health care affordable and accessible to all Australians, and in the power of health and medical research to achieve breakthroughs that improve lives.

Labor will deliver a fair go for Australian women by strengthening the ability of the Fair Work Commission to order pay increases for workers in female dominated industries such as early childhood, aged care, and disability services.
Labor will change the Fair Work Act to make it clear that the Commission must consider pay equity a central objective of the workplace relations system.
Labor will give the Commission greater capacity and funding to conduct Pay Equity Reviews and order pay increases in undervalued feminised industries. Low paid workers should not have to rely on fighting complex, expensive legal cases to secure a decent wage rise.
Pay Equity Reviews will be conducted by a new Presidential member of the Commission, supported by an expert Pay Equity Panel.
We don’t need to compare female dominated jobs with male dominated jobs to know that female dominated industries are often poorly paid – that’s just a fact.  So we will change the Fair Work Act to make it clear that establishing undervaluation of female dominated industries does not require a male comparator.
These reforms are an important part of Labor’s plan to close the gender pay gap.
A fair go for all Australians means fair pay and conditions for Australian women.
The gender pay gap is one of the most persistent forms of inequality in the Australian economy.  When you consider total remuneration, women still get paid about 23 per cent less than men.
One of the key drivers of the gap is the fact work in traditionally female dominated industries is undervalued.
The average woman working in the most feminised industries such as health care, social assistance and education is paid around $30,000 less than the average man working in the most male dominated industries such as mining and construction.
Australia’s equal pay laws are not working well enough to tackle this problem. Of the 21 applications made since 1994, only one equal remuneration order has been made by the Fair Work Commission.
The Commission’s President, Iain Ross, recently said “it is likely [the gender pay gap] will widen again absent any measures to stop it.”
That’s why Labor will:

• Make gender pay equity an object of the Fair Work Act;
• Establish a statutory Equal Remuneration Principle, to guide the Fair Work Commission’s consideration of whether feminised industries are paid fairly;
• Establish a new Pay Equity Panel within the Commission led by a new Presidential Member with specific expertise in gender pay equity; and
• Fund the Commission to establish a Pay Equity Unit that will provide expert research support during equal remuneration matters, and more generally.

This announcement builds on commitments Labor has already made to tackle the gender pay gap, including:

• Reversing cuts to penalty rates, which disproportionately impact women;
• Investing $400 million to boost women’s superannuation balances;
• Setting staged and progressive targets to close the gender pay gap, and making an annual statement to Parliament on progress;
• Legislating so companies with more than 1,000 employees have to report their gender pay gap publicly;
• Changing the Fair Work Act to prohibit pay secrecy clauses and give employees the right to disclose (or not disclose) their pay;
• Requiring the Workplace Gender Equality Agency to publish a list that shows whether a company has undertaken a gender pay gap audit and reported the results to its board; and
•  Requiring all Australian Government departments and agencies to conduct gender pay audits within the first year of a Labor Government.

A Shorten Labor Government will help more Australian families with the cost of rent and turbocharge housing construction in Australia, with a ten- year national plan to build 250,000 houses –  Australia’s biggest ever investment in affordable housing.
This is a cost of living plan, a jobs plan and a housing plan. It will give working families a fair go to put a roof over their head now – and save for their own home in the future.
Labor will support affordable housing for renters by offering 15 year subsidies – $8500 per year – to investors who build new houses – conditional on them being rented at 20 per cent below market rent.
Support for 250,000 new units and houses will be available – with 20,000 new units and houses estimated to be built in the first term of a Shorten Labor Government.
These properties would be available to rent to eligible Australians – including those on low and moderate incomes – taking pressure off budgets and helping people save.
A family paying the national rental average of $462 a week could save $92 a week under Labor’s plan.
Labor’s plan will provide investors with certainty to build – knowing that they will have long term government support and guarantees beyond the decade. The existing rental scheme – the National Rental Affordability Scheme – has attracted private investment of approximately $12.9 billion to deliver 37,000 affordable rental dwellings in the ten years since 2008.
Despite this success, the Liberals have abandoned affordable housing and axed the subsidies that encourage affordable housing. There is a severe shortage of affordable rental housing in Australia and many families are struggling to find and keep a roof over their heads. The number of Australians experiencing rental and mortgage stress is at record levels.
Access to housing stands as one of the biggest challenges in addressing intergenerational inequality – there is a persistent and increasing wealth gap which is locking Australians out of the housing market.
Increasing the supply of affordable housing is critical to addressing pressures on disposable income, and in turn, addressing inequality.
The Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) has estimated that there is a shortfall of more than 525,000 affordable rental properties in Australia.
Labor’s plan will deliver affordable, environmentally sustainable housing that help to reduce energy consumption and cost of living pressures on Australian families. Overseas students, temporary foreign workers, other non-residents will not be eligible tenants.
Labor will work with community housing providers, the residential construction sector and institutional investors to generate economic growth and new construction jobs. The plan will support Labor’s negative gearing reforms which direct concessions to newly built premises and encourage housing construction.
Consistent with Labor’s commitment on major infrastructure projects, one in ten jobs during construction and maintenance of properties will go to an Australian apprentice.
Only Labor will give families a fair go by investing in the plans, infrastructure and services needed to build a better and more equal Australia and help working families with cost-of-living pressures.
Labor’s policy has been costed independently by the Parliamentary Budget Office and will have an impact of $102 million over the forward estimates (to 2021-22), and $6.6 billion over the decade to 2028-29.
More information is available here.