Month: May 2020

Australian Greens Education spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has labelled the government’s latest change to JobKeeper eligibility rules farcical and sinister as it bends over backwards to deny wage subsidy support to Australian universities.
In the latest twist, Sydney Uni has been denied access to the scheme despite having believed to have qualified due to a significant drop in revenue, and having paid staff additional money in anticipation of receiving government support.
Senator Faruqi said:
“The government is bending over backwards to deny universities access to the JobKeeper wage subsidy. This is farcical and sinister stuff.
“Universities have been dealing with huge uncertainties for months now. Constantly shifting the goalposts is not only enormously unfair to them in this crisis, but reveals the Liberals’ malice towards higher education.
“The clear intent to lock universities out of JobKeeper can only be explained by the Liberals’ ongoing hostility to higher education and their commitment to starve universities of funding.
“The government is fully aware that up to 30,000 university jobs are on the line, but they just don’t seem to care.
“In addition to JobKeeper, the government must back universities through a new package which would massively boost funding, save jobs and improve universities for staff and students,” she said.

Australian Greens Housing spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has backed a call from a coalition of peak housing and homelessness groups to ramp up social housing construction to help solve the housing crisis and generate jobs during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Senator Faruqi said:
“The government should be investing now to make sure everyone has a roof over their head. Australia is in desperate need of more social housing. Filling this gap now by constructing new homes will also act as a much-needed economic stimulus.
“Immediate social housing construction is a vital part of building a better world on the other side of this pandemic. It will also create tens of thousands of jobs. Over the next decade, we must build 500,000 new public and community high-quality, climate-conscious houses that can become safe and secure homes for so many people in need.
“Long overdue maintenance and upgrading will make existing social housing safe and liveable for people on low incomes and benefit existing social housing tenants, while providing jobs.
“Relying on the market has utterly failed to address our housing crisis, leaving some of the most vulnerable people on the verge of homelessness or in chronic rental stress. It’s time for the Federal Government to lead from the front with big investment to build public and community housing.
“Every week now we see more people locked out of affordable housing. This is simply unsustainable and inhumane. Things have to change,” she said.

The Australian government should develop and publicly release criteria for temporary visa holders to be allowed to return to Australia.
During the COVID-19 select committee hearing today it was revealed that Australian Border Force officials have no criteria for granting exemptions to the travel ban for ‘compelling and compassionate’ grounds.
“The decision making on this has been completely arbitrary, leaving hundreds of people stranded overseas, despite holding valid visas,” Greens Immigration spokesperson Senator Nick McKim said.
“Many of these people have family, homes and jobs here, pay taxes here, and send their kids to school in Australia.”
“We need clear and consistent guidelines that allow people to return to Australia on a compassionate or compelling basis, and these need to be released publicly so people can understand the decision making process.”
“People with immediate family in Australia, or who face hardship and harm by being stuck overseas, should be allowed to return.”

The National Cabinet met today to further discuss options for easing restrictions over the coming months, helping prepare Australians to go back to work in a COVID-19 safe environment and getting the economy back to a more sustainable level.
The Chief Medical Officer Professor Brendan Murphy provided an update on the measures underway, the latest data and medical advice in relation to COVID-19.
There have been 6,849 confirmed cases in Australia and sadly 96 people have died. There are now only around 1,000 active cases in Australia, and over the past week, daily infection rates have remained low.
We need to continue to have the right controls in place to test more people, trace those who test positive and respond to local outbreaks when they occur. These are precedent conditions to enable Australia to relax baseline restrictions and enable Australians to live and work in a COVID-19 safe economy.
National Cabinet encouraged Australians to download the COVIDSafe app to ensure that we can protect Australians and reset baseline restrictions. Nearly 5 million Australians have already downloaded the COVIDSafe app. This is an enormous achievement, but more is needed.
National Cabinet welcomed New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern for a part of today’s meeting to discuss our countries’ approaches to combating the virus. We agreed to start work on a trans-Tasman COVID-19 safe travel zone, easing travel restrictions between Australia and New Zealand. This arrangement would be put in place once it is safe to do so, with necessary health, transport and other protocols to protect public health. Any arrangement would need to factor in state and territory movement restrictions. A travel zone would assist both countries’ economic recovery, help kick-start our tourism and transport sectors, enhance existing sporting links, and reunite families and friends.
National Cabinet agreed to meet again on Friday 8 May 2020.
Establishing a COVID-19 Safe Australia – returning to work safely and confidently
The Chair of the National COVID-19 Coordination Commission, Mr Neville Power, briefed National Cabinet on the importance of a proactive and consistent approach to supporting businesses and workers to safely return to work – drawing on the National COVID-19 Safe Workplace Principles that had been agreed by National Cabinet on 24 April 2020.
National Cabinet agreed that Safework Australia would be the single source of information, which will allow businesses to plan with confidence and consistency. A toolkit is being developed for businesses to use, to help them be work ready in a COVID-19 safe environment. National Cabinet encouraged businesses to be prepared for reopening, to protect their workers and protect their business.
Establishing a COVID-19 Safe Australia – removing baseline restrictions
National Cabinet agreed to establish a three step framework to gradually remove baseline restrictions to enable Australians to live in a COVID-19 safe economy. Details will be determined by National Cabinet on Friday 8 May 2020.
Individual states and territories will determine the timeframe for graduating between steps and individual restrictions to remove. This reflects the fact that states and territories are at different stages of the pandemic response, with 6 of 8 states and territories now recording multiple zero case days.
National Cabinet noted that the Northern Territory has announced that by 5 June 2020, it will be able to remove many restrictions, while maintaining social distancing, hygiene and travel restrictions.
It is National Cabinet’s aim to have a sustainable COVID-19 safe economy in July 2020. This will be subject to strong epidemiology results, testing, tracing and local surge health response capacity. National Cabinet noted that some health measures will need to be in place for a considerable period of time including social distancing, strong hygiene and international travel restrictions. Some jurisdictions may choose to maintain interstate travel restrictions.
Justice sector Preparedness
National Cabinet discussed the importance of making sure there is access to legal support for those Australians who need it during this time.
That’s why the Australian Government will provide an additional $63.3 million for the legal assistance sector:

• $49.8 million for additional frontline legal services, such as legal advice or representation, and with 40 per cent to be used for matters involving domestic violence; and
• $13.5 million for IT costs to support the sector’s transition to delivering assistance virtually and online

National Cabinet agreed that it is important to quickly finalise agreement of the National Legal Assistance Partnership to ensure continuity for services, such as Community Legal Centres. Under that Partnership agreement, the Australian Government will provide more than $2 billion over the next five years to help Australians with legal issues.
Given the importance of protecting victims of domestic violence, there was also a commitment from all Premiers and Chief Ministers that domestic violence orders will continue to be available and enforced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Managing COVID-19 in corrections facilities
National Cabinet agreed that jurisdictions will plan for and manage COVID-19 outbreaks in prisons in accordance with the Communicable Diseases Network Australia National Guidelines for the Prevention, Control and Public Health Management of COVID-19 Outbreaks in Correctional and Detention Facilities in Australia.
National Cabinet agreed that supply of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) to corrections facilities should be considered a priority in the context of the national supply of PPE, as additional supplies become available and if COVID-19 cases are confirmed in the sector.
The Australian Government will, in partnership with jurisdictions, develop ‘Safe Travel Plans’ for newly released Indigenous prisoners including access to self-isolation accommodation and secure transport to designated communities.

Works have started on the $1 billion Pacific Motorway upgrade from Varsity Lakes to Tugun, the Gold Coast’s largest road project.
Concrete safety barriers have been put up, VMS boards installed and speeds reduced to make way for the mammoth jointly-funded project, which will see the M1 transformed into at least six lanes from Brisbane to Tugun.
It comes as another milestone is reached on the $218.5 million M1 upgrade between Mudgeeraba and Varsity Lakes with the new Stapley Drive bridge expected to open to traffic next week.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Government had fast-tracked the project to help bust congestion and create a jobs pipeline to help in the recovery from COVID-19.
“We’re getting moving as quickly as we can to get shovels in the ground and workers on site,” the Prime Minister said.
“Our $500 million investment to upgrade the M1 will boost jobs and get workers home sooner and safer.
“This isn’t just a project with significant long-term benefits, it’s going to be delivering benefits right now with more jobs to help local workers as Australia moves past the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the project was not only about tackling congestion in Australia’s sixth largest city, but also keeping Queenslanders in jobs.
“This project will support more than 830 jobs and we’re going to keep delivering jobs and infrastructure for the Gold Coast and the whole of Queensland,” Premier Palaszczuk said.
“We’re starting before the current section is complete because we want to see progress and jobs continue.
“Getting started on this project sooner rather than later means when we come out of COVID-19, Queensland’s economy can support as many jobs as possible.”
Federal Minister for Population, Cities and Urban Infrastructure Alan Tudge said the project would be divided into three packages, with the section from Varsity Lakes to Burleigh the first to be delivered.
“Start of construction has been fast-tracked because we know the delivery of major infrastructure projects like the M1 is essential to supporting jobs and economic growth at this time,” Minister Tudge said.
“It’s rare to see a project of this size start construction within several weeks after contract award but we know it is vital to get this project up and running at a time when creating and maintaining jobs has never been more critical.
“This is just one of our major infrastructure projects that will be essential in the post-pandemic economic recovery.”
Queensland Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said close to 80 per cent of businesses currently working on the first M1 upgrade between Mudgeeraba and Varsity Lakes were local, and that Gold Coasters would see that level of local engagement replicated on an upgrade five times the size, benefitting the city for years to come.
“The Queensland Government has secured $2.5 billion to build a better M1, and to create more than 2,000 jobs and plenty of work for dozens of local businesses,” Minister Bailey said.
“Getting shovels in the ground now means that once works wrap up on the Mudgeeraba to Varsity Lakes section in mid-2020, there won’t be a pause in much-needed jobs.
“Attacking coronavirus means going at it from all angles. That includes the economic front, where major construction projects like this are crucial to keeping Queenslanders employed and assisting businesses as much as possible.”
Federal Member for McPherson Karen Andrews said it was a win-win-win situation, particularly as the Gold Coast feels the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Getting this project started ahead of time is a win for jobs, a win for our economy and a win for Gold Coast drivers,” Minister Andrews said.
“By relieving the southern Gold Coast of the constant traffic bottlenecks, we can reduce travel times and increase freight efficiency.”
The project will feature the region’s first Diverging Diamond Interchange and more lanes for the 10-kilometre stretch between Varsity Lakes and Tugun and there will also be upgrades to the Burleigh Heads, Tallebudgera and Palm Beach exits.
It will also include building a new service road bridge over Tallebudgera Creek and connecting a new western service road (one lane each way) between Palm Beach (Exit 92) and Tallebudgera (Exit 89). The corridor south of Varsity Lakes will be preserved for a future rail extension.
The $1 billion M1 Pacific Motorway – Varsity Lakes to Tugun project is being jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland governments, with both governments contributing $500 million each.