Month: October 2020

The enormous contribution of carers is being celebrated as part of National Carers Week.
Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians, Richard Colbeck, said more than 2.65 million carers give their time, effort and love to look after a partner, family member or friend who needs them.
“The commitment of carers across Australia to support senior and vulnerable Australians should not be underestimated,” Minister Colbeck said.
“Carers are integral to the quality of life and independence of many Australians and make an important economic contribution to the community.
“For all those people who put the needs of others before their own, we say thank you.”
Minister Colbeck said the Government is particularly conscious of the additional demands the COVID-19 pandemic is having on carers across the country.
“We know the need to limit visitors to their home has increased the level of worry and stress for carers, but help and support is available,” Minister Colbeck said.
In what also marks World Mental Health Week, the Government has released a number of mental health packages to help support people and their carers during the COVID-19 pandemic including:

• The Head to Health website supports people and their carers needing help coping with anxiety or worry about COVID-19

• Dedicated coronavirus digital resources and a 24/7 phone counselling service led by Beyond Blue (1300 22 4636) staffed by accredited mental health professionals

• Additional funding to bolster critical phone and online support services, including Lifeline (13 11 14), to help ensure it can meet increased demand.

“The Australian Government has also invested $48.1 million to implement the National Mental Health and Wellbeing Pandemic Response Plan,” Minister Colbeck said.
“Through this plan, we provided $3 million to boost services through the Carer Gateway, as well as $500,000 to Carers Australia to encourage carers of people with a mental illness to connect with others in the same circumstances, and to access online resources for their own wellbeing and self-care.”
“Anyone at any time can become a carer so this year—and beyond—we acknowledge and commend the outstanding contribution made by carers in our community,” he said.
Support network, Carer Gateway, is among the services which offers counselling, connection with other carers, coaching, courses and emergency respite services.
Carers can contact Carer Gateway on 1800 422 737, to speak to trained worker in their local area to help find the services and support required.
The Commonwealth Home Support Programme also supports care relationships through planned respite services for older people, allowing carers to take a much needed break from their usual caring responsibilities.
Senior Australians, their families and carers also have access to a free dedicated mental health support line for those impacted by the spread of COVID-19.
The phone line offers practical help and guidance during this challenging time.
The number is 1800 171 866 and the service is open Monday to Friday between 8:30am to 6pm.
For more information, please visit the Carer Gateway.
National Carers Week continues until 17 October.

Australia needs political leadership that will ensure we emerge from the recession stronger than we were before it began.
History tells us attempting to deal with recessions by restoring pre-crisis conditions is a sure path to failure.
We need reform. Real reform.
Effective economic reform, as always, should focus on the three Ps – population, productivity and participation.
With the pandemic meaning that more people are leaving Australia than arriving, population will not be increasing.
Childcare reform is needed to boost participation in the workforce and productivity. That motivates Labor’s plan to address the absurd design flaw in our tax and childcare systems which discourages many working mothers from working full time.
Caps on childcare subsidies mean women who want to work more than three days a week often see the cost of childcare consume the bulk or even all of their wages.
For so many working women, it’s simply not worth working more than three days a week.
This derails careers, it deprives working women of opportunities they’ve earned.
This makes no sense.
It’s holding back families from getting ahead and it’s holding back our economy.
It means we are not fully utilising our nation’s greatest resource – our people.
A Labor government will fix this.
We will remove the $10,560 a year annual cap on the childcare subsidy from July 1 2022.
We will also increase the maximum childcare subsidy to 90 per cent – cutting costs for 97 per cent of all families in the system.
We will require the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to design a price regulation mechanism to ensure every taxpayer family benefits from this reform.
Families should be able to work out their own working arrangements without one gender being disadvantaged.
The economic payoff will be huge. Modelling shows that clearing the way for greater female workforce participation will boost economic growth by $4 billion a year.
Then there is the benefit to children.
The human brain develops 90 per cent of its capacity in the first five years of life.
Our reform will give children greater access to early childhood education, which will improve their prospects in later life.
This will benefit workplaces – not just day-to-day productivity but years of valuable experience and knowledge and skills.
Labor’s childcare change represents fundamental structural reform that will not only change lives, but also turbo charge economic growth.
This underlines the difference between Labor and the conservatives.
While the Liberals resist reform, Labor governments drive change in the national interest.
We take on the tough reform tasks that change our nation for the better.
Universal health care. Affordable university education. Compulsory superannuation. The National Broadband Network. The NDIS.
Then there are the great economic reforms of the Hawke and Keating era which set the platform for three decades of economic growth and prosperity.
Our childcare initiative is cut from the same cloth.
It is not just about fairness. It will transform our national economy for the better.

 
The Morrison Government has officially opened Rheinmetall Defence Australia’s Military Vehicle Centre of Excellence (MILVEHCOE) in Redbank, Queensland, which will see hundreds of long-term jobs created for Queensland workers.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the new defence industry facility in Redbank is part of the Economic Recovery Plan to create jobs as the nation recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are committed to keeping Australians safe, while protecting the nation’s interests in a rapidly changing global environment,” the Prime Minister said.
“This week’s budget has seen the Federal Government bring forward $1 billion worth of capability projects and reservist days to support jobs, the Australian defence industry and the wider economy.”
“This Queensland centre will be where some of the most advanced armoured vehicles in the world will be produced, by Australian workers.”
“The MILVEHCOE will create more than 450 long-term jobs and become a national asset for military vehicles.”
The Prime Minister also congratulated Rheinmetall Defence Australia for securing work to export at least 30 Lance Turrets from MILVEHCOE to Hungary.
“This is a significant export order, and a clear demonstration of the Government’s commitment to supporting Australian defence industry to achieve export success,” Mr Morrison said.
“We make things in Australia. We do it well. And this is an example of how we are continuing to make things in Australia.”
“Defence is one of six priority areas under our $1.5 billion Modern Manufacturing Strategy and is backed by measures from Tuesday’s budget. This includes the JobMaker hiring credits to boost employment, a $2.8 billion programme to support apprenticeship and trainee jobs through wage subsidies and tax incentives so businesses can deduct the full cost of any eligible assets and to offset loss against previous profits, for businesses with a turnover of under $5 billion.
Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon Linda Reynolds CSC said the vehicles from MILVEHCOE represent a new level of capability for the Army.
“As outlined in the 2020 Force Structure Plan, the Boxer will provide enhanced mobility, firepower, protection and situational awareness to our troops,” Minister Reynolds said.
“They will allow our Australian Defence Force personnel to rapidly deploy, achieve their missions and importantly, return home safely.”
“I join the Prime Minister in congratulating Rheinmetall Defence Australia on securing new export opportunities. A resilient and internationally competitive defence industry is essential to Australia’s national security.
Minister for Defence Industry, Hon Melissa Price said MILVEHCOE represented a watershed in Defence self-reliance, backed by a secure domestic supply chain provided by home-grown Australian businesses.
“Australian industry will play a vital role delivering and sustaining key Australian defence capabilities at the facility,” Minister Price said.
“Rheinmetall will use suppliers across Australia to design, build, assemble, test and support the Boxer Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles and training systems.”
“The work at this facility is terrific news for Queensland workers and defence companies across the country.”
Rheinmetall will use the MILVEHCOE facility to build and assemble the majority of Boxer Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles, which are being delivered to the Australian Army under the $5 billion LAND 400 Phase 2 project.
The facility will also be used to conduct integration, support and heavy grade repair for the logistics trucks and modules being delivered under the LAND 121 Phase 3B and 5B projects.