Month: February 2021

Australian Greens Anti-Racism spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has said that the Scanlon Foundation’s Mapping Social Cohesion report for 2020 contains alarming findings with respect to racism felt towards and experienced by culturally diverse Australians.
The report points to “substantial negative sentiment towards national groups from Africa, Asia and the Middle East”, among other findings. The Greens say the government should read the report with utmost seriousness and invest in anti-racism programs and initiatives.
Senator Faruqi said:
“This report should be a wake-up call for everyone denying that people of colour in Australia continue to face racism.
“The Morrison government is not only denying and deflecting the racism people face every day in this country. They’re actively fomenting it.
“Consistently strong anti-Muslim attitudes are very disturbing in the aftermath of the Christchurch terrorist attack which was driven by anti-Muslim hatred, committed by an Australian, and directly targeted Muslims.
“About 40 per cent of Asia-born respondents reported experiencing discrimination, with racism often experienced when shopping, on public transport, or at work.
“While a healthy level of general support for multiculturalism and our immigration program is welcome, we must tackle these real challenges we face. There are many in our community who are at the receiving end of some really toxic attitudes and behaviours,” she said.

The Greens say that the Government must continue to expand and diversify Australia’s vaccine portfolio immediately in light of the varying rates of effectiveness of vaccines against new strains.
“We cannot rely on AstraZeneca as our only contingency plan – we need to have a diverse portfolio to rapidly pivot to deal with new strains, including securing deals with Moderna and more Pfizer doses”, Greens spokesperson on Health Senator Rachel Siewert said.
“We need to ramp up CSL’s capacity to start locally producing Novavax at the same time as AstraZeneca given the promising Phase 3 Trial data.
“The Government should immediately invest in developing Australia’s capacity to locally manufacture vaccines and medicines that use mRNA technology. We need a publicly owned manufacturing capacity, mRNA technology is likely to revolutionise vaccine and drug development and Australia could be at the forefront of this.
“This should be started immediately as it will take some time to establish local manufacturing. Our local manufacturer CSL is not currently equipped to produce vaccines that use mRNA technology.
“A successful vaccine rollout will rely on strong leadership from the Federal Government and good faith and cooperation between the States and Territories.
“I am very concerned that if the bickering which is occurring between the State and Feds on quarantine arrangements continues to happen when the vaccine rollout commences Australians will not be served well.
“We need a public health response, not point scoring. No one wants to see the Prime Minister and Premiers bickering.
“Quarantine is a Federal responsibility, as is the vaccine rollout.
“Far too much of the official expert advice and consideration has been enveloped in secrecy, not least of which have been the decisions around vaccines.
“There needs to be more transparency about how decisions on masks, quarantine and vaccines are being made.
“It is essential that Australia continue to support COVAX and our neighbours in the pacific region must have timely and adequate access to Covid-19 vaccines.
“Australia should commit to increasing its funding to the COVAX AMC to at least the level of Canada (an additional $135.2m USD). This could also include calling on big pharma to temporarily waive intellectual property rights on Covid-19 vaccines to facilitate universal access.”

The Australian Greens have welcomed Labor’s confirmation today that the party opposes the renewal of the Petroleum Exploration Permit 11 (PEP11) licence, which allows oil and gas drilling off the NSW coast.
Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Greens Senator for NSW, said:
“This clear position from Labor will be welcomed by communities across NSW, and indeed across the country. Now all eyes are on the Coalition to see sense and outright reject PEP11.
“Today’s news is a result of the tireless activism of tens of thousands in the community who have pressured politicians on this matter. There is absolutely no case for drilling dirty fossil fuels off the beautiful NSW coastline.
“Drilling for fossil fuels risks irreversible damage to our climate, coasts, oceans and the wonderful marine life that lives within. It will hurt local industries and communities that depend on our oceans and coasts.
“From the outset, I’ve been working with the community who have been united in opposition to the renewal of PEP11. This shows the power of people to push for change,” she said.
Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, Greens spokesperson for Healthy Oceans, said:
“It’s good to see Labor confirm their position on banning oil and gas drilling in PEP11 after voting to support a Greens Senate motion calling for this.
“The Greens welcome any allies in our fight against dangerous seismic testing and proposals to drill for fossil fuels off our pristine coastlines.
“The decision from Labor to oppose oil and gas drilling off the coast of NSW will give hope to climate, coastal and marine campaigners right around the country.
“It would only be logical for Labor to now join the Greens and Tasmanian Liberal MP Gavin Pearce in publicly opposing plans to explore for oil and gas off the coast of King Island.
“In this time of climate emergency our oceans are warming rapidly and the changes we are seeing in our marine environment, such as repeated mass coral bleaching, are catastrophic.
“There is no justification for further risking the marine environment and exploring for the exact fossil fuels which are cooking the ocean and causing the problem in the first place.”

The Morrison Government is committed to preventing future children in Australia suffering from severe mitochondrial disease, a devastating genetic disorder and is calling on the public to share their views through the release of a consultation paper outlining our proposed approach.
By harnessing new technologies such as mitochondrial donation, we have the potential to change the lives of parents and their children and reduce the burden of mitochondrial disease for future generations.
Severe mitochondrial disease can have a devastating effect on families, including the premature death of children, painful debilitating and disabling suffering, long-term ill health and poor quality of life.
In Australia, approximately one child each week is born with a severe form of the disease, often with a life expectancy of less than five years.
Mitochondrial donation provides an option for some women who carry a mitochondrial genetic defect to have a biological child free from this devastating disease.
Our Government recognises that the introduction of this technology in Australia is complex and it will require an appropriate regulatory framework, medical safeguards and, in the longer term, the support of state and territory governments.
For these reasons, we have sought expert advice to ensure that Australia’s approach to implementing mitochondrial donation is undertaken safely and cautiously.
We are proposing to introduce this technology through a two stage process, which would see mitochondrial donation legalised for use in research settings and through an initial pilot clinic, before permitting it in clinical practice more broadly, after success has been demonstrated over a number of years.
We are committed to continuing to advance Australia’s position as a world leader in medical research and delivery, which will ultimately benefit all Australians.
More detailed information on the Government’s proposal is available on the Department of Health’s website at www.health.gov.au/mito
The consultation opens on 5 February and closes on 15 March. You can share your views at: https://consultations.health.gov.au/strategic-policy/mitochondrial-donation-in-australia

The Australian Government has secured an additional 10 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID 19 vaccine on the advice of the Scientific Industry Technical Advisory Group on Vaccines led by Professor Brendan Murphy.
Through the Government’s Advance Purchase Agreement with Pfizer, this additional 10 million vaccines means Australia will now receive 20 million Pfizer doses in 2021.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Government is committed to providing safe and effective vaccines free to everyone in Australia.
“Securing the additional Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines is another positive step in protecting Australians from COVID-19,” the Prime Minister said.
“We now have access to over 150 million vaccine doses, ensuring we remain a world leader in the fight against the virus.”
The vaccination program remains on track for commencement of delivery in late February to people in the first priority group, Phase 1a.
Health Minister Greg Hunt said making safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines available to everyone in Australia is a key priority for the Australia Government.
“I encourage people to get vaccinated when their turn comes – every vaccination helps us defeat the virus,” Minister Hunt said.
“Australians understand that vaccines work. They save lives and improve lives. They protect lives. We can be confident that every COVID-19 vaccine approved in this country will be safe and effective.”
“Australia is a vaccination nation—we have one the highest vaccination rates in the world.”
As the rollout begins, people who need protection the most will get the vaccine first. This includes aged care and disability care residents and workers, frontline health care workers, and quarantine and border workers.
The priority groups have been determined based on the advice of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) which oversees Australia’s highly successful immunisation program.
The Australian Government is also extending free access to COVID-19 vaccines to all visa-holders in Australia.
This will include refugees, asylum seekers, temporary protection visa holders and those on bridging visas. People currently residing in detention facilities will also be eligible, including those whose visas have been cancelled.
“It is vital that we offer vaccines to all people living in Australia to achieve the maximum level of coverage.” the Prime Minister said.
Australia has entered into four separate agreements for the supply of COVID-19 vaccines, if they are proved to be safe and effective. Combined, these agreements will ensure access to approximately 150 million doses.
The Australia Government, states and territories, regulators and the health and medical sectors are working together to finalise arrangements under the Australian Vaccination Strategy and detailed roll out plans. Further information about the Australian Government’s COVID-19 Vaccine National Roll-out Strategy can be found at www.health.gov.au/covid19-vaccines

The Australian Government’s $31 million COVID-19 vaccination public information campaign is now rolling out across the country, with an additional $1.3 million provided for peak multicultural organsations to help reach culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities.
Making safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines available to everyone in Australia is a key priority for the Australia Government. That is why we are extending free access to COVID‑19 vaccines to all visa-holders in Australia.
This will include refugees, asylum seekers, temporary protection visa holders and those on bridging visas. People currently residing in detention facilities will also be eligible, including those whose visas have been cancelled.
We know that Australia is a vaccination nation, and we trust this campaign will provide the assurance and motivation for everyone in Australia to have the COVID-19 vaccination.
A major roundtable was held today involving more than 50 community leaders to discuss how we can partner together in supporting the vaccination rollout.
A comprehensive plan, including communication activities and community engagement strategies, has been developed in partnership with multicultural specialist agencies and, with advice from the national CALD Communities COVID-19 Health Advisory Group, to reach people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
The campaign will reach Australians through a range of channels including regular website updates, social media, health professionals and community and grass roots organisations, networks, and the media. It includes advertising in 32 languages across radio, print and social media, and will extend to communities that are harder to reach through traditional channels.
Messages will target specific multicultural groups to ensure everyone in Australia has a full understanding of the vaccination program. Many people working in sectors such as aged care will be in the first groups to be vaccinated and are from CALD communities, and it is critical that they receive translated information that is culturally appropriate.
Translated resources have been developed for multicultural communities, including radio and print editorials, a video development guide for community leaders to film their own videos, in-language web content, social media posts, posters, and newsletter articles. The Department of Health’s vaccine hub also has a translation button for 63 languages available on its website and on mobile devices.
The Government is working with SBS to finalise short videos explaining the vaccine rollout in more than 60 languages, and with the Migration Council of Australia to produce an animated vaccine explainer in 29 languages. These products will be provided to multicultural peak bodies and networks and available online.
As more information becomes available through expert medical advice and complete data sets from clinical trials, the Department will provide timely updates through its multicultural channels.
The Australian Government is confident, given Australia’s current high vaccination rates, everyone able to take up the vaccine will do so in high numbers.