Month: March 2021

The Government will invest more than $1.1 billion to extend our successful national COVID-19 health response and suppression strategy until 31 December 2021.
Australia is leading the world out of the global COVID-19 pandemic and recession. As COVID-19 vaccines roll out across the nation, protecting Australians from the ongoing threats of the pandemic remains a priority.
This $1.1 billion is in addition to more than $22 billion spent in these areas to date, including more than $6 billion to support the COVID-19 vaccine roll out.
Australia’s suppression strategy has been extremely successful to date, particularly when compared with the devastation caused by the virus in many places overseas. Australia’s remarkable performance in saving lives is evident – we have the second lowest case rate and third lowest mortality rate amongst countries in the OECD.
The Government’s focus on containing the virus through testing, tracing and border and travel measures, building and investing in the capacity of our health system, and collaborating with states and territories, the health sector and others, has helped stop the spread of COVID-19.
We thank the community for their ongoing adherence to physical distancing and hygiene advice.
This new commitment will ensure that key measures remain in place throughout 2021 to protect the community while vaccinations roll out over the coming months.
This investment will extend:

• Our partnership with the states and territories to manage COVID-19, by sharing 50 per cent of the cost of testing and treating people with COVID-19 through our public hospitals, and of public health measures to prevent the spread. To date the Commonwealth has provided an additional $5 billion to support the states and territories, including $1 billion in additional public hospital funding
• Continue telehealth services and care until 30 June 2021. So far more than 51 million telehealth services have been delivered to 13 million patients and almost $2.6 billion in benefits paid. More than 82,000 providers have used telehealth services nationwide. The Government will continue to review the ongoing role of COVID telehealth to support the pandemic in the short term, while we plan the permanent post-pandemic telehealth arrangements with peak doctor groups.
• Support for rapid pathology testing and tracing building on the more than 14.5 million COVID-19 tests conducted to date
• GP-led Respiratory Clinics, which have delivered more than 1 million consultations and 934,600 COVID-19 tests
• Culturally safe testing, treatment and evacuation preparedness in the most remote and isolated parts of the country which has so far provided more than 15,500 point of care tests
• Electronic prescription services with 3.8 million electronic prescriptions and repeats to patients issued and almost 1.7 million dispensed to date
• Delivery of Home Medicine Services across the country with more than 2.1 million services delivered already
• The Continued Dispensing Emergency Measure where around 289,000 people have had at least one supply of medicine so far
• The Beyond Blue Coronavirus Mental Wellbeing Support Service to meet ongoing demand for services as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and provide continued support while COVID-19 restrictions remain and the COVID-19 vaccine program is implemented
• Aged care workforce surge support capability and financial support for aged care facilities affected by a COVID-19 outbreak to ensure the ongoing safety of senior Australians.

These measures have supported our response to COVID-19 outbreaks when they occurred. Extending them will ensure Australians remain COVID safe.
Our Government will continue to monitor the pandemic and the progress of our vaccination program so we can take the swift action needed to ensure we keep Australians safe and the economy on the road to recovery.

The Australian Government is ramping up its campaign against misinformation on the COVID-19 vaccines, as the vaccination program ramps up moving into Phase 1B.
Australians can get all their questions answer on the health website to find out what they want – and need – to know about the COVID-19 vaccines.
The new material on the website, called Is it true? – www.health.gov.au/covid19-vaccines – will help answer questions people may have about the vaccine, and respond to vaccine misinformation they may have heard.
This new function will provide trusted, credible information on COVID-19 vaccines for everyone in Australia. It will sort the fact from the fiction.
The information on the website will be clear, accurate and timely. This will help reassure Australians about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine and answer commonly asked questions and misinformation relating to the COVID-19 Vaccination program.
The vaccines are the next, crucial step on the road out of this pandemic – and it’s the one step that we can all take to protect ourselves, our families, our communities from severe illness.
It’s essential that people get their information on the vaccines from credible sources – and that should be on official government websites.
With new vaccine developments every day, it’s very normal for people to have questions and possibly feel hesitant about getting the vaccine. That doesn’t make them anti-vaccination.
The new section on the website will address the most common questions being asked by people and will be updated regularly.
The Government is running an extensive $31 million education campaign through the rollout, providing people with information about the approval process for the vaccines, details on what phases the rollout is at and who is now eligible to be vaccinated.
As the vaccination program starts to move into Phase 1b , which covers more than six million people, it’s essential people understand the facts about the vaccines as they make their appointments to get vaccinated.
The more people vaccinated, the more people protected from severe illness and death, keeping themselves and the broader community safe.

The Morrison Government will protect Australia’s family-owned automotive businesses and their employees from the growing power imbalance with multi-national car companies by introducing new significant financial penalties for wrongdoing under the Franchising Code of Conduct.
A fine of up to $10 million could be given to international car companies that undertake systemic breaches under the Code, including unilaterally changing contracts, poor compensation and reneging on warranties.
The existing voluntary automotive principles will be made compulsory and a new mandatory automotive code will be strongly considered, following consultation.
The Government will also explore mandatory binding arbitration provisions within this new code, similar to those in the Media Bargaining Code, which were developed to curtail the power of the Big Tech platforms.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australia’s automotive dealers employed more than 60,000 Australians, including 4,000 apprentices, and contributes more than $12 billion to the economy.
“We stand up for Australian jobs and Australian businesses,” the Prime Minister said.
“We stood up to Big Tech companies and we will stand up to multi-national car companies who are riding roughshod over many family-owned Australia car dealers.”
“By protecting these businesses, we will be protecting the thousands of jobs that rely on the sector, including many apprentices.
“Car sales are surging and it’s further proof that the Australian economy is on the comeback. We need to ensure Australian family-owned automotive businesses continue to reap the rewards of this growth and the support from our supercharged instant asset write-off.”
The new measures announced today will:

• Increase available penalties under the Franchising Code to up to $10 million. This will strengthen penalties for wilful, egregious and systemic breaches of the Franchising Code by large and profitable multinational companies.
• Ensure that the Franchising Code keeps pace with changes to business practice by explicitly recognising that dealers operating as a manufacturer’s agent in relation to new vehicle sales are still protected by the Franchising Code.

Establish best practice by transforming existing voluntary principles into mandatory obligations under the Franchising Code. This will address concerns multi-national manufacturers won’t follow voluntary principles.
Minister Cash said, “This is a decisive suite of reforms for automotive dealerships and the many local businesses, apprentices, charities and broader communities that they in turn support.
“The Government is fully committed to enacting reforms that are impactful and deliver for the nation and regions where transport is integral for economic and social needs.”
“This is a landmark set of reforms for the automotive industry, building on the critical work done by the Government, most recently with the announcement of the automotive principles to deliver for consumers in December 2020.
“I am looking forward to working together with the industry to ensure the reforms made will better the overall experience of consumers, who ultimately drive the demand that underpins the viability of the automotive sector.”
In addition, the Government is committed to working further with the automotive franchising sector and will consult on:

• Ensuring appropriate protections for automotive dealerships from unfair contract terms in their agreements with manufacturers;
• Options to achieve mandatory binding arbitration for automotive franchisees, to address power imbalance when there is a dispute; and
• The merits of a standalone automotive franchising code.

The Greens have said that Australia must support a World Trade Organization (WTO) proposal that would waive intellectual property provisions to allow Covid-19 vaccine production to be rolled out and made accessible and affordable to everyone in the global community.
The WTO Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Council is meeting this week, with the Covid-19 vaccine on the agenda.
Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Greens spokesperson for International Aid & Development, said:
“This is a matter of global justice, and putting people before the profits of enormous pharmaceutical companies.
“The Covid-19 vaccine is a public good, not a commodity, and access to healthcare is a human right.
“It would be unconscionable – and highly self-defeating – for Australia to allow the Covid-19 pandemic to roll on in the Global South all to the benefit of big pharma.
“All the Global South countries are asking for is to be given access to intellectual property allowing for research, manufacture and supply of vaccines without risking a trade dispute.
“Refusing this will allow pharmaceutical giants to shake down nations that are already struggling under huge debt burdens and the legacy of colonialism. If they can’t pay or take on more debt, then Australia has condemned them to years of lockdowns, social injustice, sickness and death,” she said.
Senator Rachel Siewert, Greens spokesperson for Health, said:
“I’m very concerned about the lack of attention being paid to this issue by the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
“When I asked Mr Gaetjens about Intellectual Property Rights and TRIPS Waiver this week during the COVID Senate Committee it was clear they haven’t been engaging with the issue adequately. He said that the new taskforce is not focusing on that issue and that the terms of reference are not part of our taskforce.
“This is not good enough. Australia has a global responsibility and the fact is no one is safe unless we are all safe.
“Australia should also commit to increasing its funding to the COVAX AMC to at least the level of Canada (an additional $135.2m USD). “Big pharma must move to temporarily waive intellectual property rights on Covid-19 vaccines to facilitate universal access.”