May 2021 – Page 2

Labor's Plan to Beat COVID-19

Yet another COVID-19 outbreak from hotel quarantine has plunged a state into lockdown. Yet another COVID-19 outbreak from hotel quarantine has closed state borders.
The risk to the health and livelihood of Australians has not gone away, and the Morrison Government must get their act together and treat this pandemic with the urgency it deserves.
But because of their complacency, we’ve seen another outbreak stem from hotel quarantine. If Scott Morrison had built a fit-for-purpose national quarantine system – a responsibility that sits squarely with the Prime Minister – then this outbreak would not have happened.
Some of the people at the centre of this current outbreak were eligible for the vaccine. If the Morrison Government hadn’t botched our vaccine rollout, those people would have been vaccinated by now.
Australians want a clear plan for the future – a plan that gives them clarity and certainty.
It’s now clear for everyone to see that Scott Morrison doesn’t have a plan to beat COVID-19. But we do.
If I were Prime Minister, an Albanese Labor Government would:

Build new quarantine facilities and expand existing facilities in every state and territory – because it’s time to end the blame game and be a true partner with the states and territories.
Fix the vaccine rollout and expand mobile and mass vaccination clinics to get as many Australians vaccinated as quickly as possible. We would stop the excuses and get everyone who lives and works in aged or disability care vaccinated. We have the doses and we know where they are. There’s simply no excuse for the delay.
Start a mass public information campaign to encourage people to get vaccinated, and start a process for considering incentives to achieve that aim.
Begin manufacturing mRNA vaccines, like Pfizer, right here in Australia. This virus isn’t going away and when it comes to beating it, we need to be able to stand on our own two feet.

More GPs to join the COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout

The role of General Practices in the COVID-19 vaccine rollout is set to expand, with up to 900 additional general practices to come on board to administer the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine as part of a targeted expansion to ensure more points of presence are available across the country.
Through an expression of interest (EOI) process, run in partnership with Primary Health Networks (PHNs), we’re inviting general practices who are currently not participating in the rollout to apply.
The Australian Government has worked closely with states, territories and PHNs, undertaking comprehensive modelling and analysis to identify projected COVID-19 vaccine gaps across Australia.
These new practices will be brought into the program from mid-June to ensure equitable and timely access to COVID-19 vaccines for people aged 50 and above.
More than 4,600 primary care vaccination sites joined the rollout between March and April 2021 – including approximately 4,400 general practices.
Primary care, as the cornerstone of our health system, has played a critical role in the COVID-19 vaccine rollout so far, with approximately two-thirds of all the vaccinations administered to date occurring within general practice.
The PHNs will assist the coordination of a short EOI process within their regions, with interested general practices asked to provide details required to be on-boarded to the program.
Beyond the general practices in regions initially targeted, the results of the EOI may be used to bring further practices on board as the rollout progresses and for a future ramp-up of the program later in the year as more vaccines become available.

Weather warning for Newcastle and Hunter coast

The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has predicted high ocean swell for the Newcastle’s coastline between Friday 28 May and Monday 31 May. Of concern is the three high tides over this swell event at 2.1 metres on Friday, 2 metres on Saturday and 1.9 metres on Sunday. BOM does not expect this to be a high rainfall event.

As a result, Stockton Beach will be closed from Friday 28 May and Newcastle’s beaches south of the harbour will be monitored and closures will be put in place if necessary.

City of Newcastle is monitoring its facilities and assets along the Newcastle coastline including areas in Stockton which may be impacted by coastal erosion. Following the weekend’s swell event and when safe, the City will inspect all beaches and undertake any repairs required prior to opening the beaches again.
The community is encouraged to stay safe around Newcastle’s coastline, follow the direction of signage and abide by beach and road closures.
To keep up to date with the weather, visit bom.gov.au

Funding boost to heat up Darling Harbour and the Rocks this winter

Sydney’s most-loved CBD entertainment precincts will come to life with dedicated alfresco dining, fireworks, live music and an outdoor cinema to ensure the CBD is this winter season’s hottest spot.
The NSW Government has committed almost $850,000 to support a range of activities in The Rocks and Darling Harbour as part of the CBD Revitalisation Program – which received a $20 million boost as part of the second successful CBD Summit.
Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said revamping these initiatives for the winter months was vital to build on the success of the September CBD Summit and would ensure the economic recovery continues.
“I said at the second CBD summit in April that we would pull out all the stops to bring crowds into the city – and we’re making it happen,” Mr Perrottet said.
“Sydney has the best restaurants, shopping, cultural institutions and lifestyle in the country and this exciting series of initiatives will encourage people to spend more time in Australia’s best CBD, with more events and activities than ever before.
“This program we’re rolling out will give both The Rocks and Darling Harbour much needed boosts over the cooler months, keeping more businesses in business and people in jobs.”
The Rocks Hidden in Plain Sight program includes a new pop-up speakeasy, art installations, weekend street games and a dinner series which showcases the best of The Rocks dining.
In Darling Harbour, people can enjoy socially distanced lunchtime picnics with live music and $10 lunch deals right through until July, with evening fireworks and light shows from 8 June as part of the Sydney Solstice celebrations.
Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Rob Stokes said as The Rocks was NSW Government land, new agency Placemaking NSW was embarking on a program to revitalise hidden courtyards and laneways that have been forgotten for decades.
“Thanks to the pandemic, The Rocks is ripe for reinvention,” Mr Stokes said.
“It’s been really encouraging to see foot traffic at The Rocks hit 75 per cent of pre[1]pandemic numbers but we’re keen to draw more people back to this part of Sydney which is one of the most historic and beautiful parts of the CBD.”
“We have started a program to upgrade all courtyards and laneways in The Rocks, such as the Nurses Walk, Unwins Courtyard, Well Courtyard and the La Renaissance courtyard.
“While Melbourne has already done their laneways, we will do ours better.” For more details on The Rocks Hidden In Plain Sight program and the Darling Harbour picnic and fireworks events visit www.therocks.com and www.darlingharbour.com

Appeal for dashcam as investigation continues into M1 crash – Lake Macquarie

Police are appealing for dashcam footage as they continue to investigate a multi-vehicle crash, which left a man in a critical condition, near Lake Macquarie earlier today.
About 6.45am (Thursday 27 May 2021), emergency services were called to the northbound lanes of the M1 Motorway at Cooranbong, about five kilometres north of the Mandalong Road exit, following reports of a four-car crash.
The driver of a black Mitsubishi utility, a 72-year-old man, was airlifted to John Hunter Hospital and remains in a critical condition.
The 50-year-old male driver of a black LDV utility and the driver of a white Mitsubishi utility towing a dual axle, a 32-year-old man, were both uninjured and taken to Belmont Hospital for mandatory testing.
The driver of a white Mitsubishi 4WD, a 57-year-old man, was outside his vehicle at the time. He sustained minor injuries as a result of the crash.
Officers from the Hunter Crash Investigation Unit continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.
They are appealing for anyone who witnessed the crash – or has dashcam footage – to contact the Crash Investigation Unit on 02 4929 0744 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Release the Foster report, PM

The Greens have called on the PM to drop the veil of secrecy and release the review by Stephanie Foster into processes for responding to serious incidents at Parliament House.
Greens Deputy Leader and spokesperson on women Senator Larissa Waters said:
“The Prime Minister’s description of what Ms Foster has recommended seems positive, but forgive me for not taking the PM’s word for it given his appalling track record on women’s equality and safety.
“The Prime Minister must release the Foster review. He must say whether he will act on her recommendations, on what timeframe, and with what resourcing.
“An independent complaints body is long overdue and has been called for by Brittany Higgins, and by many others including the Greens for many years.
“Important questions need answering which Ms Foster was unable to answer in senate estimates today.
“The Prime Minister must answer if and how the complaints body will be able to sanction MPs, given the gaping holes in existing processes, and given the Prime Minister’s track record of keeping alleged abusers within Cabinet.
“The Prime Minister must say if the recommended independent complaints body would be retrospective, and if workplace safety training would be compulsory for MPs.
“We know from Senate Estimates yesterday that policies for dealing with serious incidents have not been updated since Brittany Higgins’ alleged rape more than two years ago. It’s an astounding failure.
“After months of revelations of vile, abusive and misogynistic behaviour in this building the women who work in Parliament House can wait no longer for the PM to face up to his responsibilities and ensure a safe workplace for all.”

Taylor AWOL while coal clunkers fail again

The Greens have today warned that the ongoing crisis in the Queensland energy market is a sign of things to come if we continue to rely on an aging coal fleet to keep the grid secure.
It has been reported that the fire at the Callide Power Station left over 470,000 homes and businesses without power, and the market operator was forced to issue a Level 2 Lack of Reserve notice at 4:44pm to manage the risk of further rolling blackouts.
CS Energy, the operator of Callide Power Station (and joint owner of Callide C with multinational InterGen), has announced this morning that one of their generating units may be out for up to 12 months, and are yet to confirm a timeframe for when the three remaining generating units will come back online
These events come at a critical juncture, with Minister Taylor having used his speech at the 2021 Australian Energy Week Conference on Tuesday to spruik a “physical retailer reliability obligation”, a scheme that would force electricity users to pay coal fired power stations for their available capacity.
“The Greens are relieved by the news that no-one was harmed by the fire at Callide Power Station”, said Adam Bandt, Leader of the Australian Greens
“However, Tuesday’s events make clear that we cannot rely on coal-fired power stations to keep the lights on while we transition to a zero emissions electricity grid.”
“It’s no surprise that 24 hours since the fire began, the Energy Minister is nowhere to be seen. The Liberals’ lie that coal is required for grid stability is unravelling before their eyes.
“Minister Taylor is trying to smuggle in a new scheme that would force households and business to subsidise our aging coal-fired power stations under the banner of ‘reliability’.
“With Australia’s increasingly unreliable coal-fired power station fleet, now is the time to press the accelerator on the renewables and batteries revolution
“Minister Taylor must now front the media and make clear how his new reliability scheme, which would push up bills for households and businesses, would supposedly prevent events like Tuesday’s coal-fired power outage from happening.

Promoting Cancer Screenings to Improve Early Detection Rates

The Australian Government is increasing its efforts to promote cancer screenings to support and improve outcomes for all Australians, including $9.7 million for a new National Bowel Cancer Screening Program awareness campaign.
The campaign will aim to increase the numbers of Australians taking their free bowel cancer test and will focus on men aged 50 to 59 years, people living in regional and remote Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and individuals from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse communities.
Bowel cancer is one of the most common cancers in Australia and is more common in people over the age of 50. Each year, more than 15,000 cases are diagnosed and more than 5,000 lives are lost to bowel cancer.
When detected early, however, the great majority (around 90%) of bowel cancers can be successfully treated.
Bowel cancer is one of the types of cancer targeted by Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea, Cancer Council Australia’s flagship event.
In 2020, the Biggest Morning Tea was hit hard by COVID-19. I encourage everyone to hold a morning tea or take part in one this year, in a COVID safe way.
Cancer Council Australia does fantastic work raising funds for research, funding prevention initiatives, communicating about cancer prevention and screening, and most importantly, providing support to people diagnosed with cancer.
Our Government is increasing its efforts on cancer screening to help more Australians to get early treatment and beat the disease.
As part of the 2021-22 Budget we announced a number of measures to support our already strong national cancer screening programs, including:

more than $100 million to improve early detection of breast and cervical cancer, which includes $67 million to continue the expansion of BreastScreen Australia’s mammogram services to women aged 70 to74 years.
$6.9 million in 2021-22 to establish the feasibility of a new national lung cancer program, and to trial new cancer care nurses for lung cancer patients; and
$32.8 million with the aim of eliminating cervical cancer in Australia by 2035, through the National Cervical Screening Program (NCSP).

Last month, we also held a Ministerial Roundtable with Cancer Australia, the first step in the development of a visionary ten-year Australian Cancer Plan.
The Plan will set out the key national priorities and action areas over the next 10 years to improve outcomes for Australian’s affected by cancer. It will also cover prevention, early diagnosis, treatment and palliative care, while providing for the unique needs of specific cancer types and populations.
These initiatives consolidate Australia as a world leader in the early detection of cancer.

130,000 Additional Vaccines for Victoria

The Australian Government is releasing an additional 130,000 vaccines to support Victoria to accelerate vaccinations in the state, including in the Whittlesea Local Government Area.
This support will be provided through an immediate release of 40,000 doses this week and an additional 15,000 doses each week for six weeks.
Further, from Monday, the Altona North Commonwealth Vaccination Clinic will commence vaccination with the Pfizer vaccine, this is in addition to the AstraZeneca vaccine they are currently administering.
All 16 residential aged care facilities in the Whittlesea Local Government Area are fully vaccinated.
In the surrounding Local Government Areas of Banyule, Darebin, Hume, Moreland and Nillumbik, 66 of the 67 residential aged care facilities have received at least one dose with the final residential aged care facility in these Local Government Area’s to receive their first dose clinic this week.
There are 598 residential aged care facilities in Victoria. 569 facilities have received a first dose clinic, with 361 fully vaccinated with both doses. The remaining 29 facilities will be prioritised.
The Government will provide further support as required to help Victoria to respond to this outbreak.

Landmark exhibition showcases art and culture of the Torres Strait

Works of art never before seen outside of the Torres Strait will be displayed in Newcastle as part of a landmark exhibition focusing on the artistic traditions of the Torres Strait Islander culture.
The Torres Strait Island flag was raised at City Hall today for the first time in the building’s 92-year history to coincide with the Newcastle Art Gallery exhibition. It will be flown at City Hall permanently as a mark of respect for the local Torres Strait community.

Four years in the making, WARWAR: The Art of Torres Strait was developed by Newcastle Art Gallery in collaboration with highly awarded artist and curator Brian Robinson.
It will include over 130 works of art drawn from the Gallery’s collection, as well as newly created pieces and key loans from, local, state and national institutions, artists and private collections.
Several pieces have not been seen outside of the Torres Strait, including new works from Badhulgaw Kuthinaw Mudh (Badu Art Centre), Ngalmun Lagau Minaral Arts (Moa Arts) and Erub Erwer Meta (Erub Arts).
Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the free exhibition provided an important opportunity to strengthen ties with local Torres Strait Islanders and showcase their traditions and customs to the wider community.
The exhibition title, WARWAR, is a traditional Eastern Island word in the Meriam Mer language, which translates into English as ‘marked with a pattern’.
“WARWAR is a landmark event for Newcastle Art Gallery and the Hunter region, representing the first time a Torres Strait Islander exhibition of this calibre and size has been seen outside of a major city in Australia,” Cr Nelmes said.
“It provides an important opportunity for City of Newcastle to engage with our large Torres Strait Islander community, some who have never seen these culturally significant works of art before, or seen their culture celebrated in such a significant way.
“To strengthen these ties further, we raised the Torres Strait Island flag at City Hall for the first time in a special ceremony today in front of members of the local Torres Strait community. It will remain there permanently, even once the exhibition ends.”
Newcastle-based artist Toby Cedar, who won the 2020 CAIF Ports North Sculpture Award, and teaches dance and culture locally, said the exhibition was an important acknowledgement of Torres Strait Island culture.
“It is extremely special to me to be a part of this exhibition as it will be showcasing our rich Torres Strait Islander art and culture,” Mr Cedar said.
“For many people, the exhibition will be the first time they have learnt anything about the Torres Strait Islands and our People, which is very important to me. The way Brian has curated the exhibition in separate stages explains our history and stories very well.
“It is wonderful that all of the local and surrounding Torres Strait Islander communities will have access to view many of the artifacts from our past here right in NSW, with many of the pieces being shown for the first time.
“I will also be very proud to see our Torres Strait Island flag flown at City Hall for the first time with my family as it makes me feel my people are being included and acknowledged alongside the other flags that are already flown there.”
Newcastle Art Gallery Director Lauretta Morton said the Gallery had been actively acquiring works of art from Torres Strait Islander artists since 2017, many of which will be on display for the first time. Works of art on loan from major Australian institutions that have also never been publicly displayed before make the exhibition an incredible opportunity for the community to experience and gain a new appreciation and understanding of the culture here in Newcastle.
“WARWAR features a diverse range of works of art that showcase the evolution and strength of Torres Strait Islander tradition and society through arts practitioners from the 19th century and the emergence of the contemporary art traditions of today,” Ms Morton said.
“It explores issues of cultural maintenance, Christianity, language and the impact of globalisation on the physical environment of the Torres Strait Islands, which are located in the narrow stretch of water between the land masses of Zai Dagam Daudai (Australia) in the south and Naigai Dagam Daudai (Papua New Guinea) in the north.”
Exhibiting artists include Joseph Au, Grace Lilian Lee, Glen Mackie, Billy Missi, Laurie Nona, Brian Robinson, Dr Ken Thaiday and Alick Tipoti.
Guest curator Brian Robinson said Warwar: The Art of Torres Strait is an important part of the unique Ailan Kustom (island customs) from which wisdom, strength and creativity is drawn from.
“It is through visual art, dance, and song that ancestral stories and legends are maintained and passed on to the younger generation, and it is important that exhibitions such as this are supported to assist in this preservation,” Mr Robinson said.
“Newcastle Art Gallery have played a pivotal role in the co-curation of this unique exhibition, which contributes to the development, enhancement and understanding of this amazing indigenous culture.
“For the local Torres Strait Island communities, the exhibition is a way of reconnecting back to the islands; back to family and friends; back to a rich and vibrant history defined by amazing customs imbued with ceremonies and rituals that have endured for thousands of years.”
WARWAR: The Art of Torres Strait will run from 29 May – 22 August 2021 at Newcastle Art Gallery and has been specifically timed to coincide with significant dates including Mabo Day, Reconciliation Week, ‘Coming of the Light’ and NAIDOC Week.
Newcastle Art Gallery will program bespoke events on each significant date in collaboration with local Torres Strait Island artists and performers, while a Curator and Artist Talk will be held on Saturday 3 July featuring exhibition guest curator Brian Robinson and local artist Toby Cedar in conversation with Newcastle Art Gallery Director Lauretta Morton.