Month: May 2021

Australian Greens Disability spokesperson Senator Jordon Steele-John has called for an urgent review into the Health Department to determine why disabled people have been discriminated against in the Morrison government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and, in particular, phase 1a of the vaccine rollout.
“Today’s evidence to the Disability Royal Commission is conclusive: disabled people and our support workers have been excluded from receiving priority vaccines as part of phase 1a of the vaccine rollout,” Senator Steele-John said.
“Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic so many people in our community have been living in fear and in isolation, with little information from the Morrison government about how we would be supported.
“Because of these ongoing failures we are now in a position where there are more Olympians who’ve been vaccinated than high-risk disabled people living in residential care!
“There should not be a single Health Department document relating to the pandemic that fails to mention disabled people, yet time and again we’ve seen our community not thought of, not factored in or actively excluded.
“When asked today if she was concerned that disabled people had been overlooked in the vaccine rollout, Health Department Associate Secretary Caroline Edwards stated that she could not comment. This response from a senior public servant is completely unacceptable.
“Quite simply, the treatment of disabled people throughout this pandemic has been discriminatory.”

Australia’s plastic recycling and waste reduction targets have been slashed and rebranded in an attempt to hide inaction and failure from the Government and big polluters.
The Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) today launched its ANZPAC Plastics Pact, which undercuts the organisation’s own 2025 National Packaging Targets.
Greens spokesperson for Waste and Recycling, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, said the announcement is a result of the Government’s recent refusal to legislate mandated packaging targets in the Australian Senate.
“The Greens, Labor and all of the cross bench except One Nation voted to make voluntary targets mandatory in law.
“The packaging industry fought hard to stop mandatory targets, even though they always said they were confident in meeting voluntary commitments.
“Today’s announcement from APCO equates to a 27% reduction in these voluntary commitments for plastic recycling.
“APCO has also halved its commitment to increase what packaging is collected and effectively recycled.
“Just a few months ago APCO, Woolworths and the Australian Food and Grocery Council openly said at a series of Senate inquiries they didn’t need regulation and mandated targets as they would meet the voluntary targets the industry set themselves.
“Now that the spotlight is no longer on them, and genuine waste reform is off the Government’s parliamentary agenda, we get them backtracking from their commitments.
“Did they deliberately mislead the Senate in order to avoid government regulation and accountability, or did they just stuff it up?
“Either way the packaging industry and their cheerleaders in Government – including Minister Evans and Ley – have some serious explaining to do.
“We should be ramping up actions to meet waste and recycling targets, not weakening them, and the producers within the packaging industry need to play a key role in this.
“The waste and recycling industry employs over 60,000 Australians and has pushed for strong, regulated targets for the packaging industry.
“Strong, mandated targets would give the waste and recycling industry the certainty to invest in building a circular economy and creating green new jobs.
“Today’s announcement is simply more uncertainty for this critical industry. They have been let down by the Morrison Government, who lobbied hard to prevent the Senate from passing amendments that would have properly regulated the blatant self-interest of big plastic polluters.”

Senior Tasmanians, their families and carers are set to benefit from the Australian Government’s once-in-a-generation reform of aged care, announced in last week’s Federal Budget.
Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services Richard Colbeck said older Tasmanians are at the heart of the $17.7 billion package.
“We are committed to ensuring that those who have contributed so much – our nation builders, our parents and grandparents, our founders and protectors– get the respect, care and dignity they rightly deserve,” Minister Colbeck said.
In response to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, the Government’s unprecedented investment will improve quality care, increase viability of the sector, and provide services that respect the needs and choices of seniors.
With Australia’s fastest ageing population, Tasmania’s share of the record investment will be a major boost to aged care services.
The funding will include $630.2 million to make the aged care system more accessible for seniors with special needs, including people in regional and rural areas in Tasmania.
This new support will include $397 million for aged care providers to undertake capital works to build new and improve existing facilities, improving access to care and providing local jobs.
East Devonport’s Melaleuca Home for the Aged is one of a number of residential aged care providers across the state that will play a lead role in implementing the reform package, translating the Royal Commission’s recommendations and the Government’s response into actions.
Member for Braddon Gavin Pearce said the engagement of aged care homes like Melaleuca will be crucial in progressing the vital reforms.
“We will rely on support from the aged care sector, providers and the workforce to embrace and embed these changes, creating a better system within their business and their work,” Mr Pearce said.
Minister Colbeck said residential aged care services and sustainability was one of the five pillars of the Government’s response to the Royal Commission.
“The Government has committed $7.8 billion towards improving and simplifying residential aged care services,” he said.
“This includes $3.2 billion to support aged care providers to deliver better care and services through a new Basic Daily Fee supplement of $10 per resident per day. A further $3.9 billion will increase the amount of frontline care delivered to residents of aged care and respite services.”
“I look forward to working with aged care consumers, their families and the sector to implement these changes.”

The Morrison Government will increase the minimum meals unit price to $7.50 to help aged care providers deliver meals to older Australians receiving aged care at home.
Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services Richard Colbeck said it was a significant step forward to reinforce the tremendous efforts of food providers which help meet the nutritional needs of an increasing number of older Australians.
“This vital measure puts the health and wellbeing of older Australians first, while strengthening the viability of meal providers across the country,” Minister Colbeck said.
The mechanism will see the minimum unit price of $4.90 paid to providers lifted by $2.60.
The changes are expected to be implemented over the course of 2021-22.
It amounts to a $7 million funding injection under the Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP).
The CHSP provides home support to Australians aged 65 years and over (or 50 years and over for Indigenous Australians) living at home and in their own communities.
Meals are delivered under the CHSP to ensure food security and nutritional and social benefits for older Australians.
In 2020-21, there are 571 meals providers funded by the Australian Government to deliver 11.5 million meals across Australia.
One provider alone, Meals on Wheels, has been operating in hundreds of metropolitan and rural communities nationally for more than 60 years.
More than 10 million meals every year are delivered with the support of more than 76,000 Meals on Wheels volunteers.
As part of National Volunteer Week, Minister Colbeck acknowledged the efforts of volunteers across the aged care sector – from those caring for loved ones at home to those who give their time to ensure older and vulnerable Australians receive good food and nutrition.
“Volunteers are the backbone of Australia – but across the aged care sector, each and every day there are remarkable examples from people who put the needs of others ahead of their own,” Minister Colbeck said.
“These people are ultimately providing an important mechanism for older Australians to stay connected, healthy and happy.
“Thank you to the hundreds of thousands of people volunteer their time to improve the lives of others.”

The Australian Government has today launched its National Strategic Action Plan for Pain Management, providing Australians living with chronic pain access to the care and support they need.
Providing a whole-of-care approach, the Plan recommends eight goals and will focus on reducing the burden of disease and improving the quality of life and care for patients.
It will also outline the importance of educating Australians on understanding and managing pain, as well as providing a framework for health practitioners on how to deliver the best treatment and care to patients.
Developed by Painaustralia, with $170,000 from the Australian Government, the Plan is a national approach towards support chronic pain and has been endorsed by health ministers from every state and territory.
The Government is providing $2.5 million towards the early implementation of the plan, including:

• $1 million to the University of Sydney – Pain Management Research Institute to train health professionals how to offer pain management care more effectively.
• $500,000 to the Australian New Zealand College of Anaesthetists to improve the availability of, and access to, consistent and up-to-date information, training and education programs for health professionals on the appropriate management and care for people living with chronic pain.
• $1 million to Painaustralia to support consumer education and awareness for people affected by pain.

We have also allocated $4.3 million to expand pain management services for regional, rural and remote Australians through the Rural Health Outreach
Chronic pain affects more than three million Australians, who suffer from a persistent pain, restricting the ability to work and sleep and costing the economy more than $70 billion each year.
Smoking, physical inactivity, genetics and increased age are all factors that can increase the likelihood of developing chronic pain.
The National Strategic Action Plan for Pain Management is available at https://health.gov.au/resourc