Month: May 2021

The Morrison Government is guaranteeing the essential services Australians rely on in Budget 2021-22.
As part of the Budget, we are delivering two tailored programs designed and delivered by people with disability. These programs will promote accessible and inclusive healthcare practises, and boost community participation in sport for Australians with disability.
A new pilot program for health professionals will be rolled out across five hospitals to develop the most effective way to increase disability inclusion across the hospital sector. The program will provide a range of online resources, face-to-face seminars and training programs that will be designed and delivered by people with disability.
The Government will also launch a program across more than 500 schools and local clubs to increase sporting participation among people with disability from remote communities and culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. The Sport4All program is targeted at both schools and sporting clubs to ensure people with disability are welcome and have the same opportunities to participate.
These programs will be delivered by Get Skilled Access, a disability-run organisation with years of experience providing awareness training to organisations across Australia.
Almost one in five Australians has a disability. The findings from these programs will be considered in the new National Disability Strategy to support people with disability over the next ten years.

Flights facilitated by the Australian Government to return Australians from India have resumed, with a plane departing Sydney today set to pick up passengers in New Delhi before arriving back in Darwin tomorrow.
The flight will also carry further life-saving oxygen equipment to India to support its COVID-19 response. These passengers will quarantine at the Centre for National Resilience at Howard Springs in the Northern Territory. All passengers will undergo PCR and Rapid Antigen Testing before they travel.
Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Women, Senator the Hon Marise Payne said this temporary pause has helped mitigate the risk of potentially higher rates of infection presenting on arrival in Australia and ensured Australia’s quarantine system was able to receive further flights.
“These government-facilitated flights will be focused on returning Australian citizens, residents and families who have registered with our High Commission and consular offices within India and will prioritise the most vulnerable people.”
Tomorrow’s flight into Darwin brings the total number of government facilitated commercial flights from India to 39 – returning over 6,400 Australians since March 2020.
This will be the second flight of essential medical supplies to support our partners in their COVID-19 health response under the Morrison Government’s $37.1 million support package for India, which is experiencing a severe rate of COVID-19 infections.
The next government-facilitated commercial flight from India is expected to arrive in Darwin on 23 May. Arrangements for further facilitated flights into Australia are underway.
Australia has now delivered over 15 tonnes of medical supplies to India, including over 2,000 ventilators and more than 100 oxygen concentrators.
Minister for Health and Aged Care, the Hon Greg Hunt, said the Australian Government stands ready to offer further emergency medical supplies if requested by the Indian Government.
“The Australian Government is committed to doing all it can to support the Indian Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Minister Hunt said.
Minister Payne also praised the response of Australian businesses and everyday Australians and welcomed the support offered from state and territory governments.
The Victorian Government has committed 1,000 ventilators, the Queensland Government has donated $2 million in relief funds to the Australian Red Cross and Western Australia has also donated $2 million in relief funds. The Australian Government is in close consultation with the New South Wales and South Australian governments on their proposed support to India.
The Australian Government provides 24-hour consular emergency assistance. For urgent consular assistance, contact the Consular Emergency Centre on +61 2 6261 3305 from overseas and 1300 555 135 from within Australia.
Australians seeking travel advice should consult the Smartraveller website. For nonurgent enquiries, contact the nearest Australian embassy or consulate or email smartraveller@dfat.gov.au

The Morrison Government today announces that it will extend the final reporting date for the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability to 29 September 2023.
This provides an additional 17 months to account for the impact of COVID-19 and recognising the broad issues of inquiry under the Royal Commission’s terms of reference.
“This extension will enable the Government to receive and implement recommendations as expeditiously as possible,” Minister Ruston said.
“This will make meaningful change to the lives of people with disability, while also enabling the Royal Commission to fulfil its terms of reference.
“We remain focused on supporting people with disability, their families and supporters, advocacy groups and the disability community.”
Attorney-General Michaelia Cash said the Government had favourably acted on requests from the Chair since the inquiry started.
“The Government has added a seventh Commissioner, refined the Letters Patent to articulate the Chair’s role and progressed legislative amendments to the Royal Commissions Act 1902 to assist the Commission’s workload,” the Attorney-General said.
The Royal Commission is independent from Government and sets its own processes including how it approaches its terms of reference, informs itself for the inquiry and, importantly, hears directly from people with disability, their families and loved ones.
The Government continues to fund free and independent counselling and advocacy support for people with disability that have experienced violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation, as well as their families and carers, and anyone affected by the Royal Commission.
A national legal advisory service and legal financial assistance scheme are funded and available for people or entities giving evidence or engaging in other ways with the Royal Commission. Additional funding for support services for an extended reporting date will be considered through the ordinary budget processes.
The Government looks forward to receiving the Royal Commission’s final report on 29 September 2023.

The Australian Greens are horrified by the ongoing escalation in violence in Israel and Palestine, which has resulted in more than 109 Palestinians and 7 Israelis being killed.
Senator Janet Rice, Australian Greens foreign affairs spokesperson, said:
“This escalation in violence follows the threatened evictions of Palestinian families from East Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah to make way for Israeli settlers, and the restrictions and violence against worshippers at Al-Aqsa mosque during Ramadan.
“Fundamentally, the latest outbreak in violence stems from the Israeli Government’s unlawful and unjust occupation of Palestine, which has subjected Palestinians to systematic discrimination and oppression.
“The Greens oppose any violence, whether that be airstrikes or rockets, especially that which impacts innocent civilians. But we cannot ignore the asymmetry of power or that this cycle of violence will not end until the root causes of injustice are addressed.  It will not stop until the occupation ends – we must end the evictions, the illegal settlements, the demolitions and the oppression.
“Staying silent is not an option. If the Australian Government is committed to a two-state solution, it must forcefully call on the Israeli Government to cease its occupation of Palestine.  Once again we urge the Morrison Government to recognise Palestine.”

Australian Greens Housing spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has said that Labor’s plan doesn’t go nearly far enough to tackle the housing crisis, slash waiting lists and provide universal housing.
Senator Faruqi said:
“The scale of the housing crisis requires serious ambition and unprecedented funding. Labor has missed the mark on that front.
“Any housing plan that doesn’t dismantle the tax loopholes which inflate prices isn’t worth the paper it’s written on. Labor has failed to renew its commitment to wind back negative gearing and capital gains tax exemptions, forgoing revenue that could be used to build more homes.
“When it comes to new builds, we need to be talking in the hundreds of thousands of homes – not in the tens of thousands.
“The sector expects that over the next fifteen years, we’ll need more than 700,000 new dwellings. Labor’s commitment is a fraction of what’s required.
“The Greens have committed to building one million homes over the next twenty years to obliterate public housing waiting lists, finally end homelessness, and ensure everyone has a roof over their head.”

The world’s climate emergency should be Australia’s jobs opportunity.
But after eight long years of energy policy chaos under the Liberals – it’s an opportunity missed.
An Albanese Labor Government will invest $100 million to support 10,000 New Energy Apprenticeships.
It will encourage apprentices to train in the new energy jobs of the future.
Examples of eligible industries include rooftop solar installation and maintenance, large-scale renewable projects including emerging green hydrogen, energy efficiency upgrades to homes and businesses, renewable manufacturing, and relevant agricultural activities.
Australia has some of the world’s best natural assets – solar, wind and minerals that could power the globe’s new energy economy.
And some of the smartest, hardest-working people on earth.
Yet three in four solar companies say they have difficulty recruiting electricians because they can’t find workers with specific experience in renewables.
Instead of securing new energy jobs for Australians, the Liberals have wasted 8 years worrying about their own jobs and bickering over more than 22 climate policies.
Under Labor, new energy apprentices will receive $10,000 over the cycle of their apprenticeship in a new energy industry.
This incentive payment will encourage today’s apprentices to take on the occupations that we need for the new energy economy.
The program cuts across multiple skillsets – sparkies, mechanics, fridgies, construction workers, and more – because the opportunities new energy presents are economy wide.
Labor will also invest $10 million in a New Energy Skills Program to tailor skills training to the specific needs of new energy industries.
The New Energy Skills Program will work with the states, industry and unions to ensure workers have access to training pathways that are fit-for-purpose.
This is a downpayment on the many measures to support employment security for existing energy workers as part of Labor’s jobs-focussed climate policy.
The skills and training sector can supercharge Australian ingenuity and spur on economic growth, but only a Labor Government understands the power of it.
A Prime Minister that can barely say the word solar can’t deliver these jobs for Australian tradies.
Yes, Australia is a lucky country – but it’s our people that make it so.
We need a Government that invests in them and their skills to turn that luck into gold.
And that’s exactly what an Albanese Labor Government will do.
Chris Bowen, Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy said:
“The world’s climate emergency should be Australia’s jobs opportunity – but under Scott Morrison it’s an opportunity missed.”
 
We’re directly supporting apprentices to train in the new energy industries that will boost our economy”

An Albanese Labor Government will establish a Startup Year to tap into the energy and ideas of young Australians to accelerate the creation of new businesses and future jobs.
The program will allow final year university students, or recent graduates, to learn from experts about how to transform their cutting edge ideas and research into products and services that Australia can sell to the world.
“This policy harnesses the ideas and energy of young Australians and focuses on the huge potential our younger generations have to lead us into the future,” said Ed Husic, Shadow Minister for Industry and Innovation.
The students would do their training at established ‘accelerators’ or ‘incubators’, which are organisations that specialise in helping new businesses get off the ground. A lot of these organisations are linked to universities.
“We need to inspire and empower an ever-greater diversity of communities and individuals to build great Australian companies that become world-leading in emerging global markets, Mr Husic said.
“This program will bring together the most innovative young entrepreneurs, universities and other industry leaders to work in concert to increase the success of Australia’s startup sector,” he said.
This is about training a generation of young entrepreneurs to be confident to expand new industries and learn how to attract private investment. These industries have the potential to be some of the big employers of the future.
Australian startups in areas like manufacturing, medicine, IT, and clean energy have the potential to build the industries of tomorrow while helping solve some of our toughest domestic and global challenges.
Australia has one of the lowest startup rates in the world. After eight long years of failing to invest in innovation under the Morrison Government, Australia is already lagging the rest of the world when it comes to accelerating future industries.
Under the Liberals, Australia has fallen to number 23 on the Global Innovation Index. We must be more ambitious if we want to bring more great Australian ideas to the global market, and create new jobs.
Data from the Australian Department of Industry shows that new businesses create more jobs than established ones. Over a six year period, businesses younger than three years old created 1.44 million jobs, while established business lost 400,000 jobs.
You can sum up Scott Morrison’s approach to innovation and tech: always late, always little and always over-hyped.
Startup Year will train up to 2,000 students per year.
The Startup Year will be supported by HELP/HECS loans, up to a maximum of $11,300.
The loans can go towards paying for things such as training, equipment, or building prototypes.