Month: June 2021

The Australian Greens are deeply concerned to see the ceasefire broken with risks of further deaths in Israel and Palestine, a mere three days into the Bennett-Lapid Government’s term.
Australian Greens foreign affairs spokesperson, Senator Janet Rice, said:
“The Australian Greens condemn the extremist language of the ultranationalist marchers in East Jerusalem, and the subsequent escalation in violence today.
“Before the last ceasefire, the Israeli military flattened homes, offices and key infrastructure in Gaza. In 10 days 232 Palestinians were killed. At the same time, rockets fired from Gaza also stole the lives of 12 Israelis.
“Both Israelis and Palestinians should be able to live in peace and security. Fragile ceasefires alone will not be enough to pave the way for Palestinians and Israelis to enjoy a stable, lasting and just peace.
“Every day Palestinians live under Israeli Government control, and for 73 years Palestinians have waited for the international community to deliver on their promise of peace, and Australia is not pushing for peace.
“We must resolve the underlying issues, not just watch while any hope for a just peace is undermined by the next round of forced displacements, demolitions, settlements, terror and violence. Australia must loudly call for an end to the Occupation and recognise Palestine, because only then will Israelis and Palestinians both be able to live in peace and security.”

The Morrison Government will invest $5.9 million on cancer prevention among women in vulnerable communities across the world through the Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases (GACD).
Funded through the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), three of the four projects will support research to implement cervical cancer screening in India, Papua New Guinea and Eswatini.
Funding is also committed to allow SISTAQUIT (Supporting Indigenous Smokers to Assist Quitting) to expand its free, online training in quit smoking methods to all Australian health services catering to Indigenous women during pregnancy.
Minister for Health and Aged Care, Greg Hunt, said the projects would help women across the globe and here at home.
“Cervical cancer is highly preventable but, according to the World Health Organisation, poor access to prevention, screening and treatment contributes to 90 per cent of cervical cancer related deaths,” Minister Hunt said.
“These projects will support improved health outcomes here and across our region, helping to both save lives and protect lives.”
Australia, through the NHMRC, is a founding member of the GACD, the first international collaboration of major research funding agencies that specifically addresses chronic non-communicable diseases in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and in vulnerable communities in high-income countries (HICs).
NHMRC CEO Professor Anne Kelso, who is a member of the GACD Strategy Board and past chair, said NHMRC’s participation in the GACD provided an important opportunity for Australian researchers to help reduce the burden of chronic diseases in vulnerable communities around the world.
“By working with other international funding agencies through the GACD, we can amplify our impact on non-communicable diseases in the communities that are most affected and have least access to the advances of modern medicine,” Professor Kelso said.
“This is more important than ever today as chronic diseases can increase the risk of severe illness from COVID-19.”
In 2015, 2017 and 2018, NHMRC provided a total of $14.7 million in funding through GACD for research on prevention or management of hypertension and diabetes, mental disorders and chronic lung disorders.

The Greens welcome the Federal Court judgement on the robodebt class action that found the Commonwealth “unlawfully”  raised $1.7 billion in debts against 443,000 people, but say that the Government has still fundamentally failed to be accountable for the illegal robodebt program.
“Citizens shouldn’t have to fight tooth and nail for justice and take their own Government to court to get any measure of accountability”, Greens spokesperson on Family and Community Services Senator Rachel Siewert said.
As Justice Murphy said, this is a shameful chapter.
Many, including the Greens consider that this chapter is still open because the Government continues to obfuscate and deny the harm their program caused.
Robodebt cost lives, it has ruined many many more and has been the cause of immeasurable pain and anguish.
We still don’t know what the Government knew and when and they are still desperate to cover it up.
The Government thinks they can get away with only refunding victims served notices after 2015.
They have clearly demonstrated they are not willing to hand over the legal advice they have relating to robodebt and have hidden behind ‘public interest immunity claims’.
I can see no other way forward than through a Royal Commission ensuring a full, independent review of this program and a forensic audit of this mess.
A Royal Commission is the only way to get to the bottom of how this happened and make sure it doesn’t happen again.

While Scott Morrison attends G7 and the world plans to transition away from fossil fuels the Australian Government has made a mockery of itself by inviting oil and gas companies to exploit 80,000km2 of new offshore acreage, to help with a “gas led recovery”.
Greens spokesperson for Healthy Oceans, Peter Whish-Wilson, said Australia has no environmental credibility left under the Morrison Government.
“Today’s news that 80,000km2 of our ocean has been handed over for oil gas exploration exposes the Prime Minister’s attendance at the G7 a complete travesty.
“So long as Scott Morrison’s Government is beholden to The Nationals, Australia will have no credibility on matters relating to reducing emissions.
“In this time of climate emergency there is no excuse for Governments to be handing over new areas of our oceans for exploration to find the very product that is killing our oceans.
“We know the Liberals and Labor are beholden to fossil fuel donations, but it’s got to stop – this level of hypocrisy is out of control.
“Coastal communities right around the nation are opposing offshore fossil fuel exploration in this time of climate emergency.
“Only last week a Senate Inquiry into seismic testing tabled its final report – the Committee heard the current regulatory framework does not provide sufficient environmental or economic protection from the impacts of seismic testing, and Report recommendations make it clear that more research is urgently needed.
“The ability for this Government to dismiss not only community concerns, but report after report calling for climate action is frankly quite frightening.
“Scott Morrison is not only an embarrassment to this nation but is threatening its future by failing to take seriously the impacts of climate change.”

The Australian Government is investing $11.7 million in medical research for pharmacists to support patients with the safe use of medicines.
All Australians will take some form of medication throughout their lives for a number of reasons, but using medicines are not without risk.
The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia estimates 400,000 people present to emergency departments with medication problems each year, and 250,000 are hospitalised. They believe half of these events could be prevented.
The 2020 Quality, Safety and Effectiveness of Medicine Use and Medicine Intervention by Pharmacists grant recipients tackle some of the common prescription drug issues for at-risk groups.
This includes the growing number of Australians – more than 1.7 million people – who aren’t aware they have symptoms of chronic kidney disease (CKD). For this group, some medications are dangerous and can cause toxicity in the kidneys.
As part of this program, University of Sydney researchers will receive almost $1.9 million to pilot a CKD screening program by community pharmacies, to identify and manage patients with the disease.
The University of Sydney will also receive $2.3 million to develop an integrated referral pathway for Australians with osteoporosis, to help decrease the risk of falls by reducing the use of medicines that lead to falls and improve the use of anti-osteoporosis medicines for bone strength.
The outcomes of the research undertaken through the grants will help inform ongoing work to ensure pharmacist fulfil their full scope of practice and could also inform the future Community Pharmacy Agreements.
The grant program is funded through the Australian Government’s Preventive and Public Health Research Initiative, which forms part of the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF).
The initiative is about supporting innovative approaches to public health challenges, particularly treating and managing chronic and complex diseases and improve the use of medicines.
The Government’s $20 billion MRFF is a long-term, sustainable investment in Australian health and medical research helping to improve lives, build the economy and contribute to the sustainability of the health system.
Further information about the MRFF is available on the Department of Health website.

A new free trade agreement with the UK will deliver more Australian jobs and business opportunities for exporters, bringing both countries closer together in a changing strategic environment.
Prime Ministers Scott Morrison and Boris Johnson have agreed on the broad outlines of an Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
The FTA is the right deal for Australia and the United Kingdom, with greater access to a range of high-quality products made in both countries as well as greater access for businesses and workers, all of which will drive economic growth and job creation in both countries.
Australian producers and farmers will receive a significant boost by getting greater access to the UK market.
Australian consumers will benefit from cheaper products, with all tariffs eliminated within five years, and tariffs on cars, whisky, and the UK’s other main exports eliminated immediately.
The UK will liberalise Australian imports with 99 per cent of Australian goods, including Australian wine and short and medium grain milled rice, entering the UK duty free when the agreement enters into force.
Beef tariffs will be eliminated after ten years. During the transition period, Australia will have immediate access to a duty-free quota of 35,000 tonnes, rising in equal instalments to 110,000 tonnes in year 10.
In the subsequent five years a safeguard will apply on beef imports exceeding a further volume threshold rising in equal instalments to 175,000 tonnes, levying a tariff safeguard duty of 20 per cent for the rest of the calendar year.
Sheep meat tariffs will be eliminated after ten years. During the transition period, Australia will have immediate access to a duty-free quota of 25,000 tonnes, rising in equal instalments to 75,000 tonnes in year 10. In the subsequent five years a safeguard will apply on sheep meat imports exceeding a further volume threshold rising in equal instalments to 125,000 tonnes, levying a tariff safeguard duty of 20 per cent for the rest of the calendar year.
Sugar tariffs will be eliminated over eight years. During the transition period, Australia will have immediate access to a duty-free quota of 80,000 tonnes, rising by 20,000 tonnes each year.
Dairy tariffs will be eliminated over five years. During the transition period, Australia will have immediate access to a duty-free quota for cheese of 24,000 tonnes, rising in equal instalments to 48,000 tonnes in year five. Australia will also have immediate access to a duty-free quota for non-cheese dairy of 20,000 tonnes.
Working Holiday Visa makers in the UK will get expanded rights and will now be able to stay for three years with an increased cut off age of 35.
Professionals will benefit from provisions to support mutual recognition of qualifications and greater certainty for skilled professionals entering the UK labour market.
This ambitious bilateral free trade agreement will help pave the way for the UK’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
The two countries will now finalise the text, and carry out the domestic processes required to enable signature and the subsequent entry into force of the FTA.

The Morrison Government is committed to protecting the health and wellbeing of older Australians and keeping them safe from elder abuse.
The abuse of older Australians is a complex health and social problem that can have devastating physical, emotional and social consequences for older people, their families and their communities.
Coinciding with World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, a national elder abuse awareness campaign has been launched to highlight this significant social issue and assist those who are at risk of experiencing elder abuse to take action and seek support, by calling 1800ELDERHelp and accessing the elder abuse knowledge hub Compass.info.
“We know elder abuse occurs, yet many people are afraid to report it, are not aware of it, or cannot identify it,” the Attorney-General, Michaelia Cash said.
“We want older Australians to know there is help available, you have the right to live free from elder abuse.”
The Government funds a range of front-line service providers across all states and territories to combat elder abuse. These include:

• specialist elder abuse units, where lawyers, social workers and other specialist support staff work side-by-side with clients to develop a case plan to respond to the individual’s needs
• case management and mediation services, that work with the older person and their family to find solutions to the underlying problems driving abuse and
• health-justice partnership services, where older people identified by health care workers such as yourselves as being at risk can access specialist legal support services.

Information on how to seek assistance from these and other service providers can be found on the Compass.info website or by calling 1800ELDERHelp.
The Government also funds the Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) to provide free, confidential and independent advocacy support to older people and their representatives receiving, or seeking to receive, Government-funded aged care services.
OPAN launched a new online training package for health and allied health professionals, on 9 June, as part of a new approach to preventing the abuse of older Australians.
“Australia’s health and allied health professionals provide essential services to older Australians. They are on the front line, and as trusted advisors to older Australians it is vital they are trained to spot the signs of elder abuse and have the appropriate tools and information and they need to act,” Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services Richard Colbeck said.
“Training health professionals is another safeguard the government has introduced to protect older Australians.”
As part of the government’s commitment to ensuring the safety of older Australians, public consultation is currently underway on possible arrangements for a National Register of Enduring Powers of Attorney.
Consultation on a National Register will be open until 30 June, and the outcomes will be used to develop and inform a final proposal for the consideration of Attorneys-General from each jurisdiction. More information about the consultation process can be found here.
The short video about elder abuse and further information via the Attorney General’s Department can be found here.
More information about World Elder Abuse Awareness Day can be found World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.