Month: July 2021

Minister for Sport Richard Colbeck said the appointment of businessman and administrator Grant O’Brien marked a new chapter for the organisation as it continues its vital role raising private funds for the development of sport across the country.
Mr O’Brien has been a member of the ASF Board since October 2020.
He has extensive experience in business management and leadership, including as chief executive and managing director of Woolworths Ltd.
He is also deputy chairman of the Stars Foundation, which aims to empower Indigenous girls and young women, and a founding member and director of Avner Pancreatic Cancer Foundation.
He will served in the role for a three year term.
Mr O’Brien said he was looking forward to the challenges ahead.
“Sport is an important part of our Australian culture, and I have experienced first-hand the powerful benefits of participation,” Mr O’Brien said.
“I’m excited about the opportunity to extend the impact of the Australian Sports Foundation and help raise more funds to increase participation and improve the health and cohesion of our communities.”
Minister Colbeck said Mr O’Brien stepped into the role as the sports sector continues its recovery from the impact of the global pandemic.
“Mr O’Brien has the experience and expertise needed to stimulate philanthropic funding and allow Australia’s sporting sector to recover and thrive,” Minister Colbeck said.
For more than 30 years, it has helped to raise more than $520 million to support athletes, clubs and sporting organisations.
It has funded all sports at all levels and is the only sport fundraising organisation to which donations are tax deductible.
Minister Colbeck also extended his thanks to the outgoing ASF Chairperson, Mark Stockwell.
“During his seven years as chairperson, Mr Stockwell has done a tremendous amount for Australian sport,” he said.
“Under his leadership, the ASF has raised record amounts of funding, rising to an annual total of more than $50 million before the pandemic hit.”

The Morrison Government is helping aged care workers get vaccinated as part of an $11 million grant program.
Applications are now open for aged care providers to apply for the funding following recommendations mandatory vaccinations be introduced.
The program was established in recognition of the individual circumstances of aged care workers now subject to the new requirement.
National Cabinet endorsed the decision of the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee to make COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for all residential aged care workers by mid-September 2021, when they are required to have at least a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
The Residential Aged Care COVID-19 Employee Vaccination Support Grant will allow casual residential aged care workers to be paid under the following two categories via their employer:

• A fee of $80 per staff member, per dose, for going off-site for vaccination; and
• Paid sick leave if unwell after vaccination and the staff member has no other leave entitlements – a day’s paid leave (at a rate of $185).

Minister for Health and Aged Care, Greg Hunt, said the grants program is an important measure to help lift COVID-19 vaccination rates.
“It will help residential aged care workers who may need to travel to get vaccinated at the nearest hub, clinic or GP,” Minister Hunt said.
“The grants program will also help those workers who do not have leave entitlements to recover from any minor side effects and who may be concerned about losing wages after being vaccinated.”
Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services, Richard Colbeck, said the grants program will also provide financial support for flexible vaccination facilitation costs.
Up to $500 per residential aged care facility will also be available under the grants program to contribute to costs that may be incurred in facilitating access to vaccination for workers.
“This will cover transport services, arranging groups of workers to be vaccinated and/or any other reasonable expenses that support workers to get vaccinated,” Minister Colbeck said.
“The Commonwealth will continue to work closely with the aged care sector, including the unions, to ensure support and access to COVID-19 vaccination for all workers in residential aged care.”
Minister Colbeck said ensuring all aged care workers are vaccinated will further protect the residents in their care.
“This is why COVID-19 vaccinations will be mandated for residential aged care workers as a condition of working in an aged care facility through shared state, territory and Commonwealth authorities and compliance measures,” he said.
The Morrison Government contracted vaccine workforce providers to deliver vaccination in-reach clinics to 2566 Commonwealth-subsidised residential aged care facilities for residents and, where additional vaccines were available, workers.
Providers are also now able to vaccinate their own workers on-site.  The request for tender is open until 30 July and so far more than 25,000 staff will be vaccinated through this program. All on-site vaccination programs will include Pfizer
Aged care providers can also consult with their Primary Health Network and GPs to organise on-site vaccination clinics for workers.
Workers accessing a COVID-19 vaccination through off-site clinics will also be offered Pfizer once it is available – this includes through general practices, Commonwealth vaccination clinics and state clinics.
From July 2021, around 1300 GPs will be administering Pfizer vaccinations, providing additional sites for vaccination.
Applications for the Residential Aged Care COVID-19 Employee Vaccination Support Grant can be found on the Australian Government’s GrantConnect website.

The Morrison Government is establishing a COVID-19 Vaccine Claim Scheme to provide further assurance and confidence to patients and health professionals in the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.
The creation of a fit-for-purpose COVID-19 vaccine medical indemnity scheme will support increased vaccination uptake by assuring Australians that health professionals, including GPs, nurses and pharmacists administering COVID vaccines as part of the Commonwealth vaccination program have appropriate indemnity coverage.
In the event someone suffers a significant adverse reaction, causing injury and economic loss because of vaccination, the Scheme will help guide potential claimants through a no fault claims process scheme.
Proven claims will be able to receive appropriate compensation without the need of formal court processes. Potential claimants accessing the scheme will still have the option of pursuing action through a court judgement if that is their preference.
The COVID-19 Vaccine Claims Scheme will be backdated to the start of the national vaccine rollout – 22 February 2021 – and will be linked to the Human Biosecurity Emergency Period under the Biosecurity Act 2015.
The scheme will support claims made against privately practising health professionals who administer a COVID-19 vaccine approved for use by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).
This scheme responds to calls from peak bodies including the Australian Medical Association and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, and medical indemnity insurers, for extended medical indemnity coverage for health professionals and their patients given the unique nature of the pandemic and response.
Details of the COVID-19 Vaccine Claims Scheme will be finalised in consultation with peak bodies, indemnity insurers, patient groups and states and territories.
To further support the choice of people considering their vaccine options, from 29 June the Government is extending two Medicare items that allow GPs and other medical practitioners to provide in-depth clinical assessments of a patient’s individual health risks and benefits. Already available for patients aged 50 years and over, these Medicare items will be available for all patients, regardless of age.

The National Cabinet met today for the 45th time to discuss Australia’s COVID-19 response, recent outbreaks of COVID-19 and the Australian COVID-19 Vaccine Strategy.
Since the beginning of the pandemic there have been 30,685 confirmed cases in Australia and, sadly, 910 people have died. Currently there are 4 cases in Australia requiring ICU hospitalisation and no cases on ventilators. More than 21 million tests have been undertaken in Australia.
Globally there have been over 182 million cases and sadly over 3.9 million deaths, with 429,948 new cases and 8,360 deaths reported in the last 24 hours. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to surge in many countries around the world.
Australia’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout continues to expand. As of yesterday, 7,970,153 doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered in Australia, including 163,178 doses in the previous 24 hours. Today Australia will reach its 8 millionth COVID-19 vaccination. In the previous 7 days, 807,777 vaccines have been administered in Australia.
To date, 30 per cent of the Australian adult population have now had a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, including over 50 per cent of over 50 year olds and over 70 per cent of over 70 year olds.
Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly provided an update on current outbreaks of COVID-19 in a number of locations and of both the Alpha and Delta variants.
Lieutenant General John Frewen, Coordinator General of Operation COVID Shield, provided a detailed briefing on the vaccination program.
National Cabinet agreed to meet next on 9 July 2021.
National Plan to transition Australia’s National COVID Response
National Cabinet agreed to formulate a National Plan to transition Australia’s National COVID Response from its current pre vaccination settings, focussing on continued suppression of community transmission, to post vaccination settings focussed on prevention of serious illness, hospitalisation and fatality, and the public health management of other infectious diseases.
National Cabinet agreed in-principle that the plan consists of the following phases, each triggered by the achievement of vaccination thresholds expressed as a percentage of the eligible population (16+), based on the scientific modelling currently being conducted for the COVID-19 Risk Analysis and Response Task Force.
The document is attached.
A. Current Phase – Vaccinate, prepare and pilot
Continue to suppress the virus for the purpose of minimising community transmission. Measures include:

• Implement the national vaccination plan to offer every Australian an opportunity to be vaccinated with the necessary doses of the relevant vaccine as soon as possible;
• Temporarily reduce commercial inbound passenger arrivals to all major ports by 50 per cent from current caps by 14 July to reduce the pressure on quarantine facilities, due to the increased risks of the Delta strain of the virus;
• Lockdowns to be used only as a last resort;
• Commonwealth to facilitate increased commercial flights to increase international repatriations to Darwin for quarantine at the National Resilience Facility at Howard Springs;
• Commonwealth to extend additional support through the International Freight Assistance Mechanism to ensure maintenance of essential freight supply lines impacted by the reduction of commercial caps at international airports;
• Trial and pilot the introduction of alternative quarantine options, including home quarantine for returning vaccinated travellers;
• Expand commercial trials for limited entry of student and economic visa holders;
• Recognise and adopt the existing digital Medicare Vaccination Certificate (automatically generated for every vaccination registered on AIR);
• Establish digital vaccination authentication at international borders;
• Prepare the vaccine booster programme; and
• Undertake a further review of the national hotel quarantine network.

B. Post Vaccination Phase
Seek to minimise serious illness, hospitalisation and fatality as a result of COVID-19. Measures may include:

• Ease restrictions on vaccinated residents – such as lockdowns and border controls;
• Lockdowns only in extreme circumstances to prevent escalating hospitalisation and fatality;
• Restore inbound passengers caps at previous levels for unvaccinated returning travellers and larger caps for vaccinated returning travellers;
• Allow capped entry of student and economic visa holders subject to quarantine arrangements and availability;
• Introduce new reduced quarantine arrangements for vaccinated residents; and
• Prepare/implement the vaccine booster programme (depending on timing).

C. Consolidation Phase
Manage COVID-19 consistent with public health management of other infectious diseases. Measures may include:

• No lockdowns;
• Continue vaccine booster programme;
• Exempt vaccinated residents from all domestic restrictions;
• Abolish caps on returning vaccinated travellers;
• Allow increased capped entry of student, economic, and humanitarian visa holders;
• Lift all restrictions on outbound travel for vaccinated persons; and
• Extend travel bubble for unrestricted travel to new candidate countries (Singapore, Pacific).

D. Final Phase
Manage COVID-19 consistent with public health management of other infectious diseases. Measures may include:

• Allow uncapped inbound arrivals for all vaccinated persons, without quarantine; and
• Allow uncapped arrivals of non-vaccinated travellers subject to pre-flight and on arrival testing.

National Cabinet agreed that the COVID-19 Risk Analysis and Response Task Force be tasked to make recommendations on finalising the plan, including recommended vaccination targets for each phase of the plan based on the modelling.
Phases will continue to maintain simple risk mitigation and prevention measures such as hygiene, tracing and testing.
National Partnership Agreement
National Cabinet welcomed the Commonwealth Government’s $752 million extension to the National Partnership on COVID-19 Response through to 30 June 2022. The National Partnership on COVID-19 Response provides Commonwealth funding to support state and territory efforts to address the pandemic, including the Hospital Services Payment, State Public Health Payment, Vaccine Schedule, Aged Care Schedule, and the Private Hospital Viability Guarantee.
Under the National Partnership on COVID-19 Response, the Commonwealth Government has provided to date an estimated $5.765 billion to support states and territories to proactively manage the COVID-19 pandemic as part of the broader Commonwealth health response which totals more than $27 billion.
International Passenger Arrivals
National Cabinet noted that international aviation remains critical to supporting the return of Australians from overseas as well as maintaining freight access (imports and exports) and Australia’s long-term international connectivity. It was also noted that international passenger arrival caps introduced by National Cabinet have been essential to safely managing and aligning international passenger arrivals with available quarantine capacity.
The Commissioner of Australian Border Force Michael Outram APM presented information to National Cabinet on international passenger arrivals which was noted. Around 83.9 per cent of travellers to Australia during June 2021 are Australian permanent residents and their families.
National Cabinet agreed to temporarily reduce the current international passenger arrival caps by 50 per cent to manage the pressure on quarantine facilities due to the increased risks posed by the Delta strain of the virus. These arrangements will:

• commence by 12.01am Wednesday 14 July and remain in place until 31 August; and
• be subject to a review by National Cabinet before the end of August and on a regular basis throughout the remainder of 2021.

National Cabinet agreed that returning Australians will continue to be prioritised as part of these arrangements.
Given the impact of the reduction in current cap arrangements the Commonwealth will fund an:

• increased number of facilitated commercial (repatriation) flights, utilising capacity at the Centre for National Resilience at Howard Springs; and
• extension of additional support through the International Freight Assistance Mechanism to maintain essential freight supply lines.

The allocation of 80,000 new home care packages worth $6.5 billion and a basic daily fee increase for residential providers are the centrepiece of a raft of aged care reforms which start today.
In a continued response to the final report of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, the latest measures from the Morrison Government put the health and wellbeing of senior Australians first.
Minister for Health and Aged Care Greg Hunt and Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services, Richard Colbeck said it was another step in the Government’s implementation of generational reform.
From today, aged care providers must review the quality of their daily living services – with a particular focus on food and nutrition – to receive a new $10 per resident per day Government Basic Daily Fee supplement.
Residential aged care providers will be required to report on a quarterly basis from 2021-22, with the first report due in October 2021.
“This significant funding boost, worth $3.2 billion over five years, will provide a broad funding uplift to support the sector to deliver better care and services for residents,” Minister Hunt said.
“The new reporting requirements will strengthen provider accountability.
“A key focus of the reporting requirements will be to ensure providers are delivering high quality services to meet the living needs of residents, with a focus on food and nutrition.”
The new supplement will be paid monthly, with the first payment to be made in early August based on residents in care in July.
To start receiving the payment providers will need to make an undertaking to the Department that they will provide good quality and quantity of goods and services to meet the living needs of resident and meet the quarterly reporting obligations.
The undertaking must be made by 21 July 2021, and payment will cease if the reporting obligations are not met.
Minister Hunt said the 30 per cent increase in the homeless and viability supplements paid to the residential sector would also continue to ensure providers are well placed to keep offering services, especially to vulnerable senior Australians.
Minister Colbeck said the allocation of 80,000 new home care packages would ensure senior Australians could live at home for longer,
“Over the coming two years, 80,000 new home care packages will be steadily released, which will build on the 83,105 packages released since the 2018‑19 Budget,” Minister Colbeck said.
“This equates to more than 750 packages each week.
“Our Government is supporting more senior Australians who choose to remain in their homes for longer as they age.”
According to latest data there are 167,124 senior Australians receiving services through a package as at 31 March 2021.
Home care packages have increased from 59,300 under Labor in 2011-12 to 275,597 forecast for 2024-25, an increase of 365 per cent.
Over the same period, funding will increase by 576 per cent due to growth in high-level home care packages.
Additionally, from today, measures will be implemented to reduce the use of restrictive practices.
The Aged Care and Other Legislative Amendment (Royal Commission Response No.1) Bill 2021 will:

• Strengthen regulation for the use of restrictive practices, such as chemical and physical restraint, as a last resort;
• Establish assurance review arrangements for home care delivery and administration; and
• Abolish the requirement for the Aged Care Financing Authority (ACFA) to make way for new governance arrangements.

Minister Colbeck said the new provisions in the legislation clarify and strengthen provider responsibilities.
Use of alternative behaviour management strategies will now ensure safer care for those most vulnerable receiving care, particularly those living with dementia.
“Increased regulation, training and oversight on the use of restraints will help carers, the aged care workforce, and the sector comply with the strengthened legislation, facilitating safer and higher quality care for senior Australians,” he said.
Assurance reviews will also apply to up to 500 home care providers each year, from November 2021.
“The reviews will examine fees and charges applied by home care providers, to ensure senior Australians are not facing unjustified costs,” Minister Colbeck said.
Other important reforms starting today include:

• $178.9 million for Primary Health Networks (PHN) to support senior Australians’ health, including improved access to telehealth care and enhanced out of hours support for aged care residents, new health pathways to support assessment and referral, and early monitoring and identification of health needs to support people to live at home for longer;
• Additional funding of $125.7 million over four years to support the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Care services and Multi-Purpose Services;
•  $45.4 million for medication management in residential aged care, including the use of electronic national residential medication charts;
• $42.8 million to boost the Aged Care Access Incentive to increase face-to-face servicing by general practitioners in residential aged care;
• $37.3 million to expand the Greater Choice for At Home Palliative Care initiative to all 31 PHNs;
• Support for expanded independent advocacy to deliver greater choice for senior Australians, improved quality safeguards, and diversity assistance for providers;
• Enhanced reporting for residential aged care providers to meet financial and prudential monitoring requirements to improve compliance and intervention;
• The assumption of responsibility of the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care for setting clinical care components of the aged care quality standards; and
• Work to establish a local network of Department of Health aged care staff to focus on stewardship and coordination of aged care services, starting with eight PHN regions.

The Aged Care Sector Committee will also finish and be replaced with the new National Aged Care Advisory Council.
A dedicated Council of Elders for senior Australians will be established to provide advice to Government, informed by experience, to ensure those who are most central to the system can help direct and shape the way it operates.
Membership arrangements for the new National Aged Care Advisory Council and Council of Elders are currently being considered.

The Morrison Government is investing record funding in Medicare, providing more support to Australians as we face some of the greatest health challenges in a generation. Our commitment to Medicare is rock solid.
We are investing $125.7 billion in Medicare over the forward estimates, an increase of over $6 billion since last year’s Budget. This is up 58% from when Labor were last in government.
This includes $204.6 million to extend the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) telehealth arrangements until 31 December 2021, bringing the total investment in telehealth to $3.6 billion. This is continuing to provide access to health services for all Australians regardless of where they live. Importantly patients whose movements are restricted by a State or Territory public health order can continue to access support through telehealth.
Through the 2021-22 Budget, the Government invested a further $711.7 million to add new services and strengthen existing services on the MBS. For example, $40.5 million has been committed for ambulatory blood pressure monitoring – a new service for diagnosing high blood pressure (hypertension) that provides greater accuracy for diagnosis through continuous monitoring over 24 hours. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is superior to the currently MBS funded service of discrete blood pressure measurements in a clinic, or using home blood pressure monitors in conjunction with GP consultations.
From 1 July 2021, changes to the MBS items for orthopaedic, cardiac and general surgery services will be implemented following recommendations of the independent, clinician-led MBS Taskforce Review.
The changes are part of the most comprehensive review of Medicare since it began, with the aim of modernising the system to ensure it supports high quality health and medical practice.
They result from a five year process by the MBS Review Taskforce, including detailed consideration by committees led by medical experts, and extensive consultation with relevant medical organisations and the public.
As well as revised Medicare rebates, the changes include the addition of new items, the revision of some items and removal of other obsolete items, to reflect contemporary best practice.
They will improve the quality and safety of care for patients, support high value care, and simplify the MBS.
The majority of the changes coming into effect on 1 July 2021 relate to orthopaedic surgery items, which make up about 10 per cent of all MBS items.
Medicare rebates have been reviewed to reflect the cost and complexity of performing each service. They will assist consumers in accessing the best available medical treatment and ensure a more consistent approach to billing by providers.
Rebates will significantly increase for a number of items. Rebates will rise for nine existing items for general surgery and 29 orthopaedic surgery items. For example, the Medicare rebate for revision of knee replacement (item 49533) will increase by $315 to $2,645.55.
For cardiac surgery, rebates will rise significantly across three services related to coronary bypass grafting surgery, which have been increased by 50 per cent.
Changes to general surgery consolidate the existing 138 items into 85 items and provide more flexibility for surgeons to better tailor treatment to patients.
Private Healthcare Australia has publicly supported the 1 July 2021 changes, noting most patients would not pay increased out-of-pocket costs and that rebates have increased for a range of orthopaedic procedures.
The Government will closely monitor the impact of the 1 July 2021 changes to ensure there are no unintended consequences to patients. We are also committed to working in partnership with the sector, including the AMA, private health insurers and private hospitals, to implement future changes to the MBS recommended by the MBS Review Taskforce.
Further information about the 1 July 2021 changes to the MBS is available at: www.health.gov.au/mbsonline