Month: August 2021

Australians suffering from a rare type of blood cancer will now have access to a highly specialised CAR-T cell therapy, as the Morrison Government continues to invest in medical breakthroughs and new therapies that save lives and improve lives.
Yescarta (axicabtagene ciloleucel) is a type of CAR-T cell therapy that is used to treat patients with certain types of lymphoma—a form of blood cancer.
As part of the National Health Reform Agreement, our Government is ensuring more Australian patients can access Yescarta, a high cost and highly specialised therapy.
In 2020, almost 7,000 Australians were diagnosed with lymphoma and tragically, more than 1,700 died. It is the sixth most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia.
Yescarta is the second specially funded CAR-T therapy for patients with certain aggressive B-cell lymphomas, where initial treatments have been unsuccessful.
In this approach to treat certain aggressive B-cell lymphomas, cells from the patient’s own immune system are collected, re-engineered and given back to the patient in a single infusion to kill cancer cells.
It is expected up to 300 Australians per year will benefit from access to these therapies, which are available at selected public hospitals.
Australians with these lymphomas will now have a better chance of successful treatment where the prognosis has, until now, been generally very poor.
The funding of these high cost, highly specialised therapies is provided jointly by the Government and the States and Territories, in line with arrangements agreed to in the 2020¬-2025 Addendum to the National Health Reform Agreement.
All governments are expected to provide $100 million for funding these therapies in 2021-22, with this cost to be shared equally between the Government and the States and Territories.

Labor Will Deliver Treaty and Truth; Strengthen First Nations Economic Opportunities; Repair Land and Water.

Labor will deliver on a national process for Treaty-making and Truth-telling; strengthen economic and job opportunities for First Nations people; and empower First Nations people in caring for land and water.
Today, the Prime Minister delivered the latest Closing the Gap update. Sadly, and unsurprisingly, the data shows that the disparity and disadvantage persists.
For eight long years, the Government has shunted its responsibility for progress on Closing the Gap to states and territories; on future parliaments and future generations.
The Prime Minister promises a new approach, but the question is, is this new money, or is this another shiny new announcement from existing funds. This is Government that always misses the mark when it comes to delivery.
Listening to and empowering First Nations people will be at the very core of Labor’s approach to Closing the Gap and Reconciliation.
Delivering Treaty & Truth: fulfilling the promise of Uluru
If we want to understand the challenges of the present, we must understand their roots in past trauma. There can be no real progress on Closing the Gap and there can be no Reconciliation without Treaty and Truth-Telling.
The Uluru Statement called for a national process of Treaty and Truth-Telling overseen by a Makarrata Commission, along with a constitutionally enshrined voice to the parliament.
Labor is committed to the Uluru Statement in full. And today, Labor is committing to establish a Makarrata Commission as a matter of priority.

• The Commission’s oversight of Truth-Telling would include inquiring into matters of national significance, from colonisation to present day, as well as supporting local Truth-Telling projects with local government and community organisations.

• The Commission’s oversight of Treaty would include developing a framework for federal treaty-making, taking into account existing state and territory processes.

A clear and accurate telling of Australia’s story is essential for us to reach our full potential as a nation.
It will help us better understand and explain the causes of inequality and injustice, and let us work together to fix them in the future.
Strengthening First Nations economic and job opportunities
The disparity in First Nations employment outcomes is interconnected to other quality of life outcomes such as health, education and housing. Address economic inequality, and we can truly begin to address structural disadvantage more broadly.
This is why an Albanese Labor Government will strengthen economic and job opportunities for First Nations people and communities.

• Labor will lead by example and commit to a target of increasing First Nations employment in the Australian Public Service from 3.4 per cent currently to five per cent by 2030.

• Labor will build on the good work of Australia’s largest employers and support them in bolstering their First Nations workforces, including through the introduction of public reporting for Australia’s 200 largest employers.

• Labor will support and protect First Nations jobs and businesses that rely on First Nations art, culture and intellectual property, including getting on with a Productivity Commission inquiry into the value and structure of the current market for First Nations arts and crafts.

• And Labor will support inclusive growth for Indigenous-owned businesses in both domestic and international trade.

And Labor is committed scrapping the Community Development Program and developing a new remote jobs program in partnership with First Nations people and communities.
Empowering First Nations people & caring for our land and waters
First Nations peoples have authority, knowledge and experience derived from many millennia of custodianship over land and water.

• Labor will double the number of Indigenous Rangers – who play a vital role in the restoration and preservation of land and water – to 3,800 jobs by the end of the decade.

• Labor will boost funding for management of Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs), providing $10 million each year.
• And Labor will deliver the $40 million of cultural water promised in 2018 but not yet delivered by the Morrison Government.

The Liberal Nationals Government is investing $126 million to improve school education for thousands of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
NAPLAN data shows that Indigenous students are, on average, more than two years behind their non-Indigenous peers in Year 3 and the gap grows over time.
This significant new investment focuses on scaling-up programs that we know lift outcomes for Indigenous students particularly in reading, mathematics, attendance and school completion.
The new measures form part of the Government’s Closing the Gap Implementation Plan and include:

• $75 million to build three new remote boarding schools in Western Australia and the Northern Territory under the innovative Studio Schools model;
• $26 million to create partnerships between high-performing city schools and regional and remote schools which will improve leadership, teacher practice, and student outcomes;
• $10 million to implement targeted teaching practices and increase attendance in remote WA schools, drawing on the proven success of the Kimberley Schools Project;
• $8 million to grow the MultiLit (Making Up Lost Time in Literacy) program, which delivers proven, phonics-based reading instruction in primary schools.
• $5 million to expand the pilot run by Good to Great Schools Australia, bringing total funding to $10.8m, which is improving teacher practice and reading outcomes through explicit instruction.

Minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt said the investment would provide tangible benefits for young Indigenous Australians.
“Boosting literacy skills, improving student outcomes and lifting school attendance are key drivers of better outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth,” Minister Wyatt said.
“This new package builds on existing successful education partnerships and programs that support the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, to improve outcomes, particularly the attainment of Year 12 or equivalent qualifications.”
Minister for Education and Youth Alan Tudge said the investment was focussed on programs that have already shown significant positive impacts on Indigenous student results.
“This additional money is deliberately aimed at scaling up practices that work, such as phonics and explicit instruction,” Minister Tudge said.
“The evidence is there that it does make a difference and so we are confident that thousands of children will improve their learning as a result of this.
“If we don’t close the gap at preschool and school, then we will struggle to do so in other areas.
“Our top Independent schools have significant resources and expertise that can be a game-changer for remote schools in Indigenous communities to give their students a world-class education.
“The Studio Schools model has had extraordinary success in the Kimberley, with massive gains in attendance, Year 12 completion and transitions to work. I’m excited to see this model expanded to a further three locations where it is greatly needed.”
Minister for Regionalisation, Regional Communications and Regional Education Senator the Hon Bridget McKenzie said the measures would support young Indigenous Australians who need to move away from home to access secondary schooling.
“Studying away from home is a necessity for many students from remote communities, particularly for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who do not always have access to a local secondary school close to home,” Minister McKenzie said.
“Our funding commitment will support the development of three new residential schools to be built in Western Australia and the Northern Territory over the next four years, and upgrades to a fourth existing boarding school.
“Together, these facilities will help support the educational needs of Indigenous students and builds upon the $16.6 million in the 2021-22 Budget to assist boarding school providers to better meet the needs of Indigenous students from remote locations.”
The measures are in addition to the $122 million investment in quality early childhood education that also form part of the Closing the Gap Implementation Plan.

To support the Commonwealth’s first Closing the Gap Implementation Plan, the Morrison Government is investing over $300 million in health infrastructure and support to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders can access health services, when and where they need them.
As part of our $1 billion investment in new Closing the Gap measures, we’re investing $254.4 million in infrastructure to better support the critical work of the Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs), which have been a significant part of the Government’s response to COVID-19.
ACCHOs are operated by and for Aboriginal communities, delivering comprehensive and culturally appropriate primary health care services, including administering COVID-19 vaccines across rural and remote Australia.
Minister for Health and Aged Care, Greg Hunt said the Government was committed to improving health services for Indigenous Australians, their families and their communities.
“ACCHOs continue to play an important role in providing health support for Aboriginal communities, including during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Minister Hunt said.
“This additional funding will enable ACCHOs to improve their facilities and maintain the high level of care they offer their communities.”
The Government is also investing $45 million to ensure the best start in life for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, through the Healthy Mums and Healthy Bubs program. This funding is in addition to the $82 million for the Connected Beginnings Program, which includes funding for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health services.
Minister for Indigenous Australians, the Hon Ken Wyatt AM MP said the program promotes healthy outcomes and healthy lifestyle choices for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and their babies.
“This will provide mothers with improved access to health care, including access to antenatal care from their health providers and provide support until the baby is one year old,” Minister Wyatt said.
“These programs complement and build on the Government’s investment of more than
$781.1 million in the 2021-22 Budget to prioritise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and ageing outcomes.”
The Closing the Gap Implementation Plan sets a foundation for the Commonwealth’s efforts over the next decade in achieving the targets in the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, signed by all Australian governments in July 2020.
This whole-of-government Closing the Gap Implementation Plan was developed by Ministers, departments and agencies across the Commonwealth with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander partners, in particular the Coalition of Peaks.

The Morrison Government will deliver $22.8 million in new funding to strengthen Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, forming part of the more than $1 billion commitment in targeted investments through the Commonwealth’s first Closing the Gap Implementation Plan.
Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, the Hon Paul Fletcher MP, said the increased investment in Indigenous languages is critical in making progress against the languages target in Closing the Gap.
“The Indigenous Languages and Arts program has a demonstrated track record of success and strong ongoing demand. This new investment will support the critical work needed to achieve language outcomes for Indigenous Australians,” Minister Fletcher said.
“Australia’s Indigenous languages are disappearing at a faster rate than anywhere else in the world. It is critical that these languages are recorded for use by current and future generations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and this increased investment recognises the urgency and scale of the situation.”
Extra funding of $22.8 million for the ILA program includes:

• Funding to establish three new Indigenous language centres
• Additional funding to support existing ILA-funded Indigenous language centres
• Increased support for projects that protect the most at-risk Indigenous languages
• New investment in the development of place-based partnerships between Indigenous language centres and local service delivery partners in health and early childhood.

Minister for Indigenous Australians, the Hon Ken Wyatt AM MP, said that strengthening languages is central to achieving outcomes across all Closing the Gap targets, including in health, early childhood, and employment.
“Language is fundamentally important for Indigenous Australians, including for non-speakers,” Minister Wyatt said.
“Speaking language helps to keep Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people connected to their country. It also provides new job opportunities and supports improved outcomes in education for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people – helping Indigenous communities to thrive.”
This enhanced support is designed to accelerate efforts by the network of ILA‑funded language centres to increase the number and strength of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages being spoken. It will also create new jobs and career pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who speak Indigenous languages.
For more information on the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, visit: www.niaa.gov.au/indigenous-affairs/closing-gap

The Morrison Government is delivering $378.6 million for a financial and wellbeing redress scheme for living Stolen Generations members who were removed as children from their families in the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory prior to their respective self-government and the Jervis Bay Territory.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he was committed to delivering practical action on a long-standing issue of national importance.
“Earlier this year I met with the Healing Foundation and survivors of the stolen generations and I committed then that I would look at this important issue,” the Prime Minister said.
“Today we are delivering on that commitment with practical action that will positively impact the health and wellbeing of Stolen Generations survivors, their families and communities.”
Minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt said that supporting intergenerational healing was key to the Morrison Government’s commitment to Closing the Gap.
“Through the Commonwealth’s Closing the Gap Implementation Plan, the Morrison Government is committed to working in partnership and listening to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples,” Minister Wyatt said.
“This announcement reflects the Government’s commitment to recognise and acknowledge the wrongs of the past as part of the nation’s journey to reconciliation, and this scheme represents a major step forward towards healing.”
The scheme will provide eligible applicants:

• A one-off payment of $75,000 in recognition of the harm caused by forced removal.
• A one-off healing assistance payment of $7,000 in recognition that the action to facilitate healing will be specific to each individual.
• The opportunity, if they choose, for each survivor to confidentially tell their story about the impact of their removal to a senior official within government, have it acknowledged and receive a face-to-face or written apology for their removal and resulting trauma.

The scheme will be open for applications from 1 March 2022 and will run until June 2026. While states will manage arrangements in their jurisdictions, the Morrison Government is ensuring this scheme is available in the territories administered by the Commonwealth in the past.
The Territories Stolen Generations Redress Scheme is part of $1 billion in new investments committed by the Commonwealth to implement the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.
Additional information:
To be eligible for the scheme, recipients would be:

• Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people,
• under the age of 18 years at the time they were removed from their family by government bodies (including the police), churches/missions and/or welfare bodies, and in circumstances where their Indigeneity was a factor in their removal, and
• removed whilst living in the Northern Territory or in the Australian Capital Territory prior to their respective self-government or the Jervis Bay Territory.

The National Indigenous Australians Agency is working to establish the scheme over the next seven months, with the scheme open for applications from 1 March 2022.
Families of a Stolen Generations member who passes between 5 August 2021 and 1 March 2022 will be able to submit an application on their behalf.
The scheme will receive applications until 28 February 2026, with the remaining four months of the scheme providing time to process final applications, complete the personal responses and conduct an evaluation.

The Morrison Government has released the Commonwealth’s first Closing the Gap Implementation Plan, and with it committed more than $1 billion in new measures to support to help achieve Closing the Gap outcomes.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said with the release of the Plan, the Government was turning the commitments made under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap into practical action.
“This is a plan that’s been led together with Indigenous leaders, to back Indigenous communities,” the Prime Minister said.
“When we overhauled the Closing the Gap program we set four priority reforms to fundamentally change how governments and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people work together. This Implementation Plan details how governments will do our part to achieve those reforms.
“It highlights the real and practical actions to be taken across all areas of government and also commits funding to actions that will ensure we get there. We’ve listened together and are taking action together.
“We’re doing things differently with accountability and transparency, and in true partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders.
“This is a truly whole-of-government plan, developed by Ministers, departments and agencies across the Commonwealth with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander partners, in particular the Coalition of Peaks.
“This is a practical plan that builds from the ground up by making good on the harm caused to Stolen Generations survivors to supporting this and future generations of young people with more education opportunities.
“This plan is about real reconciliation, how we get there, and making sure all governments are held to account, state and federal.”
Measures announced with the release of the plan are focussed on new areas in the National Agreement that require early investment, like the Priority Reforms, justice and languages.
Minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt said the measures included $378.6 million for a new redress scheme for Stolen Generations survivors from the Northern Territory, the Australian Capital Territory and Jervis Bay Territory. This scheme is critical to continue the nation’s reconciliation journey and will support healing.
“The scheme, for living survivors who were removed as children from their families in then-Commonwealth territories, includes a one-off payment in recognition of the harm caused by forced removal and gives each survivor the opportunity, should they wish, to tell their story and receive an individual apology,” Minister Wyatt said.
There are also new measures in areas which evidence suggests will have the greatest impact over the long term, including early childhood, health, education and supporting families.
“We are providing an additional $254.4 million towards infrastructure to better support Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations do their critical work, and on their terms. ACCHOs have been a significant part of the Government’s response to COVID-19 and this funding will improve their facilities and maintain the high level of care they offer their communities,” Minister Wyatt said.
“We are also investing $160 million in new funding to ensure the best start in life for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, through initiatives such as the Healthy Mums and Healthy Bubs program, the Community Child Care Fund, the Connected Beginnings Program and the Early Years Education Program.”
Minister Wyatt said the Implementation Plan and associated investments showed the Commonwealth was serious about delivering on the National Agreement.
“This first Commonwealth Implementation Plan sets a foundation for our efforts in achieving the targets in the National Agreement over the coming decade,” Minister Wyatt said.
“We will report on our progress each year, and the plan will be updated at the same time in partnership and based on evidence and data. This will keep us accountable and ensure we are aligned with the priorities of the people it affects most.
“Progress and change are not a Commonwealth responsibility alone and all parties are responsible for delivering on the commitments in the National Agreement. States and territories are delivering their own implementation plans, and together with the Commonwealth’s Plan detail a full picture of the national effort being delivered under the partnership.
“All parties to the National Agreement are deeply committed to working together with a determination to forge a better future for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians.”
More information:
The Commonwealth Implementation Plan details the range of programs and strategies in place across the Commonwealth that contribute to Closing the Gap, as well as new investment and initiatives. Read the full list of new investments below.
The measures announced with the release of the Implementation Plan build on announcements in the 2021-22 Budget that also contribute to Closing the Gap, in areas such as mental health, jobs and skills, and aged care.
Commencing in 2022, the Commonwealth will produce an annual report to outline progress being made to deliver the actions outlined in the Plan and all other governments will do the same.
The Productivity Commission is maintaining a dashboard of data on all the targets and indicators at a national and state and territory level. It will also publish a data compilation report in July every year, as well as conduct a review every three years.
The Commonwealth Implementation Plan will be updated as necessary alongside the Commonwealth’s annual report. When the Commonwealth provides its annual report, it will also set priorities for the coming year. Setting priorities will be done in partnership and be built on what the data and evidence says is working and what isn’t.
Read the full Commonwealth Closing the Gap Implementation Plan.