Month: September 2021

The Greens have slammed the Morrison Government for politicising science in an attempt to deny the dangerous decline of the Great Barrier Reef.
Documents obtained by the ABC under Freedom of Information laws reveal the Morrison Government coerced an independent science agency to rush the release of a major scientific report.
The Government then leaked the report to selected media outlets to assist a lobbying trip to stop the Great Barrier Reef being declared in danger by UNESCO.
Greens spokesperson for Healthy Oceans, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson said: 
“Yesterday the Liberals teamed up with One Nation to block Senate scrutiny of their shameful campaign to deny the Great Barrier Reef from being declared in danger, and today we learn why.
“This Government will go to extraordinary lengths to deny climate change. Environment Minister Sussan Ley has proven to be content to gaslight us by interfering with scientific processes.
“How would you feel being a scientist who has had your life’s hard work bastardised by a Government intent on abusing it for political gain?
“This Government’s sorry crusade to protect its appalling reputation on climate change – and the interests of their fossil fuel donors – is the most shameful thing I’ve seen in my time in politics.
“This Government has spent years ignoring and attacking science, now they’re politicising it. This raises serious questions: what did Sussan Ley promise the UNESCO World Heritage voting nations in return for not listing the Reef as in danger? For what possible reason would the Government want to hide the truth, except to avoid embarrassment on climate inaction and to help their fossil fuel donors?
“The Greens will not stop fighting to expose the truth on this matter ahead of UNESCO’s review of the Great Barrier Reef’s World Heritage status in February 2022.”
Greens deputy leader and Queensland Senator Larissa Waters said:
“If the government had as much enthusiasm for actually protecting the Great Barrier Reef as it did for hiding its failure to protect it there wouldn’t be a need to declare the Reef ‘in danger’!
“Pressuring an independent scientific agency to join its appalling propaganda campaign is, sadly, just the kind of dodgy behaviour I’d expect from a government that will pull every dirty trick in the book to dodge accountability.
“It’s astonishing that a government that purports to be all about jobs, job, jobs would be so willing to kill off 60,000 of them by doing nothing to prevent the decline of the Reef.”
 

The Australian Government’s Hearing Services Program (the Program) is highly valued by people with hearing loss and those who support them.
I recently received the Report of the Independent Review of the Hearing Services Program from the Expert Panel of Professor Michael Woods and Dr Zena Burgess, supported by the Hearing Services Review Taskforce. I would like to thank the Expert Panel and the Taskforce for their work over the past 12 months.
Since its inception in 1997, hearing services delivered through the Program have remained largely unchanged. The completion of this review of the current arrangements has proved timely.
I understand the Expert Panel has engaged with the community in drafting this comprehensive Report, including through several rounds of public consultation and associated stakeholder meetings with the hearing care industry; consumer advocate groups and clients; professional associations; and academics.
I extend my gratitude to all stakeholders for their contributions and am confident the Expert Panel has considered their feedback in finalising the Report.
The Report will be published on the Hearing Services Program website shortly and I will be considering it in detail over the coming weeks and months. The Department of Health will continue to engage with the hearing sector on the Report’s recommendations.
The Report indicates that over half of all eligible people with hearing loss are not taking active advantage of services available through the Program. It highlights a need to modernise key components of the Program in the context of shifting consumer expectations, market changes and technological developments.
The Expert Panel, through its recommendations, has aimed to optimise hearing outcomes for clients including through improving the equity, effectiveness, governance and sustainability of the Program.
I note some recommendations are complex and would have significant impacts for consumers, the professional workforce and industry. These will require further consultation. Given other recommendations would have significant financial impacts or require legislative changes, it might take longer for the Government to consider and formally respond to these recommendations.
I encourage all stakeholders to remain engaged with the Review and look forward to continuing to work with the sector on its implementation. In the meantime, I would ask that any comments or queries about the report or the Government’s response are directed to the Department’s Hearing Services Program Review Team via: hearing-review@health.gov.au.

Our Government will ensure Australia’s Paralympic athletes receive payments for winning medals at the Tokyo Games in line with the payments to our Tokyo Olympic medallists.
The decision ensures Paralympics Australia can recognise our champion Paralympic athletes in line with payments made by the Australian Olympic Committee to medal-winning athletes in Tokyo.
Australia’s para-athletes have represented our nation with great distinction and pride in Tokyo, delivering performances that have buoyed millions during what is a difficult time for the nation.
Australia is eighth on the overall medal tally with 60 medals and four days of competition still to come.
Like their Olympic counterparts, Paralympians often have to make major sacrifices in their lives foregoing family and work to train and compete nationally and internationally.
The Morrison Government is committed to working with Paralympics Australia and other national sporting bodies to grow corporate sponsorship for para-sports.
This additional commercial revenue could ensure Paralympics Australia can sustainably make medal bonus payments to athletes at future Paralympics.
The Morrison Government is proud to support our athletes in achieving their Paralympic dreams and was already delivering record levels of Government support for our Paralympic high-performance athletes.
The Government is the major funding source for para-sports and in the five years leading up to the Tokyo Paralympics, the Government has provided $88.8 million for para-athlete high performance programs.
Commonwealth Government Paralympic high performance funding has in fact increased by 40 per cent since 2012.
The Government has also provided significant funding for para-sport infrastructure and in the 2021/22 Budget we provided Paralympics Australia with $3.5 million to cover extra Paralympic travel costs associated with the Tokyo Games caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic.

The Morrison Government has taken important action to strengthen and simplify national laws to better protect Australians against sexual harassment in the workplace.
The Sex Discrimination and Fair Work (Respect at Work) Amendment Bill 2021, which passed Parliament today, implements the Australian Government’s response to a number of recommendations in the Sex Discrimination Commissioner’s Respect@Work Report.
“This legislation is a critical step forward and will enhance protections against sexual harassment and other forms of sex discrimination in Australian workplaces,” said the Attorney-General, Michaelia Cash.
“My first act as the Attorney-General was to release the Government’s response to this report, today I am pleased to see this legislation passing through the Parliament.”
On 8 April 2021, the Government released the ‘Roadmap for Respect: Preventing and Addressing Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces’ (the Roadmap) in response to the Respect@Work Report. In the Roadmap for Respect, the government agreed, agreed in principle or in part to 46 recommendations, and work is underway to implement them. The remaining nine recommendations were noted for further consideration.
This legislation implements the Morrison Government’s commitments in response to recommendations 16, 20, 21, 22, 29 and 30 of the Respect@Work Report by:

• creating a new object clause to make it clear that the Sex Discrimination Act aims to achieve, so far as practicable, equality of opportunity between men and women
• clarifying that harassing a person on the basis of sex is prohibited under the Sex Discrimination Act
• protecting more workers from sexual harassment, particularly vulnerable workers, by broadening the scope of people covered by the Sex Discrimination Act clarifying that members of parliament and judges (and their staff) are covered by the Sex Discrimination Act
• clarifying that a complaint of victimisation can be considered as either a civil or criminal matter
• extending the timeframe for which a complaint can be made to the Australian Human Rights Commission to reduce procedural barriers for complainants under the Sex Discrimination Act
• clarifying that the Fair Work Commission may make orders to stop sexual harassment in the workplace
• clarifying that sexual harassment can be a valid reason for dismissal under the Fair Work Act

The legislation also amends the Fair Work Act to enable an employee to take compassionate leave if they, or their spouse or de facto partner, has a miscarriage. This measure will reduce discrimination against pregnancy and overall enhance women’s economic security.
The legislation is also complemented by amendments to the Fair Work Regulations which implement recommendation 31 of the Respect@Work Report.
“Every Australian is entitled to feel safe at work, so this legislation is just one of the ways we are taking action to build a safe and respectful culture in Australian workplaces,” said the Attorney-General.
Assistant Minister to the Attorney-General, Assistant Minister for Women and Assistant Minister for Industrial Relations Senator Amanda Stoker said the legislation is a crucial step forward.
“Equality of opportunity is a fundamental Liberal value,” said the Assistant Attorney-General.
“By implementing the Roadmap for Respect, the Morrison Government is delivering the safety at work that is essential to women’s financial advancement and leadership.”
The Government committed $2.1 million in the 2020-21 Budget to implement key recommendations, including establishing the Respect@Work Council, chaired by the Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Kate Jenkins.
More than $64 million was committed in the 2021-22 Budget to support the implementation of the Roadmap, including for work on recommendations requiring joint action through intergovernmental meetings, for additional legal assistance for specialist lawyers with workplace and discrimination law expertise, and for working women’s centres to continue the delivery of support for women on work related matters, including workplace sexual harassment.
“We are progressing a range of initiatives to provide greater safety and economic security for women across our society,” said the Attorney-General. “However, our work continues and we remain committed to this goal.”
If you need immediate assistance or support you can contact 1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732.

The Greens have called on Environment Minister Sussan Ley to protect Tasmanian devils from becoming mining-industry roadkill by rejecting Venture Minerals’ application to vary the EPBC approval for its Riley Creek mine in the takayna/Tarkine region.
The EDO Tasmania has launched legal action on behalf of conservationists to stop Venture Minerals from trucking ore at night along the 112kms stretch of critical Tasmanian devil habitat.
Greens Senator for Tasmania, Peter Whish-Wilson said:
“With the stroke of a pen Sussan Ley could do the right thing and reject this application, and in doing so gain some credibility as our nation’s Environment Minister, while putting an end to a timely and costly court case.
“The takayna/Tarkine area provides critical habitat for Tasmanian devils that are free from the infectious cancer that has decimated their population in other parts of the state – this is the key reason restrictions were placed on the Venture Minerals mine in this area nearly a decade ago.
“This area also provides habitat for other nationally-listed species vulnerable to extinction, including quolls, giant wedge-tailed eagles and masked owls.
“Independent expert reports have recommended National and World Heritage listings for parts of the takayna/Tarkine rainforest for decades.
“It should be a no-brainer: as Federal Environment Minister, Sussan Ley should step up to protect endangered species from becoming extinct by protecting takayna/Tarkine as a National Park.
“Minister Ley must show leadership and resist the toxic politics that thrives in the marginal seat of Braddon, pitting those who care about nature against the interests of those who seek to exploit takayna/Tarkine for a few bucks.
“The Greens will never stop advocating for stronger federal environmental laws including a zero extinction target, stronger environmental protections and an independent watchdog to hold governments, miners and developers to account.”