Month: September 2021

The government and One Nation have blocked crucial amendments from the Greens and Labor that would have implemented the centrepiece of the Respect@Work recommendations – a positive duty on employers to make workplaces safe.
Greens deputy leader and spokesperson on women Senator Larissa Waters said:
“The PM, as always, is missing in action. It took more than a year for the government to respond to the Respect@Work report and the Bill they came up with fell woefully short – not only of the aims of the report, but also of the expectations of Australian women.
“Respect@Work report set out a clear, holistic set of actions to address workplace sexual harassment. Central to that was a positive duty that would shift the onus away from individual workers who fear losing their job if they complain and instead require employers to make their workplaces safe.
“The government says existing workplace laws already do the job. The 40% of women who are sexually harassed at work say otherwise. All the young workers harassed in their first jobs say otherwise.
“The Greens and Labor put forward a joint amendment to do what the government failed to do and introduce a positive duty. The government joined with One Nation to block them.
“The PM says he’s listening to women, and he says his government accepts all 55 recommendations of the Respect@Work report. Yet today the government again ignored women and blocked a key recommendation from the report.
“With the willing help of his One Nation lackeys, the PM has once again failed women.
“It proves yet again that the PM views women as nothing more than a political problem to be managed, through spin and rhetoric.
“The government and One Nation had an opportunity today to show that they’re not reactionary troglodytes, but they only served to remind Australian women just how important it is to boot them out at the next election.”

Companies claiming a bigger share of profits at the direct expense of workers shows the need to properly tax big corporations and the super wealthy, the Greens say.
National accounts figures released today show that the wage share of total income has fallen to just 50.6 per cent, the second lowest on record and lowest in 61 years.
The figures also show that profits share of income has hit 30.3 per cent, the highest on record.
“Despite the pandemic, corporations and billionaires continue to make out like bandits while workers, and those without jobs, get less of the spoils,” Greens Economic Justice spokesperson Senator Nick McKim said.
“Workers are getting a smaller slice of the pie, while corporations continue to get more. This is not an accident – these are deliberate policy choices by the Liberals.”
“One in three big corporations pays no tax at all, and billionaires are accumulating obscene levels of wealth.”
“We need to start making corporations and billionaires start paying their fair share of tax, so that we can pay for climate action and services that benefit everyone.”

The Greens have introduced a bill to parliament that would ban the export of greyhounds from Australia for commercial purposes including breeding and racing.
The Customs Legislation Amendment (Commercial Greyhound Export and Import Prohibition) Bill 2021 comes following years of reports of horrific treatment of Australian dogs in greyhound racing across the world. The trade goes on: between 2016 and 2021, 1,313 dogs were exported from Australia.
Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Greens spokesperson for Animal Welfare, said:
“A ban on commercial greyhound export is long overdue.
“Greyhounds from Australia are routinely being sent overseas to race, and often end up in countries where there isn’t a semblance of animal welfare protection for these poor dogs.
“Greyhound export might make a buck for the industry in Australia, but the welfare of the dogs is routinely sacrificed at the altar of profitability and gambling revenue.
“This is a simple reform and an important one. It will put a stop to a completely inhumane practice that has caused far too much suffering for far too many dogs. I hope other politicians can support this important step for animal welfare.
“No matter what the industry says, neither the welfare of the dogs, nor where they end up, can be guaranteed after they are exported. The only sensible and appropriate measure is to shut down the trade altogether.
“More and more people in Australia see greyhound racing for what it is: gambling-fuelled animal cruelty. These beautiful dogs should be running for fun, not their lives.”

An Albanese Labor Government will conduct the first Defence Force Posture Review since 2012 after the Coalition has ignored Defence posture for the last eight years.
After six Defence Ministers in eight long years, the Government has been neglecting planning on posture, despite deteriorating strategic circumstances.
Force posture refers to the future security and strategic environment, the importance of domestic and demographic issues and their impact on Defence facilities, and where the ADF is based.
A Labor Defence Force Posture Review would ensure the Australian Government is considering both long-term strategic posture and whether Australian Defence units, assets, and facilities are prepared for the military to take action in a timely way.
The 2020 Strategic Update warned of the rapidly changing circumstances in our region, and stressed that a ten-year strategic warning time for a major conventional attack against Australia is no longer an appropriate basis for defence planning.
Reduced warning times mean defence plans can no longer assume Australia will have time to gradually adjust military capability and preparedness in response to emerging challenges.
Despite this, the Coalition Government has never conducted a fully-fledged Force Posture Review.
Only two fully-fledged Defence Posture Reviews have occurred in recent times – former Defence Minister Kim Beazley’s mid-1980’s review and former Defence Minister Stephen Smith in 2012.
Labor’s 2012 review process enacted new force posture initiatives with the US that led to the current Marine Rotational Force in Darwin.
The Morrison Government has regularly spoken of – and taken credit for – posture related activities, such as upgrades to Defence assets in Northern Australia, and the presence of US Marines, yet they have largely ignored posture.
Only Labor is committed to a genuine, independent Defence Force Posture Review to ensure our assets and our troops are positioned where we need them to be.

Today marks the 70th anniversary of signing of the ANZUS Treaty – which for seven decades has been the foundation of our unbreakable Alliance with the United States of America.
Our Alliance was forged on the battlefield, reinforced in peacetime and renewed by successive generations. For more than a century, we have fought side-by-side in every major conflict and faced the world’s most pressing challenges together.
We saw the strength of our Alliance in the tragic recent events in Kabul, where the bravery and sacrifice of US military personnel allowed Australian forces to evacuate our people to safety.
President Lyndon Johnson once said that Australia and America would stand together ‘in sunshine and in sorrow’. For the past 70 years, we have sacrificed, lost and triumphed together.
ANZUS now sits at the heart of an enduring partnership that spans deep ties between our peoples and wide-ranging cooperation between our countries, including in security and defence, diplomacy, trade and investment, science and technology, environment and energy, research and education.
Today, we remain steadfast in our common outlook and shared values. Our countries remain committed to a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific and helping our region to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Our Alliance supports the Indo-Pacific and makes an essential contribution to regional stability and prosperity.
Australia will continue to ensure the strength and vitality of our Alliance through practical, tangible contributions and cooperation.
As we commemorate the last 70 years, we look to the future with optimism and confidence for what we can achieve, together, in the decades to come.

Australia’s vaccine rollout will be boosted by 500,000 extra Pfizer-BioNTech doses to be distributed next week for immediate use, following a dose swap deal secured between Australia and Singapore.
Australia will gain access to 500,000 Singaporean doses now to boost the vaccine programme in September, while in December, Australia will supply 500,000 Pfizer doses to Singapore.
Prime Minster Scott Morrison said the vaccines would be provided to all states and territories for distribution by primary care and state and territory vaccination sites on an equal population basis, following batch testing by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
“This deal gives us the further supplies we need as we bring new groups into the programme for Pfizer, including 12 to 15 year olds from September 13, and the 16 to 39 year old age group that has already commenced,” the Prime Minister said.
“I said we would leave no stone unturned in bolstering our vaccination programme. This deal comes on top of the Polish agreement that has already boosted our national vaccination rates to exceed those achieved in the United States and United Kingdom at the peak of their programmes.
“I would like to convey my special appreciation to Singapore’s Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong, for our direct engagement over this arrangement, and his Government for their support, highlighting how two governments can work together and manage vaccine stocks before they expire.
“I also extend my thanks to Minister Hunt, Minster Payne, Australia’s High Commissioner to Singapore Will Hodgman and his team, and our Health Secretary Professor Murphy for bringing this arrangement together.”
Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Women Marise Payne said Australia was working with other countries to manage the global challenge of COVID-19.
“This demonstrates how our diplomatic capability can deliver in ways that protect Australians and strengthen Australia’s security and prosperity,” Minister Payne said.
“Just as Australia and Singapore are working together, Australia is cooperating with partners in the region to save lives, advance economic recovery, and build health systems to protect against future pandemics.”
Minister for Health and Aged Care Greg Hunt said the Australian Government is working every day to bring forward vaccine supplies to ensure every Australian will have access to the COVID vaccine this year.
“With increasing supply we encourage all Australians to come forward and be vaccinated at more than 9,300 locations around the country,” Minister Hunt said.
“I particularly want to thank our health officials, both in Singapore and Australia, and our High Commission in Singapore for their work.”
There is no purchase cost associated with the deal to source the vaccine doses, which were manufactured in Belgium.
More than 19.3 million doses have now been delivered across the country, with more than 1.9 million doses delivered over the past week.
Per capita distribution:

New South Wales	159,236
Victoria	131,149
Queensland	99,745
Western Australia	51,294
South Australia	34,934
Tasmania	10,675
Australian Capital Territory	8,344
Northern Territory	4,622

To find your nearest vaccination site please visit https://www.health.gov.au/resources/apps-and-tools/covid-19-vaccine-eligibility-checker.