Month: November 2021

Australian Greens Education spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has today launched a new discussion paper, The University of the Future: Higher Education Built on Democracy and Equity. The policy ideas and research in the paper will provide a starting point for richer, more radical conversations about the future of universities.
Contained in the report is Parliamentary Library data analysed by the Greens has revealed that over the past twenty years, the number of elected members on the governing bodies of Australian universities has decreased by 43% from 274 elected members in 2000 to 155 elected members in 2020. As a proportion, in 2000, more than one-third of positions on these bodies were elected. By 2020, it was down to fewer than one in four.
The paper presents research and proposes a number of policy ideas, discussion questions and political actions relating to:

• University democracy and reclaiming campuses for staff and students; Secure jobs and reversing casualisation;
• Encouraging student activism and campuses as political spaces;
• Equity and anti-racism;
• First Nations knowledges, research, and leadership;
• Academic freedom; and
• Free education and abolishing student debt.

Senator Faruqi said:
“For too long, short-sighted governments and private interests have dominated conversations about what higher education should look like in this country.
“We have to go back to the drawing board and reimagine the very purpose of universities. And we have to take the power back from the anti-intellectual governments and private interests that currently run the show.
“The corporatisation of universities by government and neoliberal university management has occurred while staff and student representation on governing bodies has shrunk massively.
“Universities are at a crossroads. They can continue hurtling down a path of corporatisation, austerity and job insecurity, or they can chart a new course based on principles of democracy and equity.
“Universities are a public good. It’s time to start treating them this way once more.”
The full report is available here.

Cancer patients across Western New South Wales now have access to life-saving treatment and diagnostic services closer to home, following the opening of the $35 million Western Cancer Centre.
Regional Health Minister Dr David Gillespie and Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton today toured the newly-opened facility at Dubbo Hospital.
Mr Coulton said it was wonderful to see the Western Cancer Centre complete and open to patients.
“After years of campaigning for this centre, it’s so exciting to be here today to see it in action,” Mr Coulton said.
“This facility is providing crucial care and support to cancer patients across regional NSW, allowing people in the bush to stay closer to loved ones during treatment.
“It’s so heartening to hear how it’s already benefitting people throughout the region, people like Tracey Brown from Wellington who was the very first patient to receive radiation therapy treatment in the new facility.
“Living only 30 minutes away from the new Cancer Centre, and requiring treatment for prostate cancer every day for four weeks, Tracey was able to be treated in the morning and be back home for lunch, making the whole experience much more positive.
“This is exactly why this facility is so important – it means regional people no longer have to travel to metropolitan centres to access the treatment they need and deserve.
“I’m looking forward to celebrating with everyone who helped make this happen at the official opening early next year.”
As a former regional doctor, Dr Gillespie said it was important that locals could access care and treatment in their community and be treated by local doctors and health professionals.
“Country people have a strong affinity with their community and their local hospital, so for patients to now be able to have this treatment here instead of travelling is one-less burden for people going through cancer,” Dr Gillespie said.
“Additionally, having a strong local hospital helps to attract more doctors, nurses and health professionals to the region, as it gives them with more exposure to new technologies and increases their range of clinical skills.”
In addition to the radiation therapy bunker, the Western Cancer Centre Dubbo includes 16 chemotherapy spaces – doubling capacity – as well as new consultation rooms and a wellness space to provide support and well-being services to patients and their families.
The cancer centre opened to patients on 20 September 2021, with the clinic rooms and reception opening first, followed by the new chemotherapy treatment spaces and radiation therapy on the 19 October.
On the ground floor beside the radiation therapy bunker is the PET-CT Scanner. Providing advanced diagnostic services for the Cancer Centre and other specialist services at Dubbo Hospital, the PET-CT Scanner is one of only a handful in the state. It is currently being commissioned and will open at full capacity in the coming months.
The Australian Government provided $25 million for the state-of-the-art health service, with the NSW Government contributing the remaining $10 million.
The project supported 500 jobs during construction and it creates another 70 ongoing jobs in medical, nursing, allied health, administration and support services.

More than $57 million from the Federal Government to the University of Sydney (USyd) is giving trainee doctors and health professionals the opportunity to live, work and study in Dubbo and the central west region of NSW and in turn increasing access to healthcare for local patients.
Federal Member for Parkes, Mark Coulton and Federal Regional Health Minister, Dr David Gillespie today visited the Dubbo Rural Clinical School, operated by the University of Sydney (USyd), to hear firsthand about the high-quality education and training opportunities being offered at the school.
Mr Coulton said Federal Government funding provided to USyd provided employment for local staff, in addition to training the next generation of regional and rural doctors and health professionals.
“The clinical school in Dubbo employs 27 local staff, who supported 33 trainees to complete 12-month medical placements last year,” Mr Coulton said.
“Local opportunities like this are so important. Research shows that those who train in the bush are more likely to stay on in the regions or consider practising rurally at the end of their training, which is why this Government is investing heavily in rural education opportunities.”
Minister Gillespie, who practised as a regional doctor for much of his 30-year-career, said The Liberal and Nationals Government is providing more than $57.5 million to the University of Sydney to enable regional training as part of the Rural Health Multidisciplinary Training (RHMT) program.
“The Nationals thoroughly understand the benefits of regional training for medical students and the training offered here as part of the RHMT is far superior and more hands on than that offered anywhere in the cities,” Dr Gillespie said.
Mr Coulton said in addition to the Rural Clinical School, the University of Sydney operates the Western NSW Regional Training Hub in Dubbo.
This facility helps to build training capacity in the region by supporting local medical practitioners to become supervisors and assisting health services to gain accreditation for new training posts, as well as offering more support for rural medical students and trainees.
“USyd has partnered with the local hospitals and health services through this hub to improve the coordination, continuity and capacity of rural clinical training,” Mr Coulton said.
“This support helps medical students to complete most of their studies and training in rural and remote areas and generates a sustainable medical workforce which meets the health needs of people living and working in the region.”
Dr Gillespie said USyd also received $9.27 million for capital works to establish a new rural graduateentry medical program based in Dubbo through the Murray-Darling Medical Schools Network (MDMSN).
Mr Coulton said the Dubbo medical school will welcome its first students in 2022, with 24
Commonwealth Supported Places each year.
“Pleasingly, more than 500 students applied for the first intake of the program, which indicates a high demand for regional training,” Mr Coulton said.
Twenty-one universities are currently participating in the RHMT program across Australia. Seven universities in NSW and Victoria have participated in the establishment of the MDMSN.
Dr Gillespie said by investing in the MDMSN and the RHMT program, the Federal Government is highlighting the professional and personal benefits of practising in regional, rural and remote communities.

As we begin World Antimicrobial Awareness Week, the Morrison Government continues to push forward the essential work required to protect Australians from antimicrobial resistant disease.
Each year, approximately 290 Australians die as a result of infection with some form of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria
Minister for Health and Aged Care, Greg Hunt, said that while COVID-19 has been a large part of Australia’s national health conversation in recent years, the Government continues to actively monitor the threat of bacteria, viruses, fungi and other microbes becoming resistant to antimicrobial treatment— known as antimicrobial resistance or AMR.
“AMR is an issue of increasing concern not just in Australia, but around the world,” Minister Hunt said.
“The Australian Government has already committed $22.5 million to understand and fight AMR, preventing the outbreak of resistant superbugs, and evaluating the use of antimicrobial, antibiotic and antifungal medicines in human and animal health.
“Over the coming 3 years, we are investing more than $14.2 million in surveillance of   antimicrobial resistance in human health in Australia, which will ensure we detect any emerging threats from AMR microbes, mainly bacteria, as early as possible.
“We will also gauge the prescription and usage of antimicrobial treatments across the country to help ensure that they are being used appropriately, and not in a way which may fuel the evolution of AMR superbugs.”
Australians are high users of antibiotics, with half of Australians obtaining one or more courses of antibiotics on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme each year.
As well as human health, AMR is a major issue for animal health, agriculture, food safety and the environment. It needs to be targeted through a holistic and multisectoral approach – referred to as One Health – as it recognises the interconnectedness between all these sectors.
Minister for the Environment, Sussan Ley, said that the interconnectedness between the health of people, animals, and the environment highlights the need to tackle the challenges of AMR across all sectors.
“Antimicrobials enter the environment every day and can accumulate over time, leading to either harmful effects or increases in AMR,” Minister Ley said.
“One priority of the One Health Global Leaders Group on Antimicrobial Resistance, of which I am a member, is better understanding of environmental pathways to the development and transmission of AMR.
“Australia’s National Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy 2020 & Beyond reflects the commitment from the Commonwealth and state and territory governments to address the threat that AMR poses across different sectors, including Australia’s unique and diverse environment.
“Our government continues to work to bring together a One Health antimicrobial resistance surveillance system to provide a holistic view of AMR, including human health, animal health, agriculture, food and the environment.”
Minister for Agriculture and Northern Australia, David Littleproud, said animal health and welfare were important issues to keep in mind when thinking about AMR.
“The world’s population is growing, and with that comes an increased demand for high-quality animal protein, such as milk and eggs,” Minister Littleproud said.
“Antimicrobial agents can support food safety and global food security, but must be used appropriately and only when necessary, to ensure they remain effective, protecting Australia’s livestock and all Australians.”
“We know all too well after the past 2 years, that animal disease can become a risk to human health, and contributing to the emergence of AMR bacteria in animals, including our livestock is a risk right around the world.”
World Antimicrobial Awareness Week is marked from 18–24 November to draw attention to this growing threat posed by AMR. It is organised by the AMR Tripartite organisations – the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the World Health Organization (WHO).