Month: November 2021

Decisions made by successive governments have resulted in health inequality. Whether you’ve been here for 5 years, 5 generations or 5 000 generations, everyone should enjoy the same access to healthcare in this country.
COVID-19 put a spotlight on the fact that many First Nations communities need better access to health services, and the health centres they rely on need more resources to empower First Nations people to get what they need to be and stay well.
The Greens have a plan to balance the scales, so everyone can enjoy the same quality of care in this country. The Greens will:

• Provide $371m to self-determined, community-led First Nations health services to increase their capacity to care for their own communities
• Ensure people have early access to preventative programs and provide funding of $1.07b to build First Nations-owned healing places
• Expand Gold Card access to First Nations Elders aged 60 and above
• Grow the First Nations health and wellbeing workforce to provide culturally appropriate care to their communities

Making billionaires and big corporations pay their fair share of tax, and winding back handouts to big polluters will pay for this policy.
The Greens spokesperson for First Nations: Gunnai, Gunditjmara and DjabWurrung Senator for Victoria Lidia Thorpe said: 
“For First Nations people, ‘health’ refers to the social, emotional and cultural wellbeing of the whole community and the environment, not just the physical person. By axing billions of dollars in handouts to the coal, oil and gas giants, we can heal Country and our communities.”
Australian Greens spokesperson for Health, Senator Jordon Steele-John said:
“For too long, First Nations communities have been blocked from accessing the services and resources they need to be healthy. The Australian Greens are committed to taking urgent, holistic action to improve the wellbeing of First Nations People across the country. Our funding announcement today will support the First Nations Health Workforce, boost the resourcing of community-led services including health promotion programs, access to vaccines and culturally safe mental health care.
“The next election will be closer than people think. Scott Morrison is only 828 votes away from losing majority government and on current polling, a power-sharing Parliament is the most likely outcome.
“In balance of power, the Greens will kick the Liberals out and push the next government to make billionaire corporations pay their fair share of tax so everyone can enjoy the same quality of healthcare in this country.”

The Australian Government is extending the COVID-19 measures it has introduced to protect remote communities in the Northern Territory facing current outbreaks.
The determination under section 477 of the Commonwealth Biosecurity Act 2015 will extend until 6pm, 1 December 2021, it prevents people from entering and/or exiting the Robinson River and surrounding homelands.
The restrictions limit the movement of people in and out of these communities for only essential reasons, while the virus is present in these communities.
The initial Determination, and this extension, have been requested by the Northern Territory Government and supported by critical stakeholders, including the Northern Land Council, the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance of the Northern Territory (AMSANT) and the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO).
This will help stop any further spread of COVID-19 in the region, but our Government is committed to only requiring these measures for as long as necessary to keep these communities safe.
We have seen the case numbers grow in this current outbreak, and the restriction of movement the Robinson River community is necessary to prevent COVID-19 reaching other isolated communities.
The Australian Government continues to receive advice from the acting Chief Medical Officer, Dr Sonya Bennett, informed by the experience of health care workers on the ground, representatives of the communities, and Northern Territory authorities.
These measures will help to contain the current COVID-19 outbreak in the Robinson River, and hopefully spare other remote communities from the risk of the disease spreading.
All residents of Robinson River are encouraged to continue to follow their local Health Department directions, to be tested for COVID-19 and to get vaccinated by the available means, if not already.

The Morrison Government has secured passage in the Parliament of legislation to continue to protect the Australian community from the evolving threat posed by convicted terrorist offenders.
The Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment (High Risk Terrorist Offenders) Bill 2021 establishes an extended supervision order scheme to ensure that terrorist offenders who are released into the community at the end of their custodial sentences are subject to tailored close supervision, based on the level of risk they pose to community safety.
“The legislation is a critical step towards ensuring the safety of the Australian community from the risk posed by convicted terrorist offenders,” said the Attorney-General, Michaelia Cash.
“As we have seen from the recent terrorist attacks in New Zealand, and the UK, as well as similar attacks in the UK in 2019 and 2020, convicted terrorist offenders can pose a very real threat to the community at the conclusion of their sentence.” the Attorney-General said.
“Such individuals are typically highly radicalised and do not change their extremist views while in prison, despite deradicalisation efforts.”
Minister for Home Affairs Karen Andrews said the new extended supervision order scheme would keep Australians safe from terrorist offenders who remained a high-risk at the conclusion of their sentence.
“There are a significant number of convicted terrorist offenders reaching the conclusion of their prison sentences in the years ahead. We’re not waiting though, the Morrison Government is taking strong action now to ensure our police have the powers they need to keep the community safe and manage any individuals who remain a high-risk,” Minister Andrews said.
“Australians can trust that a Morrison Government will back our intelligence, law enforcement and other operational agencies, by providing the resources, powers, and legislative support they need to tackle this complex and ever-evolving threat.”
Under an extended supervision order, a State or Territory Supreme Court may impose conditions on a terrorist offender at the end of their sentence that are proportionate to the risk they pose to the community. Conditions may include restrictions to movement and access to devices, requirements to not associate with particular individuals, and to participate in specified rehabilitation and treatment programs. Breaches of those conditions will be an offence punishable by up to five years imprisonment.
Since the National Terrorism Threat Level was raised to ‘Probable’ in September 2014, there have been nine terrorist attacks and 21 major counter-terrorism disruption operations in response to potential or imminent attack planning in Australia.
Following successful disruptions to terrorist plots and subsequent prosecutions, there is a sizeable cohort of terrorist offenders currently serving custodial sentences, due for release in the coming years.
Since 2001, 95 people have been convicted of terrorism related offences. 54 of these people are currently serving custodial sentences.
There are 18 terrorist offenders due to be released over the next five years, including two offenders currently subject to continuing detention orders.

The future of hydrogen exports in Australia will get a boost from international collaboration between Australia and Germany as the Morrison Government continues to accelerate the development of Australia’s future hydrogen industry.
Australia and Germany are working together on a new initiative to strengthen bilateral cooperation on the development of hydrogen technology.
The Government, through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), will take a lead role in the new joint Hydrogen Innovation and Technology Incubator known as HyGATE, supporting real-world pilot, trial, demonstration and research projects along the hydrogen supply chain.
ARENA and Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) aim to open the funding initiative in the first quarter of 2022.
Australia has committed $50 million to the HyGATE initiative and Germany has committed €50 million. The funds will be invested into new hydrogen projects.
Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor said the HyGATE project follows the signing of the Australia-Germany Hydrogen Accord in June to collaborate on hydrogen technology.
“The Morrison Government’s ambition is to produce affordable clean hydrogen for use both in Australia and to export to our trading partners, including Germany which has high demand for energy,” Minister Taylor said.
“The recent release of the first report from HySupply, our joint Australian-German hydrogen supply chain study, found there is great potential for Australian hydrogen to supply growing demand in Germany.
“Our partnership with Germany through the HyGATE project will accelerate the development of Australia’s hydrogen industry and will create new jobs and economic opportunities on the path to net zero.”
Assistant Minister to the Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction Tim Wilson said getting the cost of hydrogen down was a priority under the government’s Technology Investment Roadmap.
“Collaboration with our international partners is vital to achieving the technology breakthroughs required to lower the price of hydrogen and drive its widespread adoption,” Assistant Minister Wilson said.
“Being able to draw on Germany’s expertise in hydrogen technology will help our domestic industry add value and reduce costs in all stages of the hydrogen supply chain.”
Australia’s Special Adviser on Low Emissions Technology Dr Alan Finkel helped broker the hydrogen partnership with Germany.
Australia’s funding is provided under the $565.8 million committed in the 2021-2022 Budget initiative to establish low emissions technology partnerships.
The Australian Government released a National Hydrogen Strategy in 2019, which sets out a vision for Australia to become a major global hydrogen supplier by 2030.
The government is investing more than $1.2 billion to accelerate the development of an Australian hydrogen industry, including $464 million to develop up to seven clean hydrogen industrial hubs in regional Australia.
Clean hydrogen could directly support 16,000 jobs by 2050, plus an additional 13,000 jobs from the construction of related renewable energy infrastructure. Australian hydrogen production for export and domestic use could also generate more than $50 billion in additional GDP by 2050.
Hydrogen is a flexible, safe, transportable and storable fuel that when used produces no carbon emissions.

Resumption of travel for temporary visa holders is welcome news and a win for thousands of people whose lives have been disrupted for more than 20 months, the Greens say.
“While this announcement is long overdue, and nothing can erase the immense pain and trauma that the border closure has caused, this news will be celebrated by many thousands of people who hold visas for Australia,” Greens Immigration and Citizenship spokesperson Senator Nick McKim said.
“The Greens join with them to celebrate all the children that will be reunited with their parents, all of the couples that will be reunited, all of the people that will be able to return to their jobs, homes, communities and lives in Australia.”
“We also welcome the new temporary visa holders who will now be able to come to Australia and start a new chapter in their lives.”
“The Greens will examine the changes to determine which visa classes have been left out, and continue to advocate for people who hold those visas.”
“There are obviously also many people whose visas have expired, and those who have lost significant amounts of time that they could have spent in Australia.”
“The Greens last month introduced legislation to restore and extend these visas, and we will continue to fight for them to be reinstated.”