Month: February 2022

Senior Defence officials from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, New Zealand, the UK, and the USA, have come together to release the Combined Space Operations (CSpO) Vision 2031 statement.

Chief of Air Force, Air Marshal Mel Hupfeld AO, DSC, said he welcomed the release of the Vision statement, which reflects the Government’s commitment to strengthening our international relationships to support and protect Australia’s interests in space.

“By releasing the Vision statement, we affirm Australia’s commitment to space cooperation with international partners and allies to ensure that space remains safe, secure and accessible to all,” Air Marshal Hupfeld said.

“The Vision statement underlines CSpO partners’ shared values and goals to the international community in a transparent manner, including our intent to lead as responsible actors in the space domain.”

CSpO focusses on information sharing, developing aligned policies and maximising the combined capabilities of participating nations. Member nations seek to generate and improve cooperation, coordination, and interoperability, to sustain freedom of action in space, optimise resources, enhance mission assurance and resilience, and prevent conflict.

The statement outlines a ten year vision, and articulates the mission, guiding principles and objectives of the CSpO initiative.

“The Australian public is dependent on space for positioning, navigating and timing, communications, weather forecasting and broadcasting information. Space is also critical to ADF warfighting effectiveness, situational awareness and delivery of real-time communications and information,” Air Marshal Hupfeld said.

“As space becomes more contested and congested, CSpO will help Australia coordinate on military space issues, and enhance both individual and collective space capabilities to protect our national interests and assure our access to space.”

The CSpO Vision 2031 statement is available at the Departments website: https://defencenews.govcms.gov.au/sites/default/files/cspo_vision_2031_-_uk_english.pdf

The Australian Government joins the United States and the United Kingdom in publicly attributing the cyber attacks against the Ukrainian banking sector on 15 and 16 February 2022 to the Russian Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU).

In consultation with our partners, the Australian Government assesses that the GRU was responsible for these distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks.

The Australian Government stands in solidarity with Ukraine and our allies and partners to hold Russia to account for its ongoing unacceptable and disruptive pattern of malicious cyber activity.

The international community must not tolerate Russia’s misuse of cyberspace to undermine Ukraine’s national security, sovereignty and territorial integrity by seeking to disrupt essential services, businesses and community confidence.

Russia’s actions pose a significant risk to global economic growth and international stability.

The global community must be prepared to shine a light on malicious cyber activity and hold the actors responsible to account. All members of the international community – including Russia – should abide by existing international law and norms of responsible state behaviour which apply in cyberspace. Australia calls on all countries to honour and uphold their commitments.

Australia is committed to upholding the rules-based order online, just as we do offline, and supporting our partners in the face of cyber threats.

Australia will continue providing cyber security assistance to the Ukrainian Government, including through a new bilateral Cyber Policy Dialogue and further cyber security training for Ukrainian officials.

Australia commends the swift action taken by Ukrainian authorities and the private sector to substantially mitigate the impacts of this incident.

Governments, the private sector and households must remain vigilant about the ongoing threats we face in cyberspace.

The Government is taking concrete action to protect Australians against cyber criminals, investing $1.67 billion over 10 years to build new cybersecurity and law enforcement capabilities to protect Australian businesses and communities, and passing new laws to protect our critical infrastructure assets from malicious cyber attacks.

The Australian Government condemns President Putin’s declaration today that the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of eastern Ukraine are independent states.

This flagrantly undermines Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and has no validity under international law. We also condemn President Putin’s announcement that Russia is deploying so-called “peacekeepers” to eastern Ukraine. These personnel are not peacekeepers.

The Australian Government is coordinating closely with the United States, United Kingdom, European Union and other governments around the world to ensure there are severe costs for Russia’s aggression. Along with our partners, we are prepared to announce swift and severe sanctions that would target key Russian individuals and entities responsible for undermining Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

We continue to urge all Australians to leave Ukraine immediately. Do not delay. The safety of Australians and officials is our priority.

Due to the increased risk, Australian officials have been directed to depart Ukraine. Our Embassy and operations in Lviv are now temporarily closed. Australian officials have been deployed to eastern Poland and Romania to assist Australians seeking to depart Ukraine.

Australia stands in solidarity with Ukraine and continues to call on Russia to cease and reverse its unprovoked assault on its democratic neighbour.

Australians in Ukraine seeking consular assistance should call DFAT’s 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on 1300 555 135 or +61 2 6261 3305 outside Australia.

Today’s recycled tree planting  plan from the Prime Minister has been slammed by the Greens as little more than a cynical electioneering stunt from a Government that has failed spectacularly at delivering on decades of promises to “Green Australia”.

Greens senator for lutruwita/Tasmania, Peter Whish-Wilson said:

“Everyone wants to see more trees planted, but Tasmanians shouldn’t be so easily conned by the PM and his Government.

“People are rightly cynical of politicians making big promises at election time, because they never keep them. People do not want to see the same election policy recycled multiple times by a Government they cannot trust. 

“The Liberal Government promised in 2018 to plant one billion trees over the decade to 2028. The policy cited studies that showed 400,000 hectares of new plantations would be needed over the next decade. Yet in 2021 it was revealed that less than 1% of that goal had been achieved.

“The Abbott government also promised to plant millions of trees nearly ten years ago, but this also turned out to be an empty promise. 

“This Government simply can’t be trusted. As usual there are so many unanswered questions and falsehoods in today’s empty promise.

“How is this going to fix our timber shortage when these trees won’t be available for harvest for decades?

“How will planting trees help with tackling our climate emergency if they’re going to be harvested for timber at the same time this Government supports the logging of some of the most carbon rich, biodiverse forests on the planet through RFAs?

“Unsuccessful tree planting schemes don’t provide nearly enough climate action when the Government is supporting the development of 114 new fossil fuels projects around the nation.

“It’s no accident that this announcement has occurred in one of the most marginal seats in the country. The Liberals will offer northern Tasmanians the world if they think it will help them retain Government.

“Clearly this is nothing more than a cynical electioneering stunt from a Government that has failed spectacularly at delivering on decades of plantation-forest promises.”

Today’s Antarctic announcement from the Morrison Government is a political ploy that provides no certainty for Tasmania’s globally significant science community and is a distraction from the real threat facing the Antarctic: climate change. 

Greens Senator for lutruwita/Tasmania, Peter Whish-Wilson said:

“The Government has a penchant for big announcements and cutting ribbons but not for investing in people and critical science programs.
 

“The Coalition has spent the last decade ignoring numerous strategic reviews and gutting Tasmania’s contribution to Australian Antarctic science. 

“In this term of parliament the Government has been called out specifically for its lack of coordination and strategic approach in funding Antarctic science programs, which has created uncertainty in the Tasmanian science community and fragmented globally significant Antarctic research. 

“In 2016 the Coalition tried to sack 300 scientists, many of them globally significant researchers in the Southern Ocean and Antarctic science based in Tasmania.

“All the runways, machines, boats, and buildings amount to nothing unless you invest in the people utilising them, and the scientific programs they are needed for. 

“The Government’s dismal track record speaks for itself. Don’t be conned by yet another big election promise from a Government facing defeat at the polls.

“I also question the validity of the $804 million announcement today as “new” funds. In 2016 $413.1 million was earmarked for investment starting from 2020‑21 – this was announced again in 2019, and again today it seems. We also know the Government’s doomed runway project spared $300 million of expenditure into the region – making part of today’s funding announcement a reappropriation of funds from a broken election promise. 

“Science is the currency of the Antarctic Treaty and if Scott Morrison wants to secure Australia’s leadership role in the region he should properly fund Tasmanian scientific efforts. 

“If you want to act on security and on protecting Antarctica then act on the biggest threat this region faces: climate change. Take real action to stop warming oceans and unstable ice sheets, and act on the loss of krill and biodiversity. 

“Climate change is the biggest threat to Antarctica yet our Government is an international embarrassment on climate action, currently looking to approve 114 new fossil fuel projects. No amount of spin will distract from that.”

The swift parrot is on the brink of extinction, and only hundreds of birds exist. The report released today by the Wilderness Society, BirdLife Tasmania and the Tree Projects calls on the State Government to take the essential step needed to save the swift parrot – scrapping Tasmania’s annual minimum sawlog quota. 

The Report’s Protection Plan builds on the work of ANU scientists and conservationists who have confirmed the biggest threat to the critically endangered swift parrot’s survival is native forest logging. This parrot’s future hinges on the reduction, or removal, of Forestry Tasmania’s mandated 137,000 cubic metre annual sawlog target. 

Greens senator for lutruwita/Tasmania, Peter Whish-Wilson said:

“Instead of prioritising the protection of this nationally significant and critically endangered species, Scott Morrison is politicising forestry and looking set to scrap the federal recovery plan for the swift parrot.
 
“A real leader would be protecting what makes this place special, its biodiversity and iconic species. Instead, he is championing climate-denying forest destruction and pushing species like the swift parrot towards extinction.
 
“Federal Labor have been silent on the protection of lutruwita/Tasmania’s forests.
 
“In the balance of power after the federal election the Greens will push the next Government and its state counterparts to support an end to native forest logging in Tasmania – like we’ve seen in WA and Victoria. It’s the right thing to do for the climate and biodiversity restoration, and it’s what needed to protect critically endangered species like the swift parrot.”

Did you see the news that broke last week following the Greens questioning in the Senate? The State and Federal Liberal Governments have taken the first steps towards establishing fish farms in Commonwealth waters, with a trial site selected just 3-6 nautical miles off the coast of Burnie. If successful, this trial could lead to the industrialisation of our seas in Bass Strait, waters that are already under pressure from climate change, pollution, habitat loss and oil and gas drilling.  

The Government opened public submissions for this project on February 4, but typically kept it quiet. Trialling offshore salmon farming in Commonwealth waters is a sensitive and significant matter of public interest. The void of information regarding this project shows clearly that it has not been communicated in good faith with the Tasmanian public. This is fuelling divisions within the community over what is already a controversial and highly emotive issue. The secrecy and lack of detail around this project may well be deliberate given the track record of atrocious regulation of this industry, and the contempt this Government has shown those who have demanded transparency and accountability from it.

Alarmingly public submissions for the project close this Thursday 24 February, and without the Greens in parliament we would have missed this small window to respond to the project entirely. I wrote to the Federal Minister seeking an extension to the window of opportunity for the public to make submissions, and that request was declined. This failure to extend the deadline for public submissions will inevitably jeopardise this project moving forward, at a time when public confidence in the industry is at an all-time low. 

Extending the deadline for public submissions and providing more information about the project would have demonstrated that industry and government were listening to the community regarding this planned trial. The salmon industry repeatedly gets taxpayer dollars to help fund its commercial activities and this project won’t be any different. We have every right to expect full transparency.

Just last week the Morrison Government responded six years late to a critical Senate Inquiry report on the regulation of the fin-fish aquaculture industry in Tasmania, staging the response slyly alongside its own government-led report on supporting the future of aquaculture. The Federal Government is required to respond to Senate Inquiry reports within three months of them being tabled. Six years is a joke. I moved for the inquiry in 2015 because the regulation of the fin-fish aquaculture industry in Tasmania had been a total disaster. The State Minister and regulators had failed spectacularly to protect the environment, including matters of national environmental significance. It was only thanks to pressure from the Greens that the Federal Environment Department finally visited Macquarie Harbour in Tasmania which led to the Tasmanian EPA ordering Tassal to de-stock its Atlantic salmon fish pens.

There’s no doubt climate change is the single biggest threat to the Tasmanian salmon aquaculture industry. Shallow waterways like Macquarie Harbour and inshore Huon Valley have experienced mass fish mortalities from unprecedented warming water associated with the burning of fossil fuels and global warming, and just recently we saw 60,000 fish deaths in kanamaluka/River Tamar. Water temperature has obviously always fluctuated in this river, but the science tells us climate change is magnifying the frequency and intensity of warming events, leading to lower oxygen levels in our waterways and higher risks of pests and diseases that kill fish and marine life. This is exactly why the aquaculture industry is seeking to trial moving fish pens way offshore into deeper Commonwealth waters, but even this will fail if our oceans continue to warm. 

So where to next for this doomed industry that continues to prove time and time again that it cannot be trusted? As a taxpayer helping fund the industry, you have a right to have your say. If you care about our oceans and coastal communities, I encourage you to urgently make a submission via the Federal Governments Have Your Say website: https://haveyoursay.awe.gov.au/aquaculture-trial-site

I am very concerned about what the trial could lead to, considering the state government’s appalling track record in regulating the industry. The Government isn’t making any promises about moving salmon farms out of the state’s inshore waters. We should demand this pledge now. This trial is just an excuse to aggressively expand the profits of the salmon barons.

You can rest assured The Greens will continue to hold our Government, and this toxic industry to account. We will never stop fighting to protect the health and future of our waterways for lutruwita/Tasmania, its people and our future.

For the first time, more than 20,000 South Australians living in rural and remote communities will be able to access a range of bulk-billed primary health care services under an innovative Federal Coalition Government-funded initiative.

Patients in Lameroo, Wallaroo and Ceduna can now visit their local hospital to access bulk-billed GP consultations, appointments with allied health professionals and other nursing and midwifery services.

The initiative fills gaps in primary care provision in rural and remote South Australia by allowing Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) payments to be claimed for a range of services, through a funding boost provided by Federal Coalition Government.

States are generally not permitted to claim MBS funding for services delivered in their public hospitals, as the Federal Coalition Government already provides such funding through its national public hospitals funding.

The newly eligible sites, put forward by the SA Government and agreed by the Federal Government, are Ceduna District Health Service, Mallee Medical Practice at Lameroo, and Northern Yorke Peninsula Health Service at Wallaroo.

Making the announcement today in Adelaide, Federal Regional Health Minister, Dr David Gillespie said the three services support a significant number of people living not only in, but around these rural communities.

Joining Dr Gillespie and Member for Grey, Rowan Ramsey for the announcement, SA Minister for Health and Wellbeing, Stephen Wade, who said the initiative would increase primary care services available for rural patients and help to keep those services sustainable.

“The challenge of sustaining rural health services is no secret, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Minister Wade said.

“This is an innovative service model and once operational, will be the first time we have used it in South Australia.”

Mr Ramsey said the initiative was another way the Coalition Government was bridging the city-country divide in South Australia.

“The initiative recognises that many patients in small rural and remote towns have limited access to primary health care services and that in response to a lack of private practices, many rural and remote public hospitals have employed medical officers to make traditional GP services available,” Mr Ramsey said.

“I’m focussed on improving healthcare for local patients, and anything we can do to support health professionals to join or stay in local rural workforce, is a step in the right direction.”

“Since its introduction in 2006, this initiative has been a game changer for many small remote communities around the nation,” the Minister for Health, Greg Hunt, said.

“It has increased support for primary health care delivered in rural and remote public hospitals and health services in small communities, with major benefits for patients.”

Federal Member for Barker, Tony Pasin said he often heard that patients in the area had difficulties in accessing bulk-billing care.

“This is just another measure the Federal Government is using to improve access to care for patients in my area,” Mr Pasin said.

“I know this will be of great benefit to many patients.”

Under the initiative, South Australia must reinvest at least 70 per cent of the MBS funds in new services and improvements at approved eligible sites or outreach services.

Reinvestment of rebates into primary care services and providing incentives to doctors and other health professionals will attract them to live and work in the more remote parts of the state.

Rebates are reinvested according to local community needs and may include after hours and emergency primary care, locum support, mental health support services, allied health, nursing and midwifery support services, professional development, and new equipment to better deliver primary care. Reinvestment decisions are made using local governance arrangements.

In 2020–21, eligible sites collectively received approximately $16.2 million in additional revenue to improve access to primary care services in their communities.

Dr Gillespie also announced $3.7 million for the University of South Australia to create a targeted aged care allied health training site in Port Lincoln, and $1.94m for Flinders University to provide more training opportunities in Murray Bridge, Berri, and other sites in the Riverland Mallee Coorong region during his visit to South Australia.

Six Australian health and medical researchers are set to receive a share of $22.9 million, to further ground-breaking research that will improve health and treatment outcomes for Australians and their families.

The Morrison Government is investing $5.6 million to support five projects through the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Partnership Project scheme. The research projects have also attracted more than $16.3 million from more than 60 funding partners, bringing the total to $21.9 million.

The Partnership Project scheme provides funding for researchers and partner organisations to work together to define research questions and undertake the research, which can lead to break throughs in treatment and prevention.

The University of Sydney, who will receive $1.2 million through the scheme, is working with the aged-care industry to improve the independence and safety of older people living with dementia in care homes. Their project will promote the implementation of person-centred support to dementia care in aged care homes.

Working with AIDS organisations, government health departments and peak bodies for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island health and culturally and linguistically diverse communities, researchers at the University of New South Wales will receive $1.2 million to identify the barriers to the uptake of HIV prevention and treatment programs in Australia.

The project links HIV diagnoses from 1997-2025 with nine other national datasets to track and analyse missed clinical opportunities for HIV testing, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) uptake and usage, HIV treatment uptake and adherence, and HIV-related morbidity and mortality.

Outcomes from their research will be used to develop tailored HIV programs, to achieve the elimination of HIV transmission in Australia.

Minister for Health and Aged Care, Greg Hunt, said by partnering researchers with organisations and experts in the field, means we can work together to achieve better health outcomes for Australians now and into the future.

“Australia continues to be at the forefront of medical research and these projects have the potential to increase not only our understanding of diseases, but to also revolutionise their treatment,” Minister Hunt said.

“Our Government continues to provide unprecedented support to health and medical research, as we back our best and brightest researchers to transform today’s ideas into breakthrough treatments for the patients of tomorrow.”

NHMRC CEO Professor Anne Kelso AO welcomed the additional support of all partners.

“The participation and support from partners are key to the success of these projects, enabling the research, ensuring it meets real-world needs and then applying the outcomes,” she said.

The Morrison Government is also providing $1 million to Macquarie University to support research into the chronic symptoms associated with exposure to mould and biotoxins to improve diagnosis, treatment and the management of symptoms.

This research will study both affected individuals and healthy controls, examining their blood, urine and sweat, along with other tests such as brain scans and environmental testing in their homes. This will help identify appropriate diagnostic tests that doctors can use.

The funding is provided through the NHMRC Targeted Call for Research into Biotoxin-related Illnesses and delivers on the Morrison Government’s commitment in response to the Inquiry into Biotoxin-related Illnesses in Australia.

The Morrison Government will send a clear international signal of Australia’s world-leading Antarctic leadership with an $804.4 million investment over the next ten years to strengthen our strategic and scientific capabilities in the region.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the package would both strengthen Australia’s national interests in Antarcticaand be a jobs boost for Australians through local procurement.

“The money we are investing in drone fleets, helicopters and other vehicles will enable us to explore areas of East Antarctica’s inland that no country has ever been able to reach before,” the Prime Minister said.

“My Government will continue to back our world-class scientists and expeditioners with the necessary funding and resources, because their research on the frozen continent and in the southern ocean is critically important to Australia’s future.

“Our ongoing investment in Antarctica will directly support jobs at home, with Australian businesses, contractors, medical suppliers and providores reaping the benefits of local procurement.

“Our $800 million commitment supports the next decade of Australia’s operations in Antarctica and provides more opportunities for local businesses across Australia that support this work, especially in Tasmania.”

The new measures include:

• $136.6 million to support Australia’s inland traverse capability, critical charting activities, mobile stations, environmental protection and other core activities
• $109 million to increase aerial and inland capability:
  • $60.6 million for drone fleets and other autonomous vehicles able to map inaccessible and fragile areas of East Antarctic, establishing an ‘Antarctic eye’ with integrated censors and cameras feeding real-time information
  • $35 million for four new medium lift helicopters with a range of 550 kilometres that when launched from the Nuyina can access parts of the continent we could never reach previously
  • $13.6 million for capability development to further enhance Australia’s reach inland including investigations into modern intracontinental aeroplanes
• $44.2 million in additional shipping support to enable the RSV Nuyina to focus on extended science voyages
• $17.4 million for marine science in the Southern Ocean and a new state-of-the-art krill aquarium in Hobart
• $14.3 million for environmental management including a ‘Cleaner Antarctica Strategy’ to remove legacy waste and to establish new ‘geographic information system’ technology to support environmental management
• $7.4 million for research focused on Antarctic ice sheet science to build global understanding of climate change impacts – improving our ability to support Pacific partners to monitor information about climate and oceans, including sea level rise
• $3.4 million to enhance Australia’s international engagement to support the rules and norms of the Antarctic Treaty system and promote Australia’s leadership in Antarctic affairs

The new funding package also includes $92.2 million a year from 2026-27 to further support Antarctic activities.

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Women Marise Payne said the package would reinforce Australia’s commitment to the Antarctic Treaty system, and to promoting Tasmania as the gateway to East Antarctica.

“Our investments are a clear marker of our enduring commitment to the Antarctic Treaty system, its scientific foundations, and Australia’s leadership within it,” Minister Payne said.

“The investment will also strengthen Tasmania’s status as an international science hub and pave the way for more opportunities in the years ahead as we continue to work on further projects such as the Antarctic Science and Research Precinct under the Hobart City Deal.”

Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley said the package will significantly enhance our scientific capability which is at the heart of our leadership within the Treaty system.

“When I sit down with world leaders to discuss the Antarctic and the Southern Ocean in the face of increasing pressures, the strategic importance of our scientific leadership is clear,” Minister Ley said.

“We need to ensure that the Antarctic remains a place of science and conservation, one that is free from conflict and which is protected from exploitation.

“Science is the key to that future. This investment, together with the window of discovery that is already being opened through RSV Nuyina, will reflect Australia’s commitment to our sovereignty in the Australian Antarctic Territory and its leading voice in the region.”