Month: March 2022

The My School website has been updated for 2022 with new data, including the first NAPLAN results and attendance data in 2 years.

The cancellation of NAPLAN for 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic meant there was no NAPLAN data last year, but with NAPLAN successfully undertaken across the country in 2021, the My School website has now been updated with school-level NAPLAN data.

“My School is an excellent resource to help parents, schools and governments understand the performance of schools,” said ACARA CEO, David de Carvalho.

Over the last 3 years, My School has had an average of 2.3 million visitors. In 2020, My School was relaunched with an improved presentation of data and a stronger focus on student progress, resulting in enhanced quality and usefulness of the information.

The “Student progress” information includes tables showing the percentage of students at the school whose progress was better than expected, given the school’s average score 2 years ago and the level of community socio-educational advantage.

In the 2022 update, more than 500 Australian schools showed well above the average progress of students with the same starting score and similar backgrounds for at least one domain and more than 30% of these schools were in regional or remote areas.

My School includes an Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage (ICSEA) that indicates the average educational advantage of the school’s students and is calculated using information about a parent’s occupation and education, school geographical location and the proportion of Indigenous students. A school’s ICSEA value is provided to encourage taking socio-educational advantage into account when comparing school achievement.

“Too often, media organisations try to construct crude ‘league tables’ based on overall achievement without considering the schools’ level of socio-educational advantage or the amount of progress the students have made in the previous 2 years. Such comparisons are meaningless,” Mr de Carvalho said.

“The schools that are punching above their weight are those that are achieving above expectation in terms of progress on where their students were 2 years ago, taking into account their level of socio-educational advantage. Let’s find out what those schools are doing and think about how good practice can be replicated.”

The 2022 My School update contains:

· 2021 NAPLAN results for schools

· 2021 school profile and population data

· 2021 school attendance data

· 2020 school financial information, including capital expenditure and funding sources

· 2020 post-school destinations data.

Recent research conducted for ACARA by market research specialist EY Sweeney indicates that of the parents surveyed who visit My School:

· 44% do so to see how their child’s school is performing in literacy and numeracy

· 41% do so to help inform decisions made in relation to their child’s education

· 32% do so to fairly compare their child’s school’s performance with other schools

· 21% do so to find schools within a geographical area.

Quantitative Survey: Respondents, 1,200

32% of respondents used the My School website

Visit www.myschool.edu.au

The Australian Government today announces fresh sanctions on 33 Russian oligarchs, prominent businesspeople and their immediate family members.

The sanctions announced today reinforce Australia’s commitment to sanction those people who have amassed vast personal wealth and are of economic and strategic significance to Russia, including as a result of their connections to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

They include Roman Abramovich, Chelsea Football Club owner, Alexey Miller the CEO of Gazprom, Dmitri Lebedev Chairman of Rossiya, Sergey Chemezov Chair of Rostec, Nikolay Tokarev CEO of Transneft, Igor Shuvalov Chairman Vnesheconombank (VEB.RF) and Kirill Dmitriev CEO of Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF).

We strongly support recent announcements by Canada, the European Union, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States of further restrictive measures against key Russian individuals.

Australia has joined with our partners in establishing strong, sequential sanctions, with over 460 sanctions placed on individuals and entities in past weeks. This includes the Central Bank of Russia; their national sovereign wealth fund, Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF); Russia’s Armed Forces; political and military figures including President Putin, his Security Council and his strategic drivers of disinformation; and a number of oligarchs.

We will continue to coordinate closely with our partners to impose a high cost on Russia for its actions.

The Australian Government reiterates our strongest support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and for the people of Ukraine.

The Australian Greens have today announced plans to make Australia a global leader in science, research and innovation, with a $17.8 billion investment in the sector over the decade.     

The Greens will foster a culture where innovation, invention and experimentation can flourish to help communities better respond to our collective wellbeing, economy and major climate crises, by putting Australia on a pathway to investing 4 per cent of GDP in science, research and innovation by 2030. 

The Greens’ plan includes:

1. Boosting block grant funding for universities by $5.5 billion to elevate their roles as powerhouses of the research ecosystem and to help improve job security for scientists working in universities; 
2. Investing an additional $1.3 billion in key research bodies such as the CSIRO, Australian Nuclear Australian Research Council, National Health and Medical Research Centre, Cooperative Research Centres; 
3. Investing $1 billion a year for a research translation fund to turn groundbreaking ideas into world changing applications; 
4. Investing $175 million a year in additional funding for the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy; 
5. Setting up a new Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology to provide independent, objective scientific advice to members of Parliament; 
6. Establishing an additional non-refundable tax offset of 20% for companies that hire STEM PhD students in their first three years of employment; 
7. Providing $50 million per year to improve diversity in science and research and development by funding programs that support First Nations peoples, women and LGBTIQA+ people in science; 
8. Investing $50 million per year for a Secure Work for Researchers fund, to help universities and research institutes transition their workers to secure employment; 
9. Investing $70 million per year in additional funding for the Australian Research Council’s Future Fellowships scheme to support mid-career researchers; and 
10. Providing $41 million per year in additional funding for existing teacher training in STEM education. 

Yamatji-Noongar woman and Australian Greens Senator for Western Australia Dorinda Cox said:

“At a time of climate crisis, we can turn this country into a science and innovation superpower. 

In the energy sector alone, we have a huge opportunity to turn this moment into a renewable energy revolution that could create hundreds of thousands of jobs exporting Australia’s sun and wind to power our region with clean, green energy.

We need a strong research sector to help move away from the polluting industries of the past, and deliver the jobs of the future to make us a global leader in new and emerging research.

Over the past decade we have seen funding for science, research and development constantly fall below the OECD average thanks to the Morrison Government. No surprises there, given that they have clearly refused to accept climate science, and, backed by their big gas and coal donors, are instead pouring fuel onto the fire.

By investing in science, research and innovation, we can build a safer future for all of us – a future that helps to mitigate against the very real and enormous consequences we will face, from the climate crisis.

Very soon, at the next election, West Australians will be asked to make a choice about what type of future we want to see for our children, and our community.

“At the next election Labor is very unlikely to win majority government in its own right. With the Greens in balance of power, we can kick the Liberals out and make Labor go further and faster  on the climate crisis. By making the right investments now in science, research and innovation, we can push the incoming government to future-proof our climate for future generations to enjoy,” Senator Cox added.

Australian Greens Anti-racism spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has said that the latest Islamophobia in Australia report, released today, reveals the horrifying face of Islamophobia and the urgent need for government to tackle anti-Muslim racism and hatred.

Senator Faruqi, who is the only Muslim in the Australian Senate, said:

“Islamophobia in this country is widespread, it is virulent, and it is on the rise.

“In the three years since Christchurch, the federal government has not lifted a finger to tackle Islamophobia and racism in this country.

“The Liberals have stood by while Muslims in Australia are abused, attacked and hated on. They just don’t give a damn about us.

“The killing of 51 Muslims in Christchurch should have woken them up to the reality of Islamophobia, but despite calls to change course and take strong action they decided to ignore this everyday reality of racism for hundreds of thousands of people.

“This report shows, yet again, that Muslims are bearing the brunt of vicious discrimination and hatred which has been fomented by politicians, the media and online communities.

“Islamophobia is highly gendered with Muslim women the common targets of hateful and bigoted attacks. How many times do we have to be abused before this government will take action?

“The toxicity and dangers of racism and Islamophobia have completely escaped the consciousness of this government made up mostly of white men who have never faced its consequences.

“The ‘othering’ of Muslims and Islamophobia need to be tackled by the political leadership. There must be a national conversation and reckoning with the fact that the Christchurch mosque killer was an Australian man.

“There must be concrete responses to Islamophobia. Enough is enough. Politicians must take responsibility and act.

“We urgently need dedicated funding for anti-racism initiatives and a coordinated plan to tackle the far-right. We need proper data collection on hate crimes and racial discrimination and we need to strengthen and enforce hate speech laws.

“Everyone who cares about human rights and social justice in this country should read this report and demand that the government take immediate action.”

Polling shows Greens on track to re-elect Dorinda Cox

In his first visit to WA since becoming Greens Leader, Adam Bandt will join Senator Dorinda Cox and key candidates to outline the party’s key priorities for WA. 

Mr Bandt, who grew up in WA, is in Western Australia to promote the party’s plans to tackle the climate crisis by phasing out coal and gas, and to tax billionaires to fund the services we all need, giving voters across the country the only alternative to Liberal and Labor’s bipartisan support for tax cuts for the rich and mining more coal and gas. 

With the Greens poised to be in balance of power in the Senate, the Greens say they are ready to kick the Liberals out and make the next government tax billionaires, build affordable housing, get dental and mental health into Medicare and go further and faster on climate action.

Polling, included below, shows the Greens are on track to hold our Senate spot in WA, off the back of strong popular support for making the billionaires and big corporations pay their fair share of tax, putting a pause on coal and gas projects and making dental and mental health free as part of Medicare. 

Western Australia will be a deciding state this election, with the Greens in a strong position to grow their vote and win the balance of power. The Greens’ Lead Senate Candidate is Dorinda Cox, a Yamatji Noongar Bibbulmun woman who in her short time in the Senate has already demonstrated she is a strong independent voice for WA,  through securing a parliamentary inquiry into missing and murdered Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander  women and children, leading the Senate Inquiry into the Beetaloo Basin, pusing the Morrison Government on its approval of the climate-wrecking Scarborough gas project, and for a moratorium on all new coal and gas projects. 

Recent Greens polling (below) demonstrates that at the coming Federal election, there is a strong appetite for Greens in the Senate to keep the next Government on track and ensure a cleaner, fairer future for all, with 12% of Western Australians preferring to vote Green in the Senate this time. 

The Greens Leader’s visit to WA follows a regional tour of mining regions Newcastle, Townsville, Roickhampton and Gladstone to promote the Greens’ plan to support a transition from coal and gas projects to the industries of the future.

Adam Bandt has a long connection to Western Australia: growing up in Perth, going to school at Rosalie Primary and Hollywood High, as well as studying at Murdoch University, and a passionate Fremantle Dockers supporter. 

Greens Leader, Adam Bandt MP said:

“The next election will be closer than people think and a power sharing Parliament is the most likely outcome.

“Instead of wasting their vote on Liberal and Labor parties that can’t win a majority in their own right, voters in WA can vote Greens in the Senate and get one of the most powerful MPs in the country.

“In balance of power, the Greens will kick Scott Morrison out and push the next government to tax billionaires, build affordable housing and go further and faster on climate.

“Almost half of WA voters back the Greens’ plan for a freeze on all new coal and gas projects, and 9 out of 10 West Australians back the Greens’ plan to get dental and mental health into Medicare. Western Australians back the Greens’ key balance of power demands.

“WA is going to be a key contest in the next election, and we’re feeling a massive swell of support on the ground for action on climate change and economic inequality. 

“As a Noongar Yamatji First Nations woman, Dorinda Cox knows and understands the importance of caring for Country and our environment. 

“In balance of power, Dorinda Cox will be integral in pushing the next government to go further and faster on climate action, so that we can protect and sustain our environment for future generations to enjoy.

“WA is set to comprehensively reject Clive Palmer, thanks to his hugely unpopular court case targeting the state’s border closures. WA wants nothing to do with Clive Palmer, and when people re-elect Dorinda Cox, we won’t just keep Palmer’s malignant influence out of Parliament, we’ll tax his obscene wealth, allowing us to put dental and mental health into Medicare, kickstart the hydrogen and green metals revolution, and significantly increase federal funding for WA hospitals.”

Greens Senator and lead Senate Candidate, Dorinda Cox said:

“I am from a long line of women who have fought for their people, their country and their future. And as the Greens Senator, I am ready to fight for WA. 

“Liberal and Labor are both taking millions in donations from big coal and gas corporations.  

“In Western Australia, we have some of the biggest coal and gas projects in the world, and many of the big corporations are making massive profits, and not paying their fair share of tax. 

“It’s clear that Western Australians want action on climate, affordable housing and a better life for all of us. I’m here to be a strong voice fighting for West Australians in Canberra. 

Media Background: 

The poll also demonstrates that despite a massive ad spend, Clive Palmer has thus far failed to convincingly advance his position from the last election, where he polled 1.75% in WA’s Senate race. 

With other polling suggesting he’s currently tracking at 4% of the vote in NSW, this suggests that his attempt to sue the WA Government has backfired disastrously.

The Greens will be using the community’s anger at Clive Palmer to direct energy towards the party’s ‘tax the billionaires’ campaign – with the taxes to pay for hugely popular Greens proposals like putting dental and mental health into medicare.

The poll shows strong backing from West Australians for the Greens’ key balance of power demands of a pause on all new coal and gas projects and getting dental and mental health into Medicare.

KEY ISSUES & POLICY LOCALISATION FIGURES:

The Greens are campaigning this election for:

• A plan to urgently transition to clean energy through:
  • A freeze on oil and gas projects including Woodside’s Scarborough development and drilling for oil and gas in the Kimberley
  • A $5.9 billion Greens Metals fund to support critical minerals mining and metal processing and new industries like green steel and lithium-ion battery manufacturing to store clean energy
  • Making WA 100% renewable by 2030, with our $40 billion investment in new publicly owned generation and storage from a repurposed Snowy Hydro corporation 
  • A job-for-job guarantee for coal mine and power stations workers in Collie
• Tax billionaires and big corporations to:
  • Put dental care into Medicare
  • Provide over $1.1 billion in extra federal funding for WA hospitals 
  • Free childcare and early childhood education for all families
  • Build 119,000 new, affordable homes in WA and create 5,300 new construction jobs and apprenticeships for West Australians

About the poll: 

The poll was conducted by independent polling organisation the Online Research Unit for the Australian Greens. 

This poll was conducted with 1016 people in Western Australia during Feb 22 to March 2, 2022.

Lower House Voting intention 

1.1 In the upcoming Federal Election, which party are you considering giving your first preference to in the Lower House? 

Column %	Total
Labor	42%
Liberal	31%
Greens	11%
Nationals	2%
Clive Palmer United Australia Party	1%
Pauline Hanson One Nation	4%
An Independent	9%

(Sample: 1016)

Upper house voting intention 

1.3 Thinking about the Senate, or Upper House, which party are you considering giving your first preference vote to?

Column %	Total
Labor	39%
Liberal	31%
Greens	12%
Nationals	2%
Clive Palmer United Australia Party	2%
Pauline Hanson One Nation	3%
An Independent	11%

(Sample: 1016)

Putting a pause on coal and gas

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement

To tackle the climate crisis we need to pause all new coal and gas projects 

Strongly agree	16%
Somewhat agree	29%
Neither agree nor disagree	23%
Somewhat disagree	13%
Strongly disagree	12%
Don’t know	6%
Total Agree	45%
Total Disagree	25%

(Sample: 1016)

Big donations 

How concerned are you that Labor and Liberal both accept big donations from billionaires and big corporations like coal and gas, gambling and media organisations? 

Very concerned and it would affect the way I vote	23%
Somewhat concerned and it might affect the way I vote	38%
Not concerned at all and it won’t affect the way I vote	28%
Don’t know	11%

(Sample: 1016)

Free mental and dental care

Do you support or oppose making dental and mental healthcare free as part of Medicare? 

Column %	Total
Strongly support	59%
Somewhat support	27%
Neither support nor oppose	11%
Somewhat oppose	3%
Strongly oppose	1%
Total Support	86%
Total Oppose	4%

(Sample: 1016)

Australians with blood cancer will receive improved treatment and care through new and continued funding from the Morrison Government, working in close partnership with the Leukaemia Foundation.

Blood cancers develop when blood cells aren’t made properly. In 2021, around 18,485 new cases of blood cancer were diagnosed in Australia and there were 5,789 deaths. The five-year survival rate for blood cancer is 69.7 per cent.

The Morrison Government acknowledges the significant impact blood cancer has on the Australian community, which is why we’re investing $995,000 to develop five new Optimal Care Pathways and a new set of clinical guidelines for a range of blood cancers. 

This builds on the $750,000 provided in 2019-20 to the Leukaemia Foundation to develop and implement the National Strategic Action Plan for Blood Cancers, establish the Blood Cancer Taskforce, and complete the first tranche of six new Optimal Care Pathways.  

Minister for Health and Aged Care, Greg Hunt, said the Optimal Care Pathways and Australian‑specific clinical guidelines will provide health professionals and patients with the best information to diagnose, manage and treat blood cancer.

“This will set the standard of care that all Australians should expect to receive when they are diagnosed with blood cancer, regardless of who they are or where they live, or what stage their disease is at,” Minister Hunt said.

“We know that blood cancer has a significant impact on many Australians and their families, which is why the Morrison Government is committed to continued investment into cancer research, management and treatment, to improve patient outcomes.”

To date, the Coalition Government has invested significant funding into blood cancer research, management and treatment, including:

• $314 million in blood cancer research since 2013-14
• $30 million in clinical trials through the Medical Research Future Fund
• $900 million through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme – with 34 medicines currently listed for blood cancer treatment.
• $80 million for treatment through the Centre of Excellence in Cellular Immunotherapy at Melbourne’s Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.

To complement the Government’s combined investment of more than $1.75 million, the Leukaemia Foundation is also providing more than $900,000 from its charitable resources for a collaborative research roadmap for blood cancer, and to promote better understanding of blood cancer within First Nations communities. 

The Foundation’s investment will promote better understanding of the impact of blood cancer in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities – gaining a first ever, clear view of how blood cancer affects First Nations people to inform better, culturally sensitive care.

This funding announcement coincides with the Leukaemia Foundation’s World’s Greatest Shave campaign, which runs from 16-20 March. The campaign raises vital funds for families facing a blood cancer diagnosis and helps the Leukaemia Foundation’s goal of zero lives lost to blood cancer by 2035.

The Morrison Government and Leukaemia Foundation are working together to fund priority recommendations from the Leukaemia Foundation’s National Strategic Action Plan for Blood Cancers.

Through this partnership, the Government and the Leukaemia Foundation will enable the Blood Cancer Taskforce to focus on some of the most pressing, life-saving priorities for blood cancer from the Action Plan.

For more information on the Plan, visit – https://www.health.gov.au/news/new-strategic-action-plan-for-blood-cancers

On the basis of medical advice, the Australian Government will not renew the ban on international cruise ships arriving and departing from Australian ports, when the current determination expires on April 17.

In March 2020, following the global spread of COVID-19, the Australian Government took an important step to protect the Australian community from COVID-19 by banning the entry of large international cruise vessels into Australia under the Biosecurity Act 2015.

It has been highly effective in preventing and controlling the entry, emergence and spread of COVID-19 in Australian territory.

To ensure the safe return of international cruising to Australia, additional measures to reduce risk include:

• Enhanced pre-arrival reporting and identification of COVID-19 risk through more questions of passengers and improved processes.
• Amendments to the Biosecurity (Negative pratique) Instrument 2016 to ensure cruise vessels always arrive in negative pratique (that is, permission to unload passengers and cargo).
• Stress testing of the emergency response system in relation to cruises.
• Engaging with the cruise industry on safe resumption.
• Passengers will be required to be double vaccinated. 

National Cabinet has confirmed the positive progress by the eastern states and the cruise industry to develop appropriate health protocols and common guidelines to support a safe return to cruising.

International cruise ships will still need to meet all state and territory public health requirements of the jurisdiction into which they berth. State and territories will advise their readiness to receive cruise ships.

Cruise industry mandates – including requiring passengers be vaccinated, implementation of appropriate operating and outbreak management plans, and COVID-19 safety plans – will also help reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission aboard cruise ships.

Minister for Health and Aged Care, Greg Hunt, said the decision allow the ban to lapse is based on medical advice.

“On the basis of medical advice and with the agreement of National Cabinet, lifting the cruise ban is consistent with the reopening of Australia’s international border and shows that we have successfully navigated Australia’s emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Minister Hunt said.

Minister for Home Affairs Karen Andrews said the Australian Border Force stands ready to welcome international cruise ship passengers and crew back to Australia.

“In 2019, before the pandemic, Australia welcomed more than 600,000 cruise ship passengers across the border from almost 350 vessels,” Minister Andrews said.

“The cruise ship industry plays an important role in our tourism sector and forms part of the Morrison Government’s plan to bolster our economic growth as we recover from the pandemic.

“I can’t wait to see our cruise terminals once again filled with arriving international passengers, getting this important industry ship-shape and back out on the water once more.”

Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Dan Tehan, said the resumption of cruising in Australia was an important milestone in the Government’s COVID-19 response.

“This is great news for the cruise industry, tourism, the broader economy and the Australians who love to take a cruise holiday,” Minister Tehan said.

“The resumption of cruising is another key step forward in the tourism sector’s recovery from COVID-19.

“We look forward to welcoming cruise ships and passengers back to Australian waters.”

More than 94 per cent of Australians over the age of 16 have had two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine and more than 12 million Australians have had a booster vaccination.

An Albanese Labor Government will bring the next generation of advanced manufacturing jobs and economic growth to Townsville and North Queensland by investing $22m in the Lansdown Industrial Precinct.

Labor’s investment will bring the total Commonwealth investment in this ground-breaking project to $34m.

Lansdown Industrial Precinct is Northern Australia’s first environmentally sustainable advanced manufacturing, technology and processing hub. When complete, this precinct will drive sustainable economic growth for generations.

In partnership with the Palaszczuk State Labor Government and the Townsville City Council, an Albanese Labor Government will fund the essential enabling infrastructure behind this critical economic development, building road, rail and water infrastructure.

This project will create over 5,000 jobs in construction alone, with a further 6,000 permanent ongoing jobs and 9,100 indirect jobs to follow when it is fully operating.

This development has been listed as the number one Townsville priority by both the Queensland Government and the Townsville City Council.

Despite locals knowing what is needed, the Morrison Government has failed to step up.

An Albanese Labor Government will partner with state and local governments to get this essential project underway, delivering secure local jobs and a better future for Townsville.

Anthony Albanese, Leader of the Australian Labor Party said:

“We need Australia to be a nation that makes things again.”

“Cheap, renewable energy provides us with a once-in-a-generation opportunity to boost our manufacturing sector and this commitment will help make that a reality in North Queensland.”

“It’s about developing lucrative new industries and above all, it’s about jobs.”

Catherine King, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development said:

“While the Morrison Government prefers to pick fights, only an Albanese Labor Government will work in collaboration to deliver the projects that really matter.”

“This is a prime example of Labor’s infrastructure investments enabling the next generation of economic growth for regional Australia.”

John Ring, Labor candidate for Herbert said:

“Labor knows how important it is to create secure, sustainable jobs for now and into the future, and this announcement shows how important it is to deliver these jobs in the regions.”

Edwina Andrew, Queensland Labor Senate candidate said:

“The long-term economic benefits that a project of this magnitude will deliver will impact on generations of Townsville families from now and well into the future.”

Jason Brandon, Labor candidate for Kennedy said:

“This is a fantastic announcement for the community of Kennedy, particularly for regional Queenslanders who have been left behind by the Morrison Government.”

Shane Hamilton, Labor candidate for Dawson said:

“The Lansdown Industrial Precinct announcement goes to the heart of Labor values – secure jobs for our locals, and a better future for our kids.”

Jenny Hill, Mayor of Townsville said:

“This commitment from the alternative Government of Australia to the people of Townsville will set our city up for sustained, long-term economic growth.

“I call on the current Government to match Labor’s commitment to guarantee the success of the Lansdown Industrial Precinct, the city and the North Queensland region”.