Month: April 2022

Australia will provide a $16 million package to support Tonga’s long-term reconstruction and recovery from January’s volcanic eruption and tsunami, alongside a delivery of 54,990 Pfizer vaccines to be provided in partnership with Tongan health authorities to support their COVID-19 response.

The $16 million package builds on the initial $3 million of humanitarian support and the Australian Defence Force’s clean-up efforts and delivery of 370 tonnes of equipment and disaster relief supplies under Operation Tonga Assist 2022.

The new package targets areas of ongoing need in Tonga and is aligned with our Tongan Government partners’ Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai Volcanic Eruption and Tsunami Disaster Recovery and Resilience Building Plan 2022-25.

Australia’s further commitment will support Tonga’s sustainable economic recovery by supporting the rebuilding of critical infrastructure including telecommunications, livelihoods, and key government services. The package will also support Tonga’s health system to respond to the challenges of COVID-19.

We continue to coordinate our assistance closely with New Zealand, Japan, United Kingdom, the United States, India, France and Fiji. Our collective approach has strengthened cooperation on humanitarian and disaster response in the region.

The Government of Tonga has demonstrated strong leadership following this natural disaster and COVID-19 outbreak. Through our partnership with UNICEF, Australia also delivered 54,990 Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine doses to Tonga on 22 March.

This continues our ongoing efforts with our Pacific Family under the Pacific Step-up.

We are coordinating our efforts with Tonga’s reconstruction priorities and their work managing the recent COVID-19 outbreak.

Greens Welfare spokesperson Senator Janet Rice and Queensland Lead Senate candidate Penny Allman-Payne will today in Brisbane announce the Greens’ fully-costed plan to return the retirement age back down from 67 to 65 and grant every Australian Earlier Access to the Age Pension.

This comes in addition to the Greens’ recently announced commitment to raise the rate of the pension to $88 a day.

Senator Rice will join Penny Allman-Payne, who is on track to win Pauline Hanson’s seat in the Senate for the Greens, to campaign on issues that matter to Queenslanders, including the party’s plan to support older Australians.

Lowering the eligibility age will expand access to the pension for hundreds of thousands of older Australians currently living in poverty, and provide a well-deserved earlier retirement with guaranteed income support for people who have worked their entire lives on low wages in order to take care of their families.

Since the Rudd Government’s 2009 increase to the pension age from 65 to 67, Liberal and Labor have been failing low-income older Australians. 

Across the country, thousands of older Australians approaching retirement age have limited capacity to continue working or have been excluded from the labour market entirely. Thousands more are in physically demanding, minimum wage jobs, forced to keep working an additional two years because of successive Labor and Liberal governments failing to give them the support they need.

Leader of the Australian Greens Adam Bandt MP says that if the Greens are successful in their campaign to kick the Liberals out and secure balance of power, they will use their leverage to push to ensure older voters and the working class aren’t left in the dust again by a future Labor government. 

This is the first time the Greens have taken early-access to the Age Pension to an election, a call heard from older Australians who say they’ve been abandoned by Labor. The Greens announcement today in Queensland reflects the party’s optimism for winning Hanson’s Senate seat, the swing lower house seats of Griffith, Brisbane and Ryan, and belief that older voters especially in Queensland no longer feel represented by Labor or Liberal.

Adam Bandt MP, Leader of the Australian Greens said:

“Nobody should be forced to work forever in this country, and nobody should retire into poverty. The Greens are proud to fight for the right to retire at 65 with an income that will actually pay the bills.

“There is a poverty crisis amongst older Australians, and it’s worse for older women, who are the fastest growing group facing homelessness.

“Older people who have worked in minimum wage jobs and in manual labour are being forced to look for work instead of enjoying the retirement they deserve.

“In balance of power, the Greens will fight to restore respect and dignity in ageing, and ensure that it’s rest and revitalisation, not poverty, awaiting people at the end of their working years. By making billionaires pay their fair share of tax, older Australians can retire earlier with dignity.”

Senator Janet Rice, Australian Greens spokesperson for family, ageing and community services said:

“The Liberals and Labor have abandoned older voters and working families across the country. There are hundreds of thousands of older Australians living in poverty, counting the days until their next birthday so they can finally reach pension age. 

“Enabling earlier access to the Age Pension will reduce poverty in Australia, and support thousands of older Australians who deserve better from our government. 

“Thousands of older working people are living paycheque to paycheque and can’t afford to retire. Many are working for starvation wages, in back-breaking jobs – in manufacturing, in hospitality, in supermarkets, as labourers and salespeople – people who have worked hard all their lives and are being forced to wait an extra two years to retire. The Greens won’t make them wait any longer.

“Anyone who has ever struggled to put food on their table, or had to make a choice between paying the rent on time or getting the medication they need, knows how long an extra two-year wait really is.

“For too long, both Labor and the Liberals have pushed through policies that make the rich richer and have left everyone else behind. It’s time the government takes care of low income workers and older Australians.”

Queensland lead Senate Candidate Penny Allman-Payne said:

“Here in Queensland we only need a 1.5% swing to win another senator, and if we win I’ll fight to make billionaires and big corporations pay their fair share to lower the pension age and raise the rate. 

“I’m fighting to take Pauline Hanson’s spot in the senate because Queenslanders deserve someone who’ll fight for them, not a wealthy career politician who talks a big game then votes with the Liberals to screw ordinary people over.”

PAYING FOR OUR PLAN

By making billionaires and big corporations pay their fair share of tax and winding back handouts to big polluters, we can build a better life for all of us.

1 in 3 big corporations pays no tax and many big corporations and billionaires send their profits offshore tax free.

The Greens will tax billionaires with a new ‘billionaires tax’, require big corporations making excessive profits to pay a ‘corporate super-profits tax’ and axe billions of dollars in handouts to the coal, oil and gas giants that are driving the climate crisis.

These measures have all been costed by the independent Parliamentary Budget Office.

When big corporations and billionaires pay their fair share, everyone can have the services they need for a better life. 

Opposition leader Anthony Albanese’s promise to deliver South Australia’s fair share of water under the Murray Darling Basin Plan is welcomed, however will only be delivered if buybacks are restored, the Greens have said today.

This scheme is critical to restoring water flows to the river and delivering 450GL to South Australia, and the Greens will be needed in the Senate to secure it.

“Mr Albanese’s promise to deliver South Australia’s fair share of water is welcome, but will only happen if we can secure buybacks, and that will require a Green vote in the Senate,” Greens spokesperson for environment and water, Sarah Hanson-Young said today.

“The 450GL promised to SA cannot be delivered without restoring voluntary water buybacks. This is critical to ensuring the longevity of the Murray and those who rely on it. In Senate balance of power, the Greens will push to ensure this is included in Labor’s plan. 

“As we head into an election, we must think about who we want in control of our Murray. South Australians have been left behind by the Morrison-Joyce Government. We need representatives who will put the people and environment of South Australia first.

“It is clear the Nationals cannot be trusted with water governance – we have seen our rivers suffer and corporate interests get rich at the expense of everyone else. The recent appointments of their Nationals mates and fossil fuel lobbyists onto Murray-Darling Basin review panels show that this is not going to change anytime soon.

“If we are to ensure the survival of one of South Australia’s most important rivers, and delivery of fresh water to South Australians, we need proper, independent governance without the Nationals interference.

South Australian Greens Senate candidate Barbara Pocock said “This is why the South Australian Senate race is so important. We need two strong voices for the Murray to stand up to the greedy Nationals upstream to restore the health of the river.”

The Australian Human Rights Commission’s status as a National Human Rights Institution is under threat because of the Morrison Government’s meddling with how it appoints Commissioners.

Senator Lidia Thorpe, The Greens spokesperson for Justice said:

“Human rights are the tools we use to fight for our basic dignities and freedoms. These tools belong to all of us, but Scott Morrison and Attorney-General Michaelia Cash are deliberately blocking us from asserting our rights and dignities by deliberately meddling with the Australian Human Rights Commission.”

“Scott Morrison and his Attorney-General Michaelia Cash have put our Human Rights Commission in danger of being downgraded to a B level institution. They need to go.”

“Scott Morrison and Michaelia Cash have starved our Commission of funding, appointed their mates to plum jobs and they have utterly and completely failed at ensuring the Commission can lead the full implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. They don’t care about us.”

“The Australian Human Rights Commission ensures that we are treated as equals in our society regardless of who we are or where we come from. That’s why Scott Morrison and Michaelia Cash are so keen to destroy it.”

“The Greens will enact a human rights charter, which also includes environmental rights, to ensure no one is stopped from asserting their rights and dignities. We will also work to ensure that there is a fair, transparent, and accountable process for the appointment of Commissioners, judicial officers and members of tribunals.”

For information about our plan for justice for all, visit: https://greens.org.au/platform/equality 

Children in rural and remote areas will have better access to life-saving medical equipment under new funding provided by the Morrison Joyce Government.

The Government is providing $100,000 to the Humpty Dumpty Foundation in 2021-22 to support its work to improve the care of children in rural and remote Australia by providing medical equipment to hospitals and health services.

Minister for Health and Aged Care, Greg Hunt, said the funding will help save and improve children’s lives.

“The health and wellbeing of children and young people is a priority for the Government,” Minister Hunt said.

“This funding will positively impact the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous children in rural and remote areas of Australia by increasing their access to fit-for-purpose paediatric medical equipment.”

“This investment will help meet community need, including screening for iron deficiency in children by Aboriginal Community-Controlled Health Services, echo devices to screen for rheumatic heart disease, or specialist neonatal, paediatric, and adolescent education in health services and hospitals, in partnership with state and territory governments.”

Minister for Regional Health, Dr David Gillespie, said the Coalition was committed to addressing the rising burden of chronic disease and to improving public health, no matter where people live or their circumstances.

“The Humpty Dumpty Foundation is a children’s charity celebrating more than 30 years of helping to save and improve the lives of sick and injured children in hospital,” Dr Gillespie said.

“Its mission is to raise funds to provide essential and often life-saving medical equipment for hospitals in every corner of Australia, and I’m proud to be part of a government supporting them in this endeavour.”

To date, Humpty Dumpty has provided medical equipment to paediatric wards, neonatal units, maternity and emergency departments at more than 440 hospitals and health services across Australia.

The Government recognises certain groups of children and young people are especially prone to health inequity as a result of social, geographical and other determinants of health.

To address this, the Government has launched the first National Action Plan for the Health of Children and Young People: 2020–2030, to provide a roadmap to improve the health and wellbeing of all young Australians.

The vision is to ensure that Australian children and young people, from all backgrounds and all walks of life, have the same opportunities to fulfil their potential, and are healthy, safe and thriving.

The Morrison Government will direct $14.8 million to key aged care groups advocating for senior Australians.

This funding will be provided over three years to ensure the organisations can continue supporting and advocating for older people during a period of significant change and reform of the aged care system.

Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services, Richard Colbeck, said the funding would ensure the voices of senior Australians across a number of diverse communities.

“We are undertaking once in a generation reform of the aged care sector,” Minister Colbeck said.

“As we work towards a high quality and safe aged care system, we must have a deep understanding of the views, the wishes and the concerns of our diverse communities.

“It is vital that people with dementia, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, LGBTQI+ individuals and communities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, gerontologists and associated health professionals continue to be well represented.

“The Government is pleased to provide this funding to ensure peak bodies can continue to represent their constituents and support the highest quality of policy and program design.”

The aged care consumer peak bodies being funded from 1 July 2022 are:

• The Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA)
• Dementia Australia (DA)
• National Seniors Australia (NSA)
• LGBTIQ+ Health Australia (LHA)
• The Australian Association of Gerontology (AAG)
• COTA Australia
• The Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO), acting on behalf of the National Advisory Group for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aged Care (NAGATSIAC).

Funding will also support the establishment of a National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ageing and Aged Care Council (NATSIACC) to formalise representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in aged care.

An Albanese Labor Government will protect Australia’s precious water resources with a five-point plan for the Murray Darling Basin that strikes the right balance between the needs of local communities, farmers and the environment.
 
The Murray Darling is Australia’s biggest and most important river system and its future is critical for the livelihoods and welfare of millions of Australians and for our environment and natural resources.
 
The future of the Murray Darling is too important to risk three more years of Scott Morrison and Barnaby Joyce.
 
The Morrison-Joyce Government will never act because the Nationals won’t let them. The environment is hurting and Murray Darling Basin communities are paying the price.
 
Australians have noticed the efforts of members of the Morrison-Joyce Government to shred the Plan altogether. And South Australians haven’t forgotten that Barnaby Joyce told them to “move to where the water is” during the millennium drought.
 
Labor will deliver on the final 450 gigalitres (GL) of water for the environment that Scott Morrison and Barnaby Joyce have failed to deliver.
 
Our policy will uphold the Murray Darling Plan and lay the groundwork for the Plan’s future by restoring integrity, boosting compliance and driving reforms.
 
Labor will commit $26 million to establish a National Water Commission to drive ongoing water reform, and future-proof Australia’s water resources, bringing national leadership and fairness into water policy.

Labor will broaden the National Water Grid Fund investment policy, to allow funding for a broader range of projects, including for essential town water supplies in regional and remote communities.  
 
Our five-point plan for the Murray Darling Basin comprises: 

1. Working with Basin governments and stakeholders to deliver on water commitments, including the 450 GL of water for the environment.
2. Increasing compliance across the Basin and, to support that compliance work, committing an additional $35 million for improved metering and monitoring.
3. Restoring integrity and confidence by working with stakeholders to implement relevant ACCC recommendations, and by making the Murray Darling Basin Authority’s modelling and data publicly available where possible.
4. Increasing First Nations ownership of water entitlements and participation in decision making.
5. Future-proofing the Basin Plan by updating the science, committing $8.5 million for the CSIRO Sustainable Yield study to inform the forthcoming review, committing $3.5 million for an independent study on climate change’s effect on Ramsar wetlands in the Basin and, if justified, considering whether to bring forward the commencement of the 2026 review.

 
Over nearly a decade in office, the Morrison-Joyce Government has refused to implement the Murray Darling Basin Plan, and it is Basin communities that are paying the price.
 
The Government’s refusal to act means they’ve failed to deliver the final 450 GL and resulted in delays and failures on the environmental outcomes equivalent to 605 GL of water following adjustments to the recovery amounts.

They have also failed to deliver the $40 million promised for First Nations water entitlements back in 2018.
 
Unlike the Morrison-Joyce Government, Labor will uphold the letter and spirit of the Murray Darling Basin to keep faith with its participants and with all Australians.
 
For water infrastructure, we will take up the Productivity Commission’s recommendation to broaden the remit of the National Water Grid Fund. As the Productivity Commission said, the fund’s investment policy should neither prioritise a particular sector or class of water user, nor be limited to providing water for primary industry.

When it comes to water reform, Labor will end the drift and recognise the importance of water policy. Our National Water Commission will drive the renewal of the National Water Initiative and will better prepare Australia for future threats to water security, including climate change.
 
Only an Albanese Labor Government will provide the leadership needed to drive water reform, deliver water security, and uphold the Murray Darling Basin Plan.

An Albanese Labor Government will join forces with leading Australian cook Maggie Beer to ensure aged care residents get the healthy and high-quality meals they need and deserve.

Labor will work with the aged care sector and other stakeholders to develop and implement standards for aged care homes to ensure every resident receives sufficient, tasty, nutritious and safe food which respects cultural, religious and dietary requirements.

These standards will be supported by workable guidelines, education programs and easy compliance which will not burden aged care providers with time consuming administrative functions.

An Albanese Labor government will work with the Maggie Beer Foundation, its Alliance partners and other stakeholders – all of whom have already done great work promoting the importance of good food in aged care. This will include funding the development of training and education for key staff to ensure every aged care resident gets the nutritious and flavoursome food they need and deserve.

Labor will also implement mandatory reporting rules to make sure the Basic Daily Fee paid to providers is used for care and nutrition. Public reporting of expenditure on care, nutrition, food and kitchen staff will be required.

Labor will invest $5 million – through the Maggie Beer Foundation – to enable a proper focus on food in aged care, including the development of new standards, supporting guidelines to facilitate their implementation and new education and training programs to support the sector to keep raising the bar on aged care food for each and every resident.