Month: May 2022

The Australian Greens have proudly backed a statement by Children by Choice in support of reproductive rights and access to legal, safe and timely abortion for all Australians.

All members of the federal party room have also individually signed the pledge.

Greens leader Adam Bandt said:

“Access to a safe abortion should be a basic health service and an inalienable right in this country.

“It is critical we maintain government support for abortions as part of the provision of comprehensive reproductive health services.

“Thanks to decades of activism and advocacy, abortion is now legal in all Australian states and territories. But Australians are wondering how secure these rights are when the Assistant Minister for Women spoke at an anti-abortion rally last week, and when the Prime Minister, and now Labor too, remains committed to the divisive Religious Discrimination Bill.

“Around the world we’ve seen the rise of right-wing governments fueling culture wars and trying to wind back the rights of women, LGBTIQA+ people, and other minority communities. Australia is not immune to these legislative threats from those that seek to do us harm. 

“The Greens will fight any attacks on reproductive healthcare, and the basic human rights that should be afforded to all Australians.”

Greens deputy leader and spokesperson on women Senator Larissa Waters said:

“The impending decision of the US Supreme Court to overturn Roe v Wade is extremely disappointing and I’m disgusted that some Australian parliamentarians have used the opportunity to call for a winding back of our own hard-won reproductive rights.

“We should be expanding access to sexual and reproductive health services, not making it harder for people to receive care. Reproductive health remains expensive and inaccessible for many, especially those who already face massive healthcare barriers, including First Nations people and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

“There’s also a lack of sexual and reproductive health services in remote and regional Australia, where people are often forced to travel long distances, at significant expense, to get care.

“The Greens will resist any attempt in Australia to wind back reproductive rights. And we’ll continue to fight for everyone’s right to legal, free and safe pregnancy termination services through the public health system, a full range of contraception options and unbiased counselling – no matter who they are or where they live.”

Australia will unlock more skilled and experienced workers, and families will have more money in their pocket through Labor’s Cheaper Child Care policy.
 
Independent modelling from the Grattan Institute shows that Labor’s plan for Cheaper Child Care will increase the hours worked by secondary earners with young children by 8 per cent. 
 
This will unlock an extra 220,000 days of work a week for second income earners, predominantly mums.
 
That’s the equivalent of putting an additional 44,000 full time workers into the workforce.
 
This will help to address critical skills shortages by unlocking a large pool of skilled workers who want to work more.
 
Labor’s policy for Cheaper Child Care is an economic reform that will turbocharge Australia’s economy and let parents work the hours they want and need.
 
 Labor’s Cheaper Child Care policy will mean: 

• A family earning $120,000 a year, with two kids in long day care three days a week will be $44 a week better off or $2,332 per year.
• A sole parent family earning $80,000 a year, with two children in long day child care five days a week would be $46 a week better off or $2,392 per year. 
•  A family earning $150,000 per year with one child in long day care and one child in outside school hours care four days a week will be better off by the equivalent of $96 a week or $5,026 a year. 

By making child care cheaper, Labor will remove one of the biggest barriers to working more.
 
The country and families are being held back by the cost of child care – Australia’s child care costs are some of the highest in the world.
 
Australian women work 2.3 days a week on average. Grattan’s research estimates Labor’s policy will lead to part-time workers increasing their hours by 0.4 days on average – a huge injection of skilled workers into the economy. 
 
Labor’s Cheaper Child Care policy will put more skilled and experienced workers back in the workplace, open doors to career advancement and help women accumulate superannuation.
 

*** Examples assume a pre-subsidy daily fee of $115 for long day care and $20 for outside school hours care.

The Morrison Government will invest $50 million to create a new business and research partnership with the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and the University of Newcastle (UoN), creating 1,600 jobs over the next four years.

UNSW and UoN will work with 27 industry partners, including 23 small businesses, to develop world-leading technology in solar, hydrogen, storage and green metals, and rapidly deploy new technology solutions.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the UNSW – UoN partnership is the third Trailblazer to receive funding through the Trailblazer program which is designed to focus Australia’s considerable research power on Australia’s National Manufacturing Priorities.

“Our economic plan is supercharging Australia’s research and development, creating more jobs and helping to build a strong economy and a stronger future,” the Prime Minister said.

“We are investing in new clean energy technology to turbo charge our significant investments in hydrogen to create jobs around Australia, particularly in the Hunter.”

Acting Minister for Education and Youth Stuart Robert said the UNSW – UoN partnership and its industry collaborators have promised more than $220 million in co-investment, matching public funding by around 4 to 1.

“The co-investment of industry partners, and especially by the 23 partner small businesses, shows that Australian industry is hungry to collaborate with universities to unleash a new wave of technology and innovation,” Minister Robert said.

“This project will help harness the cutting-edge clean energy research being done in our top universities, including in hydrogen, solar, and green metals.

“This Trailblazer funding means more jobs right here in Australia, a stronger research and development sector and a stronger economy.”

The Trailblazer has an ambitious set of clean energy technological advances, including:

• Meet the need for lightweight hydrogen storage that can deliver for transport and fuel replacement needs
• Extend the success of Green Steel technology to other metals such as aluminium
• Develop Australian-first zero emissions aviation in a form suitable for regional aircraft
• Develop ultra-low-cost solar with cutting-edge engineering
• Build the first at-scale printed solar manufacturing plant, providing the step-change needed to vault the technology to full commercialisation.

The UNSW – UoN partnership is the third successful Trailblazer to be announced, with further announcements expected in coming weeks.

The UNSW – UoN partnership was selected as a Trailblazer from a two-stage competitive assessment process where universities were required to submit expressions and interest and then more detailed business cases.

The Morrison Government has invested $362 million in the Trailblazer Universities program – an initial $243 million announced in November last year and an additional $119 million through our regional accelerator announced on Budget night. This is part of the Government’s $2.2 billion University Research Commercialisation Action Plan, which will focus the considerable research power of our universities on Australia’s National Manufacturing Priorities.

Liberal candidate for Shortland Nell McGill said the announcement was yet another positive for the Hunter.

“When it comes to investment in jobs and clean energy innovation, the Morrison Government is heavily favouring the Hunter region by investing here,” Ms McGill said.

“That’s because we have the tech brilliance, both in our private sector and within the Newcastle University, that I believe, will see our region produce new and improved sources of clean energy, and other innovations.

“This further support from the Morrison Government for our wonderful region provides jobs for us, and for our future generations. It’s just more great news.”

The Morrison Government has awarded $69.9 million in grant funding to build on Australia’s competitive strengths in our domestic composite manufacturing industry.

The Sovereign Manufacturing Automation for Composites (SoMAC) Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) will leverage more than $189.3 million in cash and in-kind contributions from 36 partners to potentially generate $2.1 billion in benefits to our composite industry sector.

Results from this new CRC will contribute to our space, defence and medical industries, generating some 1500 new jobs.

The funding has been provided under Round 23 of the CRC program, which is deliverying $154.4 million in grants to three major business-research partnerships helping to solve major challenges facing Australian industries, generating thousands of new jobs.

The CRC, led by the University of New South Wales, will undertake work with partners that include five other universities and the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation.

Minister for Science and Technology Melissa Price said the CRC would allow our Australian composite manufacturers to gain a competitive edge by encouraging them to modernise and automate.

The CRC will do this by linking Australia’s top composites research institutions with key manufacturers and their supply chains.

“The Morrison Government’s CRC Program is a proven model of industry and research cooperation that has produced impressive commercial results,” Minister Price said.

“The activities of this new CRC has the potential to triple the number of jobs currently available within our national composite industry sector and train more than 100 higher degree candidates.

“This funding complements the Morrison Government’s strong commitment to manufacturing, with this CRC addressing one or more of the National Manufacturing Priorities.”

Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor said the ability to make things here and do it well was a cornerstone of the Morrison Government’s industry policy.

“Projects like these are vital to strengthening our sovereign manufacturing capability and our plan to continue to grow Australia’s manufacturing sector so that it can be competitive, create jobs and strengthen our economy,” Minister Taylor said.

“One of the key parts of our $2.5 billion Modern Manufacturing Strategy is getting science and technology working for industry and for jobs.

“This investment is ensuring we are aligning our research and innovation with our areas of focus, like medical products, defence and clean energy.

“These projects are about manufacturing the products and materials Australians need and the world needs, by making them right here at home.”

Since the Coalition Government came to office in 2013, it has committed more than $1.8 billion to support the establishment of 36 CRCs and 189 CRC Projects.

This has leveraged a further $5.2 billion in cash and in-kind contributions from partners, to develop important new technologies, products and services that help solve major economic, environmental and social challenges facing Australia.

Only the Morrison Government has a plan to deliver a stronger economy and a stronger future for regional Australia.

The CRC Program is competitive and merit-based. For more information visit www.business.gov.au/crc.

Small and medium food and beverage manufacturers across Tasmania are receiving support from the Morrison Government to cut their energy costs so they can invest in their business, employ more locals and get ahead.

Through the food and beverage round of the Energy Efficient Communities program 27 food and beverage businesses across the state have received grants of up to $25,000.

The $635,849 in total funding for Tasmanian businesses will help lower their energy bills and reduce emissions by upgrading to more energy efficient appliances including refrigeration, carrying out energy audits and installing energy monitoring equipment.

The successful recipients include the Devil’s Own Ice Creamery, Meru Foods and Mr Brown and Towns mushrooms in Launceston which will make improvements to their energy efficiency, Giodonda Coffee Roasters in Turners Beach and Belgrove Distillery in Kempton which will make upgrades to their distillation process.

Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor said a key part of supporting Tasmanian businesses to rebound from the pandemic is by reducing overheads like energy.

“Backing manufacturers in Tasmania to get ahead is a key priority of the Morrison Government,” Minister Taylor said.

“The food and beverage industry underpins a stronger Australian economy as the largest manufacturing sector, employing one in four manufacturing workers.

“This is why we are backing them to be more competitive through these grants to lower their power costs, putting more money back in their pockets and supporting the creation of new jobs in Tassie.

“These grants build on more than 2,500 solar and energy savings grants already awarded to community groups and businesses across Australia under the Morrison Government.”

The Energy Efficient Communities Food and Beverage Manufacturing Business Grants program opened in January 2022, for grants of between $10,000 and $25,000 available to food and beverage manufacturing businesses with under 200 employees.

A re-elected Morrison Government will continue to support small and medium businesses cut their energy costs through a new $60 million Powering Business grants program and a $17.9 million expansion to the Business Energy Advice Program.Only the Morrison Government has a plan to create a strong economy and a stronger future for Tasmanians.

A re-elected Morrison Government will boost funding for roads across the Central Coast of New South Wales with a $40 million commitment to improve the safety and quality of local roads.

This additional funding will prioritise local road improvements that increase road quality and safety as well as supporting the Central Coast Council to address the significant maintenance backlog created by recent weather events and the increased traffic movements of a growing region.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Government’s record infrastructure investment was supporting residents of the Central Coast, while creating local jobs.

“A strong economy means we continue to improve roads across the Central Coast, helping residents get home sooner and safer,” the Prime Minister said.

“Our record $1.4 billion infrastructure funding for the Central Coast will deliver faster rail from Newcastle to Sydney and upgrades to the Pacific Highway through Wyong Town Centre, creating more than 5,000 jobs.

“Continuing to provide record future funding for road and rail projects across Australia is a key part of our long-term economic plan to keep the economy strong.”

Federal Member for Robertson Lucy Wicks said she had worked with local residents and Central Coast Council to identify priority projects that improve safety and address maintenance challenges across the region.

“Better local roads, particularly after the recent storms, is the number one issue raised with me and this funding will upgrade some of our worst roads across the Coast,” Ms Wicks said.

“Upgrading roads such as The Scenic Road through MacMasters Beach, Killcare and Killcare Heights, Rickard Road in Empire Bay and Rabaul Avenue in Umina Beach will make life easier for so many people living on the Central Coast.”

Liberal Candidate for Dobell, Dr. Michael Feneley, said he was delighted that three major problem spots would be upgraded.

“Hue Hue Road at Jilliby, Allison Road at Wyong and Lakeedge Avenue at Berkeley Vale are all in need of urgent work, so this news will be received well by the people of Dobell,” Dr Feneley said.

“Good roads are very important to coasties because we travel further than most other motorists in NSW, and there is nothing more pleasant or comfortable when you are driving, than to hit a patch of smooth new road.

“I know I speak for everyone in Dobell when I say that I’m very grateful that these works will be undertaken quickly.”

Local roads to be improved include:

• Hue Hue Road, Jilliby
• Allison Road, Wyong
• The Scenic Road, MacMasters Beach, Killcare and Killcare Heights
• Davistown Road, Saratoga and Davistown
• Rickard Road, Empire Bay
• Lakedge Avenue, Berkeley Vale
• Peats Ridge Road, Somersby
• Cape Three Points Road, Avoca Beach

Funding will be provided to Central Coast Council to support their works program, including road reconstruction, rehabilitation and resurfacing to improve safety for locals and visitors to the region.

This commitment builds on the Coalition’s strong investment to support infrastructure improvements across the Central Coast, including:

• $1 billion for faster rail between Sydney and Newcastle that that will deliver additional tracks between Tuggerah and Wyong, extra platforms and station upgrades at Wyong and Tuggerah as well as new dual track rail bridges over the Wyong River
• $336 million to upgrade the Pacific Highway through Wyong by duplicating the Highway between Johnson Road and Cutler Drive and replacing the existing Wyong River road bridge with two new road bridges
• $51.2 million to upgrade the Central Coast Highway – Tumbi Road intersection
• more than $86.5 million committed to the Central Coast Roads Package; and
• more than $35 million committed to Central Coast Council under the Roads to Recovery and Local Roads and Community Infrastructure programs.

An Albanese Labor Government will deliver city-changing infrastructure for all Victorians, partnering with the Andrews Government to help build the Suburban Rail Loop (SRL).   The SRL will transform how Victorians move around the state. When complete, this 90km rail line will link every major rail line from the Frankston Line to the Werribee Line via Melbourne Airport, better connecting Victorians to jobs, retail, education, health services and those they love. 

The SRL will see transport super hubs at Clayton, Broadmeadows and Sunshine, and regional Victorians will be able to get to employment, world-class hospitals and universities in the suburbs – without having to travel through the CBD.  

This is a once in a generation opportunity to reshape the way Victoria grows.  

Given Victoria is expected to grow to 11.2 million people by 2056 and Greater Melbourne to reach around 9 million people – a similar size to London today – this project is needed to keep Victoria moving. 

SRL East will deliver 26km twin tunnels with six underground stations at Cheltenham, Clayton, Monash, Burwood, Glen Waverley and Box Hill – connecting Victorians to key employment and health precincts across east and south-east Melbourne. 

That is why an Albanese Labor Government will invest an initial $2.2 billion in SRL East over the next five years.

This money won’t go to planning, it will go to SRL East construction.   

The SRL will create 800 early direct jobs during early works for SRL East, which will commence in 2022 and support many thousands as the project enters major construction. 

Anthony Albanese and Dan Andrews know how to get things done. 

While the Morrison Government wastes time and money on imaginary carparks, rejected road projects and picking partisan fights, an Albanese Labor Government will partner with the Dan Andrews Labor Government to deliver the investments that Victorians really need.

Anthony Albanese, Leader of the Australian Labor Party said:

“Infrastructure like this shapes cities and shapes states.  

“This project will change how Melburnians live and how they interact with their city.  

“I won’t be a Prime Minister that uses infrastructure to play political games, I will be a Prime Minister who invests in the projects that matter.”  

Dan Andrews, Premier of Victoria said:

“The Suburban Rail Loop will change the way we move around the state, slashing travel times and taking more cars off our roads for faster, safer journeys.” 

“We welcome Federal Labor’s contribution to the Suburban Rail Loop, which will support thousands of Victorian jobs in the coming years. It’s a project Victorians voted for – and we’re getting on with it.” 
 

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

“Coalition Governments talk about building infrastructure, Labor Governments actually get on with it.  

“While the Morrison Government is focused on picking fights with Victorians, an Albanese Labor Government will partner with the state to build the projects that matter.”

More than 300 jobs will be created in Eden-Monaro as a result of an almost $700 million Morrison Government investment in the Australian Defence Force’s operational headquarters, the General John Baker Complex.

Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price said the $694.4 million investment to upgrade and expand the complex would support the larger workforce needed to plan and conduct ADF operations in a rapidly deteriorating strategic environment.

The General John Baker Complex is home to the Australian Headquarters Joint Operations Command, which commands and controls ADF operations around the world.

“The first priority of our Government is keep Australians safe and this $700 million investment is about ensuring we are doing that,” Minister Price said.

“This project builds on the Morrison Government’s significant investment in Defence capability and ensures that the men and women of the ADF have the equipment they need to defend the nation.

“Once completed, this facility will accommodate up to 1,400 personnel, almost doubling its current capacity to support the ADF’s response to increasingly complex multi-domain operations, including in cyber, space and humanitarian and disaster relief.

“Only the Liberals can be trusted on national security.

“We know that under the last Labor Government, Defence spending was at its lowest level since 1938, falling to just 1.56 per cent of GDP.

“In their last three years in Government, Labor cut Defence spending by 10.5 per cent in real terms.

“Our Government has increased investment in Defence to more than two per cent of GDP.”

Minister Price said the project would provide significant opportunities for local industry to support the delivery phase of the General John Baker Complex expansion.

“This project is a massive win for local industry,” Minister Price said.

“It supports construction jobs and generates economic stimulus for the local Bungendore, Queanbeyan and Canberra economies.”

Senator for New South Wales Jim Molan said the investment was not only a win for Eden-Monaro, but was an important element in strengthening our national security.

“Given the evolution of our strategic environment, now more than ever, we must continue to strengthen our defence capability,” Senator Molan said.

“Successive Labor governments had drastically run our defences down and we cannot afford a Labor government, now of all times.

“Our Government is committed to protecting our nation by equipping the ADF with modern capabilities to best meet future challenges.

“This investment will significantly enhance the ADF’s ability to deploy on a wide range of operations.

“It will also cement Eden-Monaro as one of the most strategically important regions within Australia’s defence system.”

Liberal for Eden-Monaro, Dr Jerry Nockles, said the almost $700 million dollar announcement showed that the Government was taking seriously its commitment to developing investment and jobs in our region.

“The expansion of the Australian Defence Force’s operational headquarters means jobs for local electricians, carpenters, builders, architects, painters and our high tech industries, among others,” Dr Nockles said.

“These 300 jobs will have a multiplier effect for our local Bungendore, Queanbeyan, Palerang, Cooma, and Yass economies, in addition to our region.

“This investment is possible by the Government’s significant commitment to our Defence and jobs creation and is one we need.”

Subject to Parliamentary approval, the works will start in 2023 and be completed by the end of 2025, and include an extension of the current operations building, a new multi-agency collaboration annex and on-site operational accommodation.

The works will be delivered using an existing Public Private Partnership contract arrangement.

Only the Morrison Government has a plan to deliver a strong economy and a stronger future for Australia.