Month: May 2022

In an unprecedented intervention by the federal government fisheries permits will be bought-out for the first time in Australia’s history because of climate change and environmental factors. 

In what was described as a  necessary but “shocking” development by the Australian Fisheries Management Authority, the federal government will spend $20m to buy out vessel permits in the south-east trawl fishery because the climate crisis is affecting population numbers of some species, making current fishing levels unsustainable.

The south-east trawl fishery is the largest commonwealth-managed fin fish fishery in Australia and includes waters right around lutruwita/Tasmania.

Greens spokesperson for healthy oceans, Peter Whish-Wilson said:

“This is the first time in Australian history that we’ve seen a fishery buyout due to the impacts of warming oceans, primarily caused by the burning of fossil fuels. 

“This is a troubling precedent for Australia’s commercial fisheries and a warning to the thousands of livelihoods that depend on healthy oceans right around the country. 

“For too long our oceans have been taken for granted. Scientists have determined that the ocean absorbs more than 90 percent of the world’s excess heat, so we can expect to see more fisheries go into decline or collapse unless we act on strong 2030 emissions targets. 

“There is significant work to be done in restoring marine ecosystems that have lost habitat due to climate impacts, and the Greens urge Labor and Liberal to match pledges requested by TSIC and TARfish this election for much needed funding to do this.” 

An Albanese Labor Government will partner with the McGowan Government to deliver a new Bentley Hospital Surgicentre, benefiting patients in the Eastern metro area of Perth.

The new Surgicentre will separate non-complex elective surgery from emergency surgery. This means less interruptions and fewer delays for elective surgery, and a safer and more efficient service.

This innovative model will ensure the right care is given to patients at the right time. As well as providing better care for patients in the most modern surgical facilities, it will cut waiting times for elective surgeries.

The investment will deliver:

• Six new surgical theatres;
• Two new procedure rooms;
• A 24-bed surgical ward; and
• A new central sterilisation services department.

This $150 million project will be a joint effort between the McGowan Government and a Federal Labor Government, with costs shared on a 50/50 basis.

This is yet another demonstration of a Federal Labor Government’s ability to work cooperatively with the States to get things done – compared to Scott Morrison’s approach of division. 

The new Surgicentre is another plank in Labor’s plan to strengthen Medicare, which includes 50 Urgent Care Clinics nationwide to take pressure off emergency departments, reducing the cost of medications listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme by $12.50, and establishing a $750 million Strengthening Medicare Fund.

Anthony Albanese said:
“Only Labor can be trusted to protect Medicare, and strengthen it for future generations. I’m proud to announce a new Surgicentre for Perth, which will reduce elective surgery waiting times. Labor’s plan will ensure Australians get the care they need, when they need it.”

Mark McGowan said:
“Labor’s new Bentley Hospital Surgicentre will be a significant boost for communities in our eastern suburbs. 

“The innovative model will also provide relief to our health system which, like other States, is under pressure due to ongoing challenges from the pandemic.

“My Government is proud to join forces with an Albanese Government, if elected, to fund this $150 million dollar project, which will further improve the rollout of elective surgery in Western Australia.”

Mark Butler said:
“Labor has a comprehensive plan to strengthen Medicare and take pressure off emergency departments. The new Bentley Surgicentre will do just that for the east metro area of Perth, and ensure elective surgery happens on time. This is just another example of how an Albanese Labor government would work with State Governments to get things done.”

Amber-Jade Sanderson said:
“The surgicentre model has proved successful in other jurisdictions and would be a welcome addition to Western Australia’s world-class public health system.

“Understandably, elective surgeries sometimes have to be rescheduled, but this new facility would create two streams of elective surgery in our eastern suburbs, greatly reducing the need to postpone non-complex surgeries when emergencies occur.”

A re-elected Morrison Joyce Government will invest an additional $25 million into rural health in Queensland to boost the rural health and medical workforce.

As part of this funding an additional 20 Commonwealth Supported Medical Training Places will be made available at James Cook University in Cairns.

The Morrison Government is committed to delivering quality healthcare for Australians in our regions and rural and remote communities.

That’s what our 10-Year Stronger Rural Health Strategy is all about.

This new funding commitment will support the costs of the additional training places in Cairns and necessary funding to support education, training and placement of doctors in local hospitals in Northern Queensland.

This will give more Australians the opportunity to study and become a doctor in far North Queensland from 2023.

Studying and training in rural and regional areas has proven to lead to doctors living in and practicing in rural areas.

As part of our 10-Year Stronger Rural Health Strategy the Coalition Government is delivering $1 billion to boost rural health with $296.5 million in the 2022–23 Budget and $146 million in additional funding announced recently, building on the original $550 million investment in the 2018–19 Budget.

The Coalition Government provided significant funding in the recent budget to boost medical training and education opportunities in rural and regions, including 80 additional Commonwealth Supported Places so more students can study medicine at rural campuses.

Australia’s largest construction materials and building products supplier Boral is being supported by the Morrison Government to explore the feasibility of developing a carbon capture plant in the NSW Southern Highlands to lower emissions across the cement industry.

In collaboration with environmental technology company Calix, Boral has been awarded $30 million to develop a commercial scale plant that captures and compresses up to 100 kilo-tonnes per annum of unavoidable CO2 emissions resulting from the decomposition of limestone in cement manufacturing.

Through the Technologies Stream of the Carbon Capture Use and Storage (CCUS) Hubs and Technologies Program, the Morrison Government is backing businesses which are developing projects to help achieve long-term emissions reductions.

Boral’s proposed FutureCem plant will use Calix’s world-leading Low Emissions Intensity Lime and Cement (LEILAC) technology to re-engineer the existing process flows of a traditional calciner, indirectly heating the limestone via a special steel vessel. The unique process enables CO2 to be captured as it is released from the limestone, as the furnace exhaust gases are kept separate.

Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Tayor said cement manufacturing accounts for around seven per cent of all global emissions and projects such as FutureCem will help lead the way in bringing them down.

“This is game-changing, home-grown technology being tried and tested right here in regional NSW,” Minister Taylor said.

“Not only will this investment help to deliver long-term emissions reductions in a hard-to-abate sector, it’ll also generate new jobs across the Southern Highlands region with 140 new roles expected to be created during construction.”

The Morrison Government is also backing manufacturers in New South Wales with four innovative New South Wales business sharing in almost $23 million of funding under Round 2 of the Integration and Translation Streams of the Modern Manufacturing Initiative (MMI).

Successful recipients include Sydney-based medical device company EmVision which has been awarded $5 million to help develop a portable brain scanner to help transform stroke care for patients.

This significant investment will allow EmVision to manufacturer this Australian innovation at commercial scale and export it across the globe and here at home helping the company to grow and be recognised as a global leader in medical imaging.

Minister Taylor said the Morrison Government’s Modern Manufacturing Strategy will accelerate job creation and support a strong, modern and resilient economy which is better able to respond to a rapidly evolving geopolitical landscape.

“Backing businesses to grow our manufacturing sector and securing our sovereign capability is critical to our plan for a strong economy and a stronger future for Australia,” Minister Taylor said.

Other projects funded under the latest round of MMI in New South Wales include:

• $13.9 million for Wetherill Park-based packaging company Pro-Pac Group to create Australia’s first fully circular supply chain to divert plastic from landfill into high-value packaging products.
• $1.7 million for radiopharmaceutical manufacturer Cyclotek which will use the funding to support a streamlined supply chain of next generation nuclear therapeutics at Lucas Heights. The medical technology will help diagnose and treat cancer.
• $2.1 million for Thomas Global Systems in Newington to create onshore capability to develop and manufacture military avionics equipment for export into the global defence market.

Dr Richard Stephenson is a Specialist Emergency Physician and an Adventurer.  He was also a Scout and says that it was his “time in the Scouts that prepared me for a life of adventure.” As he and fellow medical specialist, Dr Gareth Andrews, prepare for the biggest adventure of their life, The Last Great First Expedition, the first fully unsupported ski crossing of Antarctica, the two doctors say that their adventurous spirit began with being involved with their local Scouts group. 

The Last Great First Antarctic Traverse will see a historic Expedition being undertaken by the two doctors.  They are attempting the first fully unsupported ski crossing of Antarctica, skiing 2,600km for 110 days all the while pulling a 200kg sled.  If they succeed, they will break the world record for the longest unsupported polar Expedition. After months of intensive training in Norway, New Zealand and Australia, the Expedition will start in October 2022 through to February 2023. 

“Scouts Australia is proud to be supporting The Last Great First Expedition,” says Phil Harrison, National Chief Commissioner, Scouts Australia. “The Expedition will demonstrate many of the Scouts Australia’s values and attributes including courage, resilience, empowerment, responsibility, and self-confidence fuelled by teamwork, passion and commitment.”  

On 27 May, at Government House, Canberra, the Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia and Chief Scout, His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd), will formally invest explorers Dr Gareth Andrews and Dr Richard Stephenson, along with the Expedition Chairman, Mark Richardson, who was also a Scout, as fully fledged uniformed Members of Scouts Australia.  

“Antarctica is a place that inspires wonder and sparks the imagination. What Gareth and Richard are attempting is one of the great expeditions and, on behalf of all Australians, I wish them well. I will be following their progress closely!” said the Chief Scout.  

“It is an honour to be welcoming them back to Scouts and as a member of the worldwide Scout community,” Mr Harrison added.  “Ceremonies such as this are very rare. This would be the first time in memory that we have had the Governor-General and Chief Scout of Australia invest Ambassadors for Scouts Australia.”

“As former Scouts, Gareth and Richard were provided with foundation skills for life thanks to their time in Scouting. They follow in the footsteps of explorer Sir Douglas Mawson who was awarded the Silver Wolf, the highest Scouting medal of its time (1915). An award which reflected the qualities of a Scout – discipline, obedience, resourcefulness and self-reliance,” said Mr Harrison. 

Dr Stephenson started Scouts at the age of eight and says, “I remember finding Scouts exciting and inspiring, the feeling of a world of adventures and opportunities laid out in front of me by Scouts. That brief association was the beginning of my passion for the outdoors, the personal survival skills that needed to be learned to travel in wild places safely, and the sense of adventure to be had off the beaten track.”

Fellow Explorer, Consultant Anaesthetist at St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney, and Expedition Doctor, Dr Gareth Andrews grew up on a wild and remote island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. It was here that his parents introduced to him the wonders of the natural world and the enjoyment of being outside. Joining the Beaver Scouts at what is now the Penzance/Madron Scout Group aged seven, he distinctly remembers the pride he felt in his grey Beavers jumper, blue scarf, yellow woggle and purple Scout badge. Gareth graduated to the Cub Scouts and then to Scouts. “It was with this group that I first used a compass, abseiled down a cliff, paddled a canoe and slept in a tent with my friends,” says Dr Andrews. 

As a team, Dr Stephenson and Dr Andrews have been exploring and adventuring together for over 10 years. As school-boys their imagination was captured by tales from over a hundred years ago and has helped the team forge their own paths to the poles.  Working with Scouts of all ages in Australia and internationally, Dr Stephenson and Dr Andrews hope to inspire the next generation of Scouts to reach for their goals and achieve their own remarkable aspirations.

Dr Andrews sums up his love of Scouts as, “My time in the Scouts equipped me with the necessary survival skills to be safe and to push the boundaries in the world’s wild places. It was also in the Scouts that, as a youngster, I was first introduced to the concepts of leadership, camaraderie and teamwork. Scouts also taught me my most valuable lesson, to be inquisitive about the world we live in. I carry these lessons with me now, many years later, and I firmly believe they make me a better Doctor and Adventurer.”

“In the past 10 years, Scouts Australia has had only one Ambassador, Andrew Lock OAM, a world acclaimed adventurer and high alpine mountaineer,” says Mr Harrison. “The World Ambassador for Scouts is Bear Grylls. Ambassadors Dr Stephenson and Dr Andrews are acclaimed individuals who are an inspiration to our young people and who have demonstrated the Scouting spirit, and ethos, in their pursuits.”

Scouts Australia programs around Australia have resumed in full since the removal of most Covid-19 restrictions. Those new to Scouts can express their interest online at scouts.com.au, and be put in contact with their local Scout Group.