Month: September 2023

The Albanese Government is partnering with the Malinauskas Government to deliver for South Australians, today announcing the providers for four Medicare Urgent Care Clinics (Medicare UCCs).

Following an Expression of Interest process the four clinics will be:

• Marion Domain Medical and Dental Centre will be established as the Marion Medicare UCC
• Old Port Road Medical and Dental Centre will be established as the Western Medicare UCC
• Elizabeth Medical and Dental Centre will be established as the Elizabeth Medicare UCC
• Mount Gambier Family Health will be established as the Mount Gambier Medicare UCC.

A fifth Medicare UCC, that will be established in the outer southern suburbs, is in final contract negotiations with an announcement to be made soon.

The South Australian Medicare UCCs will deliver on the Albanese Government’s commitment to make it easier for people in South Australia to get the urgent treatment they need – from highly qualified doctors and nurses – while taking pressure off the local hospitals.

The Medicare UCCs will be open extended hours, seven days a week and offer walk-in care that is fully bulk‑billed.

Over 40 per cent of presentations to South Australian hospitals are for non‑urgent or semi-urgent care.

The South Australian Medicare UCCs are expected to begin opening from October 2023, with all to be open by the end of the year.

The Albanese Government will continue to work closely with Adelaide Primary Health Network, the Country South Australia Primary Health Network and the South Australian Government to support the establishment of these Medicare UCCs.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said:

“We’re delivering 58 Medicare Urgent Care Clinics across Australia – just like we promised at the election.

“These clinics mean South Australians who need urgent but not acute care, can get it quickly even if it’s outside standard hours – and all they’ll need is their Medicare card.

“We’re committed to strengthening Medicare and making it easier and cheaper to get quality healthcare, by tripling the bulk billing incentive and making medicines cheaper.”

Premier of South Australia, Peter Malinauskas said:

“We know South Australian hospitals, like those across the country, are under significant pressure, and the struggle to get access to GPs is playing a huge part in that.

“The South Australia Medicare UCCs will help take that pressure off, by providing a service that bridges the gap between the day-to-day health care of general practice and acute care of hospitals.

“With this partnership between the Australian and South Australian governments, we are ensuring South Australians have better access to affordable urgent care when they need it.”

Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mark Butler said:

“We went to the election promising urgent care clinics for South Australia and we are now delivering them.

“The five South Australian Medicare UCCs will make a big difference to patients who will be able to walk in seven days a week and get free urgent care from a nurse or a doctor.

“The clinics will ease pressure on South Australian Hospitals, so that our hard-working doctors and nurses can focus on higher priority emergencies.”

South Australian Minister for Health and Wellbeing, Chris Picton said:

“Being able to get free care at a UCC for urgent, but not life-threatening concerns, will be welcomed by many families and help to reduce pressure on emergency departments.

“Importantly, centres operating extended hours will be very convenient for families and helpful for the health system more broadly.

“I thank the Albanese Government for its investments in these centres, as well as its upcoming increase in bulk billing incentives for targeted groups.

Senator Sarah Hanson-Young is the Greens spokesperson for communications & media:

“It is a shockingly bad decision and an indictment on Murdoch. It is a terrifying insight into Lachlan’s plans to entrench his Fox-style news agenda in Australia.

“Putting Tony Abbott on the Fox board is a brazen attack on global efforts to tackle climate change.

“This proves what we all know about the Murdoch’s, they are right wing, climate wreckers. It is no wonder Tony Abbot has been welcomed into the family business.

“We need a Murdoch Royal Commission more than ever.”

Revelations about Home Affairs Secretary Mike Pezzullo’s deeply inappropriate involvement in the political process and contempt for the principle of accountability should prompt his immediate resignation or dismissal, the Greens say.

“Mr Pezzullo’s time as a senior public servant needs to end and it needs to end today,” Greens Immigration and Citizenship spokesperson Senator Nick McKim said.

“Throughout his time as Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs he has overseen a litany of governance failures and shown complete contempt for the principle of accountability.”

“His brazen attempts to manipulate the political process and his failure to respect the boundaries between politics and the public service mean that his position is untenable.”

“If Mr Pezzullo wants to play in the political sandpit then he should stand for Parliament.”

“The PM needs to set high standards and make it clear what he will and will not stand for. The standard he walks past is the standard he accepts.”

“It was a grievous mistake for Mr Albanese to reappoint Mr Pezullo when he came to office, and he now has the chance to correct the error.” 

“If Mr Pezzullo is not already working on his resignation, then the Prime Minister should demand it or sack him.”

“That must not mean a sideways shuffle, a golden handshake or a cushy diplomatic post.”

The third and final public hearing of the Greens-led Senate inquiry into Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Assessment and Support Services will take place in Melbourne tomorrow, Tuesday 26th September. 

The hearing will invite a range of organisations and individuals to provide evidence to the historic inquiry. Among those scheduled to appear at the hearing are prominent writer and ADHD advocate Em Rusciano and Guardian journalist Matilda Boseley.

Around one in 20 Australians have ADHD, which is widely dismissed and misunderstood despite the significant impairment and dysfunction it can create.

The ADHD hearing will take place on Tuesday September 26 at the Savoy Hotel in Melbourne, with members of the public welcome to attend the full-day event.

The ADHD inquiry’s final report, which includes recommendations to the government, will be published on Wednesday October 18.

Senator Jordon Steele-John, Australian Greens spokesperson on Disability Services, Health and Mental Health said:

“The powerful testimony I’ve heard from the lived experience community over the past few months has confirmed exactly why the ADHD inquiry was so critical to begin with.

“Again and again, I’ve heard that cost, wait time and stigma present huge barriers to people seeking assessment and support services for ADHD in Australia. Again and again, I’ve heard about the immeasurable impact these barriers can have on their lives every single day.

“I’m so proud of how staunchly the ADHD community has pushed for this inquiry and how generous folks have been in sharing with the committee what are often quite distressing experiences.

“I’m also very humbled to support ADHDers and their loved ones to get access to the life-affirming services they need and deserve, and I will continue to do so beyond the life of this inquiry.

“I’m really looking forward to what the third and final hearing of the ADHD inquiry in Melbourne will yield, and I hope to see the community’s experiences properly reflected in the final report to be released next month.”

The Australian Government is extending punitive tariffs on goods imported from Russia and Belarus for a further two years, until October 2025.

Australia is working closely with international partners to impose costs on Russia, through targeted sanctions and trade measures that diminish Russia’s ability to fund its illegal and immoral war in Ukraine.

The additional 35 per cent tariff on Russian imports was first introduced in April 2022. Together with the prohibition on gold and energy imports, it has had a significant impact on trade between our countries.

Imports from Russia fell by over 95 per cent in the second half of last year, compared to the same period in 2021.

Australia again calls on Russia to immediately withdraw its forces from Ukrainian territory and on Belarus to stop supporting Russia’s senseless war.

Australia reiterates our unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty, and for the Ukrainian people.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong said:

“The extension of punitive trade measures shows Australia’s unwavering determination to diminish President Putin and Russia’s ability to fund this illegal and immoral war.”

“Russia’s actions against Ukraine’s sovereignty, the rule of law and the UN Charter, are reprehensible.”

Minister for Trade and Tourism Don Farrell said:

“Russia cannot expect to reap the benefits of international trade when its actions violate the international rule of law.

“We are keeping up the economic pressure on Russia and Belarus by extending the application of the additional tariff on goods from these countries for a further 24 months.”

Labor’s Employment White Paper “Working Future” is a missed opportunity from a government that is distracted by a range of issues which aren’t the economy.

Everyone knows the best way to support more jobs is to make it easier for employers to find staff and for Australians out of work to find jobs.

The Coalition wants to see a labour market that removes barriers to get people into jobs.

Labor’s industrial relations reforms will just raise more barriers: big employers are saying this, small businesses are saying it, and gig economy workers are saying it.

If Labor is serious about increasing jobs, they need to listen to the BCA, ACCI, Master Builders and the millions of small businesses screaming out that Labor should rethink these extreme IR reforms.

Instead, this White Paper shows Labor is doubling down on putting more roadblocks up to work through its industrial relations reforms.

This leaves little in this Paper for small business owners.

Labor’s industrial relations reforms will just pile more red tape on small businesses and employers that won’t be good for business, won’t be good for the economy and won’t be good for jobs.

The Coalition has put forward constructive solutions to support Australians into work.

• Allowing pensioners and veterans to work more hours without losing their pension.
• Doubling the income free area for Jobseeker recipients allowing Australians on income support to earn an extra $150 a fortnight before their payments reduce encouraging them back to work and take more shifts.

So far, it’s been disappointing that the government has refused to adopt these measures in full.

We will continue to put forward pro-jobs policies in the lead-up to the next election.

With regards to the immediate items in the Treasurer’s announcement it is disappointing that it has taken $4.7 million of taxpayer funding and a year of work for the Treasurer to come up with a list of re-heated, rehashed and re-announced policies.

When you realise there were more politicians at the press conference than policies in the White Paper, you understand why Australians would be disappointed with yet another costly prime ministerial flop.

Australia’s apprentice and trainee starts have collapsed by 33.5 per cent over the year to December 2022 and nothing in this White Paper is going to fix this total disaster.

Instead of more sideshows and distractions, Australians are crying out for some actual leadership from this Prime Minister. Sadly, it is nowhere to be seen.

What is clear today is that this is a government distracted by the Canberra Voice and whose main priority paying back their biggest donor – the unions.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus must urgently act to give judges in the Federal Circuit and Family Courts protection from being found personally liable in matters over which they preside.

Media reports revealed that some judges have indicated they will refuse to sit on cases until the matter is dealt with by the Attorney-General.

The situation arises following the matter of Stradford (a pseudonym) v Judge Vasta in which Judge Vasta, a judge of Division 2 of the Federal and Family Court was found personally liable in respect to proceedings over which he presided.

Shadow Attorney-General Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash wrote to Mr Dreyfus a week ago asking him to act urgently on the matter and pledging to work constructively with the Government in relation to any legislation required to ensure judges can exercise their judicial functions without fear or favour.

“Attorney General Dreyfus’s inaction means we are now in a situation where some judges may refuse to sit on cases,’’ she said.

“Mr Dreyfus’s incomprehensible refusal to address the issue has put the administration of justice in this country at risk,’’ Senator Cash said.

“It is Australian families who will feel the effects of this incompetence. These matters must be addressed as a matter of urgency,’’ she said.

“In my letter to Mr Dreyfus, for which I have not had a reply as yet, I pointed out that the judgment may have profound implications for the administration of justice in our country,’’ Senator Cash said.

Senator Cash’s letter said: “Immunity from suit serves a critical role in ensuring that a judicial officer can make decisions based on the merits of the case and the application of law.

“It allows a judge to perform their role free from external influences such as a fear of personal liability.

“Members of the judiciary and the legal profession have raised concerns that, following the judgment, there is now significant uncertainty around the limits of judicial immunity, with potential adverse consequences for our legal system.

“In your capacity as First Law Officer, I ask that you urgently progress options to restore certainty to our judiciary—whether legislative or non-legislative.”