The New South Wales economy has helped power Australia back to economic growth and out of the first recession in almost three decades, with ABS data released today showing a 6.8 per cent rebound in state final demand for the September quarter.
Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said the positive result was driven by a number of factors including a 10.8 per cent increase in household consumption and strong investment by the NSW Government in the public sector, which saw public demand up two per cent in the quarter and 6.4 per cent through the year.
“There are many challenges ahead but we are now seeing greater confidence in the community and a return to solid economic growth for NSW,” Mr Perrottet said.
“Our ability to keep as much of NSW open as possible and in the process support jobs and businesses with $29 billion in health, economic and social support measures is reflected in these latest economic results.”
Mr Perrottet said the Government would continue to do everything possible to boost employment, support businesses and ensure the community remained safe.
“Today we announced the further easing of restrictions around the number of people allowed in a range of venues, and this will further boost economic activity and support jobs at a critical time for the economy,” Mr Perrottet said.
“As we regain more freedom ahead of Christmas it’s vital people continue to remember the real risk of COVID-19 and use commonsense and follow health advice.”
The latest data follows more than 36,000 people returning to work in NSW in October with the state’s unemployment rate falling 0.6 per cent to 6.5 per cent.
Female participation increased by 0.3 percentage points to 60.6 per cent, the highest it’s been in the history of the series.
For more information on the State’s economic recovery, reform agenda, and the NSW Budget released on November 17 please visit budget.nsw.gov.au.
Month: December 2020
SPECIALIST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SUPPORT AT RISK AS MORRISON GOVERNMENT VOTES TO ABOLISH THE FAMILY COURT
There are grave fears for the ability of Australia’s family court system to support women and children fleeing family violence, as the Morrison Government backs in its radical proposal to effectively abolish the Family Court.
Federal Member for Newcastle Sharon Claydon said the Government voted last night to merge the Federal Circuit Court and the Family Court of Australia into one generalist court.
“There are major issues with the Family Court system but this legislation will go no way to addressing them. This reckless plan from the Morrison Liberal Government will essentially abolish the standalone Family Court—a court which plays a critical role in providing specialist support, especially in cases where there is family and domestic violence,” Ms Claydon said.
“70 per cent of matters brought before the family courts involve domestic violence. The consequences of reducing our ability to support and protect these people are incredibly serious indeed.”
“Newcastle lawyers consistently tell me of a chronically underfunded system. They speak of the lengthy delays in replacing judges. They say that matters are taking up to four years to resolve, with families waiting up to a year for family reports to be made. They tell me of their worry and concern for our judges, who are each carrying a workload of 1½ judges by themselves. And they tell me of constituents falling through the cracks, thrust into personal danger or stuck in limbo while their family situations deteriorate.
“The Morrison Government needs to reverse its strategy of persistent neglect that has brought our family law system to its knees.”
Ms Claydon said the legislation was also condemned on the national stage.
“More than 110 eminent organisations involved in family law banded together to pen an open letter which calls on the Morrison Government to abandon this legislation once and for all. The letter actually urges that we go in the opposite direction and increase the level of specialisation in family law and family violence, not dilute and diminish it.
“When any legislation prompts such unified and vehement condemnation from those that know, it behoves a government to listen. The passage of the Bill through the House demonstrates that this Government has heard nothing.”
General's Campbell & Burr must resign to preserve the integrity of Afghan War Crimes process
Australian Greens Peace spokesperson Senator Jordon Steele-John has called for General’s Campbell and Burr to resign to enable the recommendations of the Afghan Inquiry to be implemented free from any actual or perceived conflicts of interest, and facilitate ongoing investigations by the Australian Federal Police.
General Campbell was the Commander of Joint Task Force 633 responsible for all Australian forces deployed in the Middle East, including Afghanistan, between January 2011 and January 2012. Lt. General Burr was a Commander of SASR on two separate deployments during the Afghanistan War.
“Since this report was first released, I have been clear in questioning how appropriate it is for General Campbell and General Burr to initiate the disciplinary action against commanding officers who served during the Afghanistan War,” Steele-John said.
“If this level of alleged systemic failure had occurred within a financial institution, it would be totally inappropriate for the reform of that institution to be led by an individual who hel a senior executive position during the time that alleged criminal activity occurred.
“Both General Campbell and General Burr have irresolvable conflicts of interest; it is impossible for the public to trust that commanding officers will be held to account when the process is led by the top brass who themselves held commanding roles during the period of time when many of these alleged crimes were committed.
“I’m not saying that General Campbell or General Burr were involved in any of the alleged incidents or even that they knew about them prior to the release of the Afghan Inquiry report, but that perception is undermining the process.
“Veterans who did the right thing expect that the commanders who either turned a blind eye to sanitised reporting, or failed to engage with what was happening on the ground should be held to account and so does the Australian public.
“We cannot allow defence leadership to apply one set of rules to their subordinates in the lower ranks and a different set of rules to themselves in secret.
“If General’s Campbell and Burr will not do the right thing by the Australian Defence Force, and the Australian public, and resign then Prime Minister Morrison should sack them.”
Now more than ever, the fight against HIV must continue
To mark World AIDS Day 2020 and support the ‘now more than ever’ theme, the Morrison Government will provide almost $6.2 million towards the ongoing battle against HIV, and has expanded access to Dovato® on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).
Today, more than 28,000 Australians are living with HIV and it is very pleasing that most have a suppressed viral load. That means they’re healthy and unlikely to pass on the virus to anyone else.
Australia’s collective and long term track record and leadership in HIV, working together to provide innovative treatments and supporting people living with HIV is respected globally, however – now more than ever – it’s important to maintain the focus.
To take us further along this path to virtual elimination and to support the health and mental wellbeing of people living with HIV, the Morrison Government will allocate:
- up to $1.5 million to the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations (AFAO) and National Association of People with HIV Australia (NAPWHA) – over two years to develop a workforce development program that increases the knowledge and skills of the workforce and contributes to a reduction in new HIV infections
- up to $750,000 to the Australian Injecting and Illicit Drug Users League (AVIL) over two years to work with its members to implement a number of projects aligned to the key priority areas of the National Strategies; and
- up to $1.4 million to the Australasian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine (ASHM) over two years to implement a number of projects including a Hepatitis B Primary Care Referral Pilot Pathway, a trans and gender diverse health care model and review of user experience, a Primary Health Network engagement pilot and an update to the All Good online resource.
A further $2.5 million will support innovation in the sector with grants of up to $500,000 to provide positive outcomes for the National Strategies priority populations.
This funding is part of the $45.4 million investment allocated in the 2019–20 Federal Budget to implement five National Blood Borne Viruses and Sexually Transmissible Infections Strategies, including the Eighth National HIV Strategy.
This is Australia’s roadmap to help further reduce new infections and improve health outcomes.
Our goals include virtually eliminating HIV transmission in Australia by 2022, reducing mortality and morbidity related to HIV and supporting those living with HIV by reducing stigma and discrimination.
Also from today, access to the important new treatment option Dovato® (DOLUTEGRAVIR + LAMIVUDINE) on the PBS will be expanded for the treatment of people living with HIV who have already used antiretroviral therapy.
Previously this medicine was only available on the PBS for people newly diagnosed with HIV who had not had treatment. The expanded listing for the once-daily treatment gives people with HIV more treatment options.
This PBS listing is expected to benefit approximately 28,000 people living with HIV in Australia. Without subsidy, it could cost them more than $8,500 per year, however will now cost as little as $6.60 with a concession card.
This expanded listing follows the recent expansion of other important medicines for people living with HIV over recent years including expanded PBS access to Biktarvy® for children with HIV from 1 September 2020.
The Eighth National HIV Strategy is available on the Department of Health website.
South Australia switches on electronic prescriptions
South Australians will now have access to electronic prescriptions through the Morrison Government’s ongoing investment in digital health.
Since May, electronic prescriptions have been introduced across the country, with South Australia joining Victoria, the ACT and metropolitan Sydney.
So far, more than one million electronic prescriptions have been issued. This includes over 800,000 original electronic prescriptions and over 400,000 repeat tokens to patients.
Significant progress has been made to connect Australia’s healthcare system, so access to healthcare information and providers is available whenever and wherever it is needed.
The Morrison Government has committed $2.4 billion to provide all Australians with access to telehealth, with more than 30 million Medicare-eligible telehealth services delivered since March. The Government has also invested $5 million to fast track electronic prescribing, and provided $25 million to support home delivery of medicines.
The use of My Health Record by healthcare providers has also grown significantly, providing Australians with secure access to their health information.
Since March, the volume of documents uploaded by healthcare providers like hospitals, pathologists and radiologists increased by 40 per cent. Currently there are more than 275 million clinical and medicines documents in the system that were uploaded by healthcare providers.
The My Health Record system provided life-saving access to health information for Australians during the Queensland floods and last summer’s bushfires, and has been an important digital health tool during the pandemic.
Minister for Health Greg Hunt said electronic prescribing was a “critical component” of the Government’s digital health approach to COVID-19.
“Along with the rollout of telehealth, this is a critical component of the Government’s utilisation of digital health infrastructure and services, which has been brought to the fore during the summer bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic,” Minister Hunt said.
“These initiatives are critical in delivering health services for all Australians now and into the future.”
Minister for Regional Health, Mark Coulton said e-prescribing had played a significant role assisting Australians living in regional, rural and remote areas, with their healthcare needs.
“Technology is helping to overcome the challenges of distance faced by communities in regional, rural and remote Australia when accessing healthcare and medication,” Minister Coulton said.
LABOR TO OPPOSE COMMISSIONER FOR DEFENCE & VETERAN SUICIDE PREVENTION
Labor will oppose the Morrison Government’s National Commissioner for Defence and Veteran Suicide Prevention legislation in the Senate, following a decision taken by the Caucus today.
When the Government introduced the legislation for a National Commissioner, Labor were sceptical it was not “bigger and better than a Royal Commission” as the Government claimed.
We supported referring it to a Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee inquiry so it could be thoroughly examined, and so veterans and families could have their say.
The inquiry reported back yesterday. It confirmed Labor’s, and many people’s concerns, that the National Commissioner won’t have the independence, scope or resources to ask the really hard questions only a Royal Commission can.
The overwhelming feedback from submitters and witnesses to the inquiry was that the scope of the role was too narrow and that interim National Commissioner Dr Bernadette Boss was not sufficiently independent given her long association with the Australian Defence Force.
A number of stakeholders have said we need a proper inquiry through a Royal Commission to get to the bottom of systemic problems and to propose practical solutions, which could include a body like the National Commissioner.
Unlike the Government, Labor has consulted widely with veterans and families, veteran advocates, and mental health experts.
When the Prime Minister announced the National Commissioner earlier this year, he ignored the pleas of parents like Julie-Ann Finney and Karen Bird, whose veteran sons tragically took their own lives.
These families were clear – they wanted nothing less than a Royal Commission into veteran suicide to get to the bottom of these needless deaths.
This was always going to be the real test for Scott Morrison and his legislation, and he has failed badly.
The Government needs to establish a Royal Commission into veteran suicide, so we can tackle this issue once and for all.
Our veterans and their families deserve nothing less.
Stockton’s Mitchell Street set for a facelift
City of Newcastle will increase the number of street trees in Stockton’s main street from three to 40 as part of a $3.3 million upgrade to start in early 2021.
The project will give Mitchell Street a makeover to improve public spaces, pedestrian and cyclist safety, and increase shade as part of the City’s Local Centres program.
Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said that the investment would deliver a more attractive space for shopping and dining as Stockton’s population grows.
“The community has told us that that they love the atmosphere of Stockton’s main street and shopping precinct, but they want an improved public space,” the Lord Mayor said.
“A key feature of this upgrade is the significant increase in street trees which will provide much needed shade and add to the colour and character of this important shopping and business centre within Stockton.
“An innovative design has been developed to create space for these trees and still allow space for parking and footpaths. Local businesses will be able to take advantage of shade for street side dining, and shoppers will have a more pleasant place to spend time or catch up with friends.
“We’re now inviting the community to view the plans on our website or in Stockton Library and let us know their thoughts before starting construction in the New Year.
“This investment is one of 26 projects valued at more than $17 million delivered in Stockton over the past five years, including coastal protection works and the much-loved Stockton Active Hub.”
Plans for the upgrade are available on City of Newcastle’s website, and on display at Stockton Library from today until December 14.
The Mitchell Street upgrade will include drainage improvements, new footpaths and street furniture, landscaping including new street trees and raingardens, and a reduction in speed limit to 40 km/hr to improve pedestrian and cyclist safety.
City of Newcastle is delivering the Mitchell Street upgrade as part of its record $116 million 2020-21 capital works program designed to support the local economy in response to COVID-19.
Suburban hubs across the local government area are being revitalised as part of City of Newcastle’s Local Centres program, with Carrington and Beresfield completed while Joslin Street Kotara, Llewellyn Street Merewether and Orchardtown Road New Lambton are underway.
Visit www.newcastle.nsw.gov.au/yoursay to have your say on the Mitchell Street upgrade.
MORE TREES ACROSS GREATER SYDNEY
New, green life will be breathed into Greater Sydney with more than 40,000 trees to be planted and a series of innovation projects delivered thanks to $10 million in NSW Government grants.
The Greening Our City program will provide grants to 30 councils and two partner organisations across two funding streams – Cooler Suburbs and Green Innovations.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the program would help reach her target to plant one million trees across Greater Sydney by 2022 and increase the proportion of homes in urban areas within 10 minutes’ walk of quality green, open and public space by 10% by 2023.
“This fantastic program will result in more than 40,000 trees being planted in the ground and will also see exciting innovation projects that protect native species and help to green urban spaces,” Ms Berejiklian said.
Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Rob Stokes said planting more trees would bring enormous environmental benefit while making public spaces more attractive.
“Our city is framed by parks – we know how valuable tree cover is for lowering heat, providing shade and enhancing our neighbourhoods,” Mr Stokes said.
“This program will see trees planted in more developed areas like Miranda and Parramatta and in growing areas like Camden, Blacktown, Campbelltown and Hawkesbury.”
Local Government NSW President Linda Scott welcomed the announcement and said the program was a great example of partnership between local and State Government.
“Councils take a lead role cultivating healthy and sustainable environments for local communities and funding support is always welcome,” Cr Scott said.
Under the Cooler Suburbs stream, 29 local councils will receive more than $8 million in funding, supporting 39 tree planting projects that will add more than 40,000 trees to Greater Sydney.
The 12 projects to receive funding in the Green Innovations stream include:
- Planting 500 genetically diverse Camden White Gum within the Nepean River corridor at Camden South, a species listed as vulnerable;
- Transformation of a Penrith carpark into an open, green space;
- Revegetation of native trees and grasses across Randwick;
- A new state-of-the-art research facility and demonstration site testing the growth and performance of 48 diverse native and exotic tree species in the Hawkesbury.
The grant program is being administered by Local Government NSW on behalf of the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment.
A list of successful applicants is available at: https://www.nsw.gov.au/premiers-priorities/greening-our-city
NEW PARKS PROTECTING ANCIENT CULTURE
The NSW Government is handing back more than 15,000 hectares of land to Aboriginal owners in the State’s central west which will be reserved to form the new Mt Grenfell National Park and the Mt Grenfell State Conservation Area.
The new National Park and State Conservation Area will add 15,285 hectares to the existing Mt Grenfell Historic Site effectively forming a protective ring around some of the most significant Aboriginal art and cultural sites in Australia.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said these new reservations mean the protected area at Mt Grenfell now covers nearly 17,000 hectares.
“This area is home to the renowned Ngiyampaa rock art galleries and a rich cultural landscape of immense significance to the Aboriginal community,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“Reserving these lands supports Aboriginal owners in maintaining their physical and spiritual connection to Country.“
Environment Minister Matt Kean said the return of these lands to their traditional owners not only has immense cultural significance but an important environmental significance as well.
“These parks are irreplaceable and an important part of our commitment to add 400,000 hectares of national park to our network by the end of 2022,” Mr Kean said.
“The new parks build on existing protections, securing outback ecosystems including habitat for some 130 bird species and 12 threatened species.”
The new park will be Aboriginal-owned land held by Cobar Aboriginal Land Council and co-managed with the Mount Grenfell Board of Management and National Parks and Wildlife Service.
The new Mount Grenfell National Park and adjacent Mount Grenfell State Conservation Area lies about 70 kilometres north-west of Cobar in the dry back Country of the Cobar Peneplain. They surround the Mount Grenfell Historic Site which was handed back to the Ngiyampaa Wangaaypuwan Aboriginal owners in July 2004 and leased back to the NSW Government for management as part of the national parks system.
In recognition of the Aboriginal cultural significance, ownership of these two new reserves is also to be handed over to the Traditional Owners and leased-back to the National Parks and Wildlife Service for co-management with the Mount Grenfell Board of Management.
Key Facts
- Size: Mount Grenfell National Park is 9,189 hectares and Mount Grenfell State Conservation Area is 6,096 hectares.
- Aboriginal heritage: The reserves are an important part of ngurrampaa (Country) for Ngiyampaa Wangaaypuwan. They provide resources which are of importance in people’s lives: spiritually, as a physical connection to Creation stories and Creation beings; culturally, through providing opportunities for cultural practice; and physically, through the provision of food, water, shelter and resources. All these facets of Ngiyampaa Wangaaypuwan life is found in the one location. The reserves are rich in the physical evidence of Ngiyampaa culture including rock art, campsites and hearths associated with a waterhole, quarries, ochre pits, grinding grooves, artefact scatters and scar trees. Many other sites are yet to be discovered.
- Bioregional significance: Mount Grenfell National Park and State Conservation Area make a contribution to a comprehensive, adequate and representative reserve system by:
- Increasing the level of protection for the Cobar Peneplain bioregion from 2.61% to 2.82%.
- Increasing the level of protection for the Barnato Downs subregion from 3.3% to 4.14%.
- Protecting one landscape type (Mt Grenfell Ridges) that is currently not represented in any other reserve and another landscape (Barnato Wide Valleys) which is inadequately protected with only 20 hectares sampled in national parks system.
- Ecosystems: The reserves:
- increase the protection of eight vegetation communities, including two communities that were not previously sampled in Mount Grenfell Historic site (Belah-Rosewood Open Woodland and River Red Gum – Poplar Box Riparian Woodland).
- support at least 234 native plant species, many of these traditional food and medicine resources for Ngiyampaa Wangaaypuwan. Those used for food include the seeds of a range of plants such as Yaama (kurrajong), Mithirr (miljee), nardoo, Kawanthaa (quandong), Wilkarr (wilga) and Yarrayipipan (rosewood), all of which were ground for flour and baked into johnny cakes.
- Threatened species: The reserves provide a range of habitat types with varying structural complexity and floristic diversity which supports 195 bird and animal species. The most diverse groups of animals recorded are bats (13 species) and birds (134 species), including 12 threatened species. These include the kultarr, yellow-bellied sheathtail-bat, little pied bat, inland forest bat, Corbens long-eared bat. Other threatened mammals expected to use this habitat are the stripe-faced dunnart and bristle-faced freetailed-bat.
- European heritage: The reserves provide an example of turn-of-the-century pastoral occupation in the Western Division of New South Wales.
Two thirds of Australians think corruption a big problem: time for action
Data shows more Australians are concerned about political corruption and doubt the Government’s ability to clean up our democracy, Greens Leader in the Senate, Senator Larissa Waters said.
Today’s report from Griffith University and Transparency International Australia found the number of Australians who view corruption as a “very big” or “quite big” problem, rising from 61% in 2018 to 66% in 2020. The number of those who think the federal government is handling corruption issues “very badly” has also risen from 15% to 19.4% over the same period.
Senator Larissa Waters, the Greens spokesperson for Democracy, said:
“The Morrison Government needs to wake up and realise they aren’t fooling anyone: two thirds of Australians now think political corruption in Australia is a serious problem, and they are right.
“The influence of big donors on policy-making is institutionalised, the public interest is constantly being traded for political interest, and the Prime Minister continues to throw integrity overboard by failing to act on the ongoing, multiple scandals involving his ministers.
“The Government is trying to muzzle effective accountability body, the ANAO, by starving it of funding so that audit capacity will be reduced by 20% over three years, while dragging its heels on a weak and utterly belated corruption watchdog almost a year my bill for one passed the Senate.
“Porter’s sham integrity commission has been designed to shield his mates from proper scrutiny. It wants one rule for its politicians, and another for everyone else.
“We are still waiting for the Prime Minister to call my federal corruption watchdog with teeth on for a vote in the House of Representatives, almost a year after the Senate passed it. Instead, the Government is conducting a sham consultation on a model the public and the experts all say isn’t good enough.
“It’s starving the ANAO of the funds needed to do its job, it’s threatening journalists and whistle blowers, and it has rejected the Greens calls for a parliamentary code of conduct to prevent exactly the sort of behaviour Australians have grown sick of.
“To Morrison, I say: tick tock. I’m not the only one getting fed up with your government’s bad behaviour and delaying tactics.”