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One Nation demands Royal Commission into the COVID-19 pandemic

Recent revelations of a cover-up over the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic and of the Australian government’s deliberate suppression of free speech during the pandemic have made the need for a Royal Commission more urgent.

The Prime Minister has promised it, and while he’s not known for keeping promises (remember how our electricity bills were supposed to fall by $275 per year), he must keep this.

The pandemic was the most disruptive event in Australia since the Second World War. Thousands of people died. Entire cities were locked down. State borders were closed. Military forces were deployed to support the police. Hundreds of billions of dollars were borrowed by Australian governments to fund pandemic relief.

Thousands of jobs were lost, and many skilled workers in critical sectors are still excluded from working thanks to vaccine mandates being maintained by vindictive government bureaucracies. Thousands of businesses closed, many never to open again.

Fundamental human rights like freedom of speech, freedom to travel, freedom of assembly and freedom of association were suppressed or attacked outright. Australians who questioned or resisted these attacks were demonised by the media and elected politicians.

Only a Royal Commission has the necessary coercive power to compel the ‘expert’ health advice that led to lockdowns and mandates – advice which remains hidden from the Australian people – and unearth the accurate figures on who died from, or just died with, the virus. We need to learn what worked and what didn’t to better prepare us for the next pandemic.

$6.4 MILLION TO KICK START GARMA INSTITUTE

The Albanese Government is pleased to announce $6.4 million towards the Yolngu people’s long held vision for a world class tertiary institution in northeast Arnhem Land.

As the 24th annual Garma Festival kicks off, the investment from the Aboriginals Benefit Account (ABA) to support the Yothu Yindi Foundation with Stage One for the design and development of the Garma Institute – a new tertiary and vocational education facility.

The Garma Institute represents decades of work by the Yothu Yindi Foundation and Yolngu community leaders on a whole-life education project to provide on-Country learning for Yolngu people from early childhood education to university.

The Yothu Yindi Foundation already offers a Yolngu-centred curriculum for school students through the Dhupuma Barker School at Gunyangara. The independent bilingual school has driven strong school attendance rates and improved education outcomes.

This $6.4 million investment will see those students given a pathway to continue their higher education at the Garma Institute.

Consultations with community and stakeholders about the curriculum offered in the new facility will begin at this year’s Garma Festival.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said:

“This is a vision for the future – ensuring the next generation of students can live and learn on-country.

“This has been a long aspiration of the Yolngu people. This partnership shows how governments can work alongside communities, meeting their needs and helping them realise their full potential.”

Minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney said:

“This investment is a step towards realising the dream of the Yothu Yindi Foundation for a world-class education hub for Yolngu people in northeast Arnhem Land.

“The Garma Institute will give Yolngu people the opportunity to continue their education journey, without having to move away from their family and community.

“I commend the Yothu Yindi Foundation and Yolngu community leaders for their dedication and determination to pursue their vision for the Garma Institute.”

Yothu Yindi Foundation Chairman, Djawa Yunupingu said:

“Education remains the number one priority for the Yothu Yindi Foundation and the Dilak Elders.

“The vision of creating a world-class home for education is something that our community leaders have been working towards for more than 20 years. That dream is now becoming a reality.”

CEO of the Yothu Yindi Foundation, Denise Bowden said:

“This is ground-breaking and exciting work.

“The Garma Institute is about getting the best education outcomes possible for Yolngu students.

“This funding will enable the Yothu Yindi Foundation to invest in the extensive consultation and planning required to ensure the long-term success of the Garma Institute.”

GOVERNMENT’S SEA DUMPING BILL IS A CON JOB THAT FACILITATES FOSSIL FUELS

The Greens have condemned the Albanese Government’s Environment Protection (Sea Dumping) Amendment (Using New Technologies to Fight Climate Change) Bill 2023, calling it a naked attempt to facilitate more oil and gas development in our oceans.

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

“This Bill is a naked attempt to facilitate more oil and gas development in our oceans through legitimising carbon capture and storage (CCS) as a commercially viable and effective climate solution.

“This is despite evidence identifying CCS as a public relations and delaying tactic for the coal and gas industry to pretend it is doing something other than jeopardising our future on this planet.

“Pumping carbon under the sea from gas rigs or storing it underground just doesn’t stack up. The importing and exporting of carbon dioxide for sub-seabed sequestration risks turning Australia’s oceans, and those of our near neighbours, into the dumping grounds for the world’s pollution. Meanwhile, the CCS industry has largely been a ploy and a distraction designed to greenwash a dirty industry and delay the inevitable.

“The Greens are incredibly concerned that this legislation appears to be motivated to primarily facilitate the Santos Barossa project, its related Bayu-Undan CCS projects and other fossil fuel projects off Australia’s northern coastlines, as well as provide this government and its mates in the fossil fuel cartel political cover to open up new areas of our ocean to fossil fuel exploration.

“The Albanese government should be taking tangible, meaningful steps to fight climate change by ending the expansion of new fossil fuel projects. Instead it has taken the valuable time and energy to draft and bring forward a Bill that appears to be written by the fossil fuel industry, for the fossil fuel industry.

** See the Greens’ dissenting report to the Bill’s inquiry here.

10,000 older patients to avoid EDs: urgent care services expand across Sydney

Around 10,000 older patients will have access to more tailored and timely healthcare in the comfort of their own home, to relieve pressure on hospitals and avoid unnecessary trips to the emergency department (ED).

NSW Premier Chris Minns and Minister for Health Ryan Park will today announce the introduction of a new urgent care response team in south west Sydney, and the expansion of existing urgent care response teams in the city’s south east and north.

The 3 urgent care response teams will see patients treated in their own homes or aged care facilities at no cost.

These teams offer specialist and multidisciplinary medical and nursing services, as well as access to a broad range of allied health services including social workers, physiotherapists, pharmacists and dietitians and occupational therapists.

The urgent care response teams are being delivered as part of the NSW Government’s $124 million program to deliver 25 urgent care services over the next 2 years and will see an additional 36 healthcare staff working across the south west, south east and northern Sydney local health districts.

All 3 urgent care response teams will increase their operating hours to 7 days a week; 8am to 10pm for patients in aged care facilities, and 8am to 8pm for patients in the community.

The Minns Labor Government is determined to rebuild our health system after 12 years of neglect.

In May, the Health Minister announced the expansion of the InTouch Urgent Care service, which provides care to residential aged care patients in the Western Sydney LHD.

And in April, the NSW Government expanded a similar service for younger patients, based at the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network VirtualKIDS urgent care service.

Patients can be referred to the response teams through a variety of channels, including GPs, residential aged care facilities or by phoning Healthdirect on 1800 022 222launch, or by visiting healthdirect.gov.aulaunch

NSW Premier Chris Minns said:

“We have inherited an overwhelmed health system.

“Nowhere is that clearer than in emergency departments.

“We need to relieve some of that pressure. That is why we are embracing measures like urgent care teams.

“Today’s announcement forms just part of how we are working to rebuild our health system and improve wait times.”

NSW Minister for Health Ryan Park said:

“We will treat more patients, deliver more staff and offer more hours through our expansion of these urgent care response teams across Sydney.

“The expansion of these services will make it easier for older people to access high-quality urgent care at the right time, from the comfort of their home environment.

“At the same time, we can alleviate the pressure on our local hospitals by reducing unnecessary presentations to our emergency departments.”

Anzac Memorial Veteran Artist in Residence opportunity opens

Applications for the 2023 Anzac Memorial Veteran Artist in Residence open today, offering a contemporary veteran or group the opportunity to engage with the Anzac Memorial and the broader community through art.

Minister for Veterans David Harris said it’s only the second time the program had been offered and provides veterans with an opportunity to share their lived experiences through art with the wider community.

“The Anzac Memorial is a physical expression of the spirit and legend of the Anzac. A place for the veteran community to come together and reflect on service and sacrifice, and to share their knowledge and experience with us.

“The Veteran Artist in Residence creates opportunities for experienced emerging contemporary service personnel and veteran artists to engage with the Anzac Memorial, its architecture, history and collection in pursuit of their artistic dreams.”

The program recognises the skills associated with artistic practices such as collaboration, self-discipline, innovation and creative thinking, as well as the positive impact on health and wellbeing and connectivity. It allows a veteran artist, through their chosen medium, to share their experiences and stories with the community, and supports the Memorial’s intent as an active space for veterans and their families. The program won the Innovation and Resilience Award at Museum and Galleries NSW’s IMAGinE Awards 2022.

The inaugural Veteran Artist in Residence, Cory Rinaldi, is an Army veteran of Malaysia, East Timor and Iraq. During his residency, he painted a series of works exploring the Memorial’s architecture and his experience of military service. His residency culminated in an exhibition of 18 paintings.

“The residency at the Memorial enabled me to heal. It gave me purpose again and once more made me feel part of a team since leaving the military,” Mr Rinaldi said.

“It also challenged my artistic parameters and encouraged me to paint outside of my comfort zone. For someone who suffers from PTSD, that’s a big deal.”

A grant of $5000 is attached to the residency to assist a guest veteran artist (or group) to develop their work.

For more information, visit the Anzac Memorial Veteran Artist in Residencelaunch website.

314,000 homes further away as Premier’s signature planning policy headed back to the drawing board

With reports today that the Minns Labor Government are going back to the drawing board on their signature planning policy, Shadow Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, Scott Farlow, has called on the Government to get their policies right before announcing them if they are to have any hope of delivering 314,000 homes over the next five years.

“This is another embarrassing policy failure from a Government that is more interested in headlines, one-liners and social media tiles than getting policy right,” Mr Farlow said.

“The Government claimed their policy would accelerate housing delivery, yet the real outcome of their lack of detail has been to slow supply coming to the market as industry sits on their hands waiting for the detail.”

“ Once again it would appear that there has been insufficient engagement with industry and stakeholders, Sydney’s housing issues require more than rushed Media Releases, and the Government needs to engage in good faith if they are to have any chance of delivering 314,000 homes over the next five years.”

“While the Government talks about delivering more homes, we’ve seen Development Applications drop across the board and they have introduced new taxes and costs that are acting as a further barrier to building new homes.”

“When the Government rushed this announcement, the Opposition expressed concerns that they had not engaged with industry, stakeholders or local government and the reality is that by failing to do so their signature policy is now slowing the delivery of new homes.”

“While the Premier has declared that Sydney has to ‘go up’, it is extraordinary that he has exempted the City of Sydney Council, serviced by extensive existing infrastructure, from his policy that would deliver additional height and density.”

“Councils across Sydney are scratching their heads at why the City of Sydney is exempt. The Government need to explain why they’re exempt from this policy and what criteria it was assessed against.”

“If the City of Sydney can be exempt from the Premier’s policy are there other councils that can gain exemption, and if so, what’s the process for them to do it?”

“If the Premier is serious about delivering 314,000 new homes over the next five years, it will take more than rushed media releases and social media tiles,” Mr Farlow said.

Minns Government Integrity

The Opposition acknowledges the actions taken by the Premier today in relation to the Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education, and Minister for the Hunter.

The Government has shown a blatant disregard in Parliament to questions regarding a number of perceived conflicts of interest of other Ministers.

Given today’s revelations and referral to the Independent Commission Against Corruption, the Premier must now provide answers to questions asked by the Opposition regarding perceived conflicts of interest and give confidence to the people of NSW that relevant steps have been taken to manage any perceived conflicts of interest.

FULL FUNDING FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS NOW

The Greens have welcomed the AEU’s new campaign for fully funded public schools and are calling on governments to stop gifting money to elite private schools and finally deliver on the promise of Gonski.

Greens spokesperson on schools, Senator Penny Allman-Payne said:

“Congratulations to the AEU for launching their For Every Child campaign for fully funded public schools. The union is right: public school kids deserve 100% funding.

“But schools can’t wait until the end of the next national funding agreement to get the money they desperately need. That’s 2028. Another five years away.

“That means a public school student in year 7 today will graduate high school having never experienced a fully resourced education.

“There are currently 2.6 million kids enrolled in public schools in Australia. About 2.5 million of them have never experienced a single day at a fully resourced school. Not one day. How many more kids are governments prepared to let down? What’s an acceptable number?

“Things are getting desperate. Overworked teachers, often forced to pay for basic educational resources schools can’t afford, are leaving in droves. Out-of-pocket costs for parents and carers are soaring. More students are disengaging and performance is dropping.

“Australia now has one of the most privatised and inequitable school systems in the world. It’s a system that heaps privilege onto a fortunate few under the guise of ‘parental choice’, while robbing millions of disadvantaged kids of their futures.

“Labor has an historic opportunity to right the wrongs of the past. They have a weak and chaotic opposition, friendly governments in every mainland state and territory, and a budget surplus of $20 billion. They could end this crisis tomorrow.

“The Greens are calling on Labor to guarantee full funding to all public schools from the start of the next national funding agreement in January 2025.

“Our kids can’t wait any longer.”

ALBANESE MUST ADDRESS AAD UNCERTAINTY

The Albanese Government must set the record straight and address rising fears about what science programs will be axed as a result of a $25 million cut from the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD).

Concerns continue to be raised from within the AAD about the future of Australia’s Antarctic science programs, following an email sent to staff revealing the division is set to cut approximately 16% of its operating budget.

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

“Science is the currency of the Antarctic Treaty and if the Albanese Government wants to secure Australia’s leadership role in the region it must properly fund our scientific efforts.

“It’s shocking that we are not hearing more from the Australian Government on this, given we claim 40% of Antarctica as Australian Territory.

“AAD staff are languishing in uncertainty right now. It’s time for the Albanese Government to put its money where its mouth is: prioritise science and fund all Antarctic projects as originally planned.

“Science programs have suffered a death by a thousand cuts in Antarctica. The Morrison Government had a penchant for big announcements and cutting ribbons on Antarctic projects, but not for investing in people and critical science programs. Whether or not Labor reverses these latest cuts will show us if it is any different.

“Instead of funding fossil fuels, the Albanese Government should be funding science – especially at this juncture in history when scientists are warning of a reduction in Antarctic sea ice equivalent to a once every 7.5 million year event.

“More than ever our planet depends on us understanding the Antarctic region, and that means we need to fund the necessary science to achieve that.”

LABOR’S SAFETY NET BILL IS A PARACHUTE WILL HOLES

Greens’ Social Services spokesperson, Senator Janet Rice, has slammed Labor’s paltry increase to Centrelink payments that will leave millions of people on poverty-payments.

The Greens introduced a suite of amendments to Labor’s Strengthening the Safety Net Bill – including implementing recommendations from the Government’s-own Robodebt Royal Commission, the Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee, and the Womens’ Economic Inclusion Taskforce – to help make life easier for the most vulnerable Australians.

Senator Janet Rice, Greens spokesperson for Social Services said:

“The Labor Government claims they’re leaving no one behind. Labor is leaving everyone on JobSeeker behind with this bill.

“If Labor cared about helping those struggling the most, they would have backed the Greens amendment to raise all Centrelink payments above the poverty line to $88 a day.

“While the Greens will never stop a cent going towards the people who need it most, this bill was pathetically inadequate at addressing the systemic problems plaguing our social security system and still leaves millions of Australians on poverty-payments.

“We know the cost of living crisis has hit those on JobSeeker hardest. Labor managed to find room in the budget for $9000 a year in Stage 3 tax cuts for every billionaire and politician in the country, but can’t raise Centrelink above the poverty line for struggling Australians.

“When it comes to income support, we don’t have a real safety net. As a witness at the bill’s inquiry said: “I wouldn’t call it a safety net, I would call it a parachute with holes. If you are on JobSeeker, you are going to hit the bottom at some point.”

“All this bill does is put a tiny patch on some of those holes. The increase works out to be around $4 a day, which is less than a cup of coffee and won’t help anyone pay their rent.

“The Greens tried in good faith to improve this bill in ways we thought Labor could support, even proposing amendments based on the Government’s-own Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee and the Robodebt Royal Commission that Labor established, and a recommendation from the RC report that the Prime Minister tearfully endorsed.

“Instead of listening to the community, and their own advisory bodies, the Labor Government teamed up with the Liberals to vote all these amendments down, betraying Robodebt victims, single mothers, and everyone on Centrelink payments struggling to keep a roof over their heads.

“Labor ignored an opportunity to make a meaningful difference in lifting Australians out of poverty and building a strong social safety net for everyone who needs it.

“With paltry bills like this from Labor that don’t even keep pace with record rent hikes and skyrocketing grocery prices, we are in real danger of creating a permanent underclass of people in this country that can’t afford to participate fully in society.