Category: Australian News

Today, Thursday, 15 April 2021, marks 30 years since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody handed down its findings, along with 339 recommendations.
In the three decades since the landmark inquiry, 474 First Nations people have died – that we know about – either in custody or in police pursuits.
Too often these deaths are the result of assault, neglect or preventable suicide. There are proven ways to reduce the causes of incarceration and reduce deaths in custody, and as a nation, it’s time we got on with it.
First Australians represent three per cent of the general population.
But in the time since the Royal Commission, First Nations people as a proportion of the imprisoned population – adults and our young people – has doubled from 14 per cent to 30 per cent.
In some places, it is nearly 90 per cent.
If we want to reduce deaths in custody, we need to reduce incarceration rates.
If we want to reduce incarceration rates, we need to reduce crime and recidivism.
If we want to reduce crime and recidivism, we need to break the cycle of disadvantage – the socio-economic drivers of these unacceptable trends.
This is why Labor is announcing a suite of substantive measures today to begin to turn the tide on the incarceration and the deaths:

• Expanding justice re-investment to tackle the root causes of crime and recidivism;
• Ensuring coronial inquests into deaths in custody are comprehensive, adequately resourced and inclusive of the voices of families and First Nations communities; and
• The establishment of national consolidated real-time reporting of deaths in custody.

$79M TO EXPAND JUSTICE REINVESTMENT
It is no longer good enough just to be tough on crime. We need to be smart and effective on it too. We need to be tough on the causes of crime – the socio-economic drivers of disadvantage.
Labor will boost funding for up to 30 communities to establish justice reinvestment initiatives from 2023 to expand existing services to reduce crime and recidivism – including rehabilitation services; family or domestic violence support; homelessness support and school retention initiatives.
It involves a community-led and holistic approach to keeping at risk individuals out of the criminal justice system.
And it necessarily requires co-ordination with local police and courts.
States and territories would contribute half of the program costs and will benefit from reduced prison costs.
We will establish an independent national justice reinvestment unit to assist communities and evaluate program performance.
To be successful, justice re-investment initiatives will need to be tailored to local needs and developed in partnership with First Nations communities and organisations, including with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services and with Family Violence and Prevention Legal Services to ensure that the voices and experiences of First Nations women are heard.
In Bourke, the community-led Maranguka Project is an example of justice reinvestment delivering results. Anevaluation by KPMG showed significant reductions in domestic violence, re-offending and juvenile charges, along with improved school retention.
The project was assessed as saving the NSW economy $3.1 million, five times the operating cost of the project in the same year.
Justice reinvestment projects are now being established in Mt Druitt and Moree.
A federal justice re-investment body and federal and state support for justice reinvestment were recommendations of the Australian Law reform Commission’s 2018 Pathways to Justice report.
On average, it costs $110,000 per year to keep someone in prison. Over time, justice re-investment means fewer people will be in prison, more than paying for the up-front cost of the programs. It means less crime and savings for taxpayers.
$13.5M FOR MORE EFFECTIVE CORONIAL INQUESTS
Coronial inquests should lead to real and lasting change, preventing deaths in custody and saving lives.
Coronial inquests should be comprehensive and more inclusive, by ensuring that the voices of families and First Nations communities are heard.
Labor will provide specific standalone funding for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander legal services to ensure First Nations families can access culturally appropriate, timely, and fair legal assistance before, during and after all coronial processes.
CONSOLIDATED REAL-TIME REPORTING OF DEATHS IN CUSTODY
And Labor will establish consolidated real-time reporting of First Nations deaths in custody at a national level.
In government, Labor will convene a national summit bringing together First Nations and state and territory representatives to ensure coordinated action on First Nations deaths in custody.
Labor would work with the states and territories to set up a national process for real-time reporting of deaths in custody, with all deaths to be publicly reported within 24 hours.

The release of a new report shows only the Greens have a climate policy in line with the science.
The Climate Council report, Aim High, Go Fast, which drew from new data from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change identifies the need for 75% emissions reduction from Australia by 2030 – in line with the Greens policy but 3 times the Coalition’s current target (26-28%). Meanwhile the Labor party has no articulated 2030 target at all.
The Greens announced updated targets in June 2020 which match the ambition outlined in the new report.
Today the Greens Leader, Adam Bandt, called on the government and opposition to accept science-based targets of 75% by 2030 and net zero by 2035 ahead of the Climate Summit hosted by US President Joe Biden.
“The reality is stark and should be a call to drastic action for anyone who acknowledges the science,” Greens Leader Adam Bandt said.
“A tripling of our target is the only way to have any chance of keeping within our carbon budget.
“There is nowhere for the Liberals and Labor to hide. To have any credibility on climate they need to adopt these targets and rapidly transition out of gas and coal.
“For politicians that want to be honest with coal communities and the Australian public at large, this report reiterates what that honesty looks like. If you don’t have a plan to get out of gas and coal, your climate plan is a sham.
“The repeal of the successful Greens-Labor price on carbon has proven to be an act of economic and environmental sabotage. If we had continued on that trajectory we would be marching into these global summits as players in the new green economy, but instead we’re a target of ridicule and potential sanctions.
“The good news is that the rest of the world are lifting their ambition, but that makes the Australian government’s position a diplomatic as well as a climate risk,” Bandt said.

The Australian Government is getting on with the job of rolling out COVID-19 vaccines to regional, remote and rural Australia, with almost 500 facilities in New South Wales signed up to administer the vaccine.
Federal Regional Health Minister and Member for Parkes, Mark Coulton today visited a clinic in Gunnedah, NSW where the rollout is underway.
“I’m pleased to be at Barber Street Practice in Gunnedah to visit one of the many GP clinics across rural Australia which has signed up to deliver COVID-19 vaccinations,” Minister Coulton said.
“Everyone, no matter where they live in Australia, will be offered a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine is free and the consult appointment for patients to receive their vaccinations is also free.”
The Government has established almost 1,500 primary care vaccination sites in rural Australia to administer vaccines under phase 1b to support Australians living in rural, regional and remote communities.
“Although cases of the virus have remained low in rural Australia, the Government’s targeted COVID-19 vaccine program will keep communities, like Gunnedah, safe,” Minister Coulton said.
“GP clinics, like this, provide a great service to their local community, as do all doctors, pharmacists, nurses and other health professionals living and working in country Australia.
“I’m pleased to see so many people in rural, regional and remote Australia continue to be eager to get the jab when it’s their turn.”
The COVID-19 vaccination program is one of the largest logistical exercises in Australia’s history – protecting the lives of millions of people across the country.
The Government is working closely with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Health Services, general practices, state and territory governments, Primary Health Networks, General Practitioner-led Respiratory Clinics and community pharmacies, to ensure that everyone living outside our major cities has access to COVID-19 vaccinations if they choose to.
Recent updated advice from the vaccine expert taskforce, the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation to the Government is that the risk of a very specific blood clotting side effect from the AstraZeneca vaccine is four to six in one million people.
This is a rare, but serious side effect of this particular vaccine so on that basis the recommendation is that it is preferred that the Pfizer vaccine be provided to adults under the age of 50.
The Government is working through this implication with the states and territories as an urgent priority.
Minister Coulton said it was important to note the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine remains highly effective at preventing death and severe illness among people who have contracted COVID-19—and the incidence of this blood-clotting syndrome is very rare.
For more information about the Australian Government’s COVID-19 vaccine strategy, visit health.gov.au.

Labour force figures released today by the ABS show that the Australian labour market continued to recover strongly in March 2021, with employment increasing by a robust 70,700 over the month, exceeding all market expectations.
There are now a record 13,077,600 Australians in work, with the level of employment now 74,300 (or 0.6 per cent) above its pre-COVID level in March 2020 and 947,100 (or 7.8 per cent) higher than the trough in the labour market recorded in May 2020.
The increase in employment over the month was due, entirely, to a rise in part-time jobs, which increased by 91,500 (or 2.2 per cent) in March, to a record high of 4,203,400. Part-time employment is now 76,800 (or 1.9 per cent) above the level recorded in March 2020.
While full-time employment fell by 20,800 (or 0.2 per cent) over the month, to 8,874,200 in March 2021, the decline this month was not surprising, given the five consecutive monthly increases totalling 359,600 recorded between October 2020 and February 2021.
Women accounted for the vast majority of the rise in employment in March, up by 55,400 (or 0.9 per cent), to a record high of 6,229,600 in March 2021, while male employment also rose, by 15,300 (or 0.2 per cent).
Aggregate hours worked continued to increase in March, up by 38.3 million hours (or 2.2 per cent), and are now 21.8 million hours (or 1.2 per cent) above the level recorded in March 2020.
The level of unemployment in Australia fell by 27,100 (or 3.4 per cent) over the month, to 778,100 in March 2021, but remains 62,100 (or 8.7 per cent) higher than it was a year ago.
The unemployment rate also decreased over the month, by 0.2 percentage points, to 5.6 per cent, but is still above the 5.2 per cent recorded in March 2020.
The stronger labour market conditions that continued into March also encouraged more people to enter the labour market, with the participation rate increasing by 0.2 percentage points over the month, to an historic high of 66.3 per cent in March 2021, above the 65.9 per cent recorded a year ago.
The rise in overall participation was driven, entirely, by women, with the female participation rate increasing by 0.4 percentage points over the month, to a record high of 61.8 per cent in March 2021.
The Government welcomes today’s positive labour force results, but acknowledges the economic and labour market fallout from COVID-19 will continue for some time to come. The Government has provided unprecedented direct economic support to help rebuild the economy and put Australia back on the road to recovery.
This includes record levels of investment in skills and training, new infrastructure projects, tax cuts, unprecedented business investment incentives and new targeted support, such as the $1.2 billion aviation and tourism package.
The Government’s Economic Recovery Plan, described as ‘key’ to saving jobs by the OECD, will continue to create employment opportunities in Australia and will help to secure this country’s economic and labour market future.

Australian Greens Disability spokesperson Senator Jordon Steele-John said today the Government’s plans to stall the introduction of compulsory independent assessments was an acknowledgement of the broad opposition to the controversial changes from disabled people and peak advocacy organisations.
“It’s pretty clear that the new NDIS Minister has seen the writing on the wall about compulsory independent assessments,” Steele-John said, “Which is a direct result of pressure from our community, who have been campaigning against them from the very beginning!”
“But, the Liberals have a track record of introducing dodgy legislation, pushing it back due to community pressure only to re-introduce it later on when everyone’s guard is down.
“This is exactly the same tactics this government used to ram the racist cashless debit card legislation through the Senate in the final hours before we parted for Christmas break at the end of last year, and it is exactly what I anticipate they will do with these changes to our NDIS.
“We must not back down now. Earlier this week we saw proof – in the form of a leaked internal document – that Scott Morrison and the Liberals are trying to kick disabled people off the NDIS and cut money out of our plans because they think that disabled people are a financial burden.
“When the plan to introduce compulsory independent assessments was announced, our community said very clearly that this proposal was just a smokescreen for blocking access and cutting support.
“Scott Morrison, the Liberals and their mates in the agency told us we were being ridiculous; they told us these changes were about “consistency” and “fairness”. We knew they were lying and now we have proof.
“Let’s be clear – the Morrison government has been gaslighting disabled people for years about their plans for the NDIS. Why would we trust them now when they say they will consider the evidence and feedback from the second Independent Assessment trial before making a decision about the future of these changes?
“As disabled people our concerns, conclusions and instincts are so often dismissed. Today’s announcement is a reminder that our collective bullshit detector is more than a match for this trash-fire government!”

The Greens say the government should use unallocated discretionary funds set aside for COVID to begin work on a publicly-owned domestic vaccine manufacturer. If the government fails to act, the Greens plan to move in the Senate to demand action on domestic vaccine production when Parliament resumes.
The Greens call on the Government to ensure that the 2021/22 budget allocates funding for the urgent development of publicly-owned mRNA vaccine manufacturing capability in Australia, and that it immediately initiates this work by drawing on $1 billion from the $10 billion made available in the 2020/21 Advance to the Finance Minister, which was boosted for the specific purpose of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, most of which remains unallocated.
The Greens say this discretionary budget was conceived to deal with unexpected costs of the pandemic and shoring up vaccine supplies against international uncertainty is a perfect example of a universally beneficial application of the fund.
The Government previously announced $1b in funding to support the domestic manufacture of the AstraZeneca vaccine. The Greens are calling for $1b to be allocated to a publicly-owned manufacturer which has mRNA capacity. The Greens together with scientists have been calling for domestic mRNA manufacturing capacity for several months.
Current expert advice and international experience suggests that it could take 6 months to construct and commence mRNA production domestically in Australia, which is not only competitive with the Government’s best guess timeline around international vaccine imports, but vastly superior, as it would provide a permanent buffer against unexpected events overseas.
Leader of the Australian Greens Adam Bandt MP said:
“We should be able to make each key type of COVID vaccine here in Australia, to look after ourselves and our neighbours.
“By failing to diversify domestic vaccine production, the government has left us exposed to international events and the whims of big drug corporations.
“If the government had set up a publicly-owned vaccine maker when the Greens first called for it almost a year ago, it could be up and running by now.
“This government wants to build a publicly funded gas power plant to cook the planet, but not a publicly funded vaccine facility to keep Australians safe.
“So much of Scott Morrison’s failures have come as a result of poor planning for international uncertainty, and assuming that everything will go smoothly from here is reckless.
“The government set aside $10b in discretionary funding for the COVID response. The government should immediately direct $1b of the unallocated discretionary funds to help set up a publicly-owned vaccine manufacturer with mRNA capability.
“This is exactly the kind of public health measure that the government should be using the discretionary budget to fund. If Scott Morrison fails to act, the Greens will be moving in Parliament during the Budget session to demand funding for domestic vaccine production.
“The abandonment of the vaccination timetable is in part due to the Government’s failure to heed calls to develop domestic, publicly-owned vaccine production.”
Greens Health spokesperson, Senator Rachel Siewert said:
“Australia unfortunately sold off our publicly-owned vaccine capacity – cheaply. Now it’s time to buy back the farm.
“If we had domestic mRNA manufacturing capacity established in Australia, we would be in a position to roll-out the vaccines we need with a timeline that we had some control over.
“The Greens put the case for publicly-owned domestic vaccine production to the government a year ago. But we say today that it is better late than never, and in the post-Covid era such capacity will put us in good stead for decades to come.
“With publicly-owned domestic mRNA manufacturing capacity, we will be able to beat this pandemic, and any one that follows it. With domestic vaccine production we’ll be able to rapidly adjust to new strains as they develop, and  become a vaccine production hub for the region.”

Further sickening revelations about the existence of an illegal drinking establishment at Tarinkot base in Afghanistan, and the involvement of senior commanding officers at that establishment, are yet more evidence of the culture that General’s Campbell and Burr are not fit to implement the recommendations of the Brereton Inquiry report.
Australian Greens Peace and Disarmament spokesperson Senator Jordon Steele-John the revelations were yet more evidence of the horrific cultural problem that existed within our ADF throughout Afghanistan while General’s Campbell and Burr were in senior leadership positions, and that has been allowed to continue to this very day.
“Chief of the Defence Force, General Campbell, and Chief of Army, 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,” 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 held a senior executive position during the time that alleged criminal activity occurred.
“It is simply unimaginable that the top brass were unaware of the existence of this drinking establishment or the fact that it was frequented by commanding officers. Given what we’ve seen reported today in The Age, it was clearly an open secret.
“The perception that there has been a deliberate cover up, or that the top brass have turned a blind eye to the behaviour of our ADF personnel in Afghanistan, is undermining the process that must be undertaken.
“It is untenable for either General Campbell or General Burr to play a role in the implementation of recommendations from the Brereton Report; they must both immediately resign.”

In a major boost to Australia’s film and television industry, the Morrison Government will extend two measures that will support the continued production of quality, local screen content as the sector recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The highly effective $50 million Temporary Interruption Fund (TIF) will be extended for a further six months, to provide coverage for productions that commence principal photography prior to 31 December 2021.
The Morrison Government will also retain at 40 per cent the Producer Offset rate for feature films with a theatrical release. In addition, as announced last year, the Government will raise the Producer Offset rate from 20 to 30 per cent for other eligible formats such as drama and documentary content for television and streaming platforms.
Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, The Hon Paul Fletcher MP, said these support measures would enable the local screen industry to continue to create quality Australian productions and keep thousands of jobs and businesses in the local production sector.
“Despite our successes in managing COVID-19 in Australia, the continuing severity of the pandemic internationally is a problem for screen production, with insurers still not providing coverage for COVID-19 related events,” Minister Fletcher said.
“TIF has been vital in providing the certainty that productions need to secure financing, and it will have assisted with more than 12,000 production roles and 5000 business contracts in its first year of operation.”
The 40 per cent Producer Offset supports around 50 Australian feature films per year with total average rebates of around $124 million. This injects over $300 million per year into the Australian economy, and underpins the tremendous success Australian feature films have had at the box office in recent times.
Minister Fletcher said, “Australian feature films play an important role in our cultural identity and resonate strongly with audiences at home and abroad. After consulting with Australian feature film producers and considering the feature film environment abroad, we have determined that retaining the offset at 40 per cent is appropriate to ensure the ongoing vitality of the sector.”
TIF and the Producer Offset are administered by Screen Australia. Eligibility criteria, guidelines and how to apply are available at: https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/funding-and-support

The Australian Greens have lashed the Morrison Government’s vaccine rollout, saying that tonight’s announcement of a health advisory to no longer vaccinate many people under 50 would have been avoidable if Australia had a domestic mRNA manufacturing capacity.
“The government’s rollout is in shambles. This is precisely why Australia should have built domestic mRNA vaccine manufacturing capacity at the start of the pandemic,” Senator Siewert said.
“We shouldn’t be playing catch-up – completely rewriting our vaccine strategy weeks into the rollout, with vaccine choice determined by availability, not evidence based health policy.
“If we had domestic mRNA manufacturing capacity established in Australia, we wouldn’t be telling under 50’s that they should only be vaccinated where ‘the benefits outweigh the risk’. We would be vaccinating them with the best, safest vaccine.
“If we had domestic mRNA vaccine production ability, we could be shifting our rollout to other vaccines, like Novovax or Pfizer.
“Instead, Scott Morrison is seemingly just making it up as we go along.
“We need to make sure that people here are rapidly vaccinated with the best available vaccine, and that we’re able to play our role in supplying vaccines to the Pacific.
“To do that, we need a publicly-owned mRNA vaccine manufacturer in Australia.
“Scientists and health experts have backed the Greens’ call for Australia to build mRNA vaccine manufacturing capacity on our shores.
“With publicly-owned domestic manufacturing capacity, we won’t just be able to make sure that everyone here is inoculated against new pandemics as they come, but we’ll be a vaccine production hub for the region.”

The Australian Government is investing $8.75 million over four years to provide additional health services in the Northern Territory as part of its commitment to strengthen Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services.
Delivered through the Northern Territory Pathways to Community Control program (NT P2CC), the funding will provide First Nations people with access to effective, high quality, comprehensive and culturally appropriate primary health care services.
This investment builds on the $4 million already committed for transition activities occurring in West Arnhem, demonstrating the strong partnerships that exist between the Commonwealth and Northern Territory Government and other key members of the NT Aboriginal Health Forum, including the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance NT (AMSANT).
Minister for Health and Aged Care, Greg Hunt, said community driven approaches to delivering health services were delivering major benefits for First Nations people.
“We have held extensive consultation with local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, which is key to giving communities real control over their own health and wellbeing,” Minister Hunt said.
Northern Territory Minster for Health, Natasha Fyles, said, the Northern Territory Government welcomed the Commonwealth’s ongoing commitment to supporting community control.
“We look forward to working in partnership with the Commonwealth to deliver on this important initiative. This is the continuation of our commitment to local decision making, and recognition of the importance of listening to the community and working hand-in-hand to meet community needs,” Ms Fyles said.
Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory, CEO, John Paterson, said, AMSANT welcomed the ongoing funding commitment from the Australian Government to continue transition to community control health services.
“This is consistent with the Closing the Gap National Agreement priorities to strengthen Aboriginal decision making and enhancing Aboriginal community control organisations,” Mr Paterson said.
The National Agreement on Closing the Gap, released in July 2020, identified health as a priority sector.
The NT P2CC program, which falls under the Indigenous Australians’ Health Programme (IAHP) will continue to make an important contribution to realising the commitments made under the National Agreement.
To date, the IAHP has successfully transitioned health services to community control in Yirrkala (2012), Milingimbi (2016), Ramingining (2019), Gapuwiyak (2019) and Maningrida (2021). The Yirrkala clinic has already recorded improvements in care and patient numbers, and has had success in lowering childhood anaemia and increasing immunisation rates.
The additional funding will be available from 1 July 2021 and will be focused on the priority regions for transitioning of West Arnhem, Maningrida and Central Australia.