Category: Australian News

Minister for Industrial Relations, Michaelia Cash, today led a virtual roundtable discussion with around 50 leaders from unions, employer groups and government to discuss how best to support the vaccination rollout in workplaces.
Minister Cash brought together stakeholders to address concerns about how they can and should approach COVID-19 vaccination policies in the workplace and to support the vaccine rollout more broadly.
“It was a positive meeting and really pleasing to see employer groups and unions come together in the spirit of co-operation,” Minister Cash said. “It was clear from the discussion that participants are united in the goal to have as many Australians as possible vaccinated against COVID-19.”
Minister Cash praised the record number of people who are being vaccinated, noting that around 50 per cent of the country will have had at least one dose of the vaccine by the end of this week, demonstrating that the Australian Government’s approach of encouraging, rather than mandating, is working.
“I want to thank the millions of Australians who have already come forward to get vaccinated. This will help protect themselves, their family and their community.
Minister Cash reiterated the Australian Government’s position that vaccination is free and voluntary, unless a state or territory public health order is in place.
“The Australian Government’s position of voluntary vaccination does not detract from individual employers seeking their own advice and mandating for their workforce if they have assessed that it is the right decision for them.”
The Fair Work Ombudsman presented on recently released updated guidance on COVID-19 vaccinations and the workplace to assist employers and workers in determining their approach to vaccination.
At the roundtable, there was strong support for the positive role businesses and unions can play in supporting workers to get vaccinated. Participants agreed to work together to develop a work plan, in consultation with all relevant sectors. Providing easy access to vaccines was identified as a priority, through both increased points of contact in the rollout, and businesses making it as easy as possible for workers to get vaccinated. There was also a clear, strong call for consistency in state and territory approaches to public health orders and regulating work health and safety.
The Prime Minister announced after National Cabinet on 13 August 2021 that the Commonwealth, state and territory work, health and safety regulators would consider a Statement of Regulatory Intent. The Statement would make clear that businesses not subject to public health orders are not in breach of their work health and safety duties if they do not mandate vaccination. Businesses must still of course ensure they have a safe system of work in place in relation to COVID-19.
The Government encourages employers and employees to work together when it comes to COVID-19 vaccination. Cooperation is critical and all businesses are encouraged, no matter what vaccination policy they are considering, to consult closely with their workers about managing the risk of COVID-19 in the workplace.
Attendees at the roundtable included the Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Professor Michael Kidd; Fair Work Ombudsman Ms Sandra Parker; the Australian Information and Privacy Commissioner, Ms Angelene Falk; and CEO of Safe Work Australia, Michelle Baxter, who answered questions about rights and obligations under employment, privacy and work health and safety laws.
More information on these topics is available at:
Fair Work Ombudsman
Safe Work Australia
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC)
Australian Human Rights Commissioner

The Morrison Government has today awarded a record 25 scholarships to women studying Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) at 13 universities across Australia.
Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price said Defence continued to lead the nation in promoting STEM workforce diversity, with the Defence Women in STEM Undergraduate scholarships playing a significant role in building the talent pipeline.
Seventeen previous scholarship recipients have completed their degree programs, with seven continuing on to Defence STEM Cadetship programs and a further four women now employed by Defence.
“Clearly these scholarships are helping facilitate greater engagement from women across Australia with Defence,” Minister Price said.
“We are enabling the best talent to successfully complete their degrees and ensuring the workforce of the future is secured.”
This year’s scholarship program also honours the late Leisa Condie, who made outstanding contributions to cryptology and the high performance computing program in Defence and the Australian Signals Directorate.
The Leisa Condie Defence Women in STEM Undergraduate Scholarship was awarded to Edith Cowan University student Hannah Rice, whose studies align with Leisa’s work area.
The scholarships are awarded to students who demonstrated academic excellence and who displayed positive attributes such as community leadership and extra-curricular engagement.
The recipients were:

Recipient of Leisa Condie Scholarship:
Hannah Rice	Edith Cowan University	Bachelor of Science (Cyber Security)
All other Scholarship recipients:
Natasha Moy	University of Adelaide	Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) (Mechanical)/Bachelor of Science
Holly Wilson	Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT)	Bachelor of Space Science
Rosanna Xu	University of New South Wales (UNSW)	Bachelor of Engineering (Mechatronic)/Bachelor of Advanced Science
Paige Sedgwick	UNSW	Bachelor of Engineering (Hons)/Arts
Ruby Mattingley	Monash University	Bachelor of Applied Data Science Advanced (Hons)
Melanie Ward	Flinders University	Bachelor of Science (Computer Science)/Bachelor of Archaeology
Georgia Odlin	University of Sydney	Bachelor of Engineering (Hons)/Bachelor of Science
Bushra Khan	Charles Sturt University	Bachelor of Information Technology
Caroline Andersson	Flinders University	Bachelor of Science (Hons)
Catherine Cheng	UNSW	Bachelor of Advanced Science (Hons)/Engineering (Hons)
Caitlin Buchan	La Trobe University	Bachelor of Engineering (Hons)/Science
Alexandra Stephenson	University of Adelaide	Bachelor of Mathematical Sciences (Advanced)/Diploma in Arts
Jessie Lum	UNSW	Bachelor of Engineering (Hons)/Science
Kylie Chapman	University of Southern Queensland (USQ)	Bachelor of Science
Jessica Stafford	University of South Australia	Bachelor of Mathematics (Industrial and Applied Mathematics)
Dana Edwards	University of Melbourne	Bachelor of Science
Olivia Griscti	University of Adelaide	Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) (Mechanical)/Bachelor of Mathematical and Computer Science
Kate Morrison	University of Melbourne	Bachelor of Science
Halle Taylor-Pritchard	Griffith University	Bachelor of Engineering (Hons)/Bachelor of Information Technology
Selina Phillis	Charles Sturt University	Bachelor of Geospatial Science
Jacqueline Gregg	Monash University	Bachelor of Engineering (Hons)
Gazel Harabati	RMIT	Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical Engineering)/Bachelor of Science (Biotechnology)
Philippa McMurtrie	University of Adelaide	Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) (Mechanical)/Bachelor of Science
Michelle Therese Wilson	University of Adelaide	Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) (Mechanical)/Bachelor of Science (Biotechnology)

The scholarships are a key initiative under the ‘More, Together – Defence Science and Technology Strategy 2030’. The program is aimed at encouraging high-performing women to continue their studies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields and boost representation and job opportunities in the workforce.
For more information on the scholarships, visit https://www.dst.defence.gov.au/partner-with-us/university/scholarships.

The Greens are calling on Labor and the crossbench to oppose government amendments to the Commonwealth Electoral Act that would limit democratic participation, stifle dissent and entrench a two-party system.
Greens deputy leader and spokesperson on democracy Senator Larissa Waters said:
“The Greens have long fought back against conservative government attempts to lock out smaller entrants to the political system, attempts which seek to entrench a two-party system and stymie a diversity of voices.
“We oppose the increase of members from 500 to 1500 for a political party to gain federal registration. Whether a party gets representation in the parliament should be based on how many people vote for them, but this Government wants to stop smaller parties from being able to even seek votes.
“We also reject the proposal to lower to $100,000 the electoral expenditure threshold at which an individual or organisation would have to register as a political campaigner. This is another dangerous attack on civil society groups and an attempt to limit their advocacy by adding additional financial and disclosure burdens.
“We are also concerned about the plan to block parties from using names similar to existing parties. While we have some sympathy for ensuring that parties don’t impersonate rivals for electoral gain, there’s a fine line between preventing deliberate misrepresentation and excluding smaller parties from electoral politics.
“In context with the other proposed changes it’s clear the Government’s motivation is to prevent legitimate and democratic challenges to their grip on power.
“A health representative democracy should welcome political engagement from all, but the Government is clearly trying to silence dissent from groups who continue to campaign against their terrible policies on issues like climate, human rights and economic justice.”

The Greens have responded to reports the Australian Government will pause deportations to Afghanistan, saying it is not nearly enough given our culpability for the current crisis.
The Greens are calling on the federal government to provide 20,000 permanent protection visas, in addition to Australia’s annual humanitarian intake, for Afghan people with a well-founded fear of being persecuted by the Taliban in Afghanistan.
These visas are crucial to protect women, human rights advocates, LGBTIQ+ people, alumni of Australian Universities, journalists, Afghan government workers and people from ethnic and religious minorities previously persecuted by the Taliban.
Afghan citizens on temporary visas in Australia must also be offered protection in Australia with permanent visas.
The Government should immediately offer temporary bridging visas to any Afghan people who worked to support Australian Defence Forces or consular offices so they can come to safety in Australia while their claims for asylum are assessed.
The Greens also call on the government to provide immediate aid to support Afghan citizens in Afghanistan and evacuation assistance where possible.
Greens spokesperson for Immigration and Citizenship Nick McKim said:
“Given Australia’s many decades of interference in Afghanistan, we have a moral imperative to provide aid and support.”
“Pausing deportations to Afghanistan is not nearly enough, and it shows the depths of this government’s lack of compassion.”
“Accepting 20,000 humanitarian entrants and offering permanent protection for Afghan citizens already in Australia is the very least that we can do.”
“It must happen as a matter of urgency.”

The Greens say that State, Territory and Federal Governments need to provide more financial support to people on income support and low incomes in lockdown if we are to succeed in fighting the delta variant.
“Last year we had the JobSeeker supplement and the JobKeeper payments which changed people’s lives and enabled them to manage some very difficult times”, Senator Rachel Siewert said.
“The Federal Government took those supports away cruelly and prematurely.
“State and Territory leaders need to start extending the $1500 isolation payment to everyone who has been diagnosed with COVID, or is a close contact. Right now, income support recipients are excluded, this is unfair.
“We need positive measures and incentives in place. Punitive measures do not boost morale, they don’t create good will in the community and they harm people on low incomes the most.
“There is too much blaming of individuals, we need Governments to step in with strong support packages, for everyone, not the very bare minimum they think they can get away with.
“If we want people to be able to stay home and keep themselves and their communities safe, then they need financial payments so that they can keep paying the bills and pay for any additional services they might need during a lockdown.”

The Morrison Government is investing $2.4 million to help parents, early childcare workers, GPs and other health professionals improve the nutrition of Australian children up to five years of age.
Our Government recognises the importance of establishing healthy eating habits in early childhood because these can continue into adulthood, reducing the risk of developing chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Unfortunately, many Australian children do not eat enough nutritious foods such as vegetables, grains, legumes, proteins, and dairy products.
More than 95% of children aged up to 3 years see a GP or health professional each year.
Our Government is providing $1.2 million over three years to the University of Queensland to develop online nutrition resources called Nutritious Tools.
The online tools will include short videos, written information, quizzes and discussion boards, targeted at children of different developmental ages under 5 years.
Karitane, a leading not-for-profit health service, is being funded with $1.2 million over three years for the project Connecting the Dots for Healthy Beginnings in Early Childhood – A National Approach.
Connecting the Dots will improve early childhood nutrition literacy and provide practical knowledge for children, parents, carers, health professionals and care providers, through live nutrition education classes for parents; accredited training for GPs; and resources targeted at a range of health professionals.
This project recognises that GPs are well placed to provide nutrition information for parents of young children during consultations that already occur during early childhood, such as for immunisations.
The resources of both projects will be provided online and for free to make them accessible across Australia, including rural and remote locations.
I congratulate the recipients of the Early Childhood Nutrition Grants and look forward to seeing their projects come to fruition.

Last week, Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce made a telling admission that exposed a lot about what has gone wrong with the federal government.
Asked about what plan the Morrison-Joyce government had for reducing carbon emissions, Mr Joyce said: “We don’t actually come up with the plan.”
Really? This man is the Deputy Prime Minister. Their job is to plan.
Mr Joyce’s attitude provides context for the many failures and lost opportunities of the Coalition government, which has been in office for almost a decade.
Scott Morrison doesn’t think ahead. He has no agenda. He simply occupies space. And if things go wrong, he refuses to take responsibility.
First, Mr Morrison had no plan for the Black Summer Bushfires, even though former fire chiefs and scientists had explicitly warned him of the danger before the tragedy.
Then Mr Morrison bungled the two main jobs he had this year – rolling out vaccinations and ­fixing our broken quarantine ­system.
As a result, millions of Australians are in lockdown as the rest of the developed world begins to get back to normal. Australians are sick. Jobs are being lost. Students can’t go to school.
Then there is economic management.
While the Covid pandemic has hammered our economy, the truth is that before we even had heard of Covid, debt was at record high levels and growth in family incomes had stalled while costs like healthcare bills were still rising. It was already hard for families to get ahead.
Federal Labor understands the ­importance of planning. Over the past two years, we’ve developed a blueprint for an Australia that will be stronger and more resilient than it was before the pandemic.
Our plan is focused squarely on jobs and economic growth and it ­begins with modernising our ­employment system.
As things stand, our labour market has serious deficiencies that don’t come through in each month’s unemployment figures.
About 1.7 million Australians are unemployed or underemployed, meaning they can’t get the hours they need to look after their families.
Meanwhile, four million Australians are in insecure jobs. They don’t know how much they will earn each week, which makes it hard to plan or get a bank loan.
A Labor government will prepare a White Paper on Full Employment to provide a road map for the redesign of our employment system so it better serves the needs of Australians and their families.
I want to work with employers and workers so more people can get work and the hours they need.
In the quickly changing 21st ­century, we need flexibility and ­security.
We need an economy that works for Australians, not the other way around.
We must revitalise Australian manufacturing.
The pandemic has exposed the need for us to be more resilient and we have extraordinary opportunities to build back stronger if we are smart.
Our abundance of renewables can drive down power prices, boost productivity and make us more com­petitive.
A Labor government would help businesses capitalise on this gain with our $15bn National Reconstruction Fund, providing loans and other help to kickstart new manufacturing ­ventures or modernise existing businesses.
We would target sectors including renewable technology, resources and food production, with a special focus on value adding and regional Australia.
For example, Australia is among the world’s largest exporters of lithium, which is used to make batteries.
Instead of exporting the raw ­material, we should further develop our own battery industry here, ­providing thousands of jobs and boosting our national income.
New industries need skilled workers. So a Labor government would create Jobs and Skills Australia, an independent body that would work with employers, unions and TAFEs to ensure we are teaching young Australians the skills needed for these new industries.
Right now there are 115,000 fewer Australians in apprenticeships and traineeships than there were when the Coalition took office.
That’s not good enough.
Labor would further boost training with our Australians Skills Guarantee, requiring that 10 per cent of all jobs on government-funded worksites be apprentices, trainees or cadets.
We would also harness the power of government purchasing to ensure that when we need to purchase defence supplies or new trains for public transport, we make them here, rather than sourcing them overseas.
Australia has the capacity to manufacture more of what we need.
But we need a government prepared to step up to the responsibility of leadership.
In the 21st century, our nation is perfectly placed to prosper. We sit at the heart of the region that is undergoing the fastest economic growth in human history.
We face a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform our economy and build back from this crisis stronger, fairer and more united as a country.
But to seize these opportunities, we must reach out and grab them.
It’s not enough to cross our fingers and hope. We need a solid plan.
Mr Morrison has no plans. And Mr Joyce thinks it isn’t his job.

The Commonwealth and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Governments are working together to extend the COVID-19 Business Support Grants in line with the extension of the ACT lockdown to 2 September.
The ACT COVID-19 Business Support Grants will deliver support of up to $10,000 for employing businesses and $4,000 for non-employing businesses over the three week lockdown period where those businesses’ turnover has declined by 30 per cent or more as a result of the COVID-19 health restrictions.
Businesses must be registered in the ACT and able to demonstrate their primary operation in the ACT, have an annual turnover of more than $75,000, be registered for GST and have a total payroll of less than $10 million. They will also need to provide evidence of a 30 per cent reduction in their turnover.
The package will be split on a 50/50 basis between the Commonwealth and the ACT Governments, with the Territory government to administer the program.
This is a similar arrangement that has been in place for businesses in other jurisdictions impacted by COVID-19 lockdowns.
With news of this extension, the detailed guidelines and the application process are now being finalised and will be made available as soon as possible.
Businesses can register their interest for the grants and the Covid-19 Business Hardship Scheme on the Business Hub website.
Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the Morrison and ACT governments were working together to ensure households and businesses are supported during this challenging time.
“The Morrison Government recognises the announced extension of the lockdown will have a significant impact on households and businesses in the ACT,” the Treasurer said.
“That is why we are providing the necessary economic assistance in the form of the COVID-19 Disaster Payments for individuals and expanded businesses support along with the ACT Government.”
“This support builds on the $2.1 billion the Federal Government has delivered to households and businesses in the capital.”
Chief Minister Andrew Barr said the extended package would help to keep businesses in business and people in jobs.
“We know that extended lockdowns are particularly hard for businesses, especially those who have been experiencing a downturn in trade for some months due to restrictions interstate, the Chief Minister said.
“The ACT Government will continue to work constructively with the Commonwealth Government to support businesses and keep people in jobs.”
Senator for the ACT Zed Seselja said the Federal Government was committed to supporting the needs of businesses across the Territory at this challenging time.
“Ensuring our support is as accessible as possible is important to provide certainty and confidence for Canberra businesses impacted by this lockdown,” Senator Seselja said.
“The next few weeks will be tough for many businesses and small business owners, and this support together with the Commonwealth’s COVID-19 Disaster payment will assist businesses to stay connected with their employees, and be able to reopen and recover as quickly as possible when lockdown ends.”
“The Federal Government remains committed to co-funding additional business support measures on a 50/50 basis with the ACT Government, should they put forward further proposals.”
More details are available via www.act.gov.au/business/business-support/covid-19-economic-support-for-business

A shocking investigation by Nine into Australia’s largest white supremacist group has uncovered the most horrific evidence yet of a growing far-right movement, the Greens say.
Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Greens anti-racism spokesperson, said:
“The investigation is shocking but not entirely surprising for those of us who have followed the rise of the far-right closely and are impacted by racism and its deadly consequences.
“These men want nothing less than a white ethno-state and violence against any minorities and anti-racists who seek to stand in its way. If not dealt with now, they will pose an existential threat to our multicultural society.
“We have to deal with the extremists themselves, but also the political environment in which they are emboldened and led down a path of hate. Too often, racism is given a free pass in media and mainstream politics.
“The government must develop, fund and roll out a far-reaching anti-racism plan. We know white supremacy and racism is festering in society. There is no time to waste. We need an unambiguous commitment to anti-racism.
“There must be a zero tolerance approach. Laws on hate speech must be enforced and strengthened and community programs to counter the far-right require significant investment.”
Senator Lidia Thorpe, Greens First Nations and justice spokesperson, said:
“First Nations people have faced the violence of white supremacy since colonisation. Will the Morrison government take a stand against the latest threat, or be complicit in their silence?
“We need to be clear about who and what constitutes a threat to our communities.
“In 2019, an Australian was responsible for two mass shootings at Mosques in Aotearoa (New Zealand). In 2020, ASIO revealed that 40% of counter-terrorism cases involve far-right violent extremism. In 2021, what is the Morrison government doing to keep Aboriginal people and multicultural communities safe?

Australian Greens Education spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has said that early learning and care services impacted by lockdowns must be supported through relief payments.
Senator Faruqi said:
“Thousands of early learning centres came to the brink of collapse in 2020 and we don’t want to see the same situation repeating itself.
“Centres are struggling to keep their doors open. Relying on the gap-fee waiver is unsustainable. In the end, families, children and early educators will be impacted.
“Relief payments can be made to ensure centres remain open and viable. It’s beyond time for the Education Minister to announce a scheme for all those centres affected by lockdowns across the country.
“With the current wave hitting many parts of the country, this system should be flexible and able to be switched on when lockdowns are ordered. This should be top priority.
“At the end of the day, this grim situation just underscores how broken the system is. Early learning and care should be universal and free, well-funded by the government, and not run for profit.”