Category: Australian News

We welcome the emergency approval given to the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in the UK. This is particularly so given the over 1.6 million cases and tragic loss of over 59,000 lives in the UK.
I have again spoken to the Australian CEO of Pfizer, they remain on track for vaccine delivery once it is approved for use in Australia by the independent regulator.
Pfizer continues to work with the Therapeutic Goods Administration, providing data for safety and efficacy as part of the approval process.
Our advice remains that the timeline for a decision on approval is expected by the end of January 2021, and our planning is for first vaccine delivery in March 2021.
Pfizer is one of four vaccines the Australian Government has purchased for a total projected supply of 134.8 million units.
In addition we will have access to up to 25.5 million units under the international COVAX facility.
Safety is our number priority and Australia is well placed both for a thorough, but rapid safety assessment and early rollout of a free, voluntary but entirely universally available COVID-19 vaccine program.
Today is an important step for the world.

The Australian Government has today introduced legislation into the Parliament to support the establishment of the Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS) for residential aged care.
Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians, Richard Colbeck, said the Government, through this bill, is providing safe and quality care as a priority and is putting in place stronger measures to help prevent elder abuse to protect the health and wellbeing of senior Australians.
“The Australian Government’s quality reform agenda is strengthening protections and improving delivery of safe, quality care,” Minister Colbeck said.
“The Serious Incident Response Scheme will commence from 1 April 2021 and expands the responsibilities of aged care providers to identify, record, manage, resolve and report assaults and a broader range of serious incidents in residential aged care.”
“Prioritising implementation of the SIRS is part of the Government’s rapid response to the Aged Care Royal Commission’s recommendations into COVID-19 to increase protection for residents,” Minister Colbeck said.
“It will drive quality and safety improvements in residential aged care at the individual service and broader system level.
“It will require aged care providers to manage all incidents, with a focus on the safety and wellbeing of people in aged care. Importantly, providers will need to put measures in place to prevent similar incidents from reoccurring.”
The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission will have additional resources to administer the SIRS, including receiving reports and taking proportionate regulatory action. The new legislation strengthens the Commission’s enforcement powers with civil penalties, infringement notices, enforceable undertakings, and injunctions across a range of provider responsibilities. This aligns the Commissioner’s powers with contemporary regulatory best practice.
“Significantly, the scheme will remove the current reporting exemption of incidents of abuse and aggression between aged care recipients where the alleged perpetrator has an assessed cognitive or mental impairment,” Minister Colbeck said.
The Government has invested more than $1.7 billion to support senior Australians in aged care since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which includes a further investment of $132.2 million as part our response to the Aged Care Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety’s recommendations on COVID-19.
The Government has accepted and is acting on all six recommendations made by the Royal Commission in relation to COVID-19, including an additional $11.1 million investment in the Serious Incident Response Scheme, taking total investment to date to $67.9 million.
“The introduction of the SIRS legislation demonstrates the Government’s ongoing commitment to improving care for senior Australians and keeping them safe,” Minister Colbeck said.

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.”

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 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 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.

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.”

Greens Leader, Adam Bandt, says the latest reported emissions drop, driven by the Covid-19 shutdowns, should provide no cover for the Morrison Government.
Australia’s reduction targets are some of the weakest in the developed world and are under renewed pressure after the election of Joe Biden who has called on nations to lift 2030 targets.
Indeed, when volatile land clearing figures are excluded, Australia’s emissions are actually above 2005 levels.
“Covid is not a climate policy,” Bandt said.
“As Australia emerges from the worst of the pandemic, emissions are set to rise again because the government has no climate plan.”
“Without stronger, science-based 2030 targets and a plan to phase out coal, gas and oil, emissions are set to rise again as we get the pandemic under control.
“One of the biggest drops in emissions, caused by the lockdown, was transport. While the UK is phasing out combustion engine sales in a decade, Australia is either doing nothing, or in some states even worse by bringing in EV taxes.
“The pandemic is not an acceptable means of reducing emissions.”
“Joe Biden will host a climate conference in his first 100 days as President, and that will be followed by the Glasgow climate summit. Australia has a very narrow window to turn our ship around and lift 2030 targets, or we will find ourselves out in the cold with Saudi Arabia and Russia.
“The US and Europe are gearing up for a race to the top, with huge opportunities in booming markets for renewable energy, hydrogen and green metals and manufactured goods.
“Our biggest markets for coal and gas in Japan, China and South Korea are all ramping up their emissions targets too. Australia’s ‘gas-led’ recovery is an act of economic ruin.

Australian Greens Disability Rights spokesperson Senator Jordon Steele-John said he was appalled at findings by the Disability Royal Commission, released today, that cited “serious failures” by the Morrison government to make “any significant effort” to consult with disabled people during the early stages of response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The recommenations made by the Chair are a vindication of the outrage and distress felt by disabled people, and our families, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic” Steele-John said.
“It proves that we were shut out of emergency response planning at the beginning of the pandemic, or not even considered, and as a result our lives were put at risk.
“The recommendations made by the Royal Commission today are clear and actionable, and reflect the seriousness of the neglect experienced by disabled people at the hands of the Morrison government.
“I’m glad to see the Royal Commission doing the job it has been empowered to do; the Australian Greens strongly support all 22 recommendations.”

Labour market economist Professor Jeff Borland has told the senate inquiry looking into the JobSeeker COVID supplement rate that the higher rate of JobSeeker doesn’t impact on the rates of people seeking employment.
Rather than relying on anecdotal claims that unemployed people aren’t looking for work because of the rates of the coronavirus supplement, Professor Borland has looked at the market figures which show there has been no decrease in the number of people moving from unemployment to employment once the economy started reopening again, Senator Rachel Siewert said.
Professor Borland’s research shows:

• Vacancy rates have not returned to their rates prior to the pandemic;
• Increasing the JobSeeker Payment would not result in any significant financial disincentive for jobseekers to shift into employment;
• The COVID‐19 JobKeeper Supplement has not affected the speed with which jobs are being filled or caused a large‐scale shortage of labour; and
• The main drivers of labour supply in Australia since the onset of the pandemic have been macroeconomic conditions and direct effects of COVID‐19.

It’s outrageous that the Government have continued their ideological attacks on people on income support in the face of the worst recession of a generation.
The claims that having an unemployment payment above the poverty line is a disincentive for people looking for work is just demonising people accessing the social safety net and its simply untrue.
Professor Borland recently published Would a rise in JobSeeker affect incentives for paid work?