Category: Australian News

The National Cabinet met today to discuss Australia’s COVID-19 response and changes to the Australian COVID-19 Vaccine Strategy.
National Cabinet continues to work together to address issues and find solutions for the health and economic consequences of COVID-19.
There have been 29,897 confirmed cases in Australia and, sadly, 910 people have died. More than 17.1 million tests have been undertaken in Australia.
Globally there have been over 155.6 million cases and sadly over 3.2 million deaths, with around 842,000 new cases and more than 13,000 deaths reported in the last 24 hours. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to surge in many countries around the world. Sadly in India there were more than 400,000 confirmed cases in the previous 24 hours.
Australia’s COVID-19 vaccine roll out continues to expand. To date 2,554,531 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in Australia, including 81,000 in the previous 24 hours. Around 10 per cent of the Australian adult population have now had a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, including over 30 per cent of over 70 year olds.
The number of administration sites has expanded, with more than 5,000 general practices, general practice vaccination centres, Aboriginal health services and state clinics now administering COVID-19 vaccinations.
Today, National Cabinet received a briefing from Professor Brendan Murphy, Chair of the Science and Industry Technical Advisory Group, and the Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer, Professor Paul Kelly on the vaccination program and current status of the outbreak in India.
National Cabinet agreed the imperative to work together to administer COVID-19 vaccinations to Australians as quickly as possible.
National Cabinet will return to monthly meetings. The next meeting of National Cabinet will be on Friday 4 June 2021.
Recommencement Of Facilitated Commercial Flights
National Cabinet noted that since the temporary pause on flights from India commenced there has been a sustained reduction in COVID-19 positive cases originating from India in Australia’s quarantine system. The number of COVID-19 positive cases in the National Centre for Resilience at Howard Springs has fallen to 21, from more than 50 cases a week ago. Positive cases associated with previous facilitated flights from India are on track to reach zero by 14 May.
National Cabinet thanked the Indian Australian community in Australia and in India for their support and understanding during the temporary pause in passenger flights between Australia and India.
National Cabinet noted the advice that the Biosecurity Act 2015 Determination has been effective in stemming the flow of positive cases into Australia to ensure the safety of Australia’s quarantine system. The Determination was designed to be a temporary measure and the medical advice provided to the Minister for Health is that it will be safe to allow it to expire as planned on 15 May.
National Cabinet noted the agreement between the Commonwealth and the Northern Territory Government that facilitated commercial flights into the National Resilience Centre at Howard Springs will resume on May 15 with one flight per 7-9 days, with an estimated 1,000 Australians expected to return under these arrangements by the end of June. Vulnerable Australians will be prioritised on these flights. Passengers on flights will require mandatory PCR and Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT).
National Cabinet noted the New South Wales, Victorian and Queensland Governments’ offer to accept further facilitated flights from India in May, with mandatory PCR and RAT in place and within existing quarantine capacity. South Australia will consider the arrangements over the next two weeks.
Post 15 May, transit points into Australia will be monitored carefully to ensure that positive case numbers remain within manageable levels. In particular the Commonwealth Government will work with the Sri Lankan Government to monitor the situation in Sri Lanka and whether further measures including RAT may need to be put in place to address transit point risks.
The current pause on direct commercial passenger flights between India and Australia remains in place and will be reviewed by the Commonwealth Government next week.
The Commonwealth will also consider tightening Australian Border Force (ABF) outbound travel restrictions for Australians travelling overseas and continue the restrictions in place in respect of applications for travel to high risk countries. National Cabinet agreed to vaccinate essential outbound Australian travellers with ABF travel exemptions approvals. This includes only people travelling in response to the COVID-19 outbreak including in the Pacific; urgent medical treatment; national interest; critical industries and business; compassionate and compelling grounds; urgent and unavoidable personal business.
Passenger Caps
National Cabinet noted that future agreements on capped flights between jurisdictions and the Commonwealth will be discussed bilaterally.

Government chartered repatriation flights to the Centre for National Resilience at Howard Springs for Australians returning from India will resume on May 15, after the completion of the current temporary ban on re-entry, the Morrison and Gunner Governments confirmed today.
Since the pause on flights from India commenced there has been a sustained reduction in COVID-19 positive cases originating from India in Australia’s quarantine system.
The National Security Committee of Cabinet was advised yesterday that the pause was working and that this would allow the repatriation flights to resume after May 15.
The temporary ban will remain in place until that time, as intended.
The number of COVID-19 positive cases in the Howard Springs has fallen to 21, from more than 50 cases a week ago, and positive cases associated with previous facilitated flights from India are on track to reach zero by 14 May.
Repatriation flights into the Howard Springs will resume on May 15 with one flight per 7-9 days, with an estimated 1,000 Australians returning by the end of June. Vulnerable Australians will be prioritised on these flights.
An initial repatriation flight to Darwin will leave India on May 15. Two further repatriation flights to the Northern Territory from India will be scheduled during May.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the flight pause has given the quarantine system space to operate safely and to protect Australians from the COVID-19 pandemic, with the travel pause remaining in place until May 15 with no changes.
“The global COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage outside Australia’s borders and the temporary pause on flights continues to give our quarantine facilities time to reduce infection rates and reduce the risk of COVID escaping into the community,” the Prime Minister said.
“Closing our international borders and the use of quarantine for returning Australians has protected the health of all Australians during the pandemic and given us a way of life that is the envy of the world.
“I have written to state and territory leaders to invite their participation in receiving direct repatriation flights from India over the coming weeks to further assist the efforts in Howard Springs.
“I want to thank the Gunner Government, NT Health and our AUSMAT teams for continuing to provide safe and effective quarantine facilities at Howard Springs that is the best facility in the world.”
New measures will be in place for all resuming flights from India into the Northern Territory, which will require passengers to return both a negative COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test and a negative Rapid Antigen test before boarding.
Northern Territory Chief Minister Michael Gunner said these measures ensure the Commonwealth and Territory Governments can continue to get Australians home from India safely, while ensuring the case load at Howard Springs remains manageable.
“The Territory always stands ready to help our fellow Australians and we were there to help those first Aussies home from Wuhan at the start of this pandemic,” Chief Minister Gunner said.
“There is a humanitarian crisis in India and we have the gold standard facility with the health care heroes the country needs at our Centre for National Resilience to help get Australians home safely.
“We are pleased with the drop in the active COVID-19 case load we have seen at Howard Springs since the temporary pause on re-entry from India, and our clinical advice is that it is now safe to resume flights.”
Commonwealth and Northern Territory health experts will assess the effectiveness of new pre-flight testing and isolation measures on infectivity rates in returning Australians on these May repatriation flights from India.
While Howard Springs has managed the current COVID-19 peak without a single breach, it was important to reduce the high rate of incoming active cases during the second half of April to avoid putting pressure on the facility and NT Health systems.
As a close friend and comprehensive strategic partner, Australia stands with India as it battles a surge in COVID-19 cases. More than 20,000 Australians have returned home on repatriation flights since the beginning of the pandemic. The Commonwealth and Territory governments are committed to continuing to get Australians home safely.
The Commonwealth Government’s Biosecurity Act 2015 Determination has been effective in stemming the flow of positive cases into Australia to ensure the safety of Australia’s quarantine system. The Determination was designed to be a temporary measure and the medical advice provided to the Minister for Health is that it will be safe to remove the Determination on 15 May.
The current ban on direct commercial passenger flights between India and Australia remains in place and will be reviewed shortly.
Restrictions on travel exemptions for Australians seeking to travel to India will continue.

The Greens are calling on the Morrison Government to support the patent waiver on COVID-19 vaccines.
The Greens say that the United States’ announced support for the waiver of intellectual property provisions on COVID-19 vaccines has put further pressure on Australia to back the proposal.
Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Greens spokesperson for International Aid and Development, said:
“Australia must immediately follow the United States and back the TRIPS waiver. We are one of the hold-outs and it’s morally indefensible.
“We could have played a leadership role here and taken our global responsibilities seriously. But it’s better late than never.
“By neglecting to support a waiver, Australia is taking the side of big pharmaceutical companies over the health and wellbeing of billions of people.
“I urge the Australian government to announce – today – that we are following the United States and backing the TRIPS waiver.”
Senator Rachel Siewert, Greens spokesperson for Health, said:
“The Greens welcome the Biden administration’s announcement of support for waiving intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines.
“The Australian Government must be a responsible global citizen and do everything we can to ensure that lower GDP countries have access to vaccine production and that starts with supporting the proposal to the World Trade Organisation to waive intellectual property rights.
“We cannot afford to wait any longer, this is critical.”

The Morrison Government has welcomed the opening of a world-class winter training facility in Brisbane.
Minister for Sport, Richard Colbeck, said the Geoff Henke Olympic Winter Training Centre  – the Southern Hemisphere’s only all-year outdoor water ski ramp – would elevate the aspirations of athletes for generations to come.
The Commonwealth Government contributed $5.3 million towards construction of the $6.5 million facility, a collaboration with the Queensland Government, the Australian Olympic Committee and the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia.
“The Morrison Government is right behind the bid to bring the 2032 Summer Olympics and Paralympics to Brisbane, but right now we’re delivering a world-class facility to our Aussie Winter Olympians,” Minister Colbeck said.
“Australia has long enjoyed success in aerial ski disciplines, from Alisa Camplin’s historic Olympic gold medal in 2002, through to the success this year of aerial ski world champion Laura Peel and Crystal Globe winner Matt Graham, in the moguls.
“This facility will give our athletes a world-leading advantage, allowing them to train safely and comfortably in our own backyard.
“It delivers state-of-the-art facilities right now for our current winter Olympians getting ready for the Beijing Games, 2022.”
The facility boasts varying levels of difficulty making it a fitting training venue for athletes eager to hone their skills and one day represent Australia on the world stage.
Athletes can reach speeds of more than 70km/h and launch up to 17m above the water from the top of the 37metre ramp.
It allows trainees to test and perfect manoeuvres safely before transitioning to snow.
“We expect the 37m-high water jump will also become a beacon for international athletes who seek to come to Australia, hire these facilities and push our athletes to become the very best they can be,” Minister Colbeck said.
The facility is named in honour the life-long contribution Geoff Henke AO has made to Australian Winter Olympic sport.
“The idea for this facility has been more than a decade in the making, so the Morrison Government is proud to have been able to deliver it for Australia’s sporting community.”

In a major boost to the COVID-19 vaccination program, the Australian Government is ramping up the weekly number of doses of AstraZeneca being provided to general practices across Australia.
With deliveries commencing next week, participating general practices which have been receiving 50 doses per week, will now receive 150 doses per week, and general practices receiving 100 doses per week, will now receive 200 doses per week.
We are providing more vaccines to protect more Australians earlier, as we start the next steps of our vaccination program for people 50 years and over, and ensure that our priority populations can continue to access the vaccine as soon as possible.
Primary care vaccination sites have now administered more than 1.2 million vaccinations – more than half the total so far. This is an amazing achievement in such a short amount of time and a true reflection of the capacity of the sector.
General practice is leading the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine to people aged 50 and over,
and will continue to be an integral partner in the delivery of our national COVID-19 vaccination program.
Our Government has brought forward to 17 May, access to AstraZeneca for people 50 years and over and I am pleased to announce that more than 800 general practices have elected to start earlier, reflecting the ongoing commitment of general practice to support their local communities.
This is in addition to the Commonwealth, state and territory Vaccination Clinics which commenced vaccinating the over 50s on 3 May. I welcome their partnership in this early delivery of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
To all Australians, please come forward and get vaccinated. It will help protect you, your family, your friends, your workmates, everybody. It will keep you, and the country COVID safe.
For more information on the vaccine program, including vaccination sites near you, visit health.gov.au

The Leader of the Australian Greens, Adam Bandt, has announced the Greens will move in the Senate next week for the Government to revoke its direction under the Biosecurity Act to ban and put in place criminal penalties on Australians and residents returning home from India.
“The ban is racist, it’s possibly illegal, it’s not based on health advice and it must be rescinded immediately.  The Greens will move in the Senate next week to overturn the ban and we believe it will have widespread support amongst Senators.”
“The pandemic needs a health-led response, not a force-led response, where the government criminalises people desperate to return home.  There weren’t these threats of jail time when dealing with predominantly white countries.”
“The Liberals are now punishing people for the government’s own failings, abandoning them in a COVID-ravaged country. Morrison must take immediate steps to make sure that people can return home through repatriation flights and safe quarantine arrangements.”
“The Government must also urgently provide more assistance to India at this time of great need.”

Greens Leader, Adam Bandt, has called out the increasing greenwashing of the government’s gas agenda.
The Greens have emphasised since the proclamation of the ‘gas-led recovery’ that gas is as dirty as coal and that plans such as building new gas plants would lock-in climate failure.
“Morrison’s so-called ‘gas-led recovery’ is a shameful exercise in corporate welfare for yesterday’s technology.
“Adding as little as 5% hydrogen, which is the target for Energy Australia’s mooted ‘hybrid’ plant, is a comb-over for generators of dangerous greenhouse gas emissions.
“Australia is in the box seat to be a leader on batteries, renewables and green hydrogen, but that opportunity is going to be lost if state and federal governments keep pouring tax dollars into fossil-fuels.
“The effect of the gas-led recovery is taxpayers’ money going to Liberal donors to build polluting plants which will push up power bills.
“This is policy running directly against all available evidence.
Reputex studies showed that energy prices will be lower with renewables backed with batteries rather than with more gas.
The International Energy Agency is clear: we can’t build any more coal, oil or gas assets and stop runaway global heating.
The experts who manage our energy system (AEMO) have said we don’t need any new gas.”
“Gas use by Australians is going down each and every year and a government investment in new gas is going to be an expensive white elephant.
“But this isn’t just a giant waste of taxpayers’ money which will drive up the cost of electricity, it’s also going to create market volatility and slow the transition to renewable energy.
Liberal Donor Links
The Snowy Hydro Kurri Kurri proposal is set to be built on land owned by a Liberal Party donor and NSW ICAC regular, Jeff McCloy, who described himself as “a walking ATM for the NSW Liberal Party.”
Additionally, the chair of Snowy Hydro, David Knox, previously served as CEO of gas company and Coalition donor Santos. Santos is lined up to sell the gas to Snowy Hydro as part of this deal.
As for Tallawarra B, proponents Energy Australia (subsidiary of Hong Kong-based China Light and Power) have made over $57,000 in donations to the Liberal party, and in return the NSW Liberal/National government has gifted them $78 million while the Commonwealth has granted them a further $5 million to get their gas plant to financial close.
“This all adds up to a terrible chapter in the history of an Australian icon. Australians strongly opposed the sale of the Snowy, and they’ll equally oppose the attempts by this government to use it as a fossil-fuel virtue signalling bonanza for their gas and coal donors.”

Australia will deliver essential medical supplies to India today as part of our initial package of support to the Indian Government’s programme for combatting the country’s current COVID-19 outbreak.
A chartered Qantas flight departed Sydney carrying supplies to meet the needs identified by the Government of India including 1056 ventilators and 43 oxygen concentrators. This will allow Indian frontline workers to provide lifesaving medical interventions.
These Australian donated supplies will be distributed by the Indian Red Cross and local authorities to ensure support reaches those in greatest need.
The Morrison Government is working closely with state and territory governments and the private sector on the urgent deployment of further emergency supplies to India.
Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Women, Senator the Hon Marise Payne said that as close friends and strategic partners, Australia and India will stand together during this challenging time.
“India has shown great leadership and generosity to the world in exporting vaccines globally. It is time for the world to repay that generosity and Australia as a close friend of the Indian people is playing its part,” Minister Payne said.
“We express our solidarity and deepest support with India as it responds to this ongoing crisis and recognise how difficult this time is for Indians and Australians in India and their loved ones.”
Minister for Health and Aged Care, Greg Hunt, said the Government had offered a significant package of support to the Indian Government.
“We are deeply passionate about supporting people in India, which is why we have reached out to support with medical supplies such as oxygen, ventilators and PPE,” Minister Hunt said.
“At the same time we are working on plans to resume travel from India to support Australians to get home.”
Australia’s High Commission and Consulates in India continue to provide consular assistance to Australians in need.

The Morrison Government will establish a new national agency to help support local communities respond to large-scale natural disasters and undertake new initiatives to manage the impact of future events and the changing climate.
The National Recovery and Resilience Agency will provide support to local communities during the relief and recovery phases following major disasters.
The new Agency will also provide advice to Government on policies and programs to mitigate the impact of future major disaster events.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said $600 million would be invested in a new program of disaster preparation and mitigation, managed by the new National Recovery and Resilience Agency.
“The new Agency will help communities rebuild and recover from natural disasters, helping many Australians in their greatest time of need, while strengthening our defences against future major disasters,” the Prime Minister said.
“Immediate funding will support resilience projects across the community and for individuals’ homes, such as bushfire and cyclone proofing houses, building levees and improving the resilience of telecommunications and essential supplies.
“In the past two years Australians have faced floods, bushfires, cyclones, drought and now the COVID-19 pandemic and I’m determined to keep Australians safe and support the recovery of communities and regions right across Australia.”
The National Recovery and Resilience Agency will be led by Coordinator-General Shane Stone and bring together the former National Drought and North Queensland Flood Response and Recovery Agency and the National Bushfire Recovery Agency, including the $2 billion National Bushfire Recovery Fund.
The Agency will also take responsibility for supporting the long-term recovery of communities rebuilding after the recent storms and floods in New South Wales and Queensland and cyclones in West Australia.
Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management David Littleproud said Emergency Management Australia will also receive support to upgrade their National Situation Room to include a real time ‘common operating picture’, for all natural disasters.
“We will also provide $4.5 million to support disaster recovery scenario training to help regional communities prepare for high-risk hazards,” Minister Littleproud said.
“This funding will provide accredited training for people working in disaster recovery and two pilot Resilience Hubs to coordinate regional training and capability development across all levels of government when responding to a natural disaster.”
Minister Littleproud said the final, critically important part of these national reforms was the establishment of a world-class climate service with detailed climate and disaster information.
“Through the Australian Climate Service we will draw on the expertise of our best and brightest scientists to help us better anticipate, manage and adapt to climate impacts to inform the work of the National Recovery and Resilience Agency and Emergency Management Australia,” he said.
“I am proud of the reforms to our federal emergency management architecture that have been announced today, along with the ongoing work to implement all of the Royal Commission’s other recommendations.
“This national approach to policy reform will carry all the way through to peoples’ front doors.”
Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley said that the Australian Climate Service would strengthen Australia’s position as a world leader in anticipating and adapting to the impacts of changing climates for decades to come.
“We do face more extreme weather events due to changing climate and this is about being prepared, and being able to take steps to make our communities more resilient,” Minister Ley said.
“By bringing together critical data from the nation’s key climate research institutions, the Australian Climate Service will not only help save lives and money through a more informed emergency response, it will inform long-term planning for infrastructure, housing and basic services like power, telecommunications, and water.
“It will help shape the way we build communities and underpin Australia’s future adaptation strategies, including the new National Climate Resilience and Adaptation Strategy announced in January.
“The collaboration between the Bureau of Meteorology, the CSIRO, ABS and Geoscience Australia is critical to delivering rich insights drawn from an expanded range of data sources.
“It will be further complemented by the Morrison Government’s investments in adaptation and resilience through initiatives such as the National Environmental Science Program and Great Barrier Reef Restoration and Adaptation initiatives.”

Northern Australian residents would be offered more affordable and accessible home and business insurance, thanks to the establishment of a reinsurance pool by the Morrison Government.
The reinsurance pool would cover cyclone and related flood damage in northern Australia from 1 July 2022, and would be backed by a $10 billion government guarantee.
This would reduce insurance premiums across Northern Australia by over $1.5 billion for households, strata and small businesses over 10 years.
More than 500,000 residential, strata and small business property insurance policies in Northern Australia are expected to be eligible to be covered by the reinsurance pool.
The Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the plan shows the Government is listening to Australians who live in the North of the country.
“We believe in the future of Northern Australia. This means we need to take further action to boost the resilience for Australians to live and work in northern Australia,” the Prime Minister said.
“I’ve listened to our local MPs and senators, I’ve sat down with residents and discussed the issue. Homeowners and businesses have been faced with crippling insurance costs, and in some cases, can’t get insurance at all. It’s not ok, and we’re going to change that.
“Our plan will give more Australians in cyclone-prone areas access to affordable insurance.”
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said a Treasury-led Taskforce will continue work on this to develop the final design of the reinsurance pool in close consultation with industry, with details to be finalised following that consultation process.
“More affordable insurance means peace-of-mind for hundreds of thousands of Australians across Northern Australia, knowing that their economic livelihoods are protected,” the Treasurer said.
Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management David Littleproud said that while the Federal Government is not the insurer of last resort, a reinsurance pool would make insurance easier and cheaper for those in the tropical north.
“It will put more money back into the pockets of those in the cyclone and flood prone areas of far north Queensland and the savings will build in their bank accounts for years to come,” Minister Littleproud said.
Minister for Resources, Water and Northern Australia Keith Pitt said high insurance costs in northern Australia have long been a problem.
“It’s been a problem for business, a problem for local economies and a problem for every person who lives in the North. The passionate advocacy that occurred by George Christensen, Warren Entsch, Phil Thompson, Michelle Landry, Susan McDonald and Sam McMahon in fighting for north Australians to address this issue has delivered for the region today. I want to thank them for their hard work,” Minister Pitt said.
The Government is also announcing a plan to specifically reduce insurance costs for strata properties, by committing $40 million for the North Queensland Strata Title Resilience Pilot Program, to start in 2022.
Strata properties face some of the worst insurance affordability pressures in Northern Australia. The ACCC noted that, in 2018-19, the average strata premium was $6,800 in North Queensland, compared with the Australian average of only $3,300. Strata residents have few options other than to pay this because strata properties are required to hold insurance under Queensland legislation.
Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar said this three-year pilot program will subsidise the cost of cyclone risk mitigation works to improve insurance affordability and access for strata title properties in North Queensland.
“Today’s announcement represents the most significant action taken by the Commonwealth to improve insurance affordability and accessibility in Northern Australia,” Minister Sukkar said.