Category: Australian News

The Greens say that the Government has no excuse not to urgently act on the recommendations of the Aged care and COVID-19: a special report. 
Let’s face it, these recommendations are really the bare minimum of what the Government should have already done when this pandemic started, extra support for the workforce, infection prevention and control training, mental health support for residents and of course a national coordinating body.
It’s shambolic that we have no national coordinating body to address the COVID crisis in aged care, Greens spokesperson on Ageing Senator Rachel Siewert said.
The buck stops with the Commonwealth on Aged Care and so far they have failed dismally.
We knew about the need for infectious control prevention and accreditation after Newmarch.
Given that the Royal Commissioners have made the unusual step of releasing a special report so close to when the final report is due indicates how serious the failures of the system to deal with COVID are.
A commitment to fund these recommendations adequately must be included in next week’s budget.
The funding that the Government has announced today is not enough and there needs to be more in the budget.

Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley has serious questions to answer about the influence mining giant Rio Tinto has had on the Morrison Government’s proposed environmental law reforms, the Greens say.
Through FOI documents and responses to questions on notice through a Senate Inquiry, it has been revealed Rio Tinto wrote to the Morrison Government before the 10-year Samuel Review into Australia’s environment laws commenced last year, asking for states to have approval powers for major projects and the Minister has held a number of subsequent meetings with the company in relation to changes to the EPBC Act. Drafting of new laws had also commenced before the interim report of the Samuel Review had been released.
Greens Spokesperson for the Environment Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:
“The Environment Minister should come out and tell us if she is simply under orders to do the bidding of Rio Tinto and other mining giants by smoothing their path for environmental approvals of their environment-wrecking projects.
“It seems the Minister not only failed to intervene before Rio Tinto devastatingly blew up Juukan Gorge, she continues to help them pursue even more destruction of our environment and heritage sites.
“The Morrison Government needs to stop its pursuit of its rehashed Tony Abbott bill that hands power for approvals of projects of national environmental significance to the states. The mask has slipped and everyone can see the Liberal Party is just helping its fossil fuel donors get exactly what they want and at any cost to our environment.
“Sussan Ley will be remembered as the Environment Minister who put koalas on their final path to extinction, allowed sacred Indigenous sites to be destroyed and trashed our precious natural world instead of protecting it.
“The Samuel Review should be completed before any legislative change is even proposed and strong standards with an independent cop on the beat to enforce them must established to help protect our environment not trash it even further.”

The Australian Government is establishing a Safe Travel Zone with New Zealand.
This is the next step for a COVID-safe Australia that will reunite families and friends, offer opportunities for businesses looking for workers, and back the communities that depend on tourism.
Australia and New Zealand have worked closely together since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
We are committed to opening up both domestic travel within Australia and travel with New Zealand, as well as other low risk countries as soon as the health advice says it is safe to do so.
The Australian Government’s Department of Health has undertaken a public health risk assessment of COVID-19 in New Zealand, which indicated that New Zealand posed a low risk of COVID-19 transmission to Australia.
Passengers from New Zealand will be able to travel to Australia, quarantine-free, from Friday, 16 October, provided they have not been in an area designated as a COVID-19 hotspot in New Zealand in the preceding 14 days.
As has been announced already, the Australian Government is defining a hotspot using a three-day rolling average of three locally acquired cases per day.
There are currently no COVID-19 hotspots in New Zealand. The last locally acquired case with an unidentified epidemiological source occurred on 21 August 2020. We are working closely with New Zealand authorities to ensure we are notified promptly of any outbreaks there.
Any state or territory that imposes travel restrictions consistent with the Australian Government-defined hotspot, as advised by the acting Chief Medical Officer, Professor Paul Kelly, will be able to participate in the Safe Travel Zone.
After offering these arrangements at the latest National Cabinet, we have reached agreement for this first stage of quarantine-free travel with New South Wales and the Northern Territory. We welcome those jurisdictions’ commitment to reopening Australia to the world.
Normal visa requirements will apply and travellers returning to New Zealand from Australia will be required to comply with New Zealand’s travel requirements.
The Australian Government will provide increased Australian Border Force support at airports to support the establishment of green lanes of travel for New Zealanders and collecting information on arrivals to assist with contact tracing if required.
We expect the establishment of quarantine-free travel to Australia from New Zealand will also free up space for around an additional 325 passengers a week to enter quarantine in Sydney.
More information will be available at www.smartraveller.gov.au

The Morrison Government is continuing to support businesses through COVID‑19 by providing further tax relief to attract and retain workers and reduce red-tape as part of our economic recovery plan.
For the first time, businesses with an aggregated annual turnover between $10 million and $50 million will have access to up to ten small business tax concessions. The changes are estimated to support an additional 20,000 businesses and their employees.
The expanded concessions, as part of the 2020-21 Budget will apply in three phases:

• From 1 July 2020, eligible businesses will be able to immediately deduct certain start-up expenses and certain prepaid expenditure.
• From 1 April 2021, eligible businesses will be exempt from the 47 per cent fringe benefits tax on car parking and multiple work-related portable electronic devices, such as phones or laptops, provided to employees.
• From 1 July 2021, eligible businesses will be able to access the simplified trading stock rules, remit pay as you go (PAYG) instalments based on GDP adjusted notional tax, and settle excise duty and excise-equivalent customs duty monthly on eligible goods. Eligible businesses will also have a two-year amendment period apply to income tax assessments for income years starting from 1 July 2021.

In addition, from 1 July 2021, the Commissioner of Taxation’s power to create a simplified accounting method determination for GST purposes will be expanded to apply to businesses below the $50 million aggregated annual turnover threshold.
This announcement builds on the extensive support provided for small and medium sized businesses during the COVID-19 crisis that has included JobKeeper, extending the Instant Asset Write Off, providing a Cash Flow Boost of up to $100,000 for employing small businesses, and boosting access to capital through our COVID-19 SME loan Guarantee Scheme.
Small business is the backbone of our economy. The Morrison Government will continue to support our small and medium sized businesses as part of our economic recovery plan.

The Morrison Government is making significant digital reforms to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) to cut red tape for more than 4,000 businesses applying to register medicines and medical devices each year, as part of its Deregulation Agenda which will also improve the timeliness of report on patient safety.
Our Government is investing $12 million over four years to digitise, transform and modernise the TGA’s business systems and infrastructure, better connecting services to get medicines and devices to patients sooner.
New digital processes will deliver simpler and faster interactions between industry and government. This means earlier approvals of medical products, reduced administrative effort, and timelier decision-making by the TGA.
Under this Deregulation Agenda, our Government is focused on ensuring regulation is and remains fit-for-purpose – making it easier to do business while ensuring essential safeguards with the lightest touch.
This measure will yield a significant reduction in red tape, cutting costs for the medicines and medical devices industry. It will also position Australia to more quickly access emerging and new health technologies in the international market.
The TGA receives around 26,000 applications every year for medicines and medical devices to be listed or amended on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG), which allows them to be imported, sold and used in Australia.
The digital changes will enable simpler and more secure interactions between Government and industry to apply for, track, pay, and manage listings for regulated and subsidised health related products and services.
The TGA receives 15,000 adverse drug reaction reports on patient safety per year which are entered manually through PDF rather than through a central database.
With these reforms, medical companies will now be able to use an electronic database to report these patients safety events with automatic data transfer – saving them up to 15 minutes per report.
All Australians will benefit from a streamlined process which increases the timeliness of decisions on the safety, quality and efficacy of therapeutic goods, and their approval for listing on the ARTG.
Consumers and health care professionals can also have greater confidence in the safety and efficacy of therapeutic goods, with increased transparency built into the reforms.”
Cyber security will also be bolstered to ensure the protection of commercial-in-confidence information from industry.

The Morrison Government’s changes to local content rules is a missed opportunity to support Australian stories and local jobs, the Greens say.
Greens Spokesperson for Communications, Media and Arts, Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:
“The Government has failed to deliver real reform today and has let the global steaming giants off the hook. This is a decision that if not corrected will cost local jobs and undermine Australia’s creative and cultural heritage.
“The Government’s reforms to local content quotas must result in more quality Australian stories on our screens, not less. This will only happen if the global streaming giants are regulated properly.
“Without legal requirements on the global giants, our screens and children’s devices will become even more clogged with trashy, cheap shows from America. Our Aussie kids deserve better than this.
“It’s time to ensure the big streaming giants like Netflix, Disney and Amazon who are flooding the domestic market contribute to Australia’s local screen industry, jobs and telling local stories.
“Local stories are important for helping us understand who we are as Australians, what values we share, our cultural heritage and where we see ourselves in the rest of the world.
“For our kids, locally made shows are important for them to see their own worlds reflected back at them, not just cartoon characters eating chilli dogs and speaking in American accents.
“From Bananas in Pyjamas to the legendary Round the Twist, high quality Australian made children’s television has always played an important role in shaping young hearts and minds in this country.
“The Greens will fight for local content requirements on streaming services to be legislated.
“Research shows two thirds of Australians support laws requiring streaming services like Netflix and Amazon to show and fund locally made shows and films – this was a no brainer and the Morrison Government has missed it.”

The Morrison Government’s announcement today of $61.7m to ‘boost local tourism and preserve our environment’ is a drop in the ocean of what’s needed for a green recovery, the Greens say.
Greens Spokesperson for the Environment and Tourism Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:
“Australians want our environment protected more than ever. There is a win-win opportunity here, but again the Morrison Government has missed the mark.
“Our special nature spots and the green tourism industry needs real investment, not just the crumbs left over after the Coalition has given the bulk of support to the fossil fuel lobby. This announcement is an insult to the thousands of small businesses that rely on our beautiful beaches, forests and parks being protected and cared for.
“There are more jobs to be created in restoring and protecting our environment than wrecking it. Yet, this Government is putting more money into trashing things than caring for nature. With millions of people out of work, investing in a Green Recovery would be good for local jobs, good for our tourism and good for the environment.
“I visited Kangaroo Island this week, which was ravaged by fire over the summer, and it was very clear so much more is needed to restore the natural environment the premier tourist destination is known for. This announcement isn’t going to cut it for the bushfire hit areas or other tourism destinations where our pristine natural world is the main attraction.”
Greens Spokesperson for Oceans Peter Whish-Wilson said:
“$20 million dollars for our declining reefs is a drop in the ocean.
“It shows just how out of touch the Government really is that with everything we know about the declining health of our oceans, it is committing so little.
“Artificial reefs and an aquarium are Band-Aid solutions to an emergency.
“We need definitive action on climate change and our warming oceans.
“I want my grandchildren to see our marine life at the beach, not behind a glass window.”

On this 30^th anniversary of the International Day of Older Persons, the Australian Government welcomes the COVID-19 report from the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, which has been tabled in the Australian Parliament today.
The Royal Commission’s report tells us the COVID-19 pandemic has been the greatest challenge Australia’s aged care sector has faced and makes six recommendations to better prepare the aged care sector, its staff and residents for any future outbreaks.
The Government accepts all six recommendations in the report and has already made substantial progress on four of them.
The recommendations build on the Government’s existing COVID-19 measures.
The Government will invest $40.6 million in our initial response to the Royal Commission’s report and recommendations.
It has been continuously building and adapting the National Response Plan for COVID-19 in aged care since January 2020, with the aged care sector and with state and territory governments and health authorities, incorporating lessons learned from Australia and other countries.
We have invested more than $1.6 billion to support senior Australians in aged care since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The investment includes an additional $734.8 million announced in August to extend support for the sector’s response to the pandemic as part of the aged care response plan.
Wherever there are high rates of community transmission, the risk to older people and particularly those in residential aged care increases as demonstrated in Victoria.

Recommendations:

Recommendation 1

The Government accepts the recommendation.
It will report to Parliament by no later than 1 December 2020 on the implementation of the Royal Commission’s recommendations.

Recommendation 2

The Government accepts the recommendation.
The Government has announced two packages to provide additional funding for staffing which supports visitations to aged care facilities by families and friends of residents.
In August, the Government committed an additional $245 million to support providers with COVID-19 related costs, including supporting communication with families and managing visitation arrangements, building on the first payment of the COVID supplement of $205 million announced in May.
The Government is also providing $12.5 million to support residents and their families with enhanced advocacy services and increased availability of grief and trauma services associated with a COVID-19 outbreak.
In addition, the Government will bring forward the introduction of the Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS) and invest an additional $29.8 million in the SIRS for residential aged care.
Legislation to support SIRS will be introduced to parliament in the spring sitting for the scheme to commence in early 2021.
This builds on earlier investments totalling $26.3 million to establish the system for reporting abuse or serious incidents in aged care facilities.
As part of the SIRS, residential aged care providers will be required to manage all incidents, with a focus on the safety and wellbeing of consumers and reducing preventable incidents from reoccurring.
Reporting under the SIRS will include a broader range of incidents, including neglect, psychological and emotional abuse and inappropriate use of physical or chemical restraint.
Significantly, the SIRS will also lift the current exemption on the reporting of resident-on‑resident incidents, where the perpetrator has an assessed cognitive impairment.
As the Royal Commission Interim Report states: “Informal carers, often family members who supplement the care provided in aged care homes, also play a critical role as the ‘eyes and ears’ – monitoring the quality of care their loved ones receive.”
The SIRS will provide an additional level of assurance when facilities, due to COVID-19, will still need to place a level of restrictions on visitations.

Recommendation 3

The Government accepts the recommendation.
While the Government has introduced a range of measures to support the mental health of residents of aged care facilities, it will continue to implement further measures.
The Government will provide additional funding to support increased access by residents to allied health services during the pandemic and will work with the sector to design and implement these measures.

Recommendation 4

The Government accepts the recommendation.
The Government has a specific national plan for aged care – the CDNA Guidelines for the Management of Outbreaks in Residential Care, which has been updated on two occasions, and which augments the Australian Health Sector Emergency Response Plan for Novel Coronavirus (COVID‑19).
The national plan for aged care will continue to be updated incorporating the latest available information and released soon as Stage 7 of the National COVID-19 Aged Care Plan for the consideration by National Cabinet.
The Aged Care Advisory Group, established on 21 August 2020 under the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC), will be made permanent.
The other elements of this recommendation have already been undertaken or are in progress and will also be put to National Cabinet for consideration.

Recommendation 5

The Government accepts the recommendation.
Funding totalling $245 million will be paid to providers from October 2020 to support
COVID-19 efforts.
It will mandate that aged care providers have trained infection control officers as detailed in this recommendation.
In addition, the Government today announces it will invest a further $10.8 million to enhance the skills and leadership qualities of aged care nurses to ensure older Australians receive the best care possible.
This investment will expand the Australian College of Nursing scholarship program, establish an Aged Care Transition to Practice Program, and create a skills development program for nurses and personal care workers in aged care.

Recommendation 6

The Government accepts the recommendation.
The Government has been working with state and territory governments to implement a decision of National Cabinet of 21 August to implement additional face-to-face infection control training and establish joint approaches to the management of outbreaks.
The Government thanks Australia’s frontline aged care workers and Commonwealth, state and territory public health officials. We are deeply aware of the tragic losses that followed the global pandemic and community transmission.
Every life lost to the pandemic is a tragedy.
But the collective efforts of our health workers and health officials and our COVID-19 Aged Care Plan have helped save thousands of lives and placed Australia at the forefront of the global response to COVID-19.
The Government’s actions to protect aged care have been and continue to be based on four key pillars:

Minimise Community Transmission

Controlling community transmission is the best defence we have in protecting vulnerable older Australians in aged care. Under the auspices of the Australian Health Sector Emergency Response Plan for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) action is being taken by the Commonwealth, states and territories to minimise community transmission including through:

• Minimising the spread of the disease into and across Australia including through quarantine arrangements and effective contact tracing and tracking
• Preparing the health system for increased numbers of patients
• Managing COVID‑19 cases
• Improving understanding of the virus and how it is transmitted
• Provision of information to help manage the risk of exposure and reduce spread
• Vaccination – consideration of the aged care sector in a potential COVID-19 vaccine program

Surge workforce

The Government is providing critical surge workforce support to residential aged care facilities impacted by a COVID-19 outbreak. To date, more than 33,000 shifts have been filled by a Commonwealth-funded surge workforce including GPs, nurses, care workers, allied health workers, executive and ancillary staff.
The Victorian Aged Care Response Centre (VACRC), a joint initiative of the Commonwealth and Victorian Government, was established on 25 July 2020 to co-ordinate and expand resources to tackle the challenge of COVID-19 in residential aged care services.
Under the direction of the VACRC, clinical health staff provided through health services are also assisting to fill critical workforce shortages in residential aged care facilities, with 4,778 shifts filled to date. The VACRC has also assisted the aged care response to COVID-19 through the following activities:

• Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel have visited 592 aged care facilities.
• 40 personnel from AUSMAT have completed 174 visits to 80 facilities.
• Western Health has provided assistance in prevention measures at 37 aged care facilities.
• 12 National Aged Care Emergency Response (NACER) teams, 76 personnel have been deployed to fill roles across the sector, including nursing, personal care, and cleaning.
• Deployment of TAS, WA, and SA government teams to support operations in residential aged care facilities.
• 101 Residential Aged Care Assistants and Safety Observers have been deployed by the Response Centre to 24 facilities.
• Regular Zoom meetings are being conducted with staff at aged care facilities to assist with return to work arrangements.

Public and private hospitals agreement

These historic agreements between the Commonwealth and each state and territory government alongside the private hospital sector, has ensured the full resources of Australia’s world class health system could be directed to the care of those who needed it.  The $1.7 billion private hospital agreement has been instrumental in enabling more than 500 aged care residents to be transferred to private hospitals during the current Victorian second wave.
In addition, it has supported the in-reach of services from hospitals to aged care facilities to provide further clinical care.
Since February 2020, the Government has been working with the states and territories to ensure aged care facilities have sufficient supplies of personal protective equipment. To date, the National Medical Stockpile has provided aged care facilities with approximately:

• 17 million masks
• 4 million gowns
• 11 million gloves
• 4 million goggles and face shields
• 85,000 bottles of hand sanitiser
• 160,000 clinical waste bags.

Universal testing of staff and residents

Immediate testing is provided to staff and residents in a facility to seek to minimise a potential outbreak.  Through this in-reach program, more than 152,000 tests at more than 11,000 site visits to 2,000 aged care facilities across Australia have been undertaken.  The Government has also provided Medicare funded bulk-billed testing for aged care workers, including those who are asymptomatic.  As Victoria starts to recover, this testing will be bolstered to safeguard against a risk of further outbreaks.
Additional investments to support the reform of the aged care sector will be announced as part of the Government’s 2020–21 Budget, to be delivered on 6 October.
Following a request from the Royal Commission, the Government agreed to extend its reporting period for a further three-and-a-half months due to the impact of COVID-19. This enabled the Royal Commission to examine the initial impact of COVID-19 on aged care and the response to date.
We thank the Commissioners for the COVID-19 report and for their work so far, and look forward to receiving their Final Report in February next year.
A summary of the measures to support the aged care sector and key activities undertaken by the Australian Government since the start of the pandemic is attached.

Australian Government funding in response to COVID-19 in aged care – overarching announcements

Key steps taken by the Australian Government to respond to COVID-19 in aged care – planning and preparedness

Stage 1 – Initial Response Plan:

• January – development of an overarching plan for management of COVID-19 for
  Australia through the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC)
• 31 January – fact sheets issued on COVID-19, including for aged care

Stage 2 – Release of National Response Plan:

• 18 February – the overarching plan for management of COVID-19, the Australian Health Sector Emergency Response Plan for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) released
• 27 February – pandemic declared and response plan activated
• 27 February – Letter from CMO to aged care providers which included the Australian Health Sector Emergency Response Plan for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) and the Communicable Diseases Network Australia (CDNA) National Guidelines for Public Health Units in the Series of National Guidelines (SoNGs)
• 12 March – aged care rapid response team in Department of Health established.

Stage 3 – National Plan and Guidelines for COVID-19 outbreaks in residential aged care:

• 2 March – Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC) Commissioner letter to all aged care service providers regarding planning and preparing for COVID-19
• 6 March – Aged Care Preparedness Forum with Minister Colbeck, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and Aged Care Sector
• 11 March – $101.2 million in workforce preparedness measures – ensuring aged care workers are educated and trained in infection control and enable aged care providers to hire extra nurses and workers for both residential and home care
• 12 March – AHPPC released a statement on recommended testing and work restrictions for health and aged care workers
• 12 March – ACQSC Commissioner wrote to all aged care services providing an update on actions to protect the safety and wellbeing of aged care consumers during the COVID-19 outbreak
• 13 March – the CDNA published the National Guidelines for the Prevention, Control and Public Health management of COVID-19 outbreaks in residential care facilities
• 13 March – CMO sent a letter to the aged care sector to outline the Government’s current and future support for the central role they play in the national response, including PPE guidance
• 13 March – Minister Colbeck and specialist medical infection control experts convened an In-Home and Community Aged Care COVID-19 Preparedness webinar
• 16 March – online Infection Control Module “How to protect yourself and the people you are caring for from infection with COVID-19” released
• 17 March – ACQSC Commissioner letter to all aged care service providers regarding the updated regulatory response and access to information and guidance
• 17 March – AHPPC released recommendations to residential aged care facilities ensuring they are prepared to manage outbreaks of COVID-19
• 18 March – restrictions on visitors and staff of aged care facilities announced.

Stage 4 – Workforce and PPE Support:

• 20 March 2020 – $444.6 million in temporary funding to support aged care workforce continuity, including a workforce retention bonus for aged care workers
• 23 March – ACQSC Commissioner letter to all aged care service providers about visitor restrictions
• 24 March – guidance issued to aged care sector on process for ordering PPE supplies
• 24 – 27 March – aged care COVID-19 specific online training modules released
• 8 May – a webinar on outbreak preparation and management held to support providers and their staff.

Stage 5 – Revised National Plan and Guidelines for COVID-19 in aged care:

• 28 March – CDNA published updated COVID-19 guidelines for outbreaks in residential care facilities. Updates focused on:
  • clinical presentation in older people and
  • infection control guidance
• 2 April – Guide to outbreak management and guidance on alerting the Department about confirmed COVID-19 cases in aged care released
• 2 April – Infection Control Expert Group (ICEG – reports to AHPPC) released guidelines for infection prevention and control in residential aged care
• 2 April – Guide to support home care providers with COVID-19 released
• 3 April – ACQSC Commissioner letter to all aged care service providers regarding a suite of posters to help manage COVID-19 in residential facilities
• 4 April – Guide to support CHSP providers with COVID-19 released
• 7 April – AHPPC released a statement on healthcare workers use of PPE when caring for suspected, or confirmed COVID-19 patients
• 12 April – Minister Colbeck announced workforce contingency measures (surge workforce through Aspen and Mable)
• 21 April – National Cabinet met and discussed the lessons learned from recent COVID-19 outbreaks in residential aged care facilities. National Cabinet acknowledged the critical importance of adequate infection prevent and control measures in minimising the spread of COVID-19
• 22 April – AHPPC updated advice to residential aged care facilities about minimising the impact of COVID-19 released
• 22 April – ACQSC’s Chief Clinical Advisor wrote to residential aged care services on screening people entering residential aged care facilities
• 24 April – Minister Colbeck released media statement about the following:
  • social restrictions reiterating AHPPC advice
  • eSafety courses to keep senior Australians connected during COVID-19
  • personal monitoring technology for senior Australians and
  • help for senior Australians to access monitoring technology during self-isolation
• 26 April – COVID safe contact tracing app released
• 1 May – $205 million COVID-19 support package (new supplement) for all residential care aged care providers
• 1 May – National Cabinet endorsed preparation of sector led residential care Visitor Access Code
• 12 May – ‘Industry Code for Visiting Residential Aged Care Homes during COVID-19’ released
• 14 May – legislative amendments passed so that senior Australians not penalised or disadvantaged for moving out of an aged care facility during a crisis
• 19 May – CDNA released guidance for health and residential aged care settings on considering monitoring workers for symptoms of COVID-19
• 21 May – ACQSC released storyboards designed to illustrate key behaviours and priority issues during the COVID-19 pandemic

Stage 6 – Revised National Plan and Guidelines for COVID-19 in aged care:

• 10 June – infographic regarding aged care workers visiting your home published
• 19 June – AHPPC statement to provide updated advice on restrictions on entry to residential aged care facilities, including easing of restrictions released. National Cabinet endorsed on 26 June. Updated Industry Code released on 3 July
• 7 July – Minister Colbeck letter to aged care providers reminding them to have an up to date outbreak management plan
• 9 July – ACQSC Commissioner statement regarding Victorian outbreaks
• 10 July – Commonwealth and NSW Protocol to support joint management of COVID-19 outbreaks in residential aged care facilities released
• 13 July – Minister Hunt and Minister Colbeck distributed a joint media release about PPE use in Victorian aged care services and increased supply through the National Stockpile in response to situation in Victoria
• 14 July –CDNA published updated COVID-19 guidelines for outbreaks in residential care facilities. Updates focused on:
  • outbreak identification and management guidance
  • roles and responsibilities of Government agencies and
  • additional members for Outbreak management team
• 16 July – Additional testing teams deployed to test staff and residents in residential aged care services across metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire
• 16 July – ACQSC Commissioner statement regarding Victorian outbreaks
• 19 July – additional measures announced to support aged care providers in Victoria
• 24 July – case studies of successful outbreak management and additional information released to help manage outbreaks in residential aged care
• 25 July – announcement of establishment of Victorian Aged Care Response Centre to coordinate and expand resources to manage the outbreaks in Victorian aged care services
• 30 July – ICEG advice on use of PPE by health care workers in areas with significant community transmission released
• 31 July – ACQSC Commissioner letter to aged care providers about checks of infection control and correct use of PPE
• 6 August – ACQSC released guideline, ‘Six Steps to Stop the Spread’
• 7 August – Prime Minister announces National Cabinet to work to develop joint Commonwealth – State plans for aged care response including:
  • face-to-face infection control training
  • plans for implementation of compulsory actions in areas where there are active cases of COVID-19
  • establishment of Coordination Centres in each jurisdiction; and
  • an audit of State and Territory emergency response capabilities.
• 21 August – National Cabinet endorsed the Commonwealth, State and Territory Plan to Boost Aged Care Preparedness for a Rapid Emergency Response to COVID-19 including a Guide to the Establishment of Aged Care Health Emergency Response Operations Centres.
  • Implementation of the plan is being informed by the second survey of residential and aged care facilities (RACF) preparedness recently conducted by the ACQSC and state and territory audits of preparedness.
  • Establishment of a time-limited AHPPC Aged Care Advisory Group is endorsed to support the national public health response to COVID-19 in aged care. The Advisory Group brings together a broad range of critical expertise about the aged care sector, infection control and emergency preparedness, and public health response.
• 21 August – Government announces $171 million in additional support to the Aged Care Sector to increase National Preparedness and respond to the State of Disaster in Victoria

• 24 August – the AHPPC Infection Control Expert Group (ICEG) updated guidelines on cleaning and disinfection of protective eyewear in health and residential care facilities published
• 24 August – Minister Colbeck writes to all aged care providers about the release of the Independent Review of Newmarch House, requesting providers’ commitment to take action in response to the findings
• 31 August – Government announces additional $563.3 million to extend support for the aged care sector’s response to COVID-19, announced in March and subsequently as part of the Aged Care response plan
• 7 September – AHHPC endorses advice from its Aged Care Advisory Group that each state and territory should establish emergency response centres
• 18 September – National Cabinet notes progress underway on 21 August commitments:
  • Within each jurisdictions’ public health response structure, a dedicated aged care emergency response team is established and key personnel identified at the state and Commonwealth level.

Additional measures to support senior Australians in residential care and in the community

• 29 March – $10 million provided to the Community Visitors Scheme and support extra staff to train volunteer visitors to connect with older people in aged care online and by phone
• 31 March – $59.3 million – Meals On Wheels Programs Reinforced to Help Senior Australians at Home
• 25 May – $57 million to Improve palliative care in aged care facilities. The funding will help reduce the physical and emotional distress for individuals who require palliative care and their families
• 28 May – $6 million for a Communication package for two new initiatives to prevent loneliness and social isolation for senior Australians

The Morrison Government is launching a new era of Australian manufacturing, as part of our JobMaker Plan to rebuild the economy, create jobs and recover from the COVID-19 recession.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said around $1.5 billion in new funding will be invested over the next four years in the Modern Manufacturing Strategy to make Australian manufacturers more competitive, resilient and able to scale-up to take on the world.
“We make things in Australia. We do it well. We need to keep making things in Australia. And with this strategy, we will,” Prime Minister Morrison said.
“The COVID crisis opens a new chapter for Australian manufacturing as a revitalised source of high-wage jobs, valuable exports and national income.
“Our Modern Manufacturing Strategy is at the heart of our JobMaker plan. It starts with creating a stable and competitive business environment to grow our all parts of our manufacturing sector, but it does not end there.
“It will play to Australia’s strengths, improve collaboration and commercialisation, and create a sector that is modern, dynamic and highly skilled.
“Through this Strategy, we are determined to ensure government, industry and the research and education sectors are all working in the one direction to build scale in our manufacturing sector.
“Manufacturing is critical to Australia’s economic future, to the prosperity of our regions and to the capabilities that underpin the success of so many other industries.”
Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews said this strategy reflects the lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as extensive work with industry before that.
“Our manufacturers have risen to the challenge to deliver during COVID-19 and now, we’re unlocking their potential to deliver for our future,” Minister Andrews said.
“By playing to our strengths, strategically investing and boosting the role of science and technology in industry, we can open up new markets and take more of our quality products to the world.
“This Strategy sends a clear signal that not only is Australia open for business, but we mean business.”
The centrepiece of the Strategy is the $1.3 billion Modern Manufacturing Initiative (MMI), which will see the Government strategically invest in projects that help manufacturers to scale up and create jobs.
The MMI will support projects within six National Manufacturing Priorities which reflect Australia’s established competitive advantages or emerging areas of priority:

• Resources technology and critical minerals processing
• Food and beverage
• Medical products
• Recycling and clean energy
• Defence
• Space

“This is about Australia playing to its strengths and the Government strategically investing in areas of manufacturing where we know we have an edge and that can deliver the jobs we need,” Minister Andrews said.
Industry will be engaged to co-design tailored road maps for each of the priority sectors to set clear goals over the next two, five and 10 years, and identify the barriers and opportunities that will guide action and investment.
The Strategy will also address the competitiveness of individual manufacturers in our priority sectors, with a $52.8 million expansion of the Manufacturing Modernisation Fund.
The COVID-19 crisis has also highlighted the need to better understand and address our supply chain issues and opportunities. A $107.2 million Supply Chain Resilience Initiative will support projects that address an identified supply chain vulnerability.
“This is about incentivising industry to take advantage of opportunities to provide both domestic and global supply chains with critical products,” Minister Andrews said.
Innovation and Science Australia will be repurposed as Industry Innovation and Science Australia, to provide a long-term perspective on growing the manufacturing sector and strong industry advice to Government throughout the implementation of the Strategy.
The Government is also comprehensively reviewing existing industry programs to better align them with the strategy. As part of this, we will provide an additional $50 million to the Industry Growth Centres initiative to support projects in the priority areas out until the end of June 2022.
This strategy builds on the work across Government to improve economic conditions for business, including streamlining regulation, cutting red tape and cutting input costs. A key part of that will be cutting energy costs as outlined in the Gas-fired recovery statement on 15 September 2020.

Australian Greens Education spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has said the Education Minister’s announcement the Commonwealth will fund 12,000 more student places for 2021 is a last-minute scramble to drum up support for unpopular university fee hikes and funding cuts.
Senator Faruqi said:
“Universities need a guaranteed, long-term funding boost, not a cynical injection of last-minute cash as the disastrous job-ready bill hangs in the balance.
“Universities are shedding tens of thousands of jobs and facing multi-billion dollar cuts. The government proposes putting a tiny band-aid on an open wound.
“While money for student places is always welcome, this is effectively an admission that the places promised in Job-ready Graduates come nowhere near satisfying demand for next year. Even with these new places, it won’t be anywhere near enough.
“When Covid-19 hit, the Liberals should have shown some leadership, provided a rescue package for universities and made university free for all students to aid our recovery.
“The grim reality is the government is crying poor on university funding while drawing up plans to bring forward billions in tax cuts for the wealthy,” she said.