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The Senate has given its support to a motion of Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi to refer her private members’ bill Australian Research Council Amendment (Ensuring Research Independence) Bill 2018 to a Senate Inquiry.

Senator Faruqi, Greens spokesperson for Education, said:

“I’m very pleased that the Senate has agreed to this inquiry.

“There is no place for political interference in research funding and my bill would ensure that grants are allocated through the established rigorous processes, not ministerial intervention.

“I’m really looking forward to hearing from universities and researchers on this critical issue. Frankly, for too long, their voices have been ignored.

“Liberal Ministers have vetoed seventeen peer-reviewed grants in just the last four years. The government is out of control and the madness has to end.”

The inquiry has been referred to the Senate’s Education and Employment Legislation Committee. More information will be made available in the coming days.

Senior Australians in residential aged care are leading the national uptake of boosters, with 80.56 per cent of those eligible for their third vaccine shot now having received it.

In-reach booster clinics have reached all 2541 facilities across Australia, with the program completed ahead of the original schedule as the Morrison Government responded to the updated advice on the timing of boosters by ATAGI.

The booster vaccination rate for aged care residents is well ahead of the national community figure of 55.43 per cent.

Minister for Health and Aged Care, Greg Hunt, said it is an excellent response from residents and encouraged those who may not have been eligible or originally declined a booster, to roll up their sleeves.

“We want to continue to provide increased protection for senior Australians and are returning to residential aged care facilities to provide another opportunity for both residents and workers to get their booster dose,” Minister Hunt said.

“While all facilities have now had a booster clinic, 19 per cent of eligible residents have not yet received their booster dose, and 10 per cent of all residents are yet to complete their first and second doses. This is a concern.”

“We are committed to supporting our senior Australians and those who care for them in aged care facilities to get protected through vaccination.”

Residential aged care facilities are responsible for ensuring the safety and protection of residents through access and support to COVID-19 vaccination.

This includes proactively arranging for residents to access a booster dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as quickly and safely as possible if they have not yet received a booster.

Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services, Richard Colbeck said is critical for residents and workers at each residential aged care service to be strongly encouraged and supported to receive their COVID-19 booster dose.

“All residential aged care providers not actively arranging booster doses for remaining eligible residents must do so as soon as possible,” Minister Colbeck said.

The options available for booster doses, and first or second doses as required, include primary care providers, including visiting GPs and pharmacists, self-vaccination clinics or Commonwealth return clinics.

To support on-site self-vaccination clinics for residents and workers, the Commonwealth today opened a Request for Tender for residential aged care providers, recognising the capability and capacity of many aged care providers to conduct safe and efficient vaccination programs.

Self-vaccination clinics also enable residential aged care providers to offer flexibility to residents and workers, without having to schedule clinics with an external vaccine provider.

Facility management can register now for a Commonwealth return booster clinic where at least 10 per cent of residents at the facility require a COVID-19 vaccine dose (first, second or third/booster) and that this equates to 10 or more residents.

Facilities which do not meet this threshold are encouraged to engage with primary care providers in the first instance to deliver required boosters. Where this is not possible, the Commonwealth will offer an in-reach booster clinic.

All returning clinics will offer booster doses to all eligible residents and workers.

Those facilities requiring a first, second, or third dose for people who are severely immunocompromised, can also receive these doses at the return booster clinics.

Dedicated worker vaccination hubs are also coming online, with those states and territories that have now mandated booster vaccinations for residential aged care being a priority.

Workers can also access a priority booster appointment through existing state and territory vaccination clinics, GPs and community pharmacists.

The Western Mine Workers’ Alliance is calling on Australia’s largest superannuation funds to pressure Rio Tinto over the mining giant’s appalling workplace culture and profit-at-all-costs approach.

The WMWA has written to 13 super funds covering more than 6.5 million Australian members. The funds, each identified as having a Rio Tinto stake, are required to exercise their powers in the best interests of their members.

A recent by report by Elizabeth Broderick found that of all Rio Tinto’s global divisions, bullying and sexual harassment were highest in its iron ore division, in Western Australia’s Pilbara. More than half of those iron ore employees reported experiencing bullying and one third of the women experienced sexual harassment.

As key shareholders in Rio Tinto, each superannuation fund “has a key role in guiding Rio Tinto’s corporate behaviour and setting a high expectation for governance in the organisation,” Australian Workers’ Union National Secretary Dan Walton says in a joint letter to the chairs, CEOs and investment managers of each fund.

“We encourage you to challenge Rio Tinto’s leadership and ask what concrete steps they are taking to resolve these systemic cultural issues.”

The Broderick report backs up the findings of a worker survey conducted by the WMWA last year across Rio Tinto Pilbara iron ore mines, which found:

●One in five women said they had experienced physical acts of sexual assault.

●One in three women said they had received requests for sexual favours, and repeated invitations to engage in sexual relationships.

●Most workers (men and women) did not believe that the work culture protects workers from sexual harassment.

Mining and Energy Union President Tony Maher says Rio Tinto still refuses to engage or consult directly with its workers and representatives to discuss collaborative solutions to issues such as these.

“We have sounded concerns for several years about Rio Tinto’s failure to appropriately respond to bullying and harassment in the workplace,” Mr Maher says in the letter.

“There are particular historical factors contributing to Rio Tinto’s workplace culture that stem from their ‘direct engagement’ philosophy, which puts workers at the mercy of their immediate supervisor for their livelihoods.

“It removed a collective voice for workers and discouraged difficult issues like bullying from being raised.”

The Western Mine Workers’ Alliance is an agreement between the Australian Workers’ Union and the Mining and Energy Union.

RENEWABLES PROVIDED FIVE times more power into Australia’s largest grid than gas in 2021, according to new data from the Climate Council.

Renewables reached record highs in all mainland states in 2021, while gas generation fell once again across the country, down to its lowest level in more than 15 years in the National Electricity Market (NEM) despite virtually no change in electricity demand. Tasmania equaled it’s previous record of 99.9 percent of wind, water and sun in 2021

“The increase in solar, wind and batteries in our electricity system is making power bills cheaper for Australian households and businesses. Electricity is now the cheapest it has been in almost a decade and we have solar and wind to thank for that,” said Climate Council Senior Researcher, Tim Baxter.

“Let’s be clear, this record has nothing to do with the federal government, which has been missing in action and leaving all of the heavy-lifting to the states and territories.”

“When you look at the data and what renewables are doing for Australians’ hip-pockets, the push for gas from the Morrison Government seems increasingly irresponsible and economically reckless.

“This week, the federal government approved its Kurri Kurri gas-fired power station, despite it making zero commercial sense.”

In NSW, gas provided just 1.5 percent of the state’s power, its lowest level in 15 years.

Climate Councillor, energy expert and former BP Australasia President, Greg Bourne said: “Every taxpayer dollar spent on new gas-fired power infrastructure is at risk of being wasted on unnecessary stranded assets.”

“Gas simply cannot compete with renewable energy, which is bringing down power prices for consumers and creating a cleaner, healthier energy system.”

“We’re also seeing a similar clean energy trend on the other side of Australia, in WA’s largest grid, which for the first time ever in 2021 saw renewables overtake gas to become the state’s biggest source of power. This is incredibly significant considering renewable energy generation has more than doubled in WA in just three years,” said the former West Australian.

Renewable energy generation increased by almost 20 percent in the NEM in 2021, with a 30 percent jump in Victoria and 26 percent jump in Western Australia. In South Australia, gas generation slumped to its lowest level in more than two decades, while in Victoria it dropped a whopping 30 percent in just 12 months.

“Why is the Morrison Government investing in gas-fired power stations when the need for gas in our electricity system is clearly disappearing?” said Mr Bourne.

“Gas is expensive, polluting, and diminishing in importance and relevance as the rest of the world moves towards net zero, and our own states and territories rapidly roll-out large-scale renewable energy and storage.”

The National Electricity Market (NEM) is Australia’s largest grid and supplies the vast majority of Australia’s electricity. It is an interconnected system supplying electricity right across Victoria, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory, and most major populated regions of Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia. ACT’s generation is accounted for within the NSW total.

The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics will hold a public hearing with the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), Mr Philip Lowe, on Friday, 11 February 2022. The RBA last appeared before the committee in August 2021.

Monetary policy has been incredibly consequential for the Australian economy and the decisions the RBA take, have an impact on everyone. Particularly at a time of great uncertainty when the COVID-19 pandemic and new strains continue to affect economies and markets around the globe.

The committee will be scrutinising recent measures of the RBA, including its decisions to cease further purchases under the bond purchasing program and to maintain the cash rate target at 10 basis points. Additionally, the committee will scrutinise the RBA’s thinking around inflation targets and its outlook for monetary policy.

United Kingdom, Taiwan and South Korea – ‘Yes’
China – ‘re-establish relations before consideration’
US – ‘time to renew interest’

The Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade (JSCFADT) has tabled its report on Expanding the membership of the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

Mr Ted O’Brien MP, Chair of the Trade Sub-Committee, said, “Australia should support the expansion of the CPTPP to include new members, but not unconditionally.”

‘Only aspiring economies that support an open, transparent and stable trading environment and those that demonstrate an ability and willingness to meet the agreement’s high standards should be considered,’ Mr O’Brien said.

‘The CPTPP is one of the world’s most comprehensive trade agreements and its quality must be maintained,’ said Mr O’Brien on tabling the report in the House of Representatives.

Among the Committee’s recommendations was that the Australian Government work with other CPTPP members to encourage and facilitate the accession of the United Kingdom, Taiwan and South Korea.

‘The UK was the first to apply to join the CPTPP and the process it’s going through can be a template for other future aspirants,’ said Mr O’Brien.

The Committee’s recommendation on Taiwan went one step further, suggesting the government also consider negotiating a bilateral Taiwan-Australia FTA.

‘A lesson from our experience with the UK is that benefits accrue from negotiating a bilateral FTA and the CPTPP at the same time, and we see merit in replicating this approach with Taiwan,’ stated Mr O’Brien.

On China, the Committee recommended the Australian Government work with other CPTPP members to, ‘encourage China to re-establish full trading relations including ending its coercive trade measures and reengaging in ministerial dialogue, and to demonstrate an ability and willingness to commit to the CPTPP’s high standards, prior to supporting the commencement of an accession process’.

‘The ball is in their court,’ said Mr O’Brien. ‘It’s up to China if it wishes to re-engage with Australia and I hope it does because that would enable the discussions that are necessary to determine whether an accession process should commence,’ Mr O’Brien said.

The United States has not sought to join the CPTPP since it withdrew from negotiations under President Trump. Nevertheless, the Committee recommended that the Australian Government work with other CPTPP members to encourage the US to renew its interest.

The Committee also recommended ongoing informal discussions with other economies that have expressed an interest in joining the CPTPP including Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines.