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Tasmania will share in the benefits of a $1 billion defence industry contract signed by the Morrison Government last year, with around 55 new jobs to be created at Wynyard-based manufacturing company Elphinstone.

Elphinstone will manufacture 45 turrets and hulls for the Australian Army’s new Huntsman howitzers, delivering a major boost to Tasmania’s defence industry.

This is part of a $1 billion defence contract for new self-propelled howitzers for the Australian Army which was last year awarded to Hanwha Defense Australia, based in Greater Geelong.

Elphinstone will complete the steel fabrication, machining and painting of the turrets and hulls at their Wynyard factory, before shipping them to Hanwha in Geelong where the Huntsman vehicles will be assembled.

The Prime Minister said this was a major vote of confidence in Elphinstone and Tasmania.

“My Government will always back Tasmanians and ensure they benefit from our significant investment in defence industry,” the Prime Minister said.

“After decades specialising in mining manufacturing capabilities, Elphinstone has secured its first defence contract – this is a big win for our highly skilled workers in Wynyard.

“As manufacturing ramps up, around 55 new jobs will be created for locals in north-west Tasmania, in so many roles, including boilermaker welders, painters, fitters, machinists and other trades.

“Tasmanians should be proud that they will be significant contributors to increasing the firepower and security of Australian artillery capability.

“My Government can always be trusted to keep our nation and our region safe and to protect our interests in a rapidly changing global environment.”

Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price said Australian industry will play a vital role delivering and sustaining the Huntsman howitzers.

“Right across the country we are backing our small and medium businesses and creating local jobs, and Elphinstone is a prime example of this commitment to grow our defence industry,” Minister Price said.

“Tasmania has a formidable reputation for exporting niche, high-quality products and services to the world.

“I have no doubt it will continue to make an outstanding contribution to our Government’s Defence programs, boosting statewide employment and economic opportunities.

“Our Defence investments are giving Elphinstone an important opportunity to diversify its manufacturing operations.

“Our decision to back Australian industry is a demonstration of our determination to ensure that we have the ability to maintain a lethal, relevant and effective sovereign defence capability in Australia.”

In addition to the manufacture of turrets and hulls, Elphinstone will also undertake structural repairs over the life of the howitzers, including design changes and modifications in the future.

The Australian Workers’ Union is calling on the Prime Minister to put David Littleproud’s disastrous new Agriculture Visa out of its misery, after it was revealed Asian nations are now formally withdrawing from even considering it.

Media reports today reveal The Philippines has formally withdrawn from discussions with other southeast Asian nations looking set to follow.

The Agriculture Visa, originally billed by Mr Littleproud as being more convenient for farmers due to containing even fewer safeguards than existing Pacific Island visas, has failed to attract the support of Asian nations.

The Australian Workers’ Union has opposed the introduction of the visa, arguing it would make already endemic levels of exploitation and abuse in the horticulture sector worse.

“The meetings we’ve had with ambassadors are confidential. But if there are nations now formally withdrawing from engagement with the visa I can confirm that is entirely consistent with the the tenor of the discussions we’ve been having. I would expect to see the others following suit shortly,” said AWU National Secretary Daniel Walton.

“Littleproud and his mates in the Nats have been bloviating and carrying on, accusing our union of treason and of being un-Australian. Well, the truly un-Australian position is to support the abuse of workers on Australian soil.

“Our union will always fight against the abuse and exploitation of workers in this country and if that means engaging with foreign embassies then that’s precisely what we’ll do.

“If Asian nations are rejecting this agriculture visa it’s not because they trust the AWU blindly. It’s because they’ve probably read the 11 independent reports since 2016 that have confirmed widespread abuse of foreign workers on Australian farms. Anyone who lightly dismisses this massive weight of evidence would be unethical, stupid, or both.

“I suspect no nation will want to expose their citizens to our horticulture sector until they believe the Australian Government is serious about ensuring proper safeguards.”

Australia is country full of national park lovers, who favour nature protection over development.

New national polling confirms that the vast majority of Australians do not want to see prime protected areas like National Parks compromised by commercial or large-scale development. Research undertaken by National Parks Australia Council, a coalition of state-based conservation groups, shows just how protective Australians are of our national parks and reserves.

Of the 1,122 Australians we surveyed, the results were unequivocal, with 91% agreeing national parks and conservation areas are critical to protect nature from resource extraction (including logging and mining), and 78% of saying they did not support any development in parks and protected areas at all. There was support for small scale projects that help people enjoy nature such as public toilets, visitor centres, and interpretation areas.

The poll was commissioned in response to the increasing trend of Federal and State governments proactively spruiking and funding development and commercial interests over nature protection in national parks.

Recent disputes over Kosciuszko National Park Special Development Precincts, the Ben Boyd National Park Light to Light Walk in NSW, Lake Malbena in Tasmania, Warburton/Yarra Ranges National Park Bike Track in Victoria, Australian Walking Company’s private, luxury accommodation in Flinders Chase National Park, South Australia, and the Wangetti trail in Queensland, which is under development, have raised community concern that Federal and State governments are undermining the integrity of national parks.

“We have seen numerous examples over the years, and they just keep coming, a seemingly insatiable push to inappropriately develop even for our prime protected natural places like national parks.” said National Parks Australia Council President, Dr Bruce McGregor.

“What becomes clear is that there is a disconnect between public and political priorities. People don’t support commercialisation or large-scale development of parks, but that’s where governments keep putting their money and effort,” said Dr Bruce McGregor.

When Australians were asked why national parks and conservation areas were important to them, protection of nature, saving threatened species, and quiet enjoyment of nature topped the list.

The survey also revealed that the perceived city/country divide over nature protection isn’t quite as divisive as portrayed. Regional Australians were five percentage points more likely than capital city residents to vote for their local member of parliament if they actively prioritised or advocated national parks, demonstrating “that there is pretty much a national consensus on this, and it doesn’t matter whether you live in the country or city.” said Dr Bruce McGregor.

“We need our politicians to match their actions with their communities’ attitudes and rule out inappropriate development, in favor of a clearly articulated protection vision for national parks and protected areas” said National Parks Australia Council President, Dr Bruce McGregor.

The research was released by the National Parks Australia Council (NPAC), a national coalition of state based national parks associations and community conservation organisations from across Australia. And was conducted by Lonergan Research in accordance with the ISO 20252 standard.

Report is here https://vnpa.org.au/publications/polling-2022/

The Morrison Government is investing $23 million in three Victorian health projects that will help prevent chronic diseases and improve health and wellbeing of Australians.

In partnership with the Victorian Government, the preventative health projects aim to tackle chronic disease, obesity and reduce the number of avoidable hospitalisations related to cardiovascular disease.

Minister for Health and Aged Care, Greg Hunt, said chronic conditions are the leading cause of ill health and death in Australia and account for 87 per cent of deaths.

“Each year, one Australian dies of cardiovascular disease every 12 minutes,” Minister Hunt said.

“These projects target a range of issues and build on our Government’s commitment to investing in health projects that save lives, improve lives and protect lives.”

Enduring Data Linkage Strategy, who will receive $3.5 million, are working on improving outcomes for Victorians with cardiovascular disease by routinely identifying patients who may be at high-risk of hospitalisation or re-hospitalisation.

In addition, $8.5 million will fund a range of initiatives to reduce readmission to hospital including the Health Helper program and the Cardiovascular Ambassadors nurse program, which together will make sure Australians get the follow up care they need after experiencing heart failure.

$3 million will be invested to rapidly identify unusual patterns of illness that may indicate a risk to public health. The software will be rolled out to emergency departments and other health services across Victoria so an early and appropriate public health response can be deployed.

The Healthy Kids Advisors Initiative will receive $8 million to focus on boosting healthy eating to help prevent obesity and chronic disease. The Initiative supports a dedicated workforce who will work in 13 targeted Local Government Areas to provide hands on support for healthy eating in places where children and families gather.

We know that health eating habits, together with regular physical activity and adequate sleep, help children reach their full potential while reducing the likelihood of preventable chronic diseases down the track.

Last year the Morrison Government launched the National Preventive Health Strategy, a 10-year plan to improve the health and wellbeing of all Australians at all stages of life.

The strategy seeks to improve Australia’s health system, fundamentally focused on the treatment of illness and disease, by increasing the focus on prevention – from illness to wellness, and from healthcare to health.

Our Government has invested $1.9 million in 2021-22 to build the foundations of this strategy, with the first steps for implementation already underway.

These projects were funded to help advance the objectives of the 2020–2025 National Health Reform Agreement Addendum and will assist to achieve the aims and targets of the National Preventive Health Strategy 2021-2030.

The Australian Government and Australian Sports Commission (ASC) congratulates Australian athletes and officials after a record-breaking performance at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

Minister for Sport Richard Colbeck said it was an inspirational two weeks of sport, culminating with an Australian record four medals – one gold, two silver and one bronze.

“It’s fantastic to have seen the Australian Olympic team achieve record podium success in Beijing, following on from an equal-record gold medal haul of 17 at the Tokyo Summer Olympics just last year,” Minister Colbeck said.

“Mogul skier Jakara Anthony broke through to claim Australia’s first gold medal at the Winter Olympics in 12 years, but it was one of many wonderful performances that show how we’re continuing to evolve in Winter sports and challenging the world’s best.

“The medals were complemented by a record nine top-six finishes, and numerous personal bests, which means we’re knocking on the door for more medals in the future.

“Australian Olympic debuts in sports such as curling and monobob show there’s greater depth and opportunity for our athletes too.

“This gives us a lot to be excited about in the future, especially with the opening of the Geoff Henke Olympic Winter Training Centre in Brisbane and the new National Snowsports Training Centre in Jindabyne being developed by Snow Australia.

“It gives Olympic and aspiring athletes access to a world-class training centre in Australia all-year round.

“Well done to all our Olympic athletes in Beijing and the team behind the scenes, led by Chef De Mission Geoff Lipshut.

“We now look forward to our Australian Paralympic team competing in Beijing next month.”

The Australian Government, via the Australian Institute of Sport, provided a record $29.8 million in preparation for Beijing, an increase of almost 50 per cent in funding. The funding includes more than $2.5 million in direct grants to athletes.

By the end of this year, the AIS will confirm the next four years of winter funding to help athletes and sports prepare for the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Games. It is part of a longer-term approach to sports funding.

Australian Sports Commission Chair Josephine Sukkar AM said Australia’s winter athletes had overcome enormous challenges and thrived on the world stage.

“We’re always building for the future too, so preparations for the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics are already underway and we’ll confirm funding by the end of 2022,” Ms Sukkar said.

“I thank the Australian Government for believing in the ASC’s long-term vision for Australian high performance sport. With the Government’s support, we’re now able to give sports greater certainty and clarity to build for a full Games cycle.

“It creates a stronger platform than we have ever had in Australian sport and is a huge vote of confidence for the Australian high performance system, the sports and our athletes.

“Beyond funding, the AIS will continue to support our winter sports and athletes in areas of innovation and technology, medicine and sport science, wellbeing and community engagement, coaching and leadership, as well as high performance facilities, including the AIS campus in Canberra, European Training Centre in Italy and the Geoff Henke Olympic Winter Training Centre in Brisbane.

“As we welcome our Olympians home, we also wish our Australian Paralympic team all the very best as they prepare to compete from March 4-13.”

The Federal Coalition Government is providing $3.7 million to the University of South Australia (UniSA) to create a training site in Port Lincoln that will encourage current and future nursing and allied health students to pursue a career in aged care once qualified.

Making the significant announcement today at the Matthew Flinders Home, where the training and simulation site will be built, Federal Member for Grey, Rowan Ramsey said this was a win-win for local health students and the increasing elderly population in the area.

Mr Ramsey said the new centre will include state of the art equipment, including a simulated resident’s room with geriatric mannequin, clinical skills training laboratory, video/telehealth conferencing facilities, and areas for student mentoring, tutorials, and office space.

“Each year, the demonstration project will give dozens of students in nursing and other health professions the opportunity to study under supervision in residential and community aged care in Port Lincoln,” Mr Ramsey said.

“As well as nursing, the project will support students in physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech pathology, podiatry, pharmacy and nutrition; with the program likely to expand to include dietetics, exercise physiology and social work students in the future.”

Federal Regional Health Minister, Dr David Gillespie, who will join Mr Ramsey tomorrow for a rural health visit to Wallaroo, said the centre will give students the experience and training to build their knowledge, expertise, and skills relevant to rural aged care practice, which makes them more likely to pursue a career in regional, rural, or remote aged care at the end of their studies.

“The project will initially start with 52 weeks of student placements in 2022, building to 288 weeks and 48 students in 2024 and beyond, which is a huge staff boost to local aged care,” Dr Gillespie said.

“In return, it will give people receiving aged care access to health services which haven’t been available locally, and better access to existing services.”

Mr Ramsey said the project’s benefits would extend across the Port Lincoln community.

“Port Lincoln is the service centre for the Lower Eyre Peninsula and also a retirement destination, with a growing population of elderly people,” Mr Ramsey said.

“This project will give students from the local area and other places the opportunity to train on the job and link them to future local employment opportunities.

“At the same time, it will help local aged care provider, Matthew Flinders Home, to continue to deliver high quality care and meet the health care needs of its residents.”

UniSA will receive nearly $3.7 million from the Liberal and Nationals Government to establish the site at Matthew Flinders Home. It is part of the Federal Government’s $18.4 million investment to establish up to seven health training demonstration sites in rural and remote aged care services, as part of the broader Rural Health Multidisciplinary Training (RHMT) program.

In October 2020, the Australian Government announced a $48.3 million investment to increase rural health training opportunities to deliver health, aged care, and disability services in regional, rural, and remote communities under the RHMT program. The program currently provides over $200 million in funding to 21 universities across Australia to improve the recruitment and retention of medical, nursing, dental and allied health professionals in rural and remote Australia.