Author: admin

Today marks the 70th anniversary of signing of the ANZUS Treaty – which for seven decades has been the foundation of our unbreakable Alliance with the United States of America.
Our Alliance was forged on the battlefield, reinforced in peacetime and renewed by successive generations. For more than a century, we have fought side-by-side in every major conflict and faced the world’s most pressing challenges together.
We saw the strength of our Alliance in the tragic recent events in Kabul, where the bravery and sacrifice of US military personnel allowed Australian forces to evacuate our people to safety.
President Lyndon Johnson once said that Australia and America would stand together ‘in sunshine and in sorrow’. For the past 70 years, we have sacrificed, lost and triumphed together.
ANZUS now sits at the heart of an enduring partnership that spans deep ties between our peoples and wide-ranging cooperation between our countries, including in security and defence, diplomacy, trade and investment, science and technology, environment and energy, research and education.
Today, we remain steadfast in our common outlook and shared values. Our countries remain committed to a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific and helping our region to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Our Alliance supports the Indo-Pacific and makes an essential contribution to regional stability and prosperity.
Australia will continue to ensure the strength and vitality of our Alliance through practical, tangible contributions and cooperation.
As we commemorate the last 70 years, we look to the future with optimism and confidence for what we can achieve, together, in the decades to come.

Australia’s vaccine rollout will be boosted by 500,000 extra Pfizer-BioNTech doses to be distributed next week for immediate use, following a dose swap deal secured between Australia and Singapore.
Australia will gain access to 500,000 Singaporean doses now to boost the vaccine programme in September, while in December, Australia will supply 500,000 Pfizer doses to Singapore.
Prime Minster Scott Morrison said the vaccines would be provided to all states and territories for distribution by primary care and state and territory vaccination sites on an equal population basis, following batch testing by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
“This deal gives us the further supplies we need as we bring new groups into the programme for Pfizer, including 12 to 15 year olds from September 13, and the 16 to 39 year old age group that has already commenced,” the Prime Minister said.
“I said we would leave no stone unturned in bolstering our vaccination programme. This deal comes on top of the Polish agreement that has already boosted our national vaccination rates to exceed those achieved in the United States and United Kingdom at the peak of their programmes.
“I would like to convey my special appreciation to Singapore’s Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong, for our direct engagement over this arrangement, and his Government for their support, highlighting how two governments can work together and manage vaccine stocks before they expire.
“I also extend my thanks to Minister Hunt, Minster Payne, Australia’s High Commissioner to Singapore Will Hodgman and his team, and our Health Secretary Professor Murphy for bringing this arrangement together.”
Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Women Marise Payne said Australia was working with other countries to manage the global challenge of COVID-19.
“This demonstrates how our diplomatic capability can deliver in ways that protect Australians and strengthen Australia’s security and prosperity,” Minister Payne said.
“Just as Australia and Singapore are working together, Australia is cooperating with partners in the region to save lives, advance economic recovery, and build health systems to protect against future pandemics.”
Minister for Health and Aged Care Greg Hunt said the Australian Government is working every day to bring forward vaccine supplies to ensure every Australian will have access to the COVID vaccine this year.
“With increasing supply we encourage all Australians to come forward and be vaccinated at more than 9,300 locations around the country,” Minister Hunt said.
“I particularly want to thank our health officials, both in Singapore and Australia, and our High Commission in Singapore for their work.”
There is no purchase cost associated with the deal to source the vaccine doses, which were manufactured in Belgium.
More than 19.3 million doses have now been delivered across the country, with more than 1.9 million doses delivered over the past week.
Per capita distribution:

New South Wales	159,236
Victoria	131,149
Queensland	99,745
Western Australia	51,294
South Australia	34,934
Tasmania	10,675
Australian Capital Territory	8,344
Northern Territory	4,622

To find your nearest vaccination site please visit https://www.health.gov.au/resources/apps-and-tools/covid-19-vaccine-eligibility-checker.

Harvey Norman’s record profits show the need to make big corporations and billionaires pay their fair share of tax, the Greens say.
“Harvey Norman is making super profits while millions of workers are trying to make ends meet in lockdown,” Greens Economic Justice spokesperson Senator Nick McKim said.
“Paying back some of the JobKeeper they took is a drop in the bucket compared to the massive dividends Gerry Harvey has paid himself and other shareholders.”
“Harvey Norman only paid back part of JobKeeper, and only after being publicly named and shamed.”
“This is why we need to know which companies got JobKeeper and how much they got, and to legislate to force profitable companies to pay it back.”
“The Australian Greens have tabled the Ending Jobkeeper Profiteering Bill which would achieve these things, and is currently before a Senate Committee.”
“Gerry Harvey pocketed $137m in dividends last financial year.”
“That Gerry Harvey is able to accumulate so much wealth in the middle of a pandemic shows just how broken Australia’s tax system is.”
“One in three big corporations pays no tax at all, and billionaires are accumulating obscene levels of wealth.”
“We need a billionaires tax to make the mega rich pay their fair share.”
“And we need a corporate super profits tax to stop mega corporations from draining life out of the economy to enrich their shareholders.”
“Making our tax system fairer would allow us to fund things like real climate action, dental into Medicare, affordable housing for everyone, an increase in Jobseeker to $80 a day and free childcare.”
Harvey Norman’s Results:
Company
Net profit (after tax): $841m
Dividends: $436m
G. Harvey
Dividends: $137m
JobKeeper
Parent company (paid back): $6m
Franchisees (not paid back): $14.6m

An Albanese Labor Government will help keep Australians safe from sexual harassment at work by investing in women’s support services, and establishing a one-stop shop to assist victims.
Labor will commit around $24 million to ensure there are properly funded Working Women’s Centres in every Australian state and territory.
Working Women’s Centres provide free, confidential assistance and advice about workplace matters, including sexual harassment, wage theft, and discrimination. Sadly, many Working Women’s Centres have cut back their services, closed, or face closure, because of the Liberals’ federal funding cuts.
Labor would work with states and territories and other relevant stakeholders on the establishment of new Working Women’s Centres.
Labor will invest $1.27 million to establish a one-stop shop, within the Australian Human Rights Commission, to assist victims of workplace sexual harassment. The one-stop shop would provide information about a victim’s rights, options for making a complaint, and referrals to support services. Employers will be able to access the one-stop shop for help understanding their responsibilities.
The Australian Human Rights Commission would also receive $1.5 million to hear and confidentially document the experiences of victims of historical workplace sexual harassment. This will allow the Commission to better identify how to strengthen the way we prevent and respond to sexual harassment at work, as well as helping victims come to terms with their experiences.
The announcements Labor is making today are part of our commitment to fully implement all 55 recommendations of the Sex Discrimination Commissioner’s Respect@Work Report, to help keep Australians safe from sexual harassment at work.
Back in April, Scott Morrison promised he would adopt every recommendation in the Respect@Work Report. Sadly, he’s not.
After commissioning the work in 2018, the Morrison Government ignored the final Respect@Work for over a year, leaving it to gather dust on the desk of former Attorney General, Christian Porter. It should not have taken this long.
The Sex Discrimination Commissioner herself has described the Federal Government’s weak response to her Report as a “missed opportunity.”
In the past five years, one in three people experienced sexual harassment at work, including two in five women. This widespread workplace harassment costs the Australian economy $3.5 billion a year. It must stop.