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The Greens say that unemployed workers and people living in poverty have been very clear that they want to see their representatives in Parliament supporting and campaigning for them, doing everything they can to increase the rate of JobSeeker above the poverty line.
“People living in poverty in this cruel punitive income support system feel isolated, they feel abandoned and want people to be vocal in their condemnation of this joke of an increase in the rate of Jobseeker”, Senator Rachel Siewert said.
“When we work to improve this pathetic increase we offer a glimmer of hope that people are not forgotten, that they are seen and that their Members of Parliament do not accept that anyone in a country as wealthy as Australia should live in poverty.
“The Greens will continue to campaign for a meaningful increase in the Jobseeker payment to ensure no one in this country lives in poverty and that includes seeking the support of the Senate to amend the pathetic bill that increases the JobSeeker payment by just $3.57 a day.
“Senators and MP’s across the political  spectrum should use their power and their voices to campaign for their communities.
“The Greens support all unemployed workers and will not stop campaigning until we have an increase to JobSeeker that is over the poverty line.”
When this pathetic so-called increase gets to the Senate this week I will be seeking support to amend this bill to:
1.    Increase all income support payments to $1115 a fortnight which is in line with the Henderson Poverty Line.
2.    Retain the current income free threshold of $300 a fortnight.
3.    Abolish compulsory income management.
4.    Abolish Mutual Obligations.
5.    Increase the base rate of age pension/DSP/Carer Payment to $1115 a fortnight.

Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Greens spokesperson for Anti-Racism, has criticised ASIO’s shift away from naming the threat of right-wing extremism, as announced in its 2021 Annual Threat Assessment.
Senator Faruqi said:
“To counter the far-right, we have to name the far-right.
“The people who benefit most from a failure to name far-right extremists are far-right extremists themselves.
“ASIO backing away from calling a spade a spade will harm our efforts to confront the existential threat of far-right violence.
“Make no mistake. This shift has occurred following complaints to ASIO by right-wing Government MPs.
“There is no ideological equivalence here. ASIO itself has said, just weeks ago, that right wing extremism is on the rise while left wing extremism is “not currently prominent”.
“ASIO were happy to label extremists ‘Islamic’ when it suited the Liberals’ desire to demonise a whole community, but now the group in question is predominantly young white men, it’s suddenly out of the question.”

The Morrison Government will provide a $2.4 billion boost to the economy by cutting red tape as part of our Economic Recovery Plan to allow for a uniform scheme for automatic mutual recognition (AMR) of state and territory based occupational licences and registrations.
Under this reform, builders, electricians, plumbers, architects, real estate agents, security guards and other workers who hold an occupational licence in their home state or territory and who want to do the same work in another state or territory will be automatically deemed to have the necessary licence. These workers will also not need to pay any additional fees or apply for additional licenses.
The current mutual recognition regime for licensed occupations across Australia is complex, costly and imposes an excessive regulatory burden on businesses that operate across jurisdictions. Currently, around 20 per cent of workers in the economy are required to be licensed.
In November 2020 the National Cabinet endorsed a uniform, national scheme for AMR and in December 2020 the Prime Minister, State Premiers and the Northern Territory Chief Minister signed an intergovernmental agreement for the federal government to establish the scheme and the states and territories to implement it.
This reform will directly benefit over 124,000 workers who currently work across borders and an additional 44,000 who are expected to work across borders following these reforms. In particular, the reforms will benefit those workers living in border regions, those who relocate temporarily for work, fly-in fly-out workers and people who provide services remotely. The time and cost savings associated with AMR for these workers is expected to increase GDP by $2.4 billion over 10 years.
A uniform scheme means businesses can operate more seamlessly across Australia, which helps to create jobs, increase output, competition and innovation and lower prices for consumers.

The Morrison Government is putting the mental health of small business owners first with the with the launch of a coaching and support program.
NewAccess for Small Business Owners will provide free, confidential and tailored mental health coaching to small business owners.
The program is part of the Government’s $7 million BusinessBalance initiative, announced in the 2020-21 Budget. BusinessBalance provides immediate, short-term support of mental and financial wellbeing for small business as it recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business, Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash, said Australia’s small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and yet small business owners suffer more from depression and anxiety than the general population.
“Despite collectively employing more Australians, small business owners have the fewest resources to deal with their own needs, including their mental health. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated this, putting our small business owners under even more financial and emotional pressure,” Minister Cash said.
“That’s why it is crucial to our economy that small business owners get the support they need towards recovery from COVID-19 and beyond.”
Developed by Beyond Blue, in partnership with the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, NewAccess for Small Business Owners is designed to help small business owners who are feeling overwhelmed about everyday life issues, which may be caused by business challenges, staffing, relationships, health or loneliness. Coaches will have a small business background.
BusinessBalance also includes the Counting on U program, delivered through Deakin University, which is a free and professional development program that builds the mental health knowledge of trusted business advisers.
The advisers are trained in mental health first aid and relationship-building skills so they can recognise signs of mental and financial stress in small business owners and connect them to specialised services.
For more information about NewAccess for Small Business Owners, visit beyondblue.org.au/get-support/newaccess
For information on Counting on U and business advisor registration for upcoming training starting late April 2021, visit blogs.deakin.edu.au/counting-on-u/

Australia is working with Papua New Guinea to support the Government’s response to a concerning spike in COVID-19 cases to help save lives and support our closest Pacific neighbour’s health system.
By helping Papua New Guinea, we are not only helping our Pacific family, we are keeping our nation and our people safe.
The Australian Government has agreed to a request for assistance and will partner with Papua New Guinea on a comprehensive support package to help it respond to the crisis.
This includes the earliest possible supply of 8,000 AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines from Australia’s stock. It will enable vaccination of the country’s essential health workforce, with an initial rollout for the National Capital District. Future priorities will be determined with Papua New Guinea’s Government.
The Australian Government will also make a formal request to AstraZeneca and European Authorities for one million doses of Australia’s contracted supplies to gift to Papua New Guinea.
Our early vaccine assistance will be coordinated with the Papua New Guinean Government’s response, which has included their COVID-19 National Pandemic Response taskforce. We will also work with the WHO and UNICEF to ensure that it complements PNG’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout plan.
We are conscious of the close family and cultural connections of those people living in the Torres Strait Protected Zone. Both Governments are determined to protect our respective communities and avoid any cross-border COVID-19 transmission.
The roll out of vaccines in the Torres Strait Islands by the Queensland Government has already begun. The Australian Government will also work with the Papua New Guinea and Queensland Governments to address health security on both sides of the Torres Strait including support for making vaccines available in a timely way in Treaty Villages in the Protected Zone.
The COVID-19 outbreak in Papua New Guinea carries risks to the Australian people through incoming travellers. We are reviewing the adequacy of pre-departure COVID testing and on-arrival quarantine arrangements. We will be working with the Papua New Guinea Government over the coming weeks to investigate options for pre departure testing within 24 hours of departure.
In addition, we will suspend flights between Port Moresby and Cairns, and passenger capacity on flights between Port Moresby and Brisbane will be reduced by 25 percent.
To maintain emergency supplies and other essential services, freight flights will continue.
Charter flights from Papua New Guinea into Australia will also be suspended, with limited exceptions for medivac, humanitarian and other critical flights.
Australian Border Force will continue to enhance its presence in the Torres Strait.
As another element of our partnership, Australia is also deploying a forward team of three AUSMAT health specialists to Port Moresby. The specialists will work with Papua New Guinea’s health authorities on infection control, triage and emergency management and public health measures.
They will also advise on further Australian assistance and deployment of clinical care teams.
Australia is also providing the following new targeted support:

• Supply of PPE and other equipment for Port Moresby General Hospital and other facilities, as well as 200,000 facemasks;
• Working with the WHO on expanding warehouse capacity to increase storage for PPE and streamline its distribution;
• Supply of hospital tent facilities outside Port Moresby General Hospital for safe triaging and referral and transfer of patients;
• Supporting St John’s PNG and National Capital District Provincial Health Authority to establish Taurama Aquatic Centre as an isolation facility for mild to moderate cases with up to 120 bed capacity.
• Funding support for the re-opening of the Rita Flynn Testing and Isolation Facility to relieve pressure on the Port Moresby General Hospital;
• Funding St John’s Ambulance’s COVID-19 operations in Port Moresby, including patient transport, COVID-19 testing and PPE distribution to clinics;
• Supporting the COVID-19 National Control Centre with information management, risk communications, quarantine management and health financing; and
• Scaling up surveillance, testing and clinical care capacity in Port Moresby and provinces with known outbreaks, and testing of samples in Australia.

The Australian Government will also provide essential PPE supplies to the PNG Government including:

• Surgical Masks – 1 million
• P2/N95 respirator masks – 200,000
• Gowns – 100,000
• Goggles – 100,000
• Gloves – 100,000 pairs
• Hand sanitiser – 100,000 bottles
• Face Shields – 20,000
• Non-invasive ventilators (plus appropriate quantity of consumables) – 200

This new support is in addition to the $144.7 million support that Australia is providing to Papua New Guinea over 2020-21 to 2022-23 through our regional vaccine access initiative. This funding will support Papua New Guinea prepare for a COVID-19 vaccination campaign and assist with the procurement and delivery of doses.
It also builds on our $80 million contribution to the multilateral COVAX Facility’s Advance Market Commitment (AMC) for developing countries, which will support vaccine access for around 20 percent of populations at greatest risk in 92 developing countries. The COVAX facility has indicated that it will deliver 588,000 vaccines for Papua New Guinea by June.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Australia has already provided assistance of over $60 million dollars in assistance to help Papua New Guinea respond to the crisis.
At the inaugural Quad Leaders’ Summit last weekend the Prime Minister, Indian Prime Minister Modi, Japanese Prime Minister Suga and US President Biden agreed on a signature initiative to work together to boost vaccine production and distribution to countries in the Indo-Pacific.
We have reached out to our Quad partners to look at what more we can do together to support Papua New Guinea.