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The Community Affairs Legislation Committee has tabled its report into the Government’s pitiful Bill to increase the JobSeeker payment by $3.57 a day. The Greens have tabled a dissenting report.
The Australian Greens are deeply disappointed in the lack of time provided to consider and scrutinise this change to Australia’s social security system.
“The Government had months to consider an increase and prepare this legislation with the knowledge that the reduced Coronavirus Supplement was coming to an end on 31 March 2021, but they chose to introduce this Bill as late as possible in an attempt to suppress debate and dissent”, Senator Rachel Siewert said.
“While the Government tries to stifle scrutiny and debate on their callous decision to condemn millions to poverty, the community is watching and they do not accept this cruelty.
“Everyone in our community deserves to live a life free of poverty and to ensure that they can care for their wellbeing and that of their family.
“There were hundreds of submissions to this inquiry. You only have to read a handful to understand the significant pain, anxiety and poverty taking JobSeeker back to $44 a day is going to cause.
“This is not a decision based on evidence but on an ideological obsession with punishing people on income support.
“It’s shameful the way this Government attacks people on income support, calling them job snobs, essentially implying they are undeserving of support.
“At a time when the Government should be focusing on economic recovery, they are making choices that will slow down our recovery from the recession.
“The poverty rate for households whose main source of income is allowances dropped to 26% following the introduction of the $550 a fortnight Coronavirus Supplement. Researchers estimate the poverty rate for these households will skyrocket back up to 85% after this Bill is introduced.
“Researchers at the Grattan Institute estimate that the Government’s plans to cut the rate of Jobseeker Payment by $50 a week will remove $5 billion from the economy over the next year and result in up to 40,000 fewer jobs . Millions will be ripped from the retail sector as people on income support payments spend an estimated 58% of their payments on retail goods or services.
Next week the Greens will seek the support of the senate to:  
1.    Amend the bill to 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.
The report can be found here.

Older Australians from culturally and linguistically diverse communities across the country are set to access more tailored respite care.
The Morrison Government will fund an additional $9.67 million per year over two years through the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP).
Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services, Richard Colbeck, said the funding would support culturally and linguistically diverse senior Australians to live independently and safely in their own homes and local communities and provide respite for carers.
“Forty aged and disability care providers will deliver the additional centre‑based respite services to older Australians from multicultural communities, including those from Chinese, Italian, Greek, Polish, Russian and Indian backgrounds, to name a few,” Minister Colbeck said.
“Importantly, the Government is directing the extra funding to those areas in most need across the country – where there are service gaps and the highest level of demand.”
Centre‑based respite services can include group activities to help ease isolation and encourage social interaction, group excursions, and meals. Carers and family members can take part in the activities or leave the older person in the care of the provider.
“Social isolation was – and is – a very real problem for older Australians during the pandemic,” Minister Colbeck said.
“Language barriers and cultural differences have made it even harder for people from diverse backgrounds.
“It’s important the additional services on offer focus on tailored support and programs that are suited to the needs of these seniors, and the needs of their communities.”
To access services, older Australians will need to contact My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 and arrange for a formal assessment of their care needs.
Service providers are required to be as responsive as possible to requests from older Australians and their carers for short-term or non-ongoing respite.

A national network of leading mental health researchers will work with more than 2000 people living with mental illness to deliver better models of mental health care across Australia, thanks to the Morrison Government.
Funded by $10 million from the National Health and Medical Research Council’s Special Initiative in Mental Health, the new national centre, called ALIVE, will help to lead a generational shift in mental health care research.
Operating from research hub, to be based at the University of Melbourne, ALIVE will establish an Academy of Lived Experience and Co-Design Living Labs at 14 universities across all states and territories.
Minister for Health, Greg Hunt, said the centre will use research to rethink models of mental health care and the way they are delivered, to find a national solution to a national problem.
“The Australian Government’s investment in mental health services and suicide prevention in 2020-21 is at a record high of $5.9 billion,” Minister Hunt said. “This not only delivers better treatment of mental health conditions, but provides Australian researchers the tools to improve treatment.”
“ALIVE will drive a national research agenda to deliver innovative, evidence-based mental health care. The centre complements the National Mental Health Commission’s reform program so that all people in Australia can lead fulfilling lives, participating socially and economically in thriving communities.”
“This national network will grow and develop the next generation of mental health researchers in Australia.”
Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, David Coleman, said the centre would be guided by lived experience.
“The knowledge and experience of more than 2000 Australians living with mental illness will help shape the research, and will be critical in designing a more effective, coordinated and compassionate system,” Assistant Minister Coleman said.
“Through this approach we are putting the needs of people at the centre of the design and delivery of mental health services in Australia.”
ALIVE’s evidence-based model will emphasise early identification and prevention over crisis support, and take a holistic approach, addressing physical as well as mental health.
Priority populations include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and people who are living with severe and complex mental illness.
The centre will be led by Associate Professor Victoria Palmer who leads the University of Melbourne’s Integrated Mental Health Research Program and is internationally recognised for her expertise in primary care mental health research.
“Our approach begins with the lived experience of people with mental health conditions as central to the co-design of the transformation that is required across the health care system,” Associate Professor Victoria Palmer said.
“By working hand-in-hand with those living with mental illness and carers we aim to develop a better system of care which saves lives and improves outcomes.”
NHMRC CEO Professor Anne Kelso AO said the new national centre was the result of a considered assessment of existing mental health research and would complement other Australian Government initiatives.
“This centre is a strategic investment in national collaboration to develop long-term partnerships between research, health care and service delivery. It is designed to find approaches to prevention and treatment that can address the issue at a national scale,” Professor Kelso said.
The centre will report to an independent governance committee, chaired by Professor Allan Fels AO, former chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and the National Mental Health Commission.

The Government will invest more than $1.1 billion to extend our successful national COVID-19 health response and suppression strategy until 31 December 2021.
Australia is leading the world out of the global COVID-19 pandemic and recession. As COVID-19 vaccines roll out across the nation, protecting Australians from the ongoing threats of the pandemic remains a priority.
This $1.1 billion is in addition to more than $22 billion spent in these areas to date, including more than $6 billion to support the COVID-19 vaccine roll out.
Australia’s suppression strategy has been extremely successful to date, particularly when compared with the devastation caused by the virus in many places overseas. Australia’s remarkable performance in saving lives is evident – we have the second lowest case rate and third lowest mortality rate amongst countries in the OECD.
The Government’s focus on containing the virus through testing, tracing and border and travel measures, building and investing in the capacity of our health system, and collaborating with states and territories, the health sector and others, has helped stop the spread of COVID-19.
We thank the community for their ongoing adherence to physical distancing and hygiene advice.
This new commitment will ensure that key measures remain in place throughout 2021 to protect the community while vaccinations roll out over the coming months.
This investment will extend:

• Our partnership with the states and territories to manage COVID-19, by sharing 50 per cent of the cost of testing and treating people with COVID-19 through our public hospitals, and of public health measures to prevent the spread. To date the Commonwealth has provided an additional $5 billion to support the states and territories, including $1 billion in additional public hospital funding
• Continue telehealth services and care until 30 June 2021. So far more than 51 million telehealth services have been delivered to 13 million patients and almost $2.6 billion in benefits paid. More than 82,000 providers have used telehealth services nationwide. The Government will continue to review the ongoing role of COVID telehealth to support the pandemic in the short term, while we plan the permanent post-pandemic telehealth arrangements with peak doctor groups.
• Support for rapid pathology testing and tracing building on the more than 14.5 million COVID-19 tests conducted to date
• GP-led Respiratory Clinics, which have delivered more than 1 million consultations and 934,600 COVID-19 tests
• Culturally safe testing, treatment and evacuation preparedness in the most remote and isolated parts of the country which has so far provided more than 15,500 point of care tests
• Electronic prescription services with 3.8 million electronic prescriptions and repeats to patients issued and almost 1.7 million dispensed to date
• Delivery of Home Medicine Services across the country with more than 2.1 million services delivered already
• The Continued Dispensing Emergency Measure where around 289,000 people have had at least one supply of medicine so far
• The Beyond Blue Coronavirus Mental Wellbeing Support Service to meet ongoing demand for services as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and provide continued support while COVID-19 restrictions remain and the COVID-19 vaccine program is implemented
• Aged care workforce surge support capability and financial support for aged care facilities affected by a COVID-19 outbreak to ensure the ongoing safety of senior Australians.

These measures have supported our response to COVID-19 outbreaks when they occurred. Extending them will ensure Australians remain COVID safe.
Our Government will continue to monitor the pandemic and the progress of our vaccination program so we can take the swift action needed to ensure we keep Australians safe and the economy on the road to recovery.

The Australian Government is ramping up its campaign against misinformation on the COVID-19 vaccines, as the vaccination program ramps up moving into Phase 1B.
Australians can get all their questions answer on the health website to find out what they want – and need – to know about the COVID-19 vaccines.
The new material on the website, called Is it true? – www.health.gov.au/covid19-vaccines – will help answer questions people may have about the vaccine, and respond to vaccine misinformation they may have heard.
This new function will provide trusted, credible information on COVID-19 vaccines for everyone in Australia. It will sort the fact from the fiction.
The information on the website will be clear, accurate and timely. This will help reassure Australians about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine and answer commonly asked questions and misinformation relating to the COVID-19 Vaccination program.
The vaccines are the next, crucial step on the road out of this pandemic – and it’s the one step that we can all take to protect ourselves, our families, our communities from severe illness.
It’s essential that people get their information on the vaccines from credible sources – and that should be on official government websites.
With new vaccine developments every day, it’s very normal for people to have questions and possibly feel hesitant about getting the vaccine. That doesn’t make them anti-vaccination.
The new section on the website will address the most common questions being asked by people and will be updated regularly.
The Government is running an extensive $31 million education campaign through the rollout, providing people with information about the approval process for the vaccines, details on what phases the rollout is at and who is now eligible to be vaccinated.
As the vaccination program starts to move into Phase 1b , which covers more than six million people, it’s essential people understand the facts about the vaccines as they make their appointments to get vaccinated.
The more people vaccinated, the more people protected from severe illness and death, keeping themselves and the broader community safe.