Author: admin

Greens Leader, Adam Bandt, says the Government is right to reconsider its 2030 climate ambitions, but needs to do far more than just drop the Kyoto-credits loophole if Australia is to join the rest of the world on climate action.
“The government’s terrible 2030 targets leave Australia exposed. We’re in the critical decade and domestic political games will provide no cover for Australia’s climate-pariah status on the world stage,” Bandt said.
“Scott Morrison’s 2030 targets are consistent with Australia warming by over 4 degrees, which means civilisational collapse. The Liberals’ 2030 targets are not consistent with the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to well below 2 degrees.
“With Europe and the United Kingdom looking to cut pollution by well over half by 2030, and the United States having already agreed to cuts of 26-28% on 2005 levels by 2025, five years earlier than Australia, we’re becoming increasingly isolated.
“President-Elect Biden has committed to hold a global climate summit in the first 100 days of his Presidency to increase national emissions pledges, and both the Liberal and Labor parties must align Australia’s 2030 targets with the science.
“The Liberals’ 2030 targets have Australia on track for over 4 degrees of heating and Labor is letting Scott Morrison off the hook by having no 2030 targets at all.”
The Greens adjusted their 2030 and net-zero targets in July to take into account recent science and the reversal of progress since the repeal of the price on carbon – see here.

October unemployment figures clearly show that it is untenable to return Jobseeker back to $40 a day in March and that the further cut to the coronavirus supplement in December will drop more people below the poverty line.
It’s just excuse after excuse with this Government when it comes to the Jobseeker payment, Greens spokesperson on Family and Community and Services, Senator Rachel Siewert said.
Jobseeker was too low before this pandemic, so the “wait to see the economic conditions” excuse doesn’t stand up.
It is cruel to keep people in limbo on what their fates will be after March.
Keeping Jobseeker above the poverty line is essential for people looking for work, for our communities and our economy.
It is very clear that if the Jobkeeper program ends there will be another jump in unemployment and these figures mask the people who have dropped out of the job market all together.
What the Government is doing to people on income support is cruel and dehumanising

The Greens say that the HILDA survey showing a steep increase in single parent families living in poverty is a shocking outcome and a clear indication that the Parenting Payment Single must be reinstated until the youngest child turns 16.
“There is a direct correlation between the increase in the poverty rate of single parents and the Howard and Gillard Governments chucking single parents off the Parenting Payment onto Newstart when their youngest child turned eight,” Senator Rachel Siewert, Australian Greens spokesperson on Family and Community Services said.
This political decision has condemned hundreds of thousands of children to poverty and set them up for a life of disadvantage and poor well being.
This disaster of a policy needs to be remedied and we must reinstate Parenting Payment Single for single parents until their youngest child is 16.

Visitation guidelines for aged care will be adjusted to better protect senior Australians and those who care for them as the nation returns to COVID-normal.
In a move that is likely to bring relief to aged care residents, families and staff, a new three-tier escalation plan, backed by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC), will outline how providers can respond to the COVID-19 threat level in the local community and ramp the response up or down as needed.
Where there is no community transmission or locally acquired cases (Tier 1) fewer restrictions on visitors, excursions, small gatherings and outdoor exercise are advised.
Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians, Senator Richard Colbeck, said the restrictions which remained were common sense measures.
“In all areas, even in those places where there isn’t any local transmission, the AHPPC recommends restricting people who have just returned from overseas or have been in contact with a confirmed case, people who are sick, those who require isolation or quarantine and people who haven’t had the flu jab,” Minister Colbeck said.
“Visitors will also need to maintain personal hygiene, and social distance. By taking these basic precautions, we keep senior Australians in aged care physically safe while they spend time with their family, friends and loved ones, or receive care from doctors or allied health workers.”
The AHPPC guidelines also outline visitation recommendations aged care providers can put in place if they are in a defined hotspot with localised outbreaks of cases (Tier 2) and when there is an outbreak of COVID-19 in the community (Tier 3).
“The Australian Government agrees wholeheartedly with the AHPPC that residents must be protected in the least restrictive manner and their health needs must be balanced with their personal wellbeing and human rights,” Minister Colbeck said.
The Australian Government has also finalised a three-tier guidance on actions aged care providers should take in response to a situation of escalating or de-escalating COVID-19 threat level in the local community.
Additionally, Minister Colbeck said the Industry Code for Visiting Residential Aged Care Homes during COVID-19, developed in conjunction with consumer peak bodies sets out a nationally consistent, principles-based approach to maintaining residents’ visitation and communication – the Government welcomes the latest version of the code.
In conjunction with the new visitation guidelines, it offers clarity for residents and families, he said.
“The pandemic has illustrated to us more than ever, how important it is to stay connected,” Minister Colbeck said. “Aged care residents, particularly those suffering from dementia, rely on face-to-face interaction with loved ones.
As has been demonstrated just this week with the outbreak in South Australia, there are State provisions via health orders which can also impact visitation.
While these orders clearly restrict visits to residential aged care facilities, life inside aged care centres will remain as normal as possible for residents.
“These new guidelines will ensure connection for those who need it most,” Minister Colbeck said.
The Visitation Guidelines for Residential Aged Care can be found here.
The Industry Code for Visiting Residential Aged Care Homes during COVID-19 can be found here.
The COVID-19 escalation tiers and aged care provider responses can be found here.

Australian Greens Peace and Disarmament spokesperson Senator Jordon Steele-John said there was no question now that Australian special forces committed war crimes in Afghanistan that are the result of a toxic warrior culture, facilitated by failures within the chain of command.
“The crimes outlined in the Brereton report – even in the limited detail we’ve been given so far – are horrendous and shameful,” Steele-John said.
“Innocent people, including children, are dead, families have been torn apart and villages have been left in ruin. Compensation must be given to the families and to the communities affected by these disgusting crimes.
“For their role in these crimes, the perpetrators and their direct chain of command – the officers who sanctioned, and often ordered these unlawful killings – must be held to account.
“So too must the higher levels of command within the armed forces who served during the Afghanistan War who either failed to act when they should have, or turned a blind eye and allowed the sanitisation of reporting.
Senator Steele-John said there were significant questions that still remained unanswered after ADF Chief General Angus Campbell’s press conference.
“Both the Office of the Special Investigator and the Oversight Committee must be independent, without any personal or professional ties to the Australian Defence Force. So far, these assurances have not been given.
“General Campbell stated that the commanders who either didn’t know what was happening on the ground, or turned a blind eye to sanitised reporting, would be disciplined internally and not referred to the Special Investigator. When negligence results in an unlawful killing, there are pathways for prosecuting that as a criminal matter and these must be explored.
“Any deliberations between General Campbell, as Chief of the Defence Force, and Lt. General Burr, as the Chief of Army, about consequences for commanders who failed to act must be transparent so that the Australian public can be assured that this toxic warrior culture is being properly addressed.
“And finally, the public have a right to seriously question the involvement of both General Campbell and Lt. General Burr’s in the implementation of the report’s recommendations and in future disciplinary actions related to this investigation, given both played leadership roles in the Afghanistan War.
“General Campbell was the Commander of Joint Task Force 633 responsbile for all Australian forces deployed in the Middle East, including Afghanistan, between January 2011 and January 2012. Lt. General Burr was a Commander of SASR on two separate deployments during the Afghanistan War.”
I and my team will be examining this report and its ramifications in detail, and consulting with experts and stakeholders to provide a more detailed response over the coming days.

Work has begun to construct a $7 million palliative care facility for terminally ill people in Hervey Bay.
The new purpose-built Fraser Coast Hospice will provide 24-hour home-like accommodation, professional and compassionate care to clients at the end of their life, and bereavement care to their families.
Federal Member for Hinkler and Minister for Resources, Water and Northern Australia, Keith Pitt, on behalf of the Minister for Health, Greg Hunt, represented the Australian Government at a sod-turning event to commemorate the start of construction.
Minister Hunt said terminally ill patients would receive specialised end-of-life care in an alternative setting from their home or hospital.
“This is a place where people at the end of their life can receive the expert and compassionate care they need,” Minister Hunt said.
“Staff will support and guide patients and their families through the most difficult of times, and ensure each and every person is treated with dignity and grace.”
Minister Pitt said palliative care in the region had been a concern of his for some time.
“All Australians deserve to get the highest quality care in their own community. For the people of the Hervey Bay region, the new hospice means they can get the best care and support close to their family and loved ones,” Minister Pitt said.
“The hospice will also provide employment opportunities during construction and in operation. And through partnerships with the local education sector, allied health, nursing and personal carer students can do placements.”
Assistant Minister for Regional Development and Territories, Nola Marino, said the project was an important part of the Hinkler Regional Deal’s vision for Bundaberg, Hervey Bay and its surrounds.
“Ensuring we continue to build strong and cohesive local communities is an important focus of the Hinkler Regional Deal, and the Fraser Coast Hospice will ensure the region can continue to support the whole community locally,” Assistant Minister Marino said.
Mayor of Fraser Coast, George Seymour, said Council was pleased to bring this facility to the Fraser Coast and support the association through a peppercorn lease of land on Urraween Road.
“This is a really significant day for the Fraser Coast as we continue to ensure we have the range of medical and support services our region needs,” Mayor Seymour said.
“I am pleased that collectively, we have been able to make this important hospice facility a reality, and that Council was able to support the association through a peppercorn lease of land near our medical precinct.”
This project is part of the $260 million Hinkler Regional Deal between the Australian Government and Fraser Coast Regional Council and Bundaberg Regional Council.
The six-bed hospice is expected to open in mid-2021.

A new community-driven workforce solution for Wentworth was today launched by Federal Regional Health Minister Mark Coulton in conjunction with local health workers and community.
Minister Coulton, joined by Senator for New South Wales Perin Davey, said the new workforce solution will trial a collaborative health service to build high quality, sustainable health care for local patients.
“We recognise that a one-size-fits all approach to health care doesn’t meet the unique needs of small, rural communities and that’s why we’re funding new collaborative health care models which are developed and driven by local communities,” Minister Coulton said.
“We know that patients in Wentworth have faced difficulties in accessing health care and this community driven model is an important step in creating a viable local health workforce.
“I congratulate the people of Wentworth and stakeholders, including the Coomealla Aboriginal Service, for working together to get this model up and running.”
Minister Coulton said the trial will investigate if viable practices may be better achieved by having a group of GPs, nurses and allied health professionals deliver health services across the region.
Federal Member for Farrer, Sussan Ley said the Federal Government wants people living in Wentworth to benefit from continued access to essential health services as well as reduce the time it takes to travel for primary care.
“I know how important it is for the people of Wentworth to have sustainable local GP and health options in town, which will eventually make us less reliant on services on the NSW/Victorian border,” Ms Ley said.
“I want to acknowledge and commend the work of the Wentworth community in co-designing solutions to deliver continuity of care to patients and for progress addressing longstanding workforce challenges.”
Senator for New South Wales, Perin Davey said community was at the core of this approach and Government wants local communities to maximise their local health services, and workforce solutions that are tailored to meet the needs of their communities.
“Having now visited a number of these trial sites across NSW, I see the immense value they will deliver for their communities,” Senator Davey said.
“In addition, we want more health professionals to choose a career in the bush. The rollout of the new model is a good example of how we can improve the scope of practice for doctors and health professionals and provide rewarding lifestyle and career opportunities.”
NSW Rural Doctors Network CEO, Richard Colbran said there wasn’t a single model of care perfectly applicable to every remote and rural community.
“We are trialling a method that combines community development and health service planning methodology to respond to local need,” he said.
“A key enabler of success for this trial will be aligning community and health sector expectations and goals and building a local, team-based approach to workforce and service modelling.
“NSW Rural Doctors Network sees this Collaborative Care project as the start of a method that could hopefully be scaled-up to support similar sub-regional approaches in remote and rural areas across Australia. We look forward to starting work early in the new year.”
The Federal Government has invested $3.3 million in western and southern NSW communities to test new innovative primary care models.