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Expanded support to address priority health needs in the region

Australia is stepping up efforts to tackle high priority health issues in the Solomon Islands and across the Pacific and Southeast Asia.

Through expanded partnerships between governments and civil society, we will provide $15.9 million to the Pacific Community – the region’s principal scientific and technical organisation – to help strengthen the health workforce across the Pacific.

The package also builds partnerships between Pacific and Southeast Asian organisations and their Australian counterparts, encouraging experts from across the region to share their technical skills and to develop exciting new links

Under the package we will:

invest $9 million to provide technical support to improve immunisation coverage across the region , drawing on the expertise of the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance and the Australian Regional Immunisation Alliance.
support regional collaboration and partnerships through research on issues at the intersection of human, animal and environmental health, such as in food security and nutrition, by jointly funding programs with the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research.
co-fund two collaborative Centres of Excellence with the National Health and Medical Research Council, that link Australian and regional health research institutions.
strengthen community preparation and response to epidemic disease threats through a $3 million investment which will support the Australian Red Cross to work with partners in Fiji, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.
support training for animal health workers across the Pacific and Timor-Leste to enhance regional biosecurity and better protect animal and human health, through a $2.5 million partnership with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

These activities are funded under the Australian Government’s Partnerships for a Healthy Region initiative, which works with governments and civil society organisations in the Pacific and Southeast Asia to build resilient, equitable and inclusive health systems.

Minister for Foreign Affairs, Penny Wong:

“A peaceful, stable and prosperous Pacific rests on the shared wellbeing and health of communities across our region.
“The Albanese Government is responding to Pacific priorities and working with partners to improve immunisation coverage across our region, helping communities better anticipate, prevent, detect, and control communicable diseases and protect the most vulnerable.”

Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Pat Conroy:

“This new package reflects our commitment to the health of our family and neighbours across the Pacific and Southeast Asia.
“Recognising the importance of working in partnership with governments and local civil society organisations, we are committed to addressing high priority health issues in our region.”

GREENS SLAM LABOR FOR ANNOUNCING NEXT PUBLIC HOUSING DEMOLITION BEFORE GIVING ANY EVIDENCE TO JUSTIFY THE FIRST TOWERS

The Victorian Greens have slammed the Victorian Labor government for announcing the next public housing towers to be demolished, just days after claiming they had no evidence to back up the demolition of the first towers at North Melbourne and Flemington.

Today the Victorian Labor government announced that they’re targeting the towers and low-rise communities in Richmond as part of the next stage of their disastrous plan to demolish and privatise all 44 public housing towers in Victoria.

It comes just a few days after the Victorian Labor government told the courts they had no documents to back up their decision to demolish and privatise the first towers at North Melbourne and Flemington.

Today also marks the one year anniversary of the Victorian Labor government’s Housing Statement, with the state of housing only worsening since then with rents soaring across Victoria and the list of people on the public housing waitlist ballooning.

The Greens MP for Richmond, Gabrielle de Vietri said that this plan is only going to make the housing crisis worse and that it’s outrageous that Labor is steamrolling ahead without providing a shred of evidence to back it up.

Quotes attributable to Greens MP for Richmond, Gabrielle de Vietri:

“Just days ago Labor admitted that they have no evidence to back up the first demolitions and now they’re steamrolling forward to destroy the next community. This disastrous plan is only going to make the housing crisis worse for everybody.

“Labor is gaslighting us about this plan. It’s never been about providing more homes for Victorians and it’s certainly never been about the residents – all this is about is handing over prime real estate to their property developer mates for massive profits.

“Once again Labor has thrown public housing residents under the bus today. If Labor listened to the residents in Richmond – or any of the towers – for just one second, they’d hear that they don’t want to leave, they don’t want their homes torn down and their communities ripped apart.

“There are over 120,000 people on the public housing waitlist and that number continues to soar. Yet Labor wants to tear down 7000 public homes in the worst housing crisis in living memory and then won’t even show us the receipts.”

Australians Working Harder to Keep Heads Above Water

Australians are working harder than ever to keep their heads above water as the Albanese Government’s cost of living crisis continues to impact them.

Employment data released today shows the unemployment rate remained steady at 4.2%, but more hours are being worked by those with jobs.

There was also a large increase in the number of part time jobs, often sought by people looking to supplement their income with extra work.

Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor said Labor inherited a strong labour market from the Coalition, but Labor’s claims about the job market don’t match the reality that Australians are feeling.

“After two years of Labor, real wages are falling and unemployment is growing. Youth unemployment is on the rise and the social services caseload has increased.

“For Australians who have jobs – it feels like they can’t keep ahead because their bills and mortgages keep going up.

“Economists have pointed out that almost all of Labor’s job creation has been in the public or non-market sector – leaving small businesses stuck with skill shortages and the public sector crowding out private businesses.

“Government spending and migration are the only things propping up the economy and the jobs market – and that is not a sign of a healthy economy.

“To have a healthy economy, we need to get back to basics and back on track. We need to support small businesses, rein in government spending to bring down inflation, and cut red tape to drive productivity, boost real wages, create jobs, and drive business investment.

“This requires a Coalition government that puts creating a high growth, low inflation economy as its number one priority.”

Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Senator Michaelia Cash said today’s labour force figures show that the unemployment rate is not coming down.

“We also see that despite the Government’s commitment to ‘secure work’, full time employment has fallen, with all the jobs created this month being part time,’’ Senator Cash said.

“People now have to work harder than ever just to keep their heads above water,’’ she said.

“There are dark clouds on the horizon given that business groups are now saying the Albanese Government’s industrial relations laws are smashing productivity and sending a chilling effect throughout our economy,’’ Senator Cash said.

“It is very clear that the Albanese Government’s management of the economy is failing Australians,’’ she said.

“Australians are paying more for everything and having to work harder just to pay their bills,’’ Senator Cash said.

“Small businesses are getting smashed by rising costs, particularly energy costs and many are going broke,’’ she said.

“The ideological industrial relations policies of the Albanese Government have only made things worse for businesses that are already struggling,’’ Senator Cash said.