Category: Australian News

As part of the Morrison Government’s plan for a strong economy, an additional $2.26 billion will be invested to complete the final stage of Adelaide’s North-South Corridor, creating thousands of jobs while ensuring residents get home sooner and safer.

The Torrens to Darlington (T2D) project is the final stage of the North-South Corridor, and once complete, will deliver 78 kilometres of non-stop motorway between Gawler and Old Noarlunga, slashing 20 minutes of commuting time and bypassing 21 sets of traffic lights.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said this funding would ensure the entire North-South Corridor is delivered.

“Our plan for a strong economy in South Australia is all about investing in life-changing infrastructure on our roads and in our important our defence industry projects, creating thousands of jobs in Adelaide,” the Prime Minister said.

“Our Government, together with the Marshall Government, is getting on with delivering what is the most significant infrastructure project ever undertaken in South Australia that will ensure a jobs boom for the next 10 years.

“Today we’re announcing $2.26 billion to help ensure the delivery of the final piece of this complex project, bringing our total investment in the North-South Corridor to over $6.8 billion.

“The investment in this project alone is expected to support around 4,900 jobs and slash travel times by up to 20 minutes between the River Torrens and Darlington and help ensure South Australians get home to family and friends safely.”

The 10.5km T2D project will be delivered over two stages, with stage one (Southern Tunnel) connecting Darlington to the Anzac Hwy and stage two (Airport Link and Northern Tunnel) connecting the River Torrens and Anzac Highway.

The Morrison and Marshall Governments have already committed $5.422 billion to Stage 1 on a 50:50 basis.

Premier for South Australia, Steven Marshall, said having the funding locked in place for the whole T2D project means job security for South Australia’s construction sector for the next decade.

“This once-in-a-generation project is going to create a record number of jobs for South Australians and underpin the construction industry for the next ten years,” Premier Marshall said.

“Our strong partnership with the Morrison government means we are able to invest in projects that make a real difference to the everyday lives of South Australians and get people home faster and safer to spend more time doing what they love.”

Federal Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts Paul Fletcher said the funding for this project builds on the Commonwealth’s existing $10.7 billion commitment for infrastructure in South Australia.

“Set to unlock Adelaide’s traffic network, the T2D will stimulate economic activity, helping ensure people, produce and products arrive where they need to be safer and sooner,” Minister Fletcher said.

“The Morrison Government remains committed to funding the delivery of significant infrastructure projects across South Australia and the nation, getting Australians home sooner and safer and helping freight move more quickly between our cities.”

Federal Minister for Finance and Senator for South Australia Simon Birmingham said the T2D would complete South Australia’s largest infrastructure project to deliver commuters a 78 km non-stop transit link from Noarlunga to Gawler.

“The vision of linking southern and northern Adelaide with a non stop motorway will finally be fully funded, fully delivered and is set to be a drivers paradise,” Minister Birmingham said.

“The Darlington interchange and northern stretch of the motorway have been transformational for road users, with this tunnelling of around 60 per cent of the final stretch allowing motorists to bypass approximately 21 sets of traffic lights and have one of the best transport experiences in the nation.

“With close cooperation and coordination, the federal and South Australian governments are backing critical infrastructure projects that are necessary to improving supply chains and helping South Australian commuters get home sooner and safer.”

The design for T2D consists of two tunnel sections joined by a lowered motorway, with the Southern Tunnel to connect Darlington to Anzac Highway, while the Northern Tunnel will be located north of Anzac Highway and connect to Torrensville.

The $9.9 billion project is jointly funded by the Australian and South Australian governments on a 50:50 basis, with construction expected to start in late 2023 and be finished by late 2030.

For more information, visit the South Australian Department for Infrastructure and Transport website.

The Morrison Government is continuing to break down barriers to the advancement of women and girls in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) with an additional $6.7 million in funding.

The investments will ensure the continued success of the Superstars of STEM program, as well as backing the important work of the Women in STEM Ambassador, including the national awareness raising initiative – Future You.

Making the announcement on International Day of Women and Girls in Science, Minister for Science and Technology Melissa Price said the funding demonstrated the Government’s commitment to supporting women and girls and built on the $147 million of investments to support gender equity in STEM.

“The Morrison Government is determined to break down barriers that stand in the way of girls and women studying STEM subjects and excelling in the careers that follow,” Minister Price said.

“The study of STEM subjects and pursuit of STEM careers is essential to our national prosperity and for growing our economy.

“Our investments will ensure our Women in STEM Ambassador Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith can continue to be a great advocate for gender equity in STEM and the incredible Superstars of STEM program can inspire even more role models.”

Minister Price said the Government wanted to see women and girls having equal opportunities in STEM subjects and careers.

“Supporting girls and women with opportunities to excel in these areas is not only an important issue of equity, but it bolsters the pool of available STEM-skilled workers,” Minister Price said.

“This additional funding will continue to address structural and cultural biases that lead to the under-representation of women and girls in STEM, through amazing programs like the Superstars of STEM.

“The new investment also recognises the work of the Women in STEM ambassador and the Future You campaign in encouraging women and girls to consider STEM subjects and careers.”

The Government will invest $2 million in the Superstars of STEM program, delivered by Science & Technology Australia, allowing it to develop an additional 120 women Superstars into future leaders.

The Government is providing an additional $2.4 million to support the Women in STEM Ambassador initiative.

Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith’s Future You campaign, designed for children 8 to 12 years old and their parents, has also reached 3.1 million children, parents and carers across Australia since its launch in October 2020.

Notably, only 20 per cent of girls reported being interested in STEM jobs before 2018, but today upwards of 68 per cent of girls are now interested in a STEM career.

The Government will invest an additional $2.3 million to expand this national digital awareness-raising initiative.

For more information on the work of the Women in STEM ambassador visit https://womeninstem.org.au/

To learn more about the Future You visit https://womeninstem.org.au/futureyou/

To learn more about the Superstars of STEM program visit www.scienceandtechnologyaustralia.org.au/superstarsofstem

The Western Mine Workers’ Alliance has slammed as ill-conceived and inadequate an Isolation Care Package being offered to Rio Tinto’s Pilbara workers who are forced to isolate due to COVID restrictions.

Rio Tinto and its catering company Sodexo have prepared the care packs, which consist of a box containing a kettle, tea, coffee, milk, packet noodles and detergent, as well as an “in-room strength program”, for workers who test positive to COVID and must isolate for seven days.

AWU WA Branch Secretary Brad Gandy said the care packages were an absolute joke.

“Only recently Rio Tinto admitted it had a huge, long-standing problem with the appalling workplace culture at its WA mining operations and had to do better,” Mr Gandy says.

“Now this multi-billion-dollar corporation comes out with this cheap and manifestly inadequate effort. Is this really what Rio thinks ‘better’ looks like?

“Is this what a company that says it is serious about trying to change its culture thinks is suitable for Pilbara workers ISOing in the shoeboxes the company calls rooms?”

Greg Busson, Mining and Energy Union WA secretary, said: “The WMWA has still to receive a response to an earlier letter to Rio Tinto, sent on behalf of its Pilbara members, voicing serious concerns for their health and wellbeing while they are on its sites, particularly the management of positive cases and close contacts.”

The letter asked a series of questions included asking what steps Rio was taking to enable close-contact isolating employees to safely repatriate to isolate at home, and to enable COVID-19 positive employees to safely repatriate to isolate and recover at home?

“Unlike in the eastern states the WA resource sector has had plenty of time to properly plan for this situation,” Mr Busson said.

“Rio’s example shows we clearly can’t just leave this to the companies to manage. The government needs to get all the industry stakeholders together and find sensible solutions that work for the mining companies and their employees.”

Said Mr Gandy: “Mining workers and their families want to know that their employer are actually looking after them, but right now they feel like they are being treated like mushrooms when it comes to their own health and safety.”

“The lack of support and the company’s silence so far on our concerns for workers caught up in the COVID pandemic is a good reflection of how the new Rio is just the same as the old Rio. So much for culture change.”

The Western Mine Workers’ Alliance (WMWA) is a partnership between the Mining and Energy Union and the Australian Workers’ Union (AWU).

A new phase of disaster relief assistance has commenced in Tonga, with Australian and Fijian military engineers undertaking clearance and recovery operations on Atata Island.

At the request of the Government of Tonga, soldiers from Army’s 2nd Combat Engineer Regiment are clearing debris and repairing or stabilising buildings and infrastructure which were damaged by the recent volcanic eruption and tsunami.

The Australians have been joined by a Republic of Fiji Military Forces contingent, which flew from Australia to Tonga via a Royal Australian Air Force C-130J Hercules transport aircraft and then moved directly to HMAS Adelaide via Australian Army CH-47F Chinook helicopters.

A delegation of faith leaders, members of the Afghanistan-Australian Advocacy Network, and veterans, are in Canberra to call on the government to offer more Afghan refugees safety, warning 15,000 over four years is not a proportionate response to the humanitarian crisis, nor in line with Australian community expectations.

Immigration Minister Alex Hawke announced in January over the next four years 10,000 humanitarian and 5,000 family visas will be set aside for those who have or are fleeing Afghanistan. However, this intake isn’t additional to Australia’s already small annual intake of 13,750 people. Further, many of the approximately 5,500 Afghans who have already arrived in Australia this past year, will now need to apply for one of those 10,000 humanitarian visa spots.

“Australians are united in their shared responsibility to the Afghan people. They want a generous intake and to welcome those in need safely. However, from what we can make of the government’s recent announcement, all we have left is 4,500 remaining humanitarian places for those fleeing Afghanistan, when there are 150,000 Afghans who have made applications to

Australia for protection,” said Mariam Veiszadeh, CEO Media Diversity Australia, AfghanistanAustralia Advocacy Network. 

“Such a tiny offering isn’t a compassionate, humanitarian response, it is not commensurate with the crisis unfolding nor does it reflect Australia’s responsibility to the Afghan people. Australians know this.

“Christian leaders, Afghan Australians, and veterans have consistently called for 20,000 Afghans to be taken in as an additional intake – we will not stop our calls. Australia’s humanitarian cap was cut by 5,000 in 2020 to 13,750 – so we’ve been progressively shrinking our intake as it is.

“We spent two decades in Afghanistan as part of the military campaign – it is our moral duty to bring as many people to safety as we can.”

More than 162,000 people have signed onto the Action For Afghanistan change.org petition, every mainline Christian denomination as well as the Australian Christian Lobby has thrown its support behind the campaign Christians United for Afghanistan. More than 300 organisations, businesses and community groups signed onto a joint letter from the Refugee Council of Australia, with all these groups urging federal parliamentarians to commit to 20,000 additional humanitarian places.

There is precedent for Australia lifting its humanitarian intake in response to significant global conflict and upheaval. In 2017, the Abbott government offered an additional 12,000 people fleeing Syria and Iraq safety, on top of the annual humanitarian intake.

The delegation will make the case to the MPs it meets that the 2022 Budget provides the ideal opportunity for the Government to reset its response to the crisis in Afghanistan. 

“Since the 2019 election, we’ve lost 28,000 lost humanitarian visas from Australia’s planned intake, due to COVID shortfalls which were then made into permanent cuts,” said Rev Tim Costello, Executive Director, Micah Australia.

“It is well within the power of this Government to make space for a special additional intake of 20,000 places for refugees from Afghanistan over the next two years.  

“As the Abbott Government illustrated in 2015, this special intake can enable Australia to give priority to refugees in Afghanistan while not forgetting refugees in need elsewhere.

“There are currently more than 84 million people forcibly displaced in the world. There is so much need, but instead of growing our intake our federal government is keeping a very tight cap on our intake.

“If you have unexpected guests arrive at your house for dinner, you don’t just cut everyone a smaller slice of pie – you bake a bigger pie, you offer what you can.” 

The delegation will meet with politicians, including Immigration Minister Alex Hawke. The delegation includes:

•        Rev Tim Costello, Executive Director, Micah Australia

•        Mariam Veiszadeh, CEO Media Diversity Australia, Afghanistan-Australia Advocacy Network 

•        Arif Hussein, Senior Solicitor for RACS, Afghanistan-Australia Advocacy Network

•        Glenn Kolomeitz, Director at GAP Veteran & Legal Services

•        Wendy Francis, National Director of Politics, Australian Christian Lobby

•        Right Reverend Chris Edwards, Bishop of North Sydney, Assistant Bishop to Archbishop of Sydney Kanishka Raffel, Metropolitan of New South Wales and ACT.

•        Dr Tim McKenna, CAPSA Advisory Group Member and Chair of the St Vincent de Paul Society Refugee Network

•        Bishop Philip Huggins, Convener of the Anglican Church working Group on Refugee and Migrant Issues

•        Matt Darvas, National Director, Micah Australia

“The scale and severity of the Afghan humanitarian crisis continues to worsen. The Catholic Alliance for People Seeking Asylum (CAPSA) reiterates its call on the Australian Government to announce a special intake of at least 20,000 humanitarian visas for vulnerable people from Afghanistan additional to our annual humanitarian intake. Catholic Church agencies, parishes, schools, and community groups are already assisting Afghan refugees. We stand ready to do our part in a more ambitious, compassionate response.” – Tim McKenna, CAPSA Advisory Group Member and Chair of the St Vincent de Paul Society Refugee Network.  

“Afghanistan is arguably the world’s largest humanitarian crisis today. The ongoing brutal treatment, particularly regarding women, girls, and minority groups, must not be ignored or forgotten. This is why the Australian Christian Lobby is renewing its call for our government to urgently increase our refugee intake from the devastated nation, as well as giving existing Afghan refugees on TPVs in Australia the assurance of permanency. We can’t rescue everyone, but we can, and must, do more.” – Wendy Francis, National Director of Politics, Australian Christian Lobby  

 “After a 20-year military engagement and blood spilt in Afghanistan, I can’t understate the impact the Afghan visa crisis is having on our veteran community. The Government and Opposition should not ignore the level of support our veterans are showing for our Afghan colleagues and the people of that country more broadly. And it’s not just Afghanistan veterans who are sharing their concerns with me – I’ve had Vietnam Veterans tell me this is reminiscent of the fall of Saigon, but many believe Vietnamese refugees were treated better by the Australian Government back then than Afghan refugees are being treated now.” – Glenn Kolomeitz, Afghanistan veteran and principal lawyer at GAP Veteran & Legal Services.

“The war in Afghanistan was the longest war in our history. In that time, we made significant promises to the people of Afghanistan that included protection of persecuted groups, and women. Australia’s current commitments to those fleeing the Taliban does not begin to recognise our relationship with the war, our moral obligation to the people of Afghanistan, the escalating humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan right now, and the contributions of the Afghan-Australian community to Australia.” – Arif Hussein, Senior Solicitor at Refugee Advice and Casework Service, Afghanistan-Australian Advocacy Network

Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel have deployed across Australia to residential aged care facilies in support of the Australian Government’s Department of Health.

Following induction and training, a further 38 personnel have deployed to facilities across Queensland, Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales to provide clinical and non-clinical support. There is currently 200 personnel in each state and territory available for tasking as part of Operation COVID-19 ASSIST.

These teams will supplement ADF personnel already supporting the aged care sector, including 17 personnel embedded with the Department of Health to coordinate Defence support.

The Age has revealed that a man in a propaganda video depicting three masked Neo-Nazi’s is a former Young Liberals Office Holder. In the video: the men burn an Aboriginal flag, perform sieg heil salutes and recite a white supremacist manifesto in front of a sign naming and threatening Senator Lidia Thorpe.

The Greens are calling for the Prime Scott Morrison to compel the Liberal Party to investigate the alleged Neo-Nazi’s links to the Liberal Party, whether they have any continuing role within the Party, and identify any associates of his within the Party that may share his views.

Greens Leader Adam Bandt says this is a test for Scott Morrison’s integrity – with far right nationalism on the rise, a failure to act is unacceptable.

Senator Lidia Thorpe: a proud DjabWurrung, Gunnai and Gunditjmara woman and the Greens Senator for Victoria said:

 “I notified the Australian Federal Police (AFP) about the video on the 19th of January and I have no protection, to date. I still have no answers or safety, as a First Nations woman or as a politician.

“The Prime Minister Scott Morrison apologised for how unsafe our workplace is for women this week, yet when a First Nations woman is threatened he has nothing to say. This is a clear indication that Blak lives actually do not matter to this government.”

“This situation is extremely distressing for me and my children, I do not trust the authorities to look after us.”

“Speaking to other MPs who have received other kinds of threats, that weren’t as serious as this, the authorities took immediate action. Unfortunately, I’m used to receiving threats from individuals, but this is a terrorist organisation that is threatening me. How is it that the authorities are just letting this go?”
 
Greens Leader, Adam Bandt MP said:

“It is incredibly disturbing to hear that an apparent neo-Nazi was formerly an office-holder within the Young Liberal Party,” Mr Bandt said.

“This is dangerous. This is a danger to any woman of colour, to anyone who speaks up against vile racism, and any public figure who doesn’t share neo-Nazis’ disgusting views.

“With their Nazi salutes and white supremacy these thugs call up the terrifying deaths of six million Jews and millions of others, but our political leaders remain silent. 

“Yet again, we’re seeing that the far right has connections to established political parties. When confronted with the same issue, the NSW Nationals undertook a root and branch investigation of their party to identify whether the party had been compromised by aspiring fascists.

“Scott Morrison and I will never see eye to eye on most things, but as a minimum he should agree that fascism and white supremacy have no place in our political discourse.

“As a matter of urgency, he must compel the Liberal Party to investigate and confirm that the neo-Nazi and his associates are no longer involved with the party.”

Following a global search for the next generation of research talent in spring 2021, a group of PhD candidates has begun investigating a range of topics related to the impacts of digitalisation in the workplace, including the implications it may have on business innovation and employee training.

The 15 early-stage researchers, representing 10 different countries, have enrolled in universities across Europe and in Australia as part of the European Training Network for InduStry Digital Transformation across Innovation Ecosystems (EINST4INE), funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks (ITN) scheme.

“Being part of a large network of established, successful scholars will have a great impact on my research career,” said Contanze Leeb whose PhD at the University of Cambridge aims to help practitioners to tackle the large amounts of information produced by decision-making processes, for example through the use of Artificial Intelligence.

The EINST4INE research projects, complementary in nature, allow the doctoral candidates to conduct a comprehensive examination of the multi-disciplinary aspects of digital transformation.

Their aim? To generate new knowledge, tools, methods, and roadmaps to guide businesses in their digital evolution – placing them as future leaders, experts, and strategists of business and digital transformation.

Traversing the academic and business worlds, the researchers are examining the various multi-level aspects of digital transformation – defined as socioeconomic change – across individuals, organizations, ecosystems, and societies.

Sophie Altrock, an Early Stage Researcher at RMIT University, says that her research will help practitioners to understand the impact of digital innovation on workers and employee skillsets.

“I aim to provide guidance so that businesses can provide opportunities to employees to adapt to such workplace changes, and to encourage policy makers to take an active role, for example by providing an educational system that can sustain a workforce that is subject to technological developments and provide incentives for further research,” said Sophie.

The new researchers are guided in their Ph.D. journeys by world-leading experts in the areas of Open Innovation, Industry 4.0, digital transformation, and innovation ecosystems.

Dedicated training and industry secondment opportunities will allow the development of broad, multisectoral perspectives to ensure that their research is relevant and ready for implementation in the digitally minded workplace.

By 2025, EINST4INE’s doctoral researchers will be equipped with the hybrid tech-digital behavioral skills and cutting-edge knowledge to enable companies to benefit from digital innovation, and have developed tangible outputs and outcomes applicable to start-ups, large firms, low- to high-tech industries, as well as enterprises with service or product- service offerings.

Read more about EINST4INE’s Ph.D. candidates on the EINST4INE website.

EINST4INE is coordinated by RMIT Europe (Spain). RMIT Europe is the European hub of RMIT University (Australia), a global university of technology, design and enterprise.

The EINST4INE consortium comprises RMIT Europe (Spain), Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology LUT (Finland), Aarhus University (Denmark), University of Cambridge (UK), Universität Stuttgart (Germany), Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna (Italy) and Libera Università Internazionale degli Studi Sociali Guido Carli (Italy), as well as 15 industry and two academic partnering organizations: RMIT University (Australia) and the Garwood Center for Corporate Innovation, Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley (USA).

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 956745.

Australia’s first protein vaccine, Novavax will join the national rollout from Monday through select general practices, community pharmacies and state clinics across the country.

The Australian Government has secured 51 million doses of Novavax to compliment the vaccine rollout.

Novavax is the first protein-based COVID-19 vaccine to be provisionally approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).

One of five vaccines now approved for use in Australia, Novavax has been proven safe and effective in protecting against severe illness or death associated with COVID-19 infection. 

Protein vaccines use a non-infectious protein component of the virus manufactured in a lab. After vaccination, immune cells recognise the vaccine protein as foreign and launch an immune response against it.

Vaccinations, including a booster dose, are without doubt our best defence against getting sick and protecting Australian communities

Despite high vaccination rates in Australia, there has been a demand for a protein-based formula. For some people, the arrival of Novavax will be the extra push they need to get their first jab and kick start their protection against COVID-19.

Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) recommends Novavax for people aged 18 years and older for their primary course of vaccination, with two doses to be administered three weeks apart.

Before any COVID-19 vaccine can be supplied for use in Australia it must undergo a rigorous evaluation by the TGA for safety, quality and effectiveness, including testing of every batch upon arrival in Australia. The TGA will only approve a vaccine once it has established that the benefits greatly outweigh any potential risks.

Like any other vaccine, Novavax will be required to continue providing information to the TGA on longer-term efficacy and safety from ongoing clinical trials and post-market assessment.

Novavax does not currently have approval to be used for paediatric patients, or for booster shots, but studies into its use for both are ongoing.

Please use the COVID-19 Clinic Finder and make your appointment.

The human biosecurity period under the Biosecurity Act 2015 has been extended for a further two months.

The emergency period, which has been in place since 18 March 2020, will now continue until 17 April 2022.

The extension, declared by the Governor-General today, was informed by specialist medical and epidemiological advice provided by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) and the Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer.

The AHPPC has advised the current wave of Omicron cases in Australia warrants a further extension of the emergency period.

Whilst the peak of the Omicron wave has largely passed, the health advice is that this is an appropriate response while the Australian Government continues to develop and implement management strategies to mitigate the impacts of Omicron.

The extension means the five existing emergency requirements will remain in place until
17 April.  However they may be revoked beforehand if the health advice changes noting the peak of the Omicron wave appears to have passed whilst there are still areas of concern and planning is occurring to manage any increase during winter.

The requirements include:

• Mandatory pre-departure testing and mask wearing for international flights
• Restrictions on outbound international travel for unvaccinated Australians
• Restrictions on the entry of cruise vessels into and within Australian territory
• Measures to prevent price gouging on rapid antigen tests
• Restrictions to protect remote communities in the Northern Territory.

In regards, to cruising. there was an agreement at National Cabinet that the Commonwealth, New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland agreed to work with the industry to implement new protocols to enable the resumption of cruising over coming months. The Commonwealth can remove the restrictions on cruising as soon as it is advised that it is safe to do so and the Minister will regularly review this advice.

These emergency requirements have helped Australia respond quickly to manage the number of inbound and outbound travellers, reduce the risk of COVID-19 spreading on flights and at international airports in Australia, further manage the number of cases in quarantine facilities, and ensure the accessibility and affordability of rapid antigen test kits.

It is important that the human biosecurity emergency period remains in place to ensure the appropriate legislative powers are available to the Australian Government during Omicron outbreaks, as well as to protect vulnerable communities in Australia.

The emergency requirements will be reviewed regularly to consider the latest medical advice.