Category: Australian News

A Labor Government will deliver $440 million to schools for better ventilation, building upgrades, and mental health support, as part of a new plan to help Australian kids bounce back after COVID.
Labor’s plan including the Schools Upgrade Fund and Student Wellbeing Boost will make sure our schools are better prepared, not just for this term but for the future.
The Morrison-Joyce Government doesn’t have a plan for next week, let alone next year. Labor won’t make that mistake.
Schools will be able to access grants from a Schools Upgrade Fund to improve air quality with measures such as better ventilation, building more outdoor classrooms, replacing boarded-up windows and doors and buying air purifiers. Funding will be available for other much needed school upgrades as well.
Parents are worried sick about sending their kids back to school. Scott Morrison’s delays getting a COVID vaccine for young people means many students will be more exposed returning to class.
Because COVID is an airborne disease, experts say better ventilation and cleaner air will reduce transmission and prevent outbreaks. Labor’s plan for ventilation upgrades will help achieve that, protecting our kids, and school staff.
Funding will also be available for school upgrades including new and refurbished school buildings and trades training centres. Making sure our schoolkids have access to terrific facilities will help get their education back on track after all the COVID disruptions. We know it’s been hard for P&Cs to fundraise over the last two years, with the usual sausage sizzles, cakes stalls and fetes cancelled due to the pandemic.
Labor will also provide schools with extra funding to get children’s mental health and wellbeing back on track with a Student Wellbeing Boost. This will mean more school counsellors and psychologists, and extra funding for camps, excursions, as well as sporting and social activities that improve kids’ wellbeing. Labor will also have the education department conduct a rapid review of the impact of COVID on students with disability, so they get the support they need.
Every Australian school will benefit. Labor will work with state and territory governments and school systems to distribute the funding based on need. Schools will get a big say in how to use the extra money to best help their kids. Labor’s plan will also fund a free, expert developed, voluntary mental health check, that schools could choose to use to help quickly identify students who may need extra support.
The past two years have been hard for all Australians. But our kids have suffered a unique loss.
They’ve been robbed of some of the simple joys of growing up – school camps, team sports, playground friendships, and sleepovers.
Remote learning, exam chaos, and now the delays in supplying paediatric vaccines, have turned what should be some of the best years of their lives into a bit of a nightmare.
Many are struggling with their mental wellbeing.
Researchers at the Australian National University found more than 60 per cent of parents said their children’s mental health and wellbeing had gone downhill during COVID. A 2021 Mission Australia Youth Survey found more than 60 per cent of young people said their education had been negatively impacted by COVID.
Labor doesn’t want any Australian child held back because of the pandemic.
When you’re struggling with stress or anxiety, you’re missing out on learning.
Labor’s plan for extra mental health support will help lighten the load for schoolkids and their parents, and get kids’ wellbeing, learning, and development back on track.
We’ve heard nothing from Scott Morrison about a plan to keep our kids COVID-safe at school.
I suppose that shouldn’t surprise us.
This Prime Minister never shows leadership. Every problem is someone else’s fault.
But our kids are paying the price.
Parents know what a big toll COVID is taking on our kids. Labor’s plan is exactly what they need to help them bounce back, at school, and in life.
Today’s announcement builds on Labor’s other plans for education including 20,000 extra university places, 465,000 free TAFE places, and making early learning cheaper for working families.

As a teenager, Dylan Alcott hated being in a wheelchair because he didn’t see anyone like him in mainstream media. Then sport changed everything.
A gold medal at the Paralympic Games in wheelchair basketball preceded three more in Paralympic competition after a cross-code switch to tennis. Now, with 23 quad wheelchair Grand Slam titles and a Newcombe Medal, Dylan Alcott recently became the first male in history, in any form of tennis, to win the Golden Slam.
Amid his training and competition load as a world-class athlete, Dylan notes that his most profound impact has come from beyond the field of play. He founded the Dylan Alcott Foundation to provide scholarships and grant funding to marginalised Australians with a disability.
He also authored his best-selling autobiography, Able, and co-founded Get Skilled Access. Further, Dylan’s AbilityFest is Australia’s first and only inclusive, fully accessible music festival. In realising his childhood dream, Dylan holds several high-profile media roles spanning TV, radio and podcasting.

Coles has updated its policy on COVID vaccination to help keep team members and customers safe, as positive case numbers remain high across Australia.
Coles has worked with team members nationally to help them access vaccination as soon as they became eligible, and takeup of vaccination has been highest in states where it has already been made a requirement of work.
With the vast majority of Coles team members now vaccinated against COVID, over coming months Coles will require that any team members who are yet to receive the vaccine do so as a condition of working at any of our stores, distribution centres and other sites nationally, unless they have a valid exemption.
This updated policy brings our teams in Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania, as well as our liquor stores in Western Australia, in line with our teams in the rest of Australia where vaccination is already required.
Coles Group Chief Legal and Safety Officer David Brewster said the new measure would help Coles to protect the health of its 120,000-plus team members, including those who are unable to be vaccinated for medical reasons, as well as vulnerable family members such as elderly relatives and children who are not eligible for vaccination.
“Keeping our team and the community safe has been our top priority since the pandemic began, and throughout 2021 we encouraged and supported our team members to access vaccinations to reduce the risk of infection for themselves, their colleagues and their families,” he said.
“In states where government health orders or our own policy already requires vaccination as a condition of work, we’ve seen very strong uptake of the vaccine by our team members. Extending this requirement to the remaining states will help us ensure that as many people as possible get the jab so we can all be safer.”
As part of the updated policy, Coles team members in Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania must have received at least one vaccination by 25 February and have received a second dose by 31 March.
In Western Australia, public health orders already require supermarket and distribution centre workers to have received two doses of vaccine by 31 January. Coles Liquor team members in WA will now be required to have received at least one vaccination by 25 February and have received a second dose by 31 March as a condition of employment.
As we have in other states where vaccination is already required as a condition of work, Coles will work with team members to help them understand the updated policy and to access vaccination services.
Coles also strongly recommends that vaccinated team members in all states receive booster shots as soon as they are eligible to maintain their protection against serious illness.
In states where booster shots are required under government health orders, Coles will work with team members to help them access vaccination services in time to comply with the orders.
As a designated essential service, Coles will continue to serve all customers regardless of their vaccination status, in line with government requirements.
 

The Greens have announced a policy to support women-led businesses, generating more employment opportunities for women and boosting economic growth.
Businesses with female founders and executive leadership employ, on average, six times as many women as other businesses, and typically have strong parental leave and flexible working arrangements. But women-led businesses, particularly in regional areas, often find it difficult to secure finance, despite the calibre of staff or the quality of their product or service.
The Greens will help these businesses to grow and provide employment opportunities for more women by:
Establishing a micro-financing facility
The Greens will establish a $10 million micro-financing facility to provide low-and no-interest loans up to $10,000 to women-led businesses in regional areas who struggle to access traditional finance.
The micro-financing scheme would also offer financial training to borrowers, and refer businesses to the Boosting Female Founders Initiative program for mentoring and support.
Legislating procurement policies
The Greens will legislate to require government agencies to spend a minimum of 3% of their annual procurement budget with women-led businesses.
Setting minimum procurement targets for women-led businesses benefits everyone in the supply chain and helps women-led businesses to grow.
Greens deputy leader and spokesperson on women Senator Larissa Waters said:
“Women deserve support to harness their creative and innovative potential, and microfinance loans fit the bill.
“Supporting women-led businesses to get off the ground will generate more employment opportunities for Australian women and boost the economy. It will also start to reduce the structural inequities that have hindered women’s economic independence for generations.
“Research tells us that businesses owned and operated by women employ up to six times as many women as other businesses and typically have better parental leave and more flexible working arrangements.
“For many women, starting their own business is often the only means they have of generating their own income, with prohibitive childcare costs and most employers still not offering sufficiently flexible work arrangements.
“Running a small business can be hard for anyone, but women-led businesses can find it particularly tough given they typically have less access to capital and often face discriminatory attitudes from lenders.
“It’s been a grim eight years for women under this 1950s government, compounded further by the pandemic which women bore the brunt of. Policies like this can really help.”
Alanna Bastin-Byrne, Director of Femeconomy said:
“This is not a zero sum game – when more women work, economies grow.
“Australia has a lot of catching up to do in closing the gender pay gap. It is wonderful the Greens recognise that women owned businesses have a role to play in increasing women’s economic security and workforce participation.
“Women-owned businesses represent women from all walks of life, allowing women to use their education, skills and training, and develop flexible working models around caring responsibilities. Practical policies that support these businesses are vital to closing the gender pay gap.
“Women owned businesses make up 34.8% of Australian businesses, but access less than 1 per cent of the global procurement market. This gap presents an opportunity to create a social and economic impact.
“We’ve seen the success of gender equality procurement policies in the US, and the Indigenous Procurement Policy in Australia. These policies will work to grow Australia’s economy and advance equality.”
Rebel Black, CEO of The Rural Woman said:
“Rural women-led enterprises face additional challenges of geographical isolation, a lack of access to support services and networks, and structural roadblocks when trying to access finance.
“In some remote communities there are often no banks at all, and the ones that do exist often have extremely conservative lending policies.
“Our research has identified that for women-led businesses in rural areas a loan of $10,000 or less would help them make significant progress, either to start a business or to scale up – whether that’s being able to employ an extra person, buy additional stock or run marketing campaigns.”

Two years ago COVID arrived in Australia. In that time it has changed the world but it hasn’t changed the fundamentals of Australia. In a world with over 5.5 million lives lost officially and more likely closer to 15 million, Australia has witnessed hardship and tragedy but we have emerged with one of the lowest rates of loss of life, highest rates of vaccination and strongest economic recoveries in the world. Above all else we remain an essentially optimistic nation and people.
Australia acted quickly. The Government called the pandemic two weeks before the World Health Organization did. Border measures were put in place, ‘human coronavirus with pandemic potential’ had been listed under the Biosecurity Act 2015, the Department of Health provided advice to doctors and Emergency Departments across the country, and then Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy convened the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC).
The National Incident Centre at the Department of Health, which had been dealing with bushfires, re-focused and became the epicentre of a national approach to this new threat.  It has been in operation for every day of the past two years. They have been guided by trusted medical professionals who have since become well known on our TV screens, offering calm, consistent and considered advice. To Brendan Murphy and the now Chief Medical Officer, Professor Paul Kelly, the country owes them so much for the steady hand they have provided and the guidance that has kept Australians largely safe when other countries have been – and continue to – lose thousands – if not hundreds of thousands of lives.
But as they also warned, a pandemic doesn’t just go away. It will continue to change and we must respond as needed, learning the lessons of the past two years. As we move through another challenging time with the Omicron variant, it’s important to reflect on how far we have come and how well Australia as a community have navigated the pandemic.
As case numbers rapidly grew around the world in 2020, efforts were directed towards keeping community transmission low to give us time to ready the health system – especially Intensive Care Units – for an influx of patients requiring ventilation.
Closing the border, lockdowns, telehealth, bolstering medical supplies, developing testing regimes and communicating with the public all played a part. The strategy was remarkably successful – a key factor being the engagement of the Australian people in embracing a raft of unprecedented protections. Throughout 2020, Australia’s COVID-19 statistics were among the world’s best and fatalities were one of the lowest in the world, as they have remained.
At that time, a vaccine was a hope, rather than a certainty. Treatments were yet to be tested.
2021 brought more sustained community transmission but now we had more tools to combat the onslaught.
Vaccines were developed in record time by the world’s best researchers and regulators around the world – including Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) – who worked tirelessly to assess their safety, quality and efficacy.
Australia’s vaccine rollout began in earnest – focusing first on our most vulnerable citizens including in aged care, where COVID has had the greatest impact here and around the world.  There remains a direct correlation between hospitalisation and death from COVID-19 and age. Plus this group largely have underlying health conditions or are in palliative care.
Treatments became available and the Commonwealth worked with states and territories and the private hospitals to bolster health system capacity. This demonstrated the unique advantage of our health system that when needed, it could come together to meet the health needs of the Australian population – and continues to do so.
The Delta variant, and now Omicron, have demanded renewed efforts and investments.
The National Medical Stockpile (NMS) has been a vital supply lifeline for states and territories, aged care facilities, primary health, pharmacies and the disability sector. As of 21 January 2022, the Government has supplied 53.6 million N95 masks, 74.6 million surgical masks, 19.4 million pairs of gloves, 15.8 million isolation gowns and 10.7 million face shields.
The commitment to use PCR testing as advised consistently by the medical experts, enabled Australia to track the virus and limit its spread. That decision saved thousands of lives. We could flatten the curve, minimise the spread and undertake contact tracing, which other countries didn’t have the ability to do, which sadly led to mass hospitalisations and death.
Even so, we continued to adopt the latest technology and approve such tests to use as a screening method, knowing we would need a range of tools. The first of the rapid antigen tests were used in aged care in August last year. Omicron and its higher transmissibility has now changed the landscape coupled with a highly vaccinated population. Our approach and the advice of the medical experts has now changed. One of the key lessons in the past two years, is when circumstances change with the pandemic, our response must also change.
The NMS has provided over seven million rapid antigen tests to aged care since August 2021 and tens of millions of more tests are arriving in Australia over the coming weeks.
The TGA has provisionally approved five vaccines, seven treatments, and approved 66 rapid antigen tests.
Telehealth – now an enduring legacy – has been embraced by doctors and patients alike and been used for over 90 million consultations, providing ease of access to health services when it’s been needed, minimised the potential risk of face to face contact and taken some off the strain off the health services.
To date, the Australian Government has spent over $37.4 billion on the health response to COVID-19. We’ve administered over 48 million COVID-19 vaccines, with over 95% of the 16+ population having had at least one dose.
We have one of the highest vaccination rates in the world and have been of the first countries to commence a booster and kids 5-11 vaccination rollout.
While these are important achievements, never do I forget the people we have lost, those who were very sick, the Australians in hospitals around the country, and those struggling every day with the debilitating symptoms of long-COVID.
And nor do I forget the tremendous, sustained and professional efforts of the health workforce – the frontline that every Australian relies on in such times of crisis.
Above all else, the test of our collective national achievement is that through all of the hardship we have saved over 30,000 lives compared with the OECD and over 45,000 compared with the US and UK.
There has been one constant throughout the pandemic – the goodwill and the good sense of the Australian people. Their contribution has been extraordinary. As a consequence, we have one of the highest vaccination rates in the world. Thousands are lining up for boosters every week and kids are rolling up their sleeves. In the past week, the vaccination rate has seen the highest single day since the vaccination program began.
These last two years have been hard and challenging, and there is more to be done, but the essential Australian spirit remains unbowed and optimistic. In so many ways, while we don’t like to brag as a nation, we are perhaps better and stronger than we ever realised.

The Australian Government is extending measures in place to protect remote communities during the current COVID-19 outbreak in the Northern Territory, in line with the local requirements announced by the Northern Territory Government.
As Minister for Health and Aged Care, I have made a Determination under section 477 of the Commonwealth Biosecurity Act 2015 to prevent a person from entering or exiting:

• Utopia Homelands, Gunyangara and Wurrumiyanga until 2pm ACST, 29 January 2022
• Amoonguna until 2pm ACST, 30 January 2022
• Yuelamu and Yuendumu until 3pm ACST, 30 January 2022 and
• Elcho Island, including Galiwinku and Wessel Islands including Martjanba in the NT until 2pm ACST, 31 January 2022.

Restricting the movement of people in and out of these communities for only essential reasons for a period of time will help prevent further spread and allow time for testing.
The Australian Government continues to receive advice from the Chief Medical Officer, Professor Paul Kelly, informed by the experience of health care workers on the ground, representatives of the communities, and Northern Territory authorities.
I have taken this decision at the request of the Northern Territory Government and with the support of the critical stakeholders, including the Central Land Council, Northern Land Council, the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance of the Northern Territory (AMSANT) and the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO).
All residents of Utopia Homelands, Gunyangara, Wurrumiyanga, Yuendumu, Yuelamu, Amoonguna, Elcho Island, including Galiwin’ku and Wessel Islands including Martjanba are encouraged to continue to follow their local Health Department directions, to be tested in the coming days and to get vaccinated if not already.
The measures will be in place only as long as necessary to keep the community safe.

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is supporting the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)-led effort to support the Government of Tonga following the eruption of Tonga’s Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai underwater volcano on 15 January.
As part of the international response to the volcanic eruption in Tonga, Japan has deployed four transport aircraft, including two Japan Air Self-Defense Force Lockheed C-130H Hercules and two Kawasaki C-2, to move essential humanitarian assistance supplies from Japan to Tonga via RAAF Base Amberley in Queensland.
Japan proudly joins Australia and other pacific nations working alongside the people of Tonga as the archipelagic nation recover from the effects of the devastating eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano and subsequent tsunami.
The ADF contribution, named Operation TONGA ASSIST 22, includes air reconnaissance using P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, airlift support using C-17A Globemaster III and C-130J Hercules transport aircraft, as well as the deployment of HMAS Adelaide with embarked supplies, helicopters and Army engineer contingent.

THE CLIMATE COUNCIL is calling for Aussie sports to ditch their polluting fossil fuel sponsors after Tennis Australia dumped oil and gas giant Santos, a year into what was meant to be a multi-year sponsorship.

 Almost 12 months after some of the nation’s most high profile athletes, including Australian Cricket Captain Pat Cummins, called for greater climate action, the Climate Council has welcomed the decision to cut ties with the fossil fuel industry from one of Australia’s biggest sporting events.

 Australia’s summer of sport is under threat from climate change, which is being driven by the burning of coal, oil and gas. Recent examples include:

• Temperatures at the Australian Open Tennis in Melbourne have repeatedly hit +40°C with games suspended and players taken to hospital.
• In 2018 and again in 2019, dangerous heatwaves forced organisers of the Santos Tour Down Under cycle event to shorten the route.
• In 2018, at the Sydney Ashes Test, England’s captain Joe Root was hospitalised as air temperature hit 41.9°C.
• Bushfires smoke from the 2019-20 Black Summer exposed athletes and spectators at all levels to dangerous air pollution.
• In November 2020, AFL Northern Territory league implemented an extreme heat policy with mid-30°C temperatures forecast for weekend games.

Dr Martin Rice, the Climate Council’s Director of Research, said:

“Santos is a huge contributor to climate change, and yet it’s sponsoring some of our most beloved sports including Rugby Australia and the Santos Tour Down Under, the largest cycle race in the southern hemisphere that is taking place right now in South Australia.”

 “Other fossil fuel sponsored sporting codes must take note of this move by Tennis Australia and kick fossil fuel-backed companies into touch. Sporting clubs and codes can also rapidly cut their own greenhouse gas emissions by changing the way they build venues, power events, travel and by cutting waste.”

“Fossil fuel companies sponsoring our sporting events, from a professional to community level, makes as much sense as if they were being supported by the tobacco industry. We ditched tobacco sponsorship in sport, now we need to do the same for polluting coal, oil and gas companies, which are driving worsening climate change and putting the future of sports at risk.”

Australian sport is worth $50 billion to the economy and employs over 220,000 people, but governments are ill prepared for escalating climate risks. You can learn more about how climate change is affecting sport in Australia and how it can also be a powerful force for change in the Climate Council’s ‘Game, Set, Match’ report.

The Morrison Government is investing $13 million to establish a world-leading National Eating Disorder Centre, where Australia’s best researchers will collaborate to transform how eating disorders are diagnosed and treated.
The University of Sydney’s InsideOut Institute, Orygen, Black Dog Institute, and seven other universities and institutes will lead the new Research Centre, which will support research into:

• transforming eating disorder clinical practice
• informing future policy
• developing the capacity and capability of the research workforce
• supporting the delivery of evidence-based treatment options, and
• coordinating research activities across the country.

Minister for Health and Aged Care, Greg Hunt, said eating disorders were complex and affected people of all ages across the country.
“At any one time, there are more than a million Australians with an eating disorder, and we want to ensure they can get easy access to the best possible treatment,” Minister Hunt said.
“There is evidence that early intervention into eating disorders can reduce the duration of the illness and improve outcomes for patients. It is possible for many people to make a full recovery if they get the right treatment at the right time.
“Eating disorders are a priority for the Morrison Government and the new research centre will find innovative ways to care for patients, improve prevention, early intervention, treatment and recovery rates.”
Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, David Coleman, said the centre was the result of Australia’s first Australian Eating Disorders Research and Translation Strategy 2021-31.
“Globally, eating disorders have tragically high mortality rates,” Assistant Minister Coleman said.
“By working with researchers, clinicians, consumers and carers – locally and internationally – the new research centre will help to translate research into practice, build the capacity and capability of the research workforce, and ultimately improve the quality of life for all Australians with eating disorders, their families, supporters and carers.”
Funding for a National Eating Disorder Research Centre is part of $26.9 million provided for eating disorder research and support as part of the Morrison Government’s 2021-22 Budget.
The Morrison Government has made mental health a national priority, and since 2018 has delivered unprecedented support for eating disorder research, support and treatment. This includes historic investments such as $110.7 million to provide up to 40 Medicare-subsidised psychological and 20 dietetic therapy sessions, $63 million for establishment of a national network of residential eating disorders treatment centres, $5 million for research through the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF), and $13.4 million for the National Eating Disorders Collaboration (NEDC).
Through the $2.3 billion National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan in the 2021-22 Budget, the Morrison Government continues to transform the mental health system to ensure that all Australians can access, high-quality, person-centred care when and where it is needed.
If you or anyone you know is concerned about eating disorder or body image issues, you can contact the Butterfly Foundation’s national eating disorders helpline, ED Hope, on 1800 33 4673 or through www.butterfly.org.au.
Anyone experiencing distress can also seek immediate advice and support through Lifeline (13 11 14), Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800), or the Government’s digital mental health gateway, Head to Health (www.headtohealth.gov.au).

From 1 February 2022, Australians with severe atopic dermatitis will have access to a new treatment listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).
Australians aged 12 years or older living with this form of dermatitis will benefit from the extended listing of Rinvoq^® (upadacitinib) on the PBS.
Atopic dermatitis, also known as eczema, is a chronic skin condition affecting the skin, causing redness, itching and sometimes infections.
Uncontrolled eczema has a significant impact on the day to day life of patients and their families, including sleep deprivation, an increased risk of skin infection, depression and anxiety.
Rinvoq® helps to improve the condition of the skin, reducing itching and flares by blocking enzymes which create signals in the body’s immune system resulting in inflammation.
Minister for Health and Aged Care, Greg Hunt, said this listing will benefit around 3,600 Australians a year.
“Without this subsidy, patients might pay more than $27,000 per year treatment, instead they’ll pay $42.50 or as little as $6.80 per script,” Minister Hunt said.
“Since 2013, the Coalition Government had approved more than 2,800 new or amended listings on the PBS. This represents an average of around 30 listings or amendments per month – or one each day – at an overall investment by the Government of $14 billion.
“Our Government’s commitment to ensuring Australians can access affordable medicines, when they need them, remains rock solid.”
The listing of Rinvoq^® on the PBS has been recommended by the independent Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee.