Category: Australian News

Australia’s COVID-19 Vaccination Program will commence from next week. People in priority groups who are most at risk and who need protection the most – will receive a vaccine first.
The rollout will begin with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, and following the approval by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) on Tuesday, will include the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine from early March.
The initial priority groups include aged care and disability care residents and workers, frontline healthcare workers, and quarantine and border workers.
Minister for Health and Aged Care, Greg Hunt reaffirmed that Australia’s vaccine strategy is strong and on schedule.
“Australia will begin rolling out the COVID-19 Vaccination program from next week,” Minister Hunt said.
“This week the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine has arrived in the country and the TGA has approved the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine. These are two outstanding vaccines that will be available to people in Australia free of charge.”
Frontline healthcare workers and quarantine and border workers will receive the vaccine through Pfizer hubs run by states and territories. In addition, a Commonwealth led in-reach vaccination workforce will ensure residential aged care and disability care residents and staff receive their vaccines.
Minister Hunt said the staged approach to the rollout would ensure those who need the most protection get it first.
“Our frontline border and quarantine workers, and people living and working in residential aged and disability care facilities will be the first to receive their vaccines,” Minister Hunt said.
“The vaccination program will save and protect lives. Both of our vaccines will prevent serious illness. That is our primary goal.”
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation has identified the following people as being eligible for vaccination under phase 1a of the rollout:

• Aged care and group disability care workers and residents, including:
  • residents of aged care and people with disability living in disability residential accommodation
• Quarantine and border workers, including:
  • staff at entry points to the country (such as sea ports and land borders)
  • staff working in quarantine facilities, including those employed under Commonwealth, state or private agreements, and
  • Commonwealth employees (including Defence personnel) who are identified as having the potential to encounter returning travellers as part of their work.
• Frontline health workers (including clinical, medical students and administrative staff) most likely to be exposed to COVID-19 including;
  • frontline staff in facilities or services such as hospital emergency departments,COVID-19 and respiratory wards, Intensive Care Units and High-dependency Units
  • laboratory staff handling potentially infectious material
  • ambulance and paramedics service
  • GP respiratory clinics, and
  • COVID-19 testing facilities.
  • Other health workers will follow in Phase 1B

Thousands of aged care residents in Australia, at more than 240 facilities, will receive their first COVID-19 vaccine dose next week. The facilities are located across Australia in over 190 towns and suburbs in rural and urban areas in every state and territory:

NT	ALICE SPRINGS	NSW	HEATHCOTE	VIC	NUNAWADING
NT	BRAITLING	NSW	ILLAWONG	VIC	OCEAN GROVE
NT	COCONUT GROVE	NSW	JAMISONTOWN	VIC	POINT COOK
NT	FANNIE BAY	NSW	MARAYONG	VIC	POINT LONSDALE
NT	FARRAR	NSW	MINTO	VIC	PORTARLINGTON
NT	NIGHTCLIFF	NSW	MORTDALE	VIC	RINGWOOD
NT	TIWI	NSW	MOUNT AUSTIN	VIC	VERMONT
QLD	ALBANY CREEK	NSW	NARRABEEN	VIC	VERMONT SOUTH
QLD	ASPLEY	NSW	ORANGE	VIC	WALLINGTON
QLD	BALD HILLS	NSW	PEAKHURST	VIC	WANTIRNA
QLD	BEACONSFIELD	NSW	PENRITH	VIC	WANTIRNA SOUTH
QLD	BIRTINYA	NSW	PENSHURST	VIC	WARRAGUL
QLD	BRAY PARK	NSW	POINT CLARE	VIC	WENDOUREE
QLD	BUDERIM	NSW	PORT MACQUARIE	VIC	WERRIBEE
QLD	BUNDABERG	NSW	PRESTONS	TAS	BURNIE
QLD	BURLEIGH HEADS	NSW	ROSELANDS	TAS	LEGANA
QLD	BURLEIGH WATERS	NSW	SPRINGWOOD	TAS	NEWNHAM
QLD	CARSELDINE	NSW	STANWELL PARK	TAS	NEWSTEAD
QLD	CLEVELAND	NSW	TARRAWANNA	TAS	NORWOOD
QLD	GLENELLA	NSW	TERREY HILLS	TAS	PENGUIN
QLD	GLENVALE	NSW	THIRROUL	TAS	RIVERSIDE
QLD	HARRISTOWN	NSW	UMINA BEACH	TAS	SOMERSET
QLD	HOPE ISLAND	NSW	WAGGA WAGGA	TAS	ST LEONARDS
QLD	KEARNEYS SPRING	NSW	WARRIEWOOD	TAS	ULVERSTONE
QLD	KEPNOCK	NSW	WOONONA	TAS	WEST ULVERSTONE
QLD	LAWNTON	NSW	WOY WOY	TAS	WYNYARD
QLD	MACKAY	ACT	CURTIN	SA	ALDGATE
QLD	MERIDAN PLAINS	ACT	FARRER	SA	COWANDILLA
QLD	MILLBANK	ACT	GARRAN	SA	ENCOUNTER BAY
QLD	MIRANI	ACT	GRIFFITH	SA	EVERARD PARK
QLD	MUDGEERABA	ACT	HUGHES	SA	GOOLWA
QLD	NORTH BUNDABERG	ACT	NARRABUNDAH	SA	HAHNDORF
QLD	NORTH MACKAY	ACT	RED HILL	SA	HEATHFIELD
QLD	NORTH TAMBORINE	ACT	STIRLING	SA	LOCKLEYS
QLD	PALMWOODS	ACT	WESTON	SA	MARION
QLD	PIMPAMA	VIC	BALLARAT	SA	MARLESTON
QLD	REDLAND BAY	VIC	BALLARAT EAST	SA	MORPHETTVILLE
QLD	ROBINA	VIC	BAYSWATER	SA	MOUNT BARKER
QLD	SIPPY DOWNS	VIC	BENDIGO	SA	NORTH PLYMPTON
QLD	SOUTH TOOWOOMBA	VIC	BLACKBURN	SA	OAKLANDS PARK
QLD	THORNLANDS	VIC	CALIFORNIA GULLY	SA	PORT ELLIOT
QLD	TOOWOOMBA	VIC	CANADIAN	SA	URAIDLA
QLD	UPPER COOMERA	VIC	COWES	SA	VICTOR HARBOR
QLD	VARSITY LAKES	VIC	CRANBOURNE	WA	BALCATTA
QLD	VICTORIA POINT	VIC	CRANBOURNE EAST	WA	BUNBURY
QLD	WARANA	VIC	CRESWICK	WA	CALISTA
QLD	WEST MACKAY	VIC	DANDENONG	WA	CAREY PARK
QLD	WOOMBYE	VIC	DANDENONG NORTH	WA	COOLOONGUP
NSW	ALSTONVILLE	VIC	DELACOMBE	WA	DONNYBROOK
NSW	AUSTRAL	VIC	DROUIN	WA	EATON
NSW	BALLINA	VIC	DRYSDALE	WA	EMU POINT
NSW	BANGOR	VIC	EAST BENDIGO	WA	KINGSLEY
NSW	BARDEN RIDGE	VIC	FOREST HILL	WA	LOCKYER
NSW	BLACKTOWN	VIC	HEATHMONT	WA	MADELEY
NSW	COLLAROY	VIC	HOPPERS CROSSING	WA	MARANGAROO
NSW	COLLAROY PLATEAU	VIC	IRONBARK	WA	MIRRABOOKA
NSW	CORRIMAL	VIC	JUNCTION VILLAGE	WA	PORT KENNEDY
NSW	CRONULLA	VIC	LARA	WA	ROCKINGHAM
NSW	DEAN PARK	VIC	LONG GULLY	WA	SHOALWATER
NSW	EMU PLAINS	VIC	MOE	WA	SOUTH BUNBURY
NSW	ENGADINE	VIC	MORWELL	WA	SPENCER PARK
NSW	GLENFIELD	VIC	MOUNT CLEAR	WA	WAIKIKI
NSW	GOSFORD WEST	VIC	NEERIM SOUTH	WA	YAKAMIA
VIC	ALTONA MEADOWS	VIC	NEWBOROUGH

States and territories will initially have 16 Pfizer vaccination hubs operational across Australia. These first hubs will be at:

• Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (NSW)
• Westmead Hospital (NSW)
• Liverpool Hospital (NSW)
• Monash Medical Centre Clayton (VIC)
• Sunshine Hospital (VIC)
• Austin Health (VIC)
• University Hospital Geelong (VIC)
• Gold Coast University Hospital (QLD)
• Cairns Hospital (QLD)
• Princess Alexandra Hospital (QLD)
• Royal Adelaide Hospital (SA)
• Flinders Medical Centre (SA)
• Perth Children’s Hospital (WA)
• Royal Hobart Hospital (TAS)
• The Canberra Hospital (ACT)
• Royal Darwin Hospital (NT)

The remaining phases will be rolled out as the number of vaccines grows.
Vaccines will be available across additional settings including GP clinic and community pharmacy. The staged rollout of COVID-19 vaccines is guided by Australia’s COVID-19 Vaccine National Rollout Strategy.
The aim of the vaccination program is to save and protect lives. To keep people out of intensive care and off ventilators. Both vaccines approved for use in Australia do that very well.
Protecting people from serious illness is, and must, be the first priority
Find out more about the rollout and priority groups at: aus.gov.au

The Morrison Government has today introduced legislation into parliament to ensure the superannuation system works harder for all Australians.
These measures will reduce waste in the system and save Australian workers $17.9 billion over 10 years by holding underperforming funds to account and strengthening protections around the retirement savings of millions of Australians.
Australians currently pay $30 billion per year in superannuation fees, while three million accounts sit in underperforming funds worth over $100 billion in retirement savings.
The Treasury Laws Amendment (Your Future, Your Super) Bill 2021 also addresses key recommendations from the Productivity Commission’s (PC) comprehensive assessment of the system, Superannuation: Assessing Efficiency and Competitiveness.
The Your Future, Your Super package is scheduled to commence on 1 July 2021. Under the package, the superannuation system will be significantly enhanced by:

• Having your superannuation follow you: preventing the creation of unintended multiple superannuation accounts when employees change jobs.
• Making it easier to choose a better fund: members will have access to a new interactive online YourSuper comparison tool which will encourage funds to compete harder for members’ savings.
• Holding funds to account for underperformance: to protect members from poor outcomes and encourage funds to lower costs the Government will require superannuation products to meet an annual objective performance test. Those that fail will be required to inform members. Persistently underperforming products will be prevented from taking on new members.
• Increasing transparency and accountability: the Government will increase trustee accountability by strengthening their obligations to ensure trustees only act in the best financial interests of members. The Government will also require superannuation funds to provide better information regarding how they manage and spend members’ money in advance of Annual Members’ Meetings and disclose all of their portfolio holdings to members.

This package builds on the Government’s superannuation reforms which include consolidating $2.9 billion held in unintended multiple accounts on behalf of 1.4 million Australians, capping fees on low balance accounts, banning exit fees and ensuring younger Australians do not pay unnecessary insurance premiums.
Under the Your Future, Your Super package, the Morrison Government is taking the next step in modernising and improving the superannuation system to ensure it is working harder for you.

The Greens welcome the news that AstraZeneca has been provisionally approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration for use in Australia.
“However we cannot put all our eggs in one basket. It’s clear with differing rates of efficacy and with new Covid-19 strains developing that we must continue to expand and diversify Australia’s vaccine portfolio”, Australian Greens spokesperson on Health Senator Rachel Siewert said.
“Australia needs to build a diverse portfolio to rapidly pivot to deal with new strains and to develop herd immunity, including securing deals with Moderna and more Pfizer doses.
“We should also be investing in the development of Australia’s capacity to locally manufacture vaccines and medicines that use mRNA technology. This would allow us to produce mRNA vaccines like Pfizer onshore in a publicly owned facility.
“We need to ramp up CSL’s capacity to start locally producing Novavax at the same time as AstraZeneca given the promising Phase 3 Trial data.
“It is essential that Australia supports our neighbours in the pacific region to receive timely and adequate access to Covid-19 vaccines. No one is safe until all of us are safe.”
 

The Greens say a so-called employment insurance scheme is an appalling idea and that Mr Morrison is being cruel to people on the Jobseeker payment, drip feeding potential plans for the JobSeeker payment through media leaks.
“This so-called insurance scheme would make an already appalling system worse, further entrenching poverty and homelessness”, Greens spokesperson on Family and Community Services Senator Rachel Siewert said.
“This concept is based on the assumption that has been disproven time and again, that poverty is an incentive to finding work.
“Saying that tapering down someone’s payment will incentivise people to find work is ridiculous and contrary to evidence.
“For a start you can’t find work is there isn’t enough jobs.
“We know that young people have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic and we know that we have a cohort of people who are long term unemployed, older people who are discriminated against in the workplace and disabled people stuck on the Jobseeker payment all of whom would be severely adversely affected by this type of approach.
“Young people who have not had the opportunity to enter the workforce will be stuck in poverty.
“Before the pandemic hit the Government liked to spread mistruths that Newstart was a “transitional payment”.
“It’s simply false. In December 2019 the average time someone spent on Newstart was 298 weeks.
“December 2019 figures also show that 97,243 people were on Newstart for 1-2 years,  172,181 for 2-5 years, 153,619 for 5-10 years and 134,352 for 10 years.
“This is about the lives of 1.3 million and whether they are going back to living on $40 a day.
“Mr Morrison needs to stop playing games.”
 
https://data.gov.au/data/dataset/dss-payment-demographic-data/resource/1ab39d1b-328a-4311-8b35-ee13c3f0dfc7

The Greens say quarantine facilities need to be established out of cities and that facilities must be publicly funded and run.
“Our hotel quarantine system needs to be watertight. The UK, South Africa, Brazil variants are becoming the dominant variants in other parts of the world and we must keep these from getting out into our community”, Greens spokesperson on Health Senator Rachel Siewert said
“Governments need to publicly fund and run our hotel quarantine system and establish facilities outside of the city centres in regional areas such as Avalon, Melbourne Airport or Toowoomba which have already been floated.
“Some medi-hotels would continue to operate to support Australians arriving from high risk countries or those needing medical care.
“It is critical that the issue of aerosol spread of Covid-19 is addressed in all quarantine facilities. We must ensure all facilities are well-ventilated, with adequate airflow changes assessed by engineers as recommended by the experts, and that all quarantine workers have full PPE.
“We need a common sense approach to give people fresh air and reduce aerosol transmission of Covid-19.
“The Federal Government needs to step up. Quarantine is a Federal responsibility and needs to be funded as such.
“The bickering that has been occurring between the State and Feds on quarantine arrangements is not serving the community well.
“We need a public health response.
“People have a right to come home and we need to keep our community COVID free, the quarantine system as it stands can’t assure that.”
 

The Government’s long overdue Evaluation of the CDC in Ceduna, East Kimberley and the Goldfields Region: Consolidated Report has been publicly released over a year and a half after it was due.
“I can see why the Government has been holding on to this report and wouldn’t release it before the Senate debated the extension of the Card late last year. It has nothing definitive to back up the grand claims the Government has been making about this scheme for many years now.
“As I recall, the Cashless Debit Card was going to get people to find work, stop gambling, stop drinking and stop taking illicit drugs.  Their evaluation supports none of these grand claims.
“The evaluation is quite clear that it is not possible to attribute changes in trial sites to the Cashless Debit Card alone.
“This evaluation is full of qualifiers like “complex findings” and that “the findings from this evaluation are mostly nuanced and specific, that is, they are findings that may apply up to a point and for some people, but not for others.”
“What the evaluation has found is that “the quantitative evidence suggested that under the current circumstances the majority of CDC participants would prefer to opt out of the CDC trial” and that “feelings of discrimination, embarrassment, shame and unfairness as a result of being on the Card were reported across all trial sites by a majority of CDC participants.”
“If the Government is going to make such significant interventions in people’s lives, then they need robust evidence.
“The evaluation itself notes the difficulty in evaluating the so-called trials because they were never set up to be properly evaluated. A point that was repeatedly made when the Card was first introduced.
“These trials were always about targeting First Nations peoples, stigmatising people on income support and those with addiction issues rather than addressing the underlying causes of disadvantage.
“The card is racist and discriminatory and should be abandoned.”
 
https://www.dss.gov.au/families-and-children-programs-services-welfare-reform-cashless-debit-card/cashless-debit-card-evaluation

Electricity bills are expected to fall in the second half of 2021 and beyond, thanks to continued action by the Morrison Government to reduce energy prices for families and businesses.
Introduced by the Morrison Government in July 2019, the Default Market Offer protects customers from excessively high standing offer contracts and also acts as a reference price, making it easier for customers to shop around and compare offers from different retailers.
The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) has today released its draft determination for the Default Market Offer for 2021-22, signalling further substantial price reductions for households and businesses across New South Wales, south-east Queensland and South Australia.
Under the AER’s draft determination, residential customers on standing offers in New South Wales could save as much as $136 a year on their electricity bills compared to 2020-21. Those in south-east Queensland could be better off by $69 a year, while households in South Australia stand to save as much as $117 a year.
Small businesses in New South Wales could end up slashing their energy costs by $577 a year compared to 2020-21, while those in south-east Queensland and South Australia will save more than $300.
Low wholesale prices are driving the savings for both residential and small business customers, with prices across the National Electricity Market at their lowest levels in years.
Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor said these price falls are a result of action taken by the Morrison Government to deliver affordable, reliable energy for Australian households and small businesses.
“Thanks to the Morrison Government’s energy policy, hundreds of thousands of Australian families and small businesses are paying less on their electricity bills,” Minister Taylor said.
“These are significant reductions to the cost-of-living pressures faced by hard-working Australians, with Government policy ensuring that consumers pay less for their electricity and have more money in their hip pockets.”
“This year’s price drops are on top of the previous cuts to standing offer prices that were achieved when the Default Market Offer first came into force in 2019.
“Residential customers could be paying up to $802 less in New South, $794 less in south-east Queensland and $707 less in South Australia compared to before the introduction of the DMO.
“For Small businesses the savings are substantial. Small business owners could be saving up to $3,354 a year in NSW, $2,955 in south-east Queensland and $2,878 in South Australia, compared to what they were paying in 2019.
“There are even greater savings available for households and businesses who shop around, so I would encourage everyone to check the competitiveness of their deal using the Government’s free price comparator website energymadeeasy.gov.au.”
ABS statistics show household electricity bills doubled under Labor, whereas under this Government, Australian households have now experienced eight consecutive quarters of year-on-year electricity price falls.
Public submissions for the Default Market Offer draft determination close 18 March 2021. The AER is expected to release the final determination in late April 2021.
More information is available on the AER website: https://www.aer.gov.au/news-release/draft-dmo-2021-22-open-for-consultation

The Australian Greens have slammed the Prime Minister’s continued failures to address a toxic parliamentary culture today, calling for an independent inquiry into the failures in responding to Brittany Higgins’ alleged rape.
Greens Leader Adam Bandt also said that it was an issue with men’s behaviour that men needed to solve, and that the PM’s own words underscored his lack of understanding of the problem at hand.
Greens Leader Adam Bandt MP said:
“You shouldn’t need to consult your wife or have daughters to know that women who have been raped should be listened to, believed & supported.”
“Women aren’t “finding themselves in vulnerable situations”, Prime Minister. Men are putting them there.
“Rape and sexual assault is a problem that men need to solve, but the Prime Minister hardly spoke about men at all.
“The ‘boy’s club’ culture means many men feel able to sexually assault women without fear of consequence, allegedly even here in one of the country’s most secure buildings.
“It’s time the PM started getting men to change the way they act and respect women.”
Greens Leader in the Senate and spokesperson for democracy, Senator Larissa Waters, said:
“The Prime Minister has been missing in action for years on acknowledging that cultural change is necessary to keep women safe in parliament, and that his party has a problem with women.
“There’ve been three young Liberal staffers sexually assaulted who have come forward so far, and no doubt many others who are yet to speak out.
“Brittany Higgins’ case is deja vu of the worst kind.
“The Prime Minister’s decision to charge his own Department with reviewing Brittany’s case, and the broader complaints process, puts the fox in charge of the henhouse.
“With two senior staff from the Prime Minister’s office up to their necks in the cover-up of Brittany Higgins alleged rape, including the PMs ‘fixer’, the PMO is part of the problem.
“Ordering two internal reviews does not give anyone confidence that real change will flow, it’s a continuation of the culture of cover-up that has seen this issue fester and more women assaulted.
“We need an independent review of how the existing complaints process let Brittany down. And a broader review of the toxic culture at APH with recommendations for reform to ensure the women that work here are safe.
“The Greens called for an independent investigation into the culture in Parliament many months ago, and yesterday called for the Sex Discrimination Commissioner to do that review.
“The Prime Minister should pick up the phone to both Ms Higgins and to our Sex Discrimination Commissioner to have an independent, qualified body do the job.”

Australians are being urged to raise awareness about organ and tissue donation by strapping on their joggers and striding out as part of the 15^th annual Gift of Life DonateLife Walk.
Launching the Walk in Canberra with parliamentary colleagues, Federal Minister responsible for the Organ and Tissue Authority, Mark Coulton, said the long-running event will this year be held virtually to ensure COVID-safety and nation-wide participation.
“Community events like Gift of Life’s DonateLife Walk offer unique opportunities for Australians from all walks of life to spruik the benefits of organ and tissue donation and have fun while doing it,” Mr Coulton said.
“Engaging with community groups helps amplify the voice of donor families and those waiting for life-changing transplants — giving local communities a great opportunity to be part of the national push to increase donation.”
The coronavirus pandemic had a serious impact on Australia’s national program to increase organ donation, including the cancelation of many community events throughout the year.
“The challenges of 2020 saw a reduction in the number of people receiving a life-giving transplant and it is clear more donors are needed,” Mr Coulton said.
“After such a difficult year, it is critical we each take the important moment to discuss organ and tissue donation with our friends and family and register to say “yes” to becoming a donor.
“I encourage Australians to sign up for Gift of Life’s DonateLife Walk and walk five kilometres in teams, small groups, or as individuals at their favourite walking circuit anywhere across the country, any time between 22 and 28 February 2021.
“By signing up for the walk, sharing your walk online, and registering to become a donor at donatelife.gov.au, you will be doing your bit to help ensure more Australians can receive a
life-changing organ or tissue transplant.
For more information and to sign up for 2021 Gift of Life’s DonateLife Walk visit: giftoflife.asn.au.
Gift of Life’s DonateLife Walk is supported through a Community Awareness Grant from the Organ and Tissue Authority.
Applications for the next round of grants close at 5:00pm AEDT on Sunday, 7 March 2021.

Brittany Higgins has shown true courage. Ms Higgins’ account of her rape in the Defence Minister’s office is sickening. We admire Ms Higgins’ bravery in coming forward, and hope she is now getting the genuine support and justice she is entitled to and the police investigation proceeds swiftly.
There is a clear need for a review into the workplace culture at Parliament House and electorate offices.
To ensure that the review has the confidence of the public and of parliamentary staff, it must be truly independent with bipartisan oversight. To ensure that, the review should be led by an expert from outside of government.
Similar reviews, including of the Australian Defence Force, and the parliaments of Victoria, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand, were all led by experts from outside government.
The terms of reference for the review, the conduct of the review and the implementation of its recommendations, should be overseen by a bipartisan group of federal parliamentarians.
Staff should be given the opportunity to participate fully and for their voices to be heard in a confidential and respectful way.
The Presiding Officers have responsibility for the control and management of Parliament House. As such, they must also play a role in the review.
The aim of an independent, bipartisan review should be to ensure the safety of anyone who works at Parliament – parliamentarians, their staff, all staff of the parliament and others who come in contact with them.
We would expect the review to examine issues including:

• An assessment of existing policies, processes, and workplace culture including the Members of Parliament (Staff) Act 1984;
• The establishment of a truly independent complaints process which provides unbiased advice for complainants centred on their well-being;
• Properly resourced support services including high quality trauma-informed counselling;
• A clear focus on cultural change

The Australian Labor Party is in the final stages of adopting an updated version of its existing harassment processes and policies.
We renew the offer made on 12 November, 2020 to work with anyone in this building who wants to make this a safer and more respectful workplace.
All workplaces around Australia need to be safe.
A good place to start would be implementing the recommendations of the Respect@Work: National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces which was presented to the Federal Government in March 2020.