Category: Australian News

Australian Greens Education spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has welcomed news that Mark Vaile will not be made Chancellor of the University of Newcastle.
Senator Faruqi said:
“This is a huge win for the university staff and students who fought this terrible appointment, and for the Hunter community.
“Coal bosses have no place in university leadership. The university community spoke out, organised, and knocked this appointment on its head.
“The next chancellor should be appointed in consultation with the university community and reflect their demands for a university that leads on the big problems we face.
“We are in the middle of a climate emergency and communities are demanding leadership that will tackle this crisis with the urgency it demands.
“We need to build and nurture universities that are democratic, equitable and sustainable. There is no time to delay,” she said.

A study involving 15,000 Australians which aims to develop a next-generation, standardised diagnosis for melanoma is one of 30 clinical trials and cohort studies to be funded through the Morrison Government’s $74 million investment to find better ways to prevent, detect and treat disease.
The $3.2 million melanoma cohort study, led by Associate Professor Victoria Mar from Monash University and Alfred Health, will be the first in the world to document on such a large scale the whole skin surface of participants with histopathology images and other patient details.
The Morrison Government’s investment will support 20 clinical trials and 10 cohort studies for up to five years and will fill important gaps in knowledge about the causes of disease and test the effectiveness of new approaches to disease prevention, detection and treatment.
Minister for Health and Aged Care Greg Hunt said the trial would help to discover more effective diagnosis options thousands of Australians who are tested for skin cancer each year.
“Skin cancer costs the Australian healthcare system more than $1 billion annually. Australia has the highest rate of melanoma, the deadliest form, for which there is currently no standardised diagnosis,” Minister Hunt said.
“This study will use cutting-edge, total-body 3D imaging machines across metropolitan and regional Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, with the research team working to develop next-generation diagnostic and prognostic algorithms for early detection of melanoma and skin cancer.”
“Clinical trials and cohort studies are crucial sources of evidence for the improvement of health and healthcare. Each of these projects has the potential to improve health outcomes here in Australia and across the globe.”
Awarded by the National Health and Medical Research Council and commencing in 2021, the funded projects will investigate a range of health issues.
This includes:

• A trial led by University of Melbourne/Orygen’s Associate Professor Simon Rice will determine the effectiveness of the online social media-based intervention Affinity to reduce suicidal thoughts and behaviours in young people seeking care for major depressive disorder.
• A clinical trial in Papua New Guinea led by Dr Holger Unger of the Menzies School of Health Research to assess the advantages of combining the anti-malarial treatments sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine and dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine to clear malaria among pregnant women while reducing the adverse outcomes such as miscarriage and stillbirth (fetal loss), low birth weight, and neonatal death.
• A clinical trial led by Associate Professor Leanne Sakzewski from the University of Queensland will include 150 children with cerebral palsy (CP) to compare a new intervention, ACTIVE STRIDES -CP, with usual care.

By testing new healthcare interventions in volunteers under controlled conditions, clinical trials underpin decisions on whether to use a new diagnostic, drug, vaccine or procedure. Cohort studies uncover risk factors and causes of disease by following groups of people over time, sometimes many years.
A full list of grant recipients is below and available on NHMRC’s website: www.nhmrc.gov.au.

One in four young Australians are affected by a mental illness every year. Many young people have also been substantially affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, making it more important than ever to ensure access to youth mental health services.
headspace provides free or low cost youth-friendly support in four key areas—mental health, related physical health, substance misuse, and social and vocational support. It offers a safe, welcoming place where young people can get non-judgmental professional help and peer support, so they can tackle their challenges in a way that is right for them.
The additional funding will help headspace services that are experiencing high demand across the country to:

• expand services, improving access to high quality, youth friendly mental health support
• refurbish, expand or relocate headspace facilities to increase service capacity and make them more welcoming
• deliver new strategies such as triage and a walk-in single session approach, workforce training, and access to more group activities.

40 headspaces services located in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory will benefit from grants of up to $1.8 million each.
The grants are part of the Government’s $152 million investment in the headspace Demand Management and Enhancement Program, to reduce wait times and make capital improvements.
In addition, our Government has allocated $278.6 million in the 2021–22 Budget, as part of our record investment of $2.3 billion National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan, to further expand and enhance the national headspace network. Ten new headspace centres will be developed and five headspace satellites will be upgraded to full headspace centres, bringing the total number of headspace services across Australia to 164.
The headspace services which will receive funding through this grant opportunity are:

These investments will ensure better social and health outcomes for young Australians, giving them the opportunity to reach their full potential in life.
The funding reinforces our Government’s strong commitment achieving better mental health for all Australians, and will complement the existing investment of $6.5 billion in mental health services in 2021-22.
Anyone experiencing distress can seek immediate advice and support through headspace, Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800), Beyond Blue (1300 224 636), Lifeline (13 11 14), or the Government’s digital mental health gateway, Head to Health.

An Albanese Labor Government would welcome local government back to Parliament by re-establishing the Australian Council of Local Government.
In 2008, Labor Leader Anthony Albanese established the Australian Council of Local Government as then Local Government Minister to “provide a new nation building partnership between the Commonwealth and local government.”
It was an annual meeting with the Prime Minister, Cabinet Ministers, Mayors, Shire Presidents and local government stakeholders engaging directly on matters of significance to local and federal governments.
The Liberals abolished the Council, ripping away an important function of the relationship between the two levels of government.
The Prime Minister kicked local government to the kerb when he replaced COAG with the National Cabinet.
As the closest level of government to our communities, local government served as an important part of the COAG process. The Liberals ignored the voices of our communities when they push local government to the kiddies table.
In addition to re-establishing the Australian Council of Local Government, Labor is also committed to putting local government on National Cabinet.
Throughout bushfires, floods and the COVID pandemic, council workers have been vital to providing services to help get us through.
The Liberals will never make local government a priority.
Only the Australian Labor Party will.

The National Cabinet met today to discuss Australia’s COVID-19 response to the Australian COVID-19 Vaccine Strategy.
National Cabinet continues to work together to address issues and find solutions for the health and economic consequences of COVID-19.
There have been 30,356 confirmed cases in Australia and, sadly, 910 people have died. More than 19.7 million tests have been undertaken in Australia.
Globally there have been over 178.4 million cases and sadly over 3.8 million deaths, with 305,611 new cases and 6,700 deaths reported in the last 24 hours. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to surge in many countries around the world.
Australia’s COVID-19 vaccine roll out continues to expand. To date 6,590,741 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in Australia, including 34,712 in the previous 24 hours. In the previous 7 days, more than 723,442 vaccines have been administered in Australia. To date 26.7 per cent of the Australian adult population have now had a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, including over 65.2 per cent of over 70 year olds.
National Cabinet agreed on the imperative to work together to administer COVID-19 vaccinations to Australians as quickly as possible.
Lieutenant General John Frewen, Coordinator General of Operation COVID Shield, Professor Brendan Murphy, Chair of the Science and Industry Technical Advisory Group and Secretary of the Health Department, and Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly provided a detailed briefing on the vaccination program.
Vaccine Roll Out
National Cabinet noted the updated advice from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) about the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine and the changes to the COVID-19 vaccination program.
The updated advice of ATAGI recommends the Pfizer vaccine is the preferred vaccine for adults under the age of 60, and that people aged 50-59 can now book appointments for the Pfizer vaccine.
All states and territories agreed to prioritise Pfizer appointments for people aged 40-59 and Phase 1a and 1b eligible people under the age of 40 years of age.
The Coordinator General of Operation COVID Shield, Lieutenant General Frewen, provided each state and territory government with planning projections of Pfizer and AstraZeneca doses for their jurisdiction over the remainder of 2021, to inform state and territory vaccination plans.
The Coordinator General confirmed that Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine allocations are provided on a proportional population basis. The Coordinator General confirmed that the Commonwealth delivers all first dose allocations to states and territories with matching second dose allocations delivered three weeks after first doses are administered. This ensures that states and territories have control over allocation of first and second doses administration based on the supply schedules.
National Cabinet noted that the Commonwealth is fast tracking plans to expand the number of access points for Pfizer. By the end of July, all 136 Commonwealth Vaccination Clinics, 40 ACCHS and 1,300 GPs will be administering Pfizer. Many more primary care providers will be offered the chance to administer mRNA vaccines as the supply of Pfizer significantly increases and the first supplies of Moderna arrive in September/October.
National Cabinet noted the forward COVID-19 vaccines communications strategy.
The Coordinator General confirmed that based on our expected supply picture, Australia remains on-track to offer every eligible person in Australia a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by the end of 2021.

The Morrison Government is investing an additional $26 million in headspace services to ensure that young people can access mental health services where they need them and when they need them.
One in four young Australians are affected by a mental illness every year. Many young people have also been substantially affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, making it more important than ever to ensure access to youth mental health services.
headspace provides free or low cost youth-friendly support in four key areas—mental health, related physical health, substance misuse, and social and vocational support. It offers a safe, welcoming place where young people can get non-judgmental professional help and peer support, so they can tackle their challenges in a way that is right for them.
The additional funding will help headspace services that are experiencing high demand across the country to:

• expand services, improving access to high quality, youth friendly mental health support
• refurbish, expand or relocate headspace facilities to increase service capacity and make them more welcoming
• deliver new strategies such as triage and a walk-in single session approach, workforce training, and access to more group activities.

40 headspaces services located in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory will benefit from grants of up to $1.8 million each.
The grants are part of the Government’s $152 million investment in the headspace Demand Management and Enhancement Program, to reduce wait times and make capital improvements.
In addition, our Government has allocated $278.6 million in the 2021–22 Budget, as part of our record investment of $2.3 billion National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan, to further expand and enhance the national headspace network. Ten new headspace centres will be developed and five headspace satellites will be upgraded to full headspace centres, bringing the total number of headspace services across Australia to 164.
The headspace services which will receive funding through this grant opportunity are:

State/Territory	headspace Service
New South Wales	Bathurst, Brookvale, Chatswood, Coffs Harbour, Dubbo, Grafton, Hurstville, Katoomba, Orange, Penrith.
Victoria	Ballarat, Bendigo, Bentleigh, Collingwood, Dandenong, Frankston, Glenroy, Mildura, Narre Warren, Shepparton, Sunshine, Swan Hill, Warrnambool.
Queensland	Caboolture, Cairns, Toowoomba, Taringa, Woolloongabba.
South Australia	Adelaide, Berri, Edinburgh North, Marion, Mount Barker, Onkaparinga, Port Adelaide, Port Augusta, Port Lincoln, Victor Harbor.
Western Australia	Albany
Northern Territory	Darwin

These investments will ensure better social and health outcomes for young Australians, giving them the opportunity to reach their full potential in life.
The funding reinforces our Government’s strong commitment achieving better mental health for all Australians, and will complement the existing investment of $6.5 billion in mental health services in 2021-22.
Anyone experiencing distress can seek immediate advice and support through headspace (https://headspace.org.au/eheadspace/), Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800), Beyond Blue (1300 224 636), Lifeline (13 11 14), or the Government’s digital mental health gateway, Head to Health (www.headtohealth.gov.au).

The Morrison Government will release an additional 30,000 places to eligible applicants under the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme, the New Home Guarantee program, and the Family Home Guarantee from 1 July 2021.
Since the introduction of the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme and New Home Guarantee, almost 30,000 Australians have been able to enter the housing market.
As announced in the 2021-22 Budget, the Government will establish the Family Home Guarantee to support single parents with dependants, subject to the passage of legislation.
Starting 1 July 2021, 10,000 guarantees will be made available to eligible single parent families to build a new home or purchase an existing home with a deposit of as little as 2 per cent.
Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Housing Michael Sukkar said that the new places will assist Australians in achieving the aspiration of home ownership.
“The First Home Loan Deposit Scheme has been a landmark success of the Morrison Government since its commencement in 2020. 30,000 first home buyers have been supported into home ownership through First Home Loan Deposit Scheme and New Home Guarantee already,” Minister Sukkar said.
“We know how difficult it can be to buy a new home or re-enter the housing market, and that saving a deposit is the hardest part of getting into home ownership. That’s why the Morrison Government has established the new Family Home Guarantee, which recognises the challenge of saving for a deposit is that much more difficult when you are a single parent with children.
“By supporting single parents and their children, we are helping them achieve the security and dignity that home ownership provides.
“Through our First Home Loan Deposit Scheme and the New Home Guarantee Program, the Morrison Government is helping more first home buyers and single parent families overcome the challenges of saving for a deposit and realising the Australian dream of owning your own home.
“With the 30,000 new places available from 1 July, now is the time for potential applicants to contact a participating bank or mortgage provider and get their applications underway.”
The New Home Guarantee commenced on 6 October 2020 as a temporary expansion of the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme. It will provide an additional 10,000 places for first home buyers seeking to build a new home or purchase a newly built dwelling with a deposit of 5 per cent and a construction commencement timeframe of 12 months.
To ensure that people can continue to purchase a home, as well as accommodate larger families under the Family Home Guarantee, the Government is also announcing the new property price caps under the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme.
These new property price caps will also apply to the Family Home Guarantee, while the same property price caps apply under the New Home Guarantee:

	First Home Loan Deposit Scheme and Family Home Guarantee property price caps, effective 1 July 2021		New Home Guarantee property price caps, effective 6 October 2020
	Capital City	Rest of State	Capital City	Rest of State
NSW	$800,000	$600,000	$950,000	$600,000
VIC	$700,000	$500,000	$850,000	$550,000
QLD	$600,000	$450,000	$650,000	$500,000
WA	$500,000	$400,000	$550,000	$400,000
SA	$500,000	$350,000	$550,000	$400,000
TAS	$500,000	$400,000	$550,000	$400,000
ACT	$500,000	–	$600,000	–
NT	$500,000	–	$550,000	–

The capital city price thresholds apply to regional centres with a population over 250,000, recognising that dwellings in regional centres can be more expensive than other regional areas. Regional centres include: Newcastle and Lake Macquarie; Illawarra (Wollongong); Geelong; Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast.
Information on how to apply, eligibility requirements and the participating panel of lenders, is available on the NHFIC website.

Labour force figures released today by the ABS show that seasonally adjusted employment surged by 115,200 in May 2021, exceeding all market expectations, to stand at a record high of 13,125,100. Employment is now 130,400 (or 1.0 per cent) above its pre-COVID level in March 2020.
The vast majority of the rise in employment over the month was due to a robust increase in full-time employment, which rose by 97,500 (or 1.1 per cent) in May, to a record high of 8,965,200. Full-time employment is now 100,100 (or 1.1 per cent) higher than it was in March 2020.
Part-time employment also increased in May, by 17,700, to stand at 4,160,000, and is now 30,300 (or 0.7 per cent) above its pre-COVID level.
Female employment rose by 69,400 in May 2021, to a record high of 6,255,000, and is now 97,500 (or 1.6 per cent) above the level recorded in March 2020.
Male employment also rose by 45,800 in May, to a record high of 6,870,200, and is now 32,900 (or 0.5 per cent) above the level recorded in March 2020.The level of unemployment in Australia fell by 53,000 over the month, to 701,100 in May 2021, and is now 22,400 (or 3.1 per cent) below the level recorded in March 2020.
The unemployment rate also declined over the month, by 0.4 percentage points, to 5.1 per cent, and is now 0.2 percentage points below the 5.3 per cent recorded in March 2020.
The participation rate also increased strongly, by 0.3 percentage points in May, to 66.2 per cent in May 2021, and is above the 65.9 per cent recorded in March 2020.
Aggregate hours worked rose by 25.2 million hours (or 1.4 per cent) over the month, and is now 51.6 million hours (or 2.9 per cent) above the level recorded in March 2020.
The underemployment rate decreased from 7.8 per cent in April 2021, to 7.4 per cent in May – the lowest rate recorded since January 2014.
While Australia’s labour market rebound from the pandemic has beaten even the most optimistic of expectations, the Government remains acutely aware that more than 700,000 Australians remain out of work.
This is why the Government’s 2021-22 Budget measures have been designed to cement Australia’s economic recovery and secure our prosperity through initiatives including: a further $15.2 billion in infrastructure investment; additional tax cuts for businesses and individuals; a further $2.7 billion to extend the Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements program and; an additional $500 million to expand the JobTrainer Fund.
The Government has put in place a prudent macroeconomic policy framework to ensure that Australia continues to rebound strongly from the COVID-19 induced recession and creates sustainable jobs well into the future.

The Morrison Government has today passed through the parliament landmark reforms to Australia’s superannuation system. These reforms will help ensure superannuation works in the best financial interests of all Australians by removing unnecessary waste, increasingly accountability and transparency, and providing more flexibility for families and individuals.
The passage of the Treasury Laws Amendment (Your Future, Your Super) Bill 2021 will save Australians $17.9 billion over 10 years.

• Having your superannuation follow you, preventing the creation of unintended multiple superannuation accounts when employees change jobs. This will commence from 1 November 2021.
• Making it easier to choose a better fund, with access to a new interactive online YourSuper comparison tool. This will commence from 1 July 2021.
• Holding funds to account for underperformance, to lower fees and protect members from poor outcomes. The Government will require superannuation products to meet an annual objective performance test. Those that fail will be required to inform members and persistently underperforming products will be prevented from taking on new members. Members will be notified by 1 October 2021 if their fund fails this test.
• Increasing transparency and accountability, with the Government strengthening obligations to ensure trustees only act in the best financial interests of members and provide better information regarding how they manage and spend members’ money in advance of Annual Members’ Meetings and through enhanced Portfolio Holdings Disclosure.

The passage of the Treasury Laws Amendment (Self Managed Superannuation Funds) Bill 2020 today will also increase the maximum number of allowable members in self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs) and small APRA funds from four to six from 1 July 2021.
This will provide Australians with more flexibility and control in managing their retirement savings.
In addition, the passage of the Treasury Laws Amendment (More Flexible Superannuation) Bill 2020 will help boost the retirement savings of Australians by giving them more options to contribute to their superannuation.
The Bill extends the bring‑forward arrangements to people aged 65 and 66 for non-concessional contributions made on or after 1 July 2020. These changes complement previous actions by the Government to improve flexibility of the retirement system that allowed people aged 65 and 66 to make contributions without meeting the work test.
The Bill will cut red tape by removing the excess concessional contributions charge, which currently applies to contributions in excess of the concessional contributions cap. This will ensure that from
1 July 2022, Australians saving for their retirement are not financially disadvantaged by inadvertent breaches of the cap.
Australians will also be supported to make additional contributions to their superannuation to make up for amounts that they may have withdrawn due to COVID-19. From the 2021-22 financial year, individuals who released superannuation under the COVID-19 early release scheme will have the option of recontributing these amounts as non-concessional contributions, over and above the existing caps.
Together, these are the most significant reforms to superannuation since the introduction of compulsory superannuation in 1992 and build on the Government’s prior reforms which have included consolidating 3.3 million unintended multiple accounts worth $4.3 billion, capping fees on low balance accounts, banning exit fees and ensuring younger Australians do not pay unnecessary insurance premiums.
Through these measures, the Morrison Government will ensure the superannuation system works harder for all Australians by reducing waste, holding underperforming funds to account and strengthening protections around the retirement savings of millions of Australians.

More than 800 Australians with stage IV advanced or metastatic kidney cancer will now have improved access to a heavily subsidised treatment through an expanded listing on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).
From 1 July 2021, Cabometyx® (cabozantinib), will now be available as a first line treatment for Australians with stage IV clear cell variant renal cell carcinoma (RCC). It has been available as a second line treatment for patients with advanced RCC since 2018.
Taken once daily, the oral treatment blocks the action of proteins called receptor tyrosine kinases, slowing the rate at which the tumour grows and improving progression-free survival time compared with some other treatments.
Kidney cancer is the seventh most diagnosed cancer in Australia, with an estimated 4,000 Australians diagnosed in 2020. RCC accounts for 90 per cent of all kidney cancers and is frequently diagnosed at an advanced stage.
Cabometyx® can cost around $120,000 a year without subsidy, but will now be available for $41.30 per script, or as little as $6.60 for patients with a concession card.
Since 2013, the Australian Government has approved more than 2,600 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 $13.2 billion.
Providing the best quality care and support to Australians with deadly cancers is a high priority for our Government.
As part of the 2021-22 Budget we announced a number of measures to support our already strong national cancer screening programs and in April, we held a Ministerial Roundtable with Cancer Australia, the first step in the development of a visionary ten-year Australian Cancer Plan.
These initiatives consolidate Australia as a world leader in the early detection and treatment of cancer.