Category: Australian News

The Australian Government has secured an additional 10 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID 19 vaccine on the advice of the Scientific Industry Technical Advisory Group on Vaccines led by Professor Brendan Murphy.
Through the Government’s Advance Purchase Agreement with Pfizer, this additional 10 million vaccines means Australia will now receive 20 million Pfizer doses in 2021.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Government is committed to providing safe and effective vaccines free to everyone in Australia.
“Securing the additional Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines is another positive step in protecting Australians from COVID-19,” the Prime Minister said.
“We now have access to over 150 million vaccine doses, ensuring we remain a world leader in the fight against the virus.”
The vaccination program remains on track for commencement of delivery in late February to people in the first priority group, Phase 1a.
Health Minister Greg Hunt said making safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines available to everyone in Australia is a key priority for the Australia Government.
“I encourage people to get vaccinated when their turn comes – every vaccination helps us defeat the virus,” Minister Hunt said.
“Australians understand that vaccines work. They save lives and improve lives. They protect lives. We can be confident that every COVID-19 vaccine approved in this country will be safe and effective.”
“Australia is a vaccination nation—we have one the highest vaccination rates in the world.”
As the rollout begins, people who need protection the most will get the vaccine first. This includes aged care and disability care residents and workers, frontline health care workers, and quarantine and border workers.
The priority groups have been determined based on the advice of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) which oversees Australia’s highly successful immunisation program.
The Australian Government is also extending free access to COVID-19 vaccines to all visa-holders in Australia.
This will include refugees, asylum seekers, temporary protection visa holders and those on bridging visas. People currently residing in detention facilities will also be eligible, including those whose visas have been cancelled.
“It is vital that we offer vaccines to all people living in Australia to achieve the maximum level of coverage.” the Prime Minister said.
Australia has entered into four separate agreements for the supply of COVID-19 vaccines, if they are proved to be safe and effective. Combined, these agreements will ensure access to approximately 150 million doses.
The Australia Government, states and territories, regulators and the health and medical sectors are working together to finalise arrangements under the Australian Vaccination Strategy and detailed roll out plans. Further information about the Australian Government’s COVID-19 Vaccine National Roll-out Strategy can be found at www.health.gov.au/covid19-vaccines

The Australian Government’s $31 million COVID-19 vaccination public information campaign is now rolling out across the country, with an additional $1.3 million provided for peak multicultural organsations to help reach culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities.
Making safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines available to everyone in Australia is a key priority for the Australia Government. That is why we are extending free access to COVID‑19 vaccines to all visa-holders in Australia.
This will include refugees, asylum seekers, temporary protection visa holders and those on bridging visas. People currently residing in detention facilities will also be eligible, including those whose visas have been cancelled.
We know that Australia is a vaccination nation, and we trust this campaign will provide the assurance and motivation for everyone in Australia to have the COVID-19 vaccination.
A major roundtable was held today involving more than 50 community leaders to discuss how we can partner together in supporting the vaccination rollout.
A comprehensive plan, including communication activities and community engagement strategies, has been developed in partnership with multicultural specialist agencies and, with advice from the national CALD Communities COVID-19 Health Advisory Group, to reach people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
The campaign will reach Australians through a range of channels including regular website updates, social media, health professionals and community and grass roots organisations, networks, and the media. It includes advertising in 32 languages across radio, print and social media, and will extend to communities that are harder to reach through traditional channels.
Messages will target specific multicultural groups to ensure everyone in Australia has a full understanding of the vaccination program. Many people working in sectors such as aged care will be in the first groups to be vaccinated and are from CALD communities, and it is critical that they receive translated information that is culturally appropriate.
Translated resources have been developed for multicultural communities, including radio and print editorials, a video development guide for community leaders to film their own videos, in-language web content, social media posts, posters, and newsletter articles. The Department of Health’s vaccine hub also has a translation button for 63 languages available on its website and on mobile devices.
The Government is working with SBS to finalise short videos explaining the vaccine rollout in more than 60 languages, and with the Migration Council of Australia to produce an animated vaccine explainer in 29 languages. These products will be provided to multicultural peak bodies and networks and available online.
As more information becomes available through expert medical advice and complete data sets from clinical trials, the Department will provide timely updates through its multicultural channels.
The Australian Government is confident, given Australia’s current high vaccination rates, everyone able to take up the vaccine will do so in high numbers.

Today, on World Cancer Day, the Morrison Government recognises the millions of Australians whose lives have been touched by cancer.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare estimates more than 48,000 Australians died from cancer in 2020. This disease has a devastating impact on individuals, their families, friends, colleagues and classmates.
World Cancer Day encourages the world to unite in the fight against the cancer epidemic, with the message that Together, all our actions matter.
The Morrison Government has invested record funding in cancer research – $6.6 billion over four years from 2020–21 to 2023–24, which supports Australia’s best and brightest medical researchers in their fight against cancer.
In addition, more Australians are benefitting from our commitment to listing new, lifesaving and life-changing cancer treatments on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). Recent new listings include

• From 1 January 2021, Darzalex® (daratumumab) was listed on the PBS in combination with bortezomib and dexamethasone, as a second-line treatment for patients with multiple myeloma – a cancer of the plasma cells. Around 1,165 patients per year may benefit from this listing. Without PBS subsidy, patients can pay around $160,000 per year for treatment.
• On the same day, the PBS listing for Tagrisso® (osimertinib) was expanded for the first-line treatment of patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer, who have a certain type of mutation in the lungs, known as Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) positive. This expansion resulted in a script that previously cost close to $8,000 reduced to as little as $6.60 per script for about 1,120 patients per year.

All Australians can help combat this disease, and one of the best ways is through cancer screening. Cancer screening can help protect your health through early detection, even if you don’t have any symptoms. Simple screening tests look for particular changes and early signs of cancer before it has developed or before any symptoms emerge.
Each year, more than 7.5 million Australians participate in our free national cancer screening programs for bowel, breast and cervical cancers.
The Government asks Australians to make their health a priority on World Cancer Day. Speak to your healthcare provider today to check if you are due or overdue for screening and visit cancerscreening.gov.au for more information about our national cancer screening programs.
Through early detection and treatment, routine cancer screening can lessen the impact of cancer on a personal level and a global scale.

Australian Greens DIsability spokesperson Senator Jordon Steele-John has labelled comments made this morning by Minister Robert about the NDIS as cynical, misleading and offensive.
“Minister Robert’s comments about our NDIS are deeply concerning and a smokescreen for a much broader power grab from the Morrison government,” Steele-John said.
“If a disabled person who is a participant of the NDIS can show that a support or a service they wish to include in their plan is reasonable or necessary, then the scheme is working as it should.
“It is the very antithesis of the scheme for the Minister have the power to veto – based on his own moral beliefs – the kind of services and supports a disabled person might need in their plan.
“Disabled people across Australia campaigned for decades for the NDIS and its creation – the largest social reform since MediCare – is one of our community’s greatest achievements.
“Since Tony Abbott came into power in 2013, successive Coalition governments have been intent on interfering with, and dismantling, our NDIS through insufficient funding and staffing caps that limit the ability of the scheme to do the job it was designed to do.
“Now with the deeply flawed trial of Compulsory Independent Assessments and negative public commentary – such as we’ve seen today from Minister Robert – on the very foundations of the scheme, we are seeing a blatant public grab for control over the NDIS that will ultimately lead to even more negative outcomes for disabled people.
“We should not have to fight the system that was created to support us. Our NDIS needs to be fixed and disabled people must be at the centre of the conversation because we know what the solutions are.”

Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, Greens spokesperson for Media and Communications has announced today the Greens will be seeking amendments to the Treasury Laws Amendment (News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code) Bill 2020.
The Greens will be seeking amendments to the bill that:

1. require news organisations to spend the revenue from the Code on resourcing public interest journalism
2. require the 12 month review of the Code to report on the impact that the Code is having on small, independent and start up publications

In addition to these amendments, the Greens are calling on the Government to commit to establishing a permanent Public Interest News Gathering Trust, a proposal put forward in the recent Media Reform Green Paper.
“This Code is about supporting public interest journalism, an essential pillar of our democracy. The funds that news organisations receive through the Code should be directed to producing journalism and not lining shareholders pockets.
“Media diversity is essential for public interest journalism, the Code must cover all publishers that contribute to public interest journalism in Australia. We need a 12 month review of the Code that gives a clear picture of the impact this policy change will have on small, independent and start up news media publications.
“We cannot have media diversity in Australia without a news wire service. While funding received from the PING fund has supported AAP in the short-term, the long-term stability of the news wire is still at risk. To protect public interest journalism, the Government must step up and provide long-term funding for AAP to secure their future.
“The establishment of a permanent PING Trust would provide ongoing support for not only AAP but also other essential public interest news gathering organisations including small and independent publishers.”

Greens Senators Janet Rice and Jordon Steele-John have called on the Australian Government to immediately suspend all military ties with Myanmar, and impose targeted sanctions on General Min Aung Hlaing and others involved in yesterday’s coup.
The Australian Greens also urge the Myanmar military to respect democratic norms and immediately release Aung San Suu Kyi and others who have been unlawfully detained.
Senator Janet Rice, Australian Greens Foreign Affairs spokesperson said:
“The Australian Greens are incredibly concerned at the declaration of emergency law by the Myanmar military, and the unlawful detention of Aung San Suu Kyi, President U Win Myint, and other individuals.
“The November 2020 general elections reflect the will of the people of Myanmar to keep building democratic traditions and norms, and must be respected. The Greens urge the Myanmar military to release those that have been detained, and to cease interference with election outcomes and democratic transition.
“The Australian Government must turn their concern into action. Australia must scrap all military ties with Myanmar until democratic processes have been restored, and impose targeted sanctions on General Min Aung Hlaing and all others involved in this action by the military.
“The Australian Government should also accept any political refugees from Myanmar seeking protection in Australia.”
Senator Jordon Steele-John, Australian Greens Peace spokesperson said:
“Given the Military Coup that has taken place over the last 48 hours, Australian Defence Forces must immediately suspend their military relationship with Myanmar.
“Since Myanmar began its transition to fragile democracy a little over a decade ago, Australian Defence forces have been strengthening ties with Myanmar’s military by providing training in non-combat areas, humanitarian and disaster relief and english-language services.
“The deadly crackdown on the Rohingya in 2017 has stretched this relationship to breaking point and with the events of the last 48 hours, it is clear there can be no more military cooperation until the situation in Myanmar is resolved.”
 

The political donations data released today once again shows how corporations are buying influence in the major parties, said Greens Leader in the Senate and democracy spokesperson, Senator Larissa Waters.
“We know that political donations to the two major parties have tripled between the 2016 and 2019 elections, and that big money is playing more and more of a role in our politics,” Senator Waters said.
“Political parties still raked in over $150 million in donations from big corporations in the last financial year even though it wasn’t an election year.
“The coal, oil and gas industry has continued its regular donations spree, with $313,500 worth of donations disclosed to the Liberals and Nationals, and $346,850 to Labor.
“And these are only the donations that Australians are told about: around a third of all donations fall below the $14,000 disclosure threshold and rely on weak categorisation to stay hidden from public view as ‘dark money’.
“We also only know about these donations up to 19 months after the fact, as donations are only disclosed once a year, rather than in real time so people know who’s paying the major parties before they vote.
“Once again, we see that the big companies splashing cash are the same ones being awarded federal government contracts and approvals.
“The four biggest consulting firms – PwC, KPMG, Deloitte, and Ernst & Young – donated $208,000 to the Coalition in the 19/20 financial year. In that same period, they were awarded $600 million in federal government contracts. Some would say that is a pretty good return on investment.
“Mining magnate Trevor St Baker’s trust donated $25,000 to the Liberal Party while his company’s successful application for an $8.7 million federal grant to upgrade its coal plant was going through the department.
“Another mining company, Santos, gave $60,000 to the Coalition parties. In the same year, Australia got a ‘gas-led recovery’ and Santos’ Narrabri gas project got federal approval.
“Pratt Holdings, which owns Visy printing, donated an eye-watering $1.6 million the Coalition parties. Visy has won a $10 million grant from Australia’s Bushfire Recovery Fund, and benefited from the Government’s recycling export ban, which forces recycling collectors and sorters to sell to Visy, which has a near monopoly in paper and glass reprocessing in Australia.
“Today’s data also reveals a rise in shell companies and front groups laundering millions of dollars to the major parties in order to keep the original donors’ names off the public books. A holding company called ‘LNP nominees’ laundered $366,615 in donations to, you guessed it, the Liberal Party.
“The Greens have been campaigning for decades to clean up our democracy. We have a bill to ban corporate donations from dirty industries and cap donations at $1,000. But the major parties have blocked reform because they don’t want to stop the millions of dollars flowing into their coffers.
“We need to stop the perception – and the reality – of legalised bribery in federal politics.
“That’s why the Greens will be introducing a bill to prevent companies seeking approvals or government contracts from making a political donation while their application is on foot, or six months on either side of it. It’s a common-sense plan that even the donations-addicted major parties should support.
“Elected representatives should be working for the people, not the highest bidder.”

The median cost of childcare is the highest it’s ever been and there are worrying signs for service quality, according to new figures from the Productivity Commission. The new data also confirms that demand for early childhood education and care is higher than ever before.
The Greens say that this is a call to action for the Australian government to invest in universal, high-quality and fee-free early childhood education, and deal with the crisis facing early learning.
Greens education spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi said:
“With costs higher than ever before, and more families’ income eaten up by expensive early learning fees, we need a new approach.
“Early learning costs in Australia are out of control. High fees make access harder, and limit choices for women, who have to give up study, career and work opportunities.
“There are worrying signs for service quality in this report, with breaches of the National Quality Framework and serious incidents on the rise. For years, early childhood educators and unions have been crying out to the government for more support to ensure high-quality, safe early learning, and keep up with demand.
“We must not only secure the place of early learning as an essential service in the eyes of the government, but expand public operation of childcare and lock in the right to free and universal childcare for all,” she said.
Background:

• More children than ever before are accessing ECEC, with almost 800,000 in centre-based care. [Table 3A.15]
• New high for average hours of attendance per week – 30.0 hours nationwide for centre-based care. [Table 3A.16]
• Median weekly cost is up to $523 per week for 50 hours of CCS approved services nationwide. [Table 3A.22].
• Out-of-pocket costs are increasing across the board, year-on-year [Table 3A.23, as compared to last year’s data].
• Worrying signs for service quality:
  • Confirmed breaches of the National Quality Framework up to over 25,000 breaches or 182.3 per 100 services for centre based care for 2019-20. Up from 158.8 in 2018-19 and 155.3 per 100 services in 2017-18. [Table 3A.33]
  • Serious incidents per 100 services marginally higher as well. Up to 138.1 for centre-based care from 133.5 in 2018-19 [Table 3A.34]

The Greens welcome Labor’s calls to limit political donations, and look forward to their support for the Greens bill to cap all donations at $1,000 a year when it is debated on 15 February.
Greens Leader in the Senate and spokesperson for democracy, Senator Larissa Waters, said:
“The Greens have fought for years to clean up our democracy and put a cap on donations of $1,000 a year no matter who you are: big corporation, union, or individual. We’re glad that, after years of opposing Greens moves to cap donations, Labor has decided to change their tune.
“The Senate will debate the Greens bill to cap all donations at $1,000 a year on 15 February, and the Greens will seek to bring it to a vote. Then we will see whether Labor want genuine donations reform, or are just cranky that Clive Palmer gave $75,000 to the National Party instead of them.
“The Greens have reached out to Labor and the crossbench to discuss the cap on donations.
“Political donations data released yesterday once against showed the major parties are owned by the mining, gambling, alcohol, property and banking industries. The sheer volume of money spilling into the system is shocking: political parties in Australia received $168 million in donations in the 2019-2020 financial year, and just 5% of donors accounted for half of declared donations.
“We know that donations to the two major parties have tripled between the 2016 and 2019 elections.
“Once again, the data shows how big corporations are buying influence in the major parties. The coal, oil and gas industry continued its regular donations spree, with $313,500 worth of donations disclosed to the Liberals and Nationals, and $346,850 to Labor. In the same year, Australia got a ‘gas-led recovery’, tax subsidies for fossil fuel companies, and no plan to transition to clean energy.
“Democracy should be about serving people, not corporate interests. It’s time Labor put their money where their mouth is and worked with the Greens to get the influence of big money out of parliament.”

New figures released by Universities Australia today that more than 17,000 university jobs have been lost in the past year are devastating but unsurprising, the Greens say, as the impacts of the Morrison Government’s abandonment of universities has been made clear. All eyes are on the new minister, Alan Tudge, to prevent further carnage.
Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Greens Education spokesperson, said:
“The Covid-19 crisis has smashed universities and the Morrison government allowed it to happen.
“Every single one of these estimated 17,000 job losses was preventable.
“Not only were universities specifically excluded from JobKeeper support, the government forced on them a massive overhaul of fees and funding that will mean further cuts in the years to come.
“Universities immediately need a big funding boost to help them weather the Covid storm without further job losses and austerity. This is a test for Alan Tudge and his commitment to education.
“The current situation is completely unsustainable. We can’t just cross our fingers and hope for the best. Alan Tudge needs to intervene to prevent any further damage,” she said.