Category: Australian News

An important education campaign will be rolled out to inform Australians ahead of the COVID-19 vaccination program.
The vaccination roll-out will be a complex task and it will be important that people understand the process with the first vaccinations on track for early next year.
Minister for Health, Greg Hunt said the Mid-Year Fiscal and Economic Outlook 20-21 (MYEFO) reinforces the Australian Government’s commitment to continue to protect the community and get lives back to normal through this pandemic.
“The information campaign, with funding of $23.9 million, will work in partnership with the states and medical experts, to explain the regulatory processes, the priority groups, timing and roll-out to assist people to understand how the vaccines work, and to be ready for when they can receive the vaccine,” said Minister Hunt.
“The vaccines will be voluntary and free, we encourage people to have the vaccine to protect themselves and their family.”
“It is essential that people understand that Australia’s medical regulatory processes need to occur before the vaccines are approved for use.  We are receiving data from overseas and this will assist in finalising the priority groups for the vaccinations, putting our health and aged care workers in the first wave along with elderly Australians who are at most risk from the virus,” Minister Hunt said.
The COVID-19 vaccine communications will include a national advertising campaign and communication specifically targeting priority groups, culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) groups and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Over $40 million in funding is being provided to streamline processes necessary to the approval and distribution, so the clinical information can be assessed in real time.
The funding for Services Australia, the Australian Digital Health Agency and Therapeutic Goods Administration will allow necessary enhancements aimed at reducing existing manual processes and improving digital integration across these systems.
The Government is also improving critical capacity requirements for the Australian Immunisation Register, as the Government’s central resource for recording COVID-19 vaccinations so people will have a record of their vaccination.  This will be essential as all current vaccines planned for Australia require a two-vaccine process.
The Government is securing 20 million additional doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. This brings the total number of doses to 53.8 million – enough for the entire Australian population.
The extra 20 million doses will be produced in Australia by CSL.
Additionally, a further 11 million doses of the Novavax vaccine will be purchased, bringing the total for this vaccine to 51 million.  This will be an additional whole-of-population vaccine should it be proven to be safe and effective.
A purchasing agreement is also in place for the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, with 10 million doses scheduled for early 2021.
Building Australia’s vaccine manufacturing capacity
The Australian Government is investing $1 billion to ensure Australia’s capacity to manufacture vaccines in the future, though its supply agreement with Seqirus.
The Government will extend the current supply agreement with Seqirus, ensuring long-term, onshore manufacturing and supply of products of national significance including pandemic influenza vaccines, Q fever vaccines, and Australian-specific antivenoms from 1 July 2024 through to 2036.
Under this agreement, Seqirus will invest more than $800 million in a new state-of-the-art biotech manufacturing facility in Melbourne.
More than $1 billion to support Senior Australians
MYEFO confirms the Morrison Government’s increased support for senior Australians with an additional $1 billion – including $850.8 million to increase in-home support, ensuring 10,000 more Australians can continue living independently at home for longer.
This investment also continues the Government’s actions to comprehensively respond to the Aged Care Royal Commission’s Interim Report and COVID-19 special report – ahead of the Final Report being delivered in February 2021.
Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians, Richard Colbeck, said the Australian Government was quickly implementing recommendations from the Royal Commission’s special report on COVID-19, released in October 2020.
“This new home care funding is on top of the $1.6 billion investment for more than 23,000 packages announced in the 2020–21 Budget, and will increase the number of Australians receiving in-home care support to approximately 195,600 by 30 June 2021,” said Minister Colbeck.
While the population of those aged 70 and over has jumped by 28 per cent since 2012, home care packages have increased by over 200 per cent with funding tripling – or more than 10 times the growth in population of older Australians.
Aged care residents will be able to access up to 20 individual psychological services, with an additional $35.5 million to expand the eligibility requirements for the Better Access to Psychiatrists, Psychologists and General Practitioners through the Medicare Benefits Scheme initiative through to 30 June 2022.
More than $27 million will improve access to allied health professionals, such as physiotherapists, occupational therapists and exercise physiologists for individual and group therapy sessions.
An additional $11.1 million, over five years, will fast-track the implementation of the Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS) to better protect senior Australians in residential aged care, bringing its implementation forward to April 2021.
An additional $57.8 million will be provided to the states and territories to support their pandemic response in aged care.
Reducing stillbirth rates in Australia
The Morrison Government is providing $11 million over four years to continue work to reduce the rate of stillbirths around the country by 20 per cent, under the National Stillbirth Action and Implementation Plan.
Around 2,000 Australian families face the tragedy of stillbirth every year, about six per day – a rate which has changed little over the past 20 years.
Supporting Early Psychosis Youth Services and tackling mental health stigma
A total of $53 million has been allocated by the Morrison Government to extend the Early Psychosis Youth Services (EPYS) Program until 30 June 2022. Funding will be provided to Primary Health Networks to continue to commission the existing EPYS sites and a small amount of funding will also be provided to headspace National and Orygen to support this commissioning activity.
The funding will ensure young people have continuity of care and providers can have certainty during this period.
A further $1 million over two years will go to the National Mental Health Commission to develop a campaign to reduce stigma and discrimination towards people seeking mental health support.
The Productivity Commission Report into mental health noted that such a campaign could encourage the million Australians with a mental illness who have never sought support to reach out, and this could lead to a significant economic benefit.
Strengthening Primary Care – rural and regional primary care
To help address longstanding GP shortages in northern and north-western Tasmania, the Morrison Government is providing $2 million over three years to establish the General Practice Incentive Fund Tasmania (GPIFT) to attract and retain doctors to the region.
Building on the investment in the 2020-21 Federal Budget, this funding will provide a suite of incentives for doctors who relocate to the region and support building IT capability to provide telehealth and other technologies to improve patient access.
The new fund will include support for the local health sector to develop a collaborative primary care model to better integrate services and create a more sustainable workforce for the region.
The Government will also provide $1.0 million over three years to attract and retain GPs to the Peel region of WA and Wide Bay QLD respectively.
 New cancer, HIV and muscular atrophy medication added to the PBS
 Thousands of Australians each year will benefit from the addition of new medications to the PBS.

• Venetoclax (Venclexta^®) in combination with obinutuzumab provides a first-line treatment of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia who have co-existing conditions and are unsuitable for fludarabine-based chemo-immunotherapy. This will benefit around 500 patients per year, who without PBS subsidy could pay up to $69,250 per course of treatment.

• Nusinersen (Spinraza^®) has been expanded to include children and infants genetically diagnosed with severe types of spinal muscular atrophy, but before the onset of symptoms. Without PBS subsidy, patients could pay more than $367,000 a year for treatment.

• Dolutegravir + lamivudine (Dovato^®) was expanded from 1 December 2020 for the treatment of patients living with HIV who have already used antiretroviral therapy. This listing will save patients more than $8,500 per year.

Protecting Australian sport from international integrity risks
The Morrison Government is providing $13.7 million to boost integrity in sport in Australia with funding for the National Sports Tribunal (NST), and Sport Integrity Australia’s efforts to tackle serious integrity risks.
Funding worth $10.1 million will support Sport Integrity Australia to introduce an independent complaints handling process at all levels, from elite sports to the grassroots level.
It will enhance the protections for Australian sport and the community against evolving integrity issues affecting sport domestically and abroad, including harassment, bullying and child abuse, illicit drugs, manipulating outcomes and code of conduct issues.
The NST will continue to deliver faster, more cost-effective, independent and transparent sports dispute resolution services, with funding of $3.6 million to extend its pilot for a further 12 months to deal with and complete valid applications up until 18 March 2023.
Australia’s bid to host the 2027 Rugby World Cup will be boosted with an investment of $8.8 million, which will assist Rugby Australia to develop a compelling bid to host the competition.
It’s anticipated the World Cup, if held in Australia, would attract up to 200,000 visitors and generate more than $2 billion for the economy, while also creating almost 13,000 full-time equivalent jobs.

The Morrison Government is continuing its support for world leading medical research by contributing an additional $172.5 million to supplement the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) in 2021-22.
The MRFF reached its $20 billion maturity in July 2020, however the historic low RBA cash rate has reduced the amount available through the MRFF to $455 million in 2021-22.
The additional funding will bring the MRFF disbursement for 2021‑22 back up to $627.5 million.
This funding will maintain the Government’s commitment to the 20 initiatives outlined in the $5 billion MRFF 10-Year Investment Plan, which focus on areas of unmet need or with potential for transforming health care and outcomes.
The Morrison Government is proud to support academic institutions and small to medium sized commercial organisations in conducting valuable research, tackling the wicked problems in health and helping improve the lives of Australians and people around the world.
The MRFF disburses funds primarily through competitive peer reviewed processes, with over 480 grants to the value of $1.3 billion announced since inception of the MRFF in 2015.
It focuses on four key themes – Patients, Researchers, Research Missions and Research Translation. Under these themes there are currently 20 initiatives including Clinical Trials Activity Initiative, Australian Brain Cancer Mission, the Dementia, Ageing and Aged Care Mission, Global Health Initiative, the Medical Research Commercialisation Initiative, and the Million Minds Mental Health Research Mission, among others.
The MRFF progresses vital research allowing Australians to benefit from life-changing medical discoveries. It also helps institutions and businesses leading the research to create jobs and encourages more Australian researchers to keep doing their work here.
A record $597.9 million will be disbursed from the MRFF to support medical research in 2020–21; the additional investment from Government means $627.5 million will be available for medical research in 2021-22.

The 2020-21 Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) builds on the Economic Recovery Plan announced in the 2020-21 Budget.
In response to the crisis, the Government has provided $251 billion in direct economic support, with more than $138 billion having already flowed to cushion the blow for Australian households and businesses.
The 2020-21 MYEFO measures build on the substantial commitments announced in the 2020-21 Budget, including:

• $3.2 billion to extend the temporary Coronavirus Supplement and other income support measures
• $1.6 billion to secure access to COVID-19 vaccines and roll out a national Vaccination Program, as well as $500 million to extend vaccine support to our region
• $1.0 billion in new funding for aged care, including releasing an additional 10,000 home care packages
• $683 million for new and amended Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme listings
• $506 million in new infrastructure investment commitments
• $241 million to extend the HomeBuilder program

These measures are underpinning a strong recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, with Australia’s economic and health outcomes continuing to outperform almost every other developed nation.
Australia’s real GDP grew by 3.3 per cent in the September quarter after a fall of 7.0 per cent in the June quarter 2020.
On a calendar‑year basis, real GDP is forecast to grow by 4½ per cent in 2021 following a fall of 2½ per cent in 2020. This compares with 4¼ per cent in 2021 and a fall of 3¾ per cent in 2020 at Budget. The labour market continues to strengthen alongside the recovery in economic activity, with around 85 per cent of the 1.3 million people who lost their job or were stood down on zero hours in April now back at work.
The unemployment rate is forecast to peak at 7½ per cent in the March quarter 2021 down from an expected peak of 8 per cent forecast in the 2020-21 Budget.
The unemployment rate is now forecast to fall to 6¼ per cent in the June quarter 2022.
While these improvements are welcome, parts of the economy continue to be impacted by COVID-19 restrictions. There remains a long way to go until the economy fully recovers and the unemployment rate is brought down comfortably below 6 per cent.
Whereas labour market conditions have improved substantially for all age groups since the peak of the crisis, challenges exist for younger people and those in areas and industries most affected by virus shutdowns. Employment for 15-34 year olds is currently 3.1 per cent below its March level, while employment for people aged 35 and over is now above pre-COVID levels. This underscores the importance of the Government’s JobMaker Hiring Credit.
The global outlook remains challenging as COVID-19 outbreaks and containment measures continue and trade tensions continue to affect Australia’s exports.
As part of our responsible fiscal management, we continue to make prudent commodity price assumptions – with the iron ore price assumed to decline to US$55 per tonne by the end of the September quarter 2021.
The underlying cash balance in 2020-21 is expected to be a deficit of $197.7 billion, equivalent to 9.9 per cent of GDP. This is expected to improve over the forward estimates to a deficit of $66.0 billion in 2023-24 and to further improve over the medium term to a projected deficit of $45.7 billion or 1.4 per cent of GDP in 2030-31.
The $15.9 billion improvement in the underlying cash balance for 2020-21 since the Budget primarily reflects the faster-than-expected rebound in the economy.
The 2020-21 MYEFO includes $6.3 billion in new policy measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing the Government’s direct economic and health support announced this year to $267 billion.
Extending the Coronavirus Supplement
The Government is providing $3.2 billion to extend the Coronavirus Supplement at a rate of $150 per fortnight and extend other temporary income support eligibility measures from 1 January 2021 to 31 March 2021.
Vaccines
The Government will provide $1.5 billion over two years from 2020-21 to secure a further 61 million doses of potential vaccine developed by Novavax and Pfizer/BioNTech. This is in addition to the University of Oxford vaccine.
COVID-19 vaccine investments will provide access to a total of 114.8 million potential vaccine doses.
HomeBuilder
Up to $241 million in additional funding to continue its support for the residential construction sector by extending the HomeBuilder program to 31 March 2021.
Aviation support
The Government will support the continuation of key inter-city and regional routes and smaller regional airlines through COVID-19. This includes extending the Domestic Aviation Network Support Program, guaranteeing major domestic air routes until the end of March 2021. The Government will also pay 50 per cent of domestic air services charges for key operators from January to end March 2021.
COVID-19 Consumer Travel Support Program
The Government will provide $128 million for a one-off targeted grant program to support travel agents. Payments will be scaled, with a minimum of $1500 for a business with a turnover of $50,000, up to a maximum payment of $100,000 for a business with a turnover of up to $20 million. The Government recognises that many travel agents continue to process refunds for consumers who have cancelled travel, at the same time as they manage ongoing uncertainty about international travel due to the impacts of COVID-19.
The 2020-21 MYEFO also includes new measures under the JobMaker Plan to create a stronger, resilient and more productive economy.
Infrastructure investment
The Government’s record 10-year transport infrastructure investment pipeline was accelerated and expanded to $110 billion in the 2020-21 Budget. The Government is committing a further $506 million over three years for priority transport infrastructure to support local jobs and the economic recovery.
Aged care
This MYEFO includes $1.0 billion in new investment in aged care, building on the $4.1 billion in new funding to the aged care sector announced since the 2019-20 MYEFO. $851 million is being provided for an additional 10,000 home care packages.
The Government has responded to the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety’s special report on COVID-19 and is continuing to respond to COVID-19 in aged care, investing $147 million, including funding for new items on the Medicare Benefits Schedule to improve access to psychological treatment and allied health services in residential aged care.
The Serious Incident Response Scheme implementation has been brought forward to 1 April 2021.
The 2020-21 MYEFO is available at www.budget.gov.au

Communities along New South Wales’ North Coast have come together at New Italy to celebrate the completion of the Pacific Highway upgrade, with the final section, from Woolgoolga to Ballina, now open to traffic.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said this marks a historic day, as the largest road infrastructure project to be undertaken in Australia is now complete, delivering 657 kilometres of duplicated highway from Hexham to the Queensland border.
“We set the goal to deliver this $15 billion project by the end of 2020 and despite the challenges we’ve faced along the way such as bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve delivered,” the Prime Minister said.
“Across New South Wales, we will be getting people home sooner and safer for generations to come thanks to this generation-defining infrastructure project.”
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the upgrade had created more than 100,000 direct and indirect jobs over its lifespan.
“Since the first shovel went in the ground, this project has injected billions of dollars into the economy, and it will drive long-term benefits for businesses and communities along the North Coast,” the Premier said.
“We continue to invest in improving journeys from Sydney all the way to the Queensland border, with almost $4 billion committed by the NSW and Australian governments to build the Coffs Harbour bypass and extend the M1 Pacific Motorway to Raymond Terrace.”
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said it was a landmark day for communities right along the North Coast.
“The Pacific Highway is more than a road to them – it is part of their story, connecting them to the rest of Australia and each other,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.
“More than 40,000 people, including many locals, have worked directly on this project over 24 years. They should be proud that they have helped deliver safer, faster and more reliable journeys to millions of motorists every year.”
NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro said the upgrade had transformed journeys along the North Coast, cutting travel times by more than two and a half hours.
“Not that long ago the Pacific Highway was known as a goat track, but now it’s 657 kilometres of dual-carriageway highway, which will support tourism, unlock new opportunities for regional economies and drive higher productivity for freight,” the Deputy Premier said.
“Many people have fought passionately to bring this project to life over many years – and today their vision of a four-lane highway is finally a reality.”
NSW Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Paul Toole said the number of fatal crashes on the highway had more than halved since the upgrade began.
“From day one, this upgrade has been about saving lives,” Minister Toole said.
“Since the upgrade began in 1996, fatalities have fallen by more than half. To put it in context, in the next 20 years it is expected that there will be 8,039 fewer crashes, 4,218 fewer injuries and critically 565 lives that will be saved. That’s 565 families who will see their loved ones come home at the end of the day.”
Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister and Federal Member for Page Kevin Hogan said the scale of the project demonstrated the Australian Government’s commitment to improving local infrastructure in the state of NSW.
“The project has been a remarkable engineering feat with more than 600 new bridges built along the stretch from Hexham to the Queensland border, and more than 35 new or improved rest areas now available for drivers,” Assistant Minister Hogan said.
State Member for Clarence Chris Gulaptis said the project was a source of vital support for the region.
“Infrastructure keeps people employed and regional economies ticking, supporting safer, faster journeys for our local community and freight operators,” Mr Gulaptis said.
The Pacific Highway upgrade has been jointly funded by the Australian and New South Wales governments over more than 20 years from 1996 to 2020.
The final section of the Woolgoolga to Ballina project – the last project to be completed as part of the Pacific Highway upgrade – is now fully operational.

The Future Fund must divest the $3 million it has put into a railway for the climate-destroying Adani coal mine, the Greens say.

Greens Economic Justice Spokesperson Senator Nick McKim said.
“This is public money and should be invested for the public good.”
“Having already ruled out investing in tobacco products, the Future Fund must urgently get out of fossil fuels.”
“This is a bad investment financially, morally and environmentally. To use public funds to cook the planet is an extraordinary error of judgement.”
“Adani has an appalling environmental and human rights record. They do not deserve a single cent of public money.”
Greens Leader in the Senate and Spokesperson for Mining and Resources Senator Larissa Waters said:
“Australians would be horrified to know that their so-called Future Fund is funding projects that would wreck their future.”
“Public money should not be used to prop up unviable projects that will worsen the climate crisis which is cooking the reef and turbo charging extreme weather events.”
“The Greens have long campaigned for the Future Fund to divest from coal on economic and climate grounds, and now also on human rights grounds.”
“There is no economic future in coal as global market dwindle as the world embraces renewable energy to tackle the climate crisis.”

Funding announced today in Newcastle will ensure the Leaders in Indigenous Medical Education (LIME) Network can continue to build capacity in Australia’s Indigenous Health workforce.
Federal Regional Health Minister Mark Coulton said the $680,000 of funding would enable the network to continue to increase the number of Indigenous people choosing to study medicine while ensuring a quality indigenous health curriculum is taught in medical schools.
“Growing the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander doctors and ensuring our health workforce has the culturally appropriate skills and training to improve the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders is an Australian Government priority,” Minister Coulton said.
“The LIME Network has been undertaking important work and the additional funding will enable further engagement with current and prospective Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander doctors.”
Professor Peter O’Mara, Director of the Thurru Indigenous Health Unit at the UoN’s School of Medicine and Public Health, said LIME makes a huge contribution to the work at Thurru Indigenous Health Unit, and has been instrumental in helping achieve an ever-growing numbers of Indigenous medical students.
“In 2020, 10 percent of our commencing joint medical program students were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, and 17 will be graduating this year,” Professor O’Mara said.
“The LIME Network is a project of the Medical Deans Australia and New Zealand and, by working across all medical schools and having this broad network of Indigenous leads, academics and support staff, the sharing of experiences, ideas, challenges and new initiatives is so much stronger and more effective.”
Also joining the announcement was Wiradjuri men Mr Nathan Towney, Pro Vice-Chancellor of the Office of Indigenous Strategy and Mr Darren Nolan from the School of Medicine and Public Health from the University of Newcastle.
Noongar woman, Professor Sandra Eades, Dean and Head of Curtin Medical School in WA participated virtually to mark the occasion and is Australia’s first Indigenous Dean to a medical School.
During his visit to the University of Newcastle, Minister Coulton also met with Professor Jennifer May, Director of the University’s Department of Rural Health, to hear about the delivery of the Rural Health Multidisciplinary Training (RHMT) Program.
“Over 20 years this successful training program has driven rural training and helped build the capacity of the rural health workforce by providing a rich experience for students in rural settings,” Minister Coulton said.
“By offering pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and those from rural backgrounds, the university is leading the way in nurturing and retaining local knowledge and talent.
“The Government continues to support the delivery of quality, multidisciplinary, rural health training. Most recently in the 2020-21 Federal Budget, I announced a further $50.3 million to expand the long-standing program and keep building the rural training pipeline.
“Evidence shows medical students who undertake training in rural areas, and those from a rural background, are more likely to take up rural practice after graduation. “
Minister Coulton said building the capacity and capability of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workforce, and increasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural awareness in the broader health workforce is key to better health outcomes now and into the future.
BACKGROUND:
The LIME Network, managed by the Medical Deans Australia and New Zealand, will receive funding support of more than $680,000 in 2020–2021 for its work to:

• Support quality and effective teaching of Indigenous health in medical education;
• Recruit and retain Indigenous medical students;
• Engage and collaborate with medical schools, the Australian Medical Council, the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation and other Indigenous peak organisations;
• Boost mentoring opportunities for Indigenous medical students and early-career academics; and
• Build on the Indigenous Health Resources Hub which supports sharing information on research, experiences and initiatives in Indigenous health education.

This funding takes the Government’s total investment in LIME since 2017–18 to more than $2 million.

Today’s Housing Industry Association (HIA) New Home Sales Report for November 2020 shows HomeBuilder is continuing deliver on its objective of generating residential construction demand to protect tradies’ jobs and drive our comeback from the COVID-19 recession.
The Report showed new home sales have risen by a further 15.2 per over the month to set a new decade high, with sale in the three months to November 41.1 per cent higher than the same time last year.
Every new home sale represents more work for our tradies and more economic activity as part of our comeback. HIA’s economist Angela Lillicrap said today;
“The strength of New Home Sales is a positive sign that home building will support the broader economy as we enter 2021.”
The HIA also found that new home sales in the three months to November 2020 were higher in all regions when compared with the same period in 2019:

• Western Australia (108.8 per cent),
• South Australia (57.6 per cent),
• Queensland (34.0 per cent),
• Victoria (22.2 per cent), and
• New South Wales (20.7 per cent).

First home buyers are leading the way in the housing comeback from the COVID-19 recession:

• According to the ABS, the number of loans to first home buyers reached the highest number in over a decade, accounting for 42 per cent of the total number of owner occupier loans issued in October.
• NAB lending to first home buyers increased by 21 per cent against their 12-month average, with regional areas across the nation recording a 44 per cent increase in first home buyer activity.
• Real Estate Institute of Australia reconfirmed that in their Housing Affordability report. First home ownership is at 10 year high.

To maintain this momentum in Australia’s economic comeback, the Morrison Government has announced HomeBuilder will be extended until 31 March 2021.
For all new build contracts signed between 1 January 2021 and 31 March 2021:

• Eligible owner-occupier purchasers will receive a $15,000 grant; and
• The property price caps for new builds in New South Wales and Victoria will be increased to $950,000 and $850,000 respectively.

In addition, the construction commencement deadline will be extended from three months to six months for all eligible contracts signed on or after 4 June 2020.
The construction industry has said the extension of HomeBuilder will mean a steady pipeline of construction activity through to 2022, which will keep tradies on the tools.
More information on the HomeBuilder programme can be found at: https://treasury.gov.au/coronavirus/homebuilder

The Morrison Government will invest an additional $1 billion in funding to help older Australians live at home for longer.
Another 10,000 home care packages – at a cost of more than $850 million – will be released as the Government continues to prioritise the needs of older and vulnerable Australians.
It adds to the Morrison Government’s record investment in aged care, from $13.3 billion in 2012-13 to $21.3 billion in 2019-20.
While the population of those aged 70 and over has jumped by 28 per cent since 2012, home care packages have increased by over 200 per cent with funding tripling – or more than 10 times the growth in population of older Australians.
Estimated funding for aged care will grow to more than $27 billion in 2023-24 – or an average $1.1 billion of extra support for senior Australians each year over the forward estimates.
The latest additional investment means almost 50,000 packages, at a cost of $3.3 billion, have been funded since the Royal Commission’s Interim Report.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said it was important older Australians received the care they needed.
“The health and wellbeing of older Australians is an absolute priority,” the Prime Minister said.
“By providing more support to people at home, we are ensuring that Australians, as they age, have greater choices and their families have greater choices.
“Our Government has continued to increase funding in aged care every year by more than $1 billion, adding thousands of extra home care packages at every opportunity.
“We will continue to address the many challenges there are in aged care, not only by boosting funding but also providing better access to health services to improve physical and mental wellbeing for older Australians.
“At every opportunity for the last three years, the Government has tripled the number of home care packages and in addition to Budget announcements, we have provided 10,000 additional home care packages at MYEFO every year for the past three years. This commitment continues.”
Health Minister Greg Hunt said the new packages are in addition to a $1.6 billion investment for more than 23,000 packages announced in the 2020–21 Budget.
It will increase the number of Australians receiving in-home care support to approximately 195,600 by 30 June 2021 – more than three times as many as when the Coalition formed Government.
“The latest investment underlines our commitment to help older Australians live at home for longer,” Minister Hunt said.
“It’s an important measure that can be instrumental to overall health and wellbeing and offer reassurance to families that their loved one is receiving appropriate care.”
The Government continues to build on the reform process for the delivery of care in the home as proposed by the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.
Funding also includes:
an additional $57.8 million for aged care under the National Partnership on COVID-19 Response;
$63.3 million to support increased access to allied health services and improved mental health care supports for people in residential aged care, which includes:
o$35.5 million to provide access to Medicare subsidised individual psychological services under the Better Access to Psychiatrists, Psychologists and General Practitioners through the MBS (Better Access) initiative until 30 June 2022 and to evaluate Better Access.
o$12.1 million for additional individual allied health sessions under Medicare chronic disease management plans.
o$15.7 million for allied health group services for residents living in facilities affected by COVID-19 outbreaks.
The expansion of the eligibility requirements for the Better Access to Psychiatrists, Psychologists and General Practitioners is ensuring people living in residential aged care can access suitable mental health support.
This will help all aged care residents access the Better Access initiative in the same way as people living in the community.
Psychological services will be provided by eligible general practitioners, psychologists, social workers or occupational therapists in accordance with a mental health treatment plan developed in consultation with the patient’s general practitioner or psychiatrist.
Financial disincentives for providers to offer services for those living in residential aged care will be removed.
The extension of the National Partnership on COVID-19 Response will bolster protection measures, including expert training and support in infection prevention and control for all states and territories.
Additionally, the Government is providing $8.2 million to extend the Victorian Aged Care Response Centre until 30 June 2021 to ensure the dedicated scalable support remains in place to rapidly respond to the pandemic and coordinate the Victorian response to outbreaks in aged care.
Another $11.1 million over five years will help fast-track the implementation of the Serious Incident Response Scheme (SIRS) to protect senior Australians from abuse and neglect. It takes the total investment in the program to $67.2 million.
The SIRS will drive improvements in quality and safety at the individual service and broader system level, by requiring residential aged care providers to manage all incidents, with a focus on the safety and wellbeing of consumers and reducing preventable incidents from reoccurring.
Minister Colbeck said the latest investment underlines the commitment of the Australian Government as it continues to implement recommendations from the Royal Commission’s Special Report on COVID-19, released in October 2020.
“We are building on more than $1.7 billion in support measures implemented as part of the Morrison Government’s response to the impact of COVID-19 in aged care,” Minister Colbeck said.
“The virus has presented the greatest challenge the sector has ever faced, but the Australian Government is moving beyond responding to the pandemic to drive the biggest transformation of aged care in our nation’s history.”

The Morrison-McCormack Government will deliver a safer and more efficient Inland Rail whilst also backing thousands of extra jobs and billions in additional economic activity through major enhancements to the planning, design and delivery of Australia’s largest freight infrastructure project.
The improvements will deliver a stronger Inland Rail, with the design now including more than 4,500 additional culverts, nine additional viaducts, an additional 6.8 kilometres of bridges, 10 extra grade separations, approximately 450 kilometres of additional fencing, as well as removing 139 level crossings.
These enhancements are a result of significant work by the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) to progress designs, to engage with communities and undertake the detailed analysis required to build the 1,700 kilometre rail line, including approximately 600 kilometres of greenfield track.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said the enhancements would lead to a safer and more efficient Inland Rail as well as deliver significant benefits for regional communities, businesses and jobs.
“Inland Rail is a jobs bonanza. It’s already supporting thousands of jobs, has already started to generate billions in economic activity and will eventually lead to a boost of more than $18 billion Gross Domestic Product during construction and in the first 50 years of operation,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.
“These enhancements will provide for greater local investment, mean Inland Rail will now support more than 21,500 jobs at the peak of construction and deliver an extra economic boost of $2 billion.
“Australian communities and industries have asked for more from this national infrastructure project and we have listened.
“These enhancements to the Inland Rail network will deliver more contracts for local businesses and more work for Australians at a time when we need them most.
“Inland Rail isn’t just being built by the big companies and Tier 1 contractors – across Australia businesses of all sizes are tendering for work and benefiting from the construction of Inland Rail.
“This world-class freight rail line from Melbourne to Brisbane will be the ‘spine’ of the national freight network, enabling travel between Melbourne and Brisbane in less than 24 hours, while connecting major ports and all mainland state capitals.”
Enhancements will be made possible through an additional injection of up to $5.5 billion of equity into ARTC.
Minister for Finance Simon Birmingham said the Morrison-McCormack Government’s investment in Inland Rail would be a game-changer to how freight is moved within Australia.
“Our ongoing investment in Inland Rail is backing jobs and businesses in regional Australia and will see the construction of a world-class freight network connecting Melbourne and Brisbane,” Minister Birmingham said.
“Every dollar our Government invests in Inland Rail is a dollar spent for the benefit of our regional communities, businesses, jobs and our economic recovery.
“This is about being responsive to the needs of the farmers, businesses and communities who will rely on Inland Rail.
“We’re making improvements to the design to deliver a more efficient network while at the same time supporting even more jobs and more economic activity.
“We’re going to have a mammoth freight task into the future – our urban freight task alone is expected to increase by nearly 60 per cent over the next two decades – and enhanced Inland Rail will ensure we have the capacity to meet Australia’s future freight needs.
“Enhanced Inland Rail will change the way we move freight in Australia, supporting the fast, reliable and cost-competitive movement of goods and resources. Our investment will strengthen supply chains, and better connect regional areas along the network with customers across Australia and the world.”
The first section of Inland Rail, between Parkes and Narromine, is now completed. In that section alone, more than 1,800 people worked on the project, including more than 762 local residents and 302 Indigenous workers. Almost $110 million was spent with local businesses, whilst 14,000 tonnes of Whyalla Steel worth $20 million was used.
Work has now started on the 171-kilometre Narrabri to North Star section, which will support thousands of jobs in north-western NSW and will use approximately 25,000 tonnes of Whyalla Steel and 341,000 Australian made concrete sleepers.
Planning is also well advanced on other sections of the track, with the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the largest section between Narromine to Narrabri on public display and a further four statements expected to be released for the Queensland sections of Inland Rail in the coming months.
ARTC is also currently working with the New South Wales Government to respond to submissions made during the public exhibition of the North Star to Queensland Border EIS, which closed October 2020.
A report by EY found Inland Rail could boost gross regional product by a further $13.3 billion in today’s dollars and deliver up to 2,500 full time jobs in the 10th year of operation. This is from Australian businesses starting, growing and thriving along the Inland Rail alignment following construction and is in addition to the more than $18 billion boost to Gross Domestic Product and 21,500 jobs during peak construction.
For more information on Inland Rail, visit www.InlandRail.gov.au

Australian Greens Housing spokesperson and Senator for NSW, Senator Mehreen Faruqi, has responded to a report by Equity Economics projecting a national 24 per cent rise in housing stress and 9 per cent rise in homelessness next year. NSW will be particularly hard hit with housing stress to rise by 42 per cent and homelessness by 19 per cent.
Senator Faruqi said:
“The alarm bells are well and truly ringing on housing stress and homelessness.
“We need the federal government to declare this a crisis and to look at all policy options to avoid this looming disaster.
“A huge national investment in social housing in the coming years will be required to ensure everyone has a roof over their head. Housing is a human right.
“In the short term, homelessness services will need to be properly funded and there is no way we can let the Jobseeker payment go back to the pre-Covid rate.
“The Covid-19 response has shown us that homelessness is not inevitable. Governments can choose to either tackle or ignore it. It’s our responsibility to make sure everyone has a roof over their head,” she said.