Category: Australian News

The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) has marked a key milestone, celebrating its 40^th anniversary this week.
Minister for Sport, Richard Colbeck said the AIS remains a lynchpin in Australia’s sporting success and its enhanced focus on athlete wellbeing, athlete pathways, coach development, innovation and collaboration all remain legacies of the AIS today.
“The AIS revolutionised Australian sport 40 years ago and today it remains an important and iconic symbol of Australia’s commitment to sport and the power of sport to inspire and unite our communities,” Minister Colbeck said.
“We celebrate this milestone with the AIS and pay tribute to those who have positively contributed to building Australian sport capability over many years.”
Some of the biggest names in Australian sport are among the 8,858 athletes who have been AIS scholarship holders over its successful history.
“In an Olympic and Paralympic year, we also acknowledge the integral role the AIS is playing to support our athletes in their preparation for the Tokyo Olympics,” Minister Colbeck said.
The AIS was launched by Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser in Canberra on 26 January 1981, comprising approximately 150 scholarship athletes across eight different sports to become Australia’s first and only official sporting institute.
AIS CEO Peter Conde said it has evolved to help lead the National Institute Network to positively influence more Australian athletes than ever before.
“As we should expect, the AIS does things differently now. Races aren’t won by standing still. But the intent of the AIS remains the same – to help Australian athletes realise their full potential in both sport and life.
“The AIS directly invests more than $145 million a year into 38 high performance sporting organisations and their athletes, including $14 million a year in athlete grants across Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games sports.
We have progressed the support for Paralympics athletes, with funding up 40 per cent in the past eight years,” he said.
“We are partnering with sports to develop emerging athletes and coaching pathways. We are at the forefront of innovation, including research into athlete health and performance. We are exploring new frontiers like artificial intelligence and data analysis.
“We naturally strive to win and we care about athletes. Our approach to athlete mental health, wellbeing and community engagement has been crucial, especially in terms of supporting athletes through the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Minister Colbeck said the next decade is exciting for Australian sport.
“There is a lot to look forward to. Australia will host the women’s world cup of basketball and football, we’ve invested in a bid for the 2027 Rugby World Cup and, in the next two years, we are considering a bid for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The leadership of the AIS will continue to be pivotal.”

On 24 January 2021, the New Zealand Government announced a case of COVID-19 detected in the community. This morning, New Zealand authorities advised that the case detected is a variant of concern. The case and subsequent exposure to the community are still under investigation.
As a result, the Australian Government, based on advice from the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC), has suspended green zone travel arrangements with New Zealand for a minimum of 72 hours whilst more is learnt about the transmission. This change comes into effect immediately (as of 1400 AEDT, 25 January 2021).
The decision has been taken out of an abundance of caution to reduce the risk of this variant, which has been shown to spread more readily between individuals, entering the Australian community.
All green safe travel zone passengers from New Zealand currently en route to Australia, or with planned travel to Australia in the next 72 hours will be required to enter mandatory hotel quarantine for up to 14 days on arrival or take other action based on the requirements of the relevant State and Territory Governments.
It is recommended all passengers from New Zealand with a green safe travel zone flight scheduled in the next 72 hours, reconsider their need to travel.
The Federal Government has advised all State and Territory governments and the New Zealand Government of these changes.
Anyone who has arrived into Australia on a flight from New Zealand on or since January 14 is asked to isolate and arrange to get tested, and to remain in isolation until you have received a negative test.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has today provisionally approved the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for use in Australia.
The Pfizer vaccine has met strict standards for safety, quality and efficacy.
The TGA provisional approval is for individuals 16 years of age and older. Two doses will be required – at least 21 days apart.
A priority group of Australians are expected to now receive their first dose of the vaccine as soon as it can be received from Pfizer and the necessary checks are undertaken by the TGA, prior to its distribution.
The latest advice given to the Government from Pfizer is that shipping and the first vaccinations are expected to be in late February.
If there are delays in shipping or production, the possibility remains that commencement could be in early March, however guidance remains for late February.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the TGA approval was an important step in the fight against COVID-19.
“I welcome the TGA’s approval of the Pfizer vaccine, with our own Australian experts finding it is safe, effective and of a high standard,” the Prime Minister said.
“Australians should take confidence in the thorough and careful approach taken by our world-class safety regulator.
“Our priority has always been to keep Australians safe and protect lives and livelihoods. Today’s approval is another big step forward for our community, particularly in the protection of our most vulnerable people.”
Minister for Health Greg Hunt said the-world class regulators at the TGA have been working tirelessly to introduce a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine in Australia.
“The TGA’s processes are I believe the best in the world and we have ensured that they are thorough.” Minister Hunt said.
“The TGA has placed safety above all else.”
“Australia’s high bar has been met; the vaccine has been approved as effective in stopping severe disease. I thank all those involved in the development and assessment of this COVID-19 vaccine, including the researchers, Pfizer, BioNTech and the medical experts at the TGA who have worked around the clock and over Christmas.”
“This approval and the upcoming roll out of the vaccine will play an important part in our ability to manage the pandemic in 2021.”
“Australia’s vaccination program has been based on the medical advice from the medical expert panel led by Professor Brendan Murphy. As a result we are in the fortunate position of having secured 140 million doses of vaccine, one of the highest per capita rates in the world. We will continue to review the medical advice and monitor and adapt to developments around the world,” Minister Hunt said.
The Government continues to work with Pfizer on the final date of delivery of vaccines, noting that Pfizer has experienced some temporary production delays from its European manufacturing plant as it ramps up production to meet extraordinary global demand.
The Government’s latest advice remains that the first doses of Pfizer are expected to arrive and be rolled out in late February. Final dates will be confirmed by Pfizer shortly and are subject to shipping and distribution.
In Australia the vaccine will be rolled out in five phases over the coming months and, over time, will involve more than 1,000 vaccination administration sites.
Head of the TGA, Adjunct Professor John Skerritt said the TGA has been working non-stop to get the Pfizer vaccine assessed, while maintaining the most rigorous standards of safety, quality and efficacy.
“I would like to thank our clinical and medical officers, scientists, pharmacists and experts in statistics, laboratory analysis and manufacturing assessment who have worked tirelessly on assessing this vaccine,” Adjunct Professor Skerritt said.
“We’re thrilled to have this product pass the rigorous regulatory process and receive provisional approval.”
“Our job is by no means done. In fact the monitoring of vaccine safety post-approval is an important part of the regulatory review of vaccines.
“We now check the individual batches of vaccines that are destined for Australians while closely monitoring the safety and efficacy of the vaccine as it is rolled out.
“We will also continue our work on the regulatory review for potential approval of other vaccines, notably the AstraZeneca and Novavax vaccines, as well as vaccines delivered through the COVAX facility.”
As the rollout begins across 30 – 50 hospital sites, 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.
“There is intense ongoing work which will continue over the coming month, including batch testing of newly arrived doses, establishing cold storage facilities for the vaccine, training health providers to administer it, finalising distribution sites with states and territories, checking sites and protective equipment for safety, and scaling up systems for ongoing safety monitoring,” Minister Hunt said.
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 here.

The Greens call on the Queensland and federal governments to reject Arrow Energy’s massive expansion proposal to drill hundreds of new coal seam gas wells at Hopeland in the Western Downs Region and lay 440km of pipelines in fertile farm land.
Arrow Energy has applied to increase its number of coal seam gas wells at the Hopeland site from six to 286. The state government previously declared the area off-limits for future coal seam gas projects after land and groundwater was contaminated by the Linc Energy underground coal gasification disaster.
Greens Leader in the Senate and spokesperson for mining and resources, Senator Larissa Waters, said:
“The Linc Energy project was one of Queensland’s worst environmental scandals. The Queensland Government recognised the extent of damage when it set a no-go zone in the area for future coal seam gas projects and I call upon them to now reject Arrow’s expansion proposal outright.
“I also call on the federal government to reject Arrow’s application as ‘clearly unacceptable’, given the obvious threats the project poses to the region’s groundwater.
“The Greens will always stand up for our communities, our farmland, our water, and our climate in the face of corporate interests and mining magnates.
“Governments need to stop sacrificing our farmland to the highest bidder. We must protect our precious food-producing land, respect the rights of farmers and traditional owners, and stop our water from being contaminated and the climate crisis turbo-charged by leaking gas (fugitive emissions).
“That’s why for the last 10 years I’ve had a private members bill before the Senate to give landholders the legal right to say no to coal seam gas and to ban fracking, but the big parties who take donations from the fossil fuel industry keep voting against it.
“Noting the Prime Minister’s obsession with the misnomer of a gas-led recovery, I will be asking in parliament about the treatment of Arrow’s huge expansion proposals and what it will take for the government to start protecting rural communities from the massive risk to water, the climate and farm land.”
“I also encourage all farmers to lodge an objection to Arrow Energy’s expansion application to the Queensland government by 15 February.
“It’s time state and federal governments listened to scientists, farmers and First Nations Peoples about the risks to land, water and climate. You can’t eat coal or drink gas,” concluded Senator Waters.

The Australian Government is preparing for the COVID-19 vaccine rollout by securing an additional vaccine workforce and working to deliver essential training to everyone who will administer the vaccinations.
Australia’s vaccine roll out will be carried out through hospitals, General practices, state and Commonwealth vaccination clinics, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations and Pharmacies.
This additional vaccination workforce will help support and supplement these existing services and assist in outreach in areas such as aged care and remote and indigenous communities working with existing providers.
Through our plan, a panel of four providers have been appointed who will be called upon to provide a vaccine workforce to supplement the existing immunisation workforce for specific populations.
The providers are Aspen Medical, Healthcare Australia, International SOS, and Sonic Clinical Services.
These providers have established their capability and capacity to provide a skilled workforce, particularly for some of the most vulnerable groups throughout each state and territory.
The Australian Government has been closely monitoring the immunisation programs operating overseas, including in the United Kingdom and the United States, and one of the critical requirements has been the availability of a ready and capable immunisation workforce.
Our vaccination strategy requires the highest levels of operational readiness. As vaccines are approved for use in Australia and our vaccination program commences, we are ensuring the workforce is there to administer the vaccines in an efficient manner, particularly to our priority groups including residential aged care, residential disability, and carers.
This vaccine workforce will support the jurisdictions for their part in the vaccine rollout. We anticipate they will also partner with peak organisations and other providers to assist in administering the vaccine for harder-to-reach populations, such as remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Work is also under way to prepare the necessary and compulsory training which will be required for each and every healthcare professional administering COVID-19 vaccines.
The Australian College of Nursing is leading the preparation of the training materials which will cover the handling and administration of COVID-19 vaccines.
The nature of the COVID-19 vaccines requires immunisers receive information on a range of issues, such as the use of multi-use vials and handling practices for the Pfizer vaccine which requires very low temperatures for storage.
Healthcare professionals and the vaccine workforce will not be able to administer any COVID-19 vaccines without having first completed the training modules.
Australia is in the incredibly fortunate position to be able to look and learn from the vaccine rollouts taking place around the world and to ensure our workforce is ready and trained to do a world class job delivering the vaccine to all Australians who chose to be vaccinated in 2021.
This is a position which we have all worked hard to achieve, by following the health advice and suppressing the spread of the virus in our community.
As reported by the Medical Journal of Australia, the Australian response to COVID-19 may have saved over 16 000 lives according to modelling that used the UK response as a template.
The World Health Organisation has identified Australia as one of the most well prepared health systems in the world, according to a 2018 evaluation report on Australian disaster preparedness.
Our next stage is to issue expressions of interest requests for General Practices and Pharmacists, with that expected to be issued this week as foreshadowed.

The overdue release of dozens of refugees from immigration detention is a very welcome glimmer of humanity in Australia’s refugee policy, Greens Immigration Spokesperson Senator Nick McKim says.
“These men have been through so much for so long, and for them now to be able to breathe free air is a wonderful step forward for them,” Senator McKim said.
“There are still over 150 people who suffered through years of offshore detention detained in Australia. They should also be immediately released.”
“Those released today, and those still in detention, deserved freedom and safety a long time ago. Now they need permanent protection, support in our community, and a pathway to Australian citizenship.”
“There was never a legitimate reason for their detention, and it’s time to write the end of this dark chapter in our country’s story.”
“Special thanks go to the many Australian people who have protested this appalling situation.”

The Australian Government is ensuring senior Australians can live at home for longer thanks to additional assistance under the Commonwealth Home Support Program (CHSP).
Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services, Richard Colbeck, said allowing older Australians to choose how and where they lived is a priority.
“The choice to live safely and independently in their community has increasingly become a strong preference for senior Australians,” Minister Colbeck said.
“The Government continues to invest in measures to make this possible no matter where people live.”
The Commonwealth Government will provide up to $124.4m in additional grants across the 2020-21 and 2021-22 financial years.
This will include an additional $32.2m per year over two years starting in financial year 2020-21 and a separate allocation of up to $60m in additional funding in 2021-22.“This funding will expand access to entry-level services to more senior Australians right across Australia, now and into the future,” Minister Colbeck said.
Eligible providers of aged care and disability services are invited to apply for the funding to deliver home support services under the CHSP.
The CHSP is an entry-level aged care program for frail people aged 65 years and over (or 50 years and over for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people) who need some help with daily tasks.
As part of its commitment to supporting the entry level care needs of older Australians, the Government has committed a total of $5.94b across 2020-21 and 2021-22 to fund the delivery of services through the CHSP.
Nationally, more than 1,400 organisations are funded to deliver CHSP home support services to around 840,000 seniors.
“Maximising independence and autonomy is a key objective of the CHSP, to help people live their best lives as they get older,” Minister Colbeck said.
Services provided under the CHSP include domestic assistance such as help with cleaning, washing and shopping, transport, allied health services, nursing care and social support, assistance with food preparation in the home and delivery of meals, support for carers including respite services and home maintenance.
The grant opportunity GO3632 is now open and will close on 5 February 2021.
Information for eligible providers and how to apply is available on Grant Connect.

The government’s delay or abandonment of most of the recommendations from the Banking Royal Commission is a commitment to the hands off approach that caused the problems in the first place, the Greens say.
“The Liberals had to be dragged kicking and screaming into this Royal Commission, and they have never accepted that there is serious criminality and bad behaviour within the sector,” Greens Economic Justice spokesperson Senator Nick McKim said.
“By delaying or abandoning most of the recommendations, they have made it clear that they are quite happy for people to continue to fall victim to the banks’ predatory conduct.”
“They are also trying to scrap responsible lending laws, which will lead to more people landing in unsustainable debt.”
“With unemployment and underemployment high in the middle of a global pandemic, there has never been a worse time to let banks off the leash.”
“The Liberals have today confirmed beyond any doubt they are a wholly owned subsidiary of their big corporate donors.”

Applications are now open for local communities across regional Australia for the fifth round of the successful Building Better Regions Fund (BBRF).
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said this round will see local communities share in $200 million.
“Releasing the program guidelines last December meant prospective applicants could begin preparing their submissions,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.
“The Australian Government is now welcoming those submissions, ready to support community investments such as local events and strategic regional plans as well as infrastructure projects which will provide lasting benefits to regional and remote areas.
“This round will see $100 million of dedicated support for tourism-related infrastructure, while maintaining $100 million for broader community infrastructure and investment.
“The Australian Government is proud to continue supporting our rural and regional communities with Round 5 bringing our total commitment to more than $1 billion over seven years.”
Assistant Minister for Regional Development and Territories Nola Marino said it is vital the Australian Government supports regional and remote communities as they continue leading the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Our regions once again demonstrated remarkable strength and resilience in 2020, staring down the challenges of bushfire, drought and a global pandemic,” Ms Marino said.
“Our regions are the lifeblood of this nation and the BBRF will help ensure our local communities bounce back stronger than ever.
“Since 2016, we have funded nearly 1,000 projects through the BBRF, ensuring our communities have an opportunity to gain funding and support for locally driven projects.
“The BBRF is about creating jobs and driving economic growth and I encourage eligible applicants to apply for funding.”
Applications are now open and can be submitted through the online portal at www.business.gov.au/bbrf.
If potential applicants have any questions regarding eligibility or the delivery of the program, they can contact the AusIndustry Business Grants Hub on 13 28 46 to discuss their individual circumstances.
Prospective applicants are also encouraged to contact their local Regional Development Australia (RDA) committee to discuss their application. More information including contact details for your local RDA can be found at www.rda.gov.au.
Applications close on 5 March 2021, with successful applicants expected to be announced in mid-2021.

The Greens have asked the Auditor-General to investigate the approval of the Yeelirrie uranium mine in Western Australia by former federal environment minister Melissa Price, after a damning ABC report this week showed a deeply flawed approval process.
Greens Environment Spokesperson Senator Sarah Hanson-Young wrote to the Auditor-General Grant Hehir on Thursday and requested his office consider the matter (letter attached).
“The Morrison Government’s conduct when it comes to approval of this uranium mine stinks. Former environment minister Melissa Price, ticked and flicked the night before the 2019 federal election against the advice of her own department,” Senator Hanson-Young said.
“The environmental approval of this mine smacks of political interference and cronyism.
“FOI documents show that somehow between 9.31pm and midnight, the minister managed to examine hundreds of pages of the decision package she had just received, remove key protections for threatened species and grant approval.
“The minister went against her own department’s advice and did so after the company had asked her to expedite the process together with former resources minister Matt Canavan who also intervened to get the approval across the line.
“It seems we have yet another case of an environment-wrecking project riddled with improper process, going against department advice and with political interference all on PM Morrison’s watch. The Auditor-General’s scathing report in June last year showed potentially hundreds of cases such as this exist. It is no wonder we are in an extinction crisis.
“The Morrison Government cannot keep getting away with doing favours for its mining and development mate or our wildlife and wild places will all soon be gone.”