Category: Australian News

The Morrison Government will continue to prioritise better support for older Australians by investing in a new targeted research centre, funding a new program to combat loneliness while ensuring the aged care workforce meets growing demand in the future.
$34 million will be provided to establish a new Aged Care Workforce Research Centre, which will examine new ways to deliver care for older Australians and training and education for aged care providers, drawing on the world’s best practice.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said older Australians deserve our support.
“Older Australians have built our country and they deserve our respect and support for the choices they want to make.
“This funding will deliver better support and care for older Australians, while ensuring we build the workforce to meet the demands of an aging population.
“As a nation we must continue to support our older Australians and I remain absolutely committed to doing more.
“A strong economy means we can make these important decisions and invest in the essential services Australians rely on – without higher taxes.”
For some older Australians, retirement brings new challenges and stresses and sometimes that can lead to social isolation and loneliness, with a third of all seniors living alone.
A re-elected Morrison Government will invest $10 million to develop a Seniors Connected Program to address the silent battle of loneliness that thousands of older Australians live with every day.
The program will work with local community groups, including schools and sporting clubs, as well as with grassroots organisations dedicated to supporting older Australians.
Funding will boost support for organisations like the Friends for Good phone service, which offers support services outside normal business hours and on weekends, while also expanding Village Hub projects across the country.
Today more than 1.3 million Australians access or use some form of aged care, with that number expected to grow to an estimated 3.5 million Australians by 2050. This will have a profound impact on the demand for skilled workers within the aged care sector.
A re-elected Morrison Government will prioritise the growth area of aged care with the goal of reaching 475,000 aged care workers in Australia by 2025, with significant growth projected in personal care workers, nurses, support staff and allied health professionals.
Aged care will be the first sector where a pilot program will be undertaken under the Morrison Government’s $41.7 million Skills Organisations package to support future jobs growth.
The Morrison Government will expand the Community Visitors Scheme which aims to improve the quality of life of residents of aged care homes and consumers of home care packages who are socially isolated or lonely and would benefit from a friendly visitor.
The Scheme helps to establish links between people living in aged care homes and their local community. It can act as a vehicle for intergenerational connection, providing young Australians with the opportunity to talk with and learn from older Australians.
Part of the Seniors Connected Program will encourage volunteering activity by Australia’s seniors. Many senior Australians choose to volunteer because they still have so much to contribute to the community. Volunteering offers connection and a sense of purpose.

From today the Morrison Government will make available new medicines available on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) saving patients and their family’s up to $150,000 a year.
By keeping our economy strong the Morrison Government is listing all new medicines on the PBS following the advice of the medical experts.
These listings on the PBS change and improve lives. They reduce the burden of expensive medicines, saving patients and families money.
New medicines from 1 May 2019 include:

• Bavencio® for metastatic merkel cell carcinoma (rare skin cancer), which would normally cost $150,000 per year for a course of treatment without subsidy
• Besponsa® for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (blood cancer), which would normally cost $120,500 per course of treatment without subsidy
• Ibrance® for advanced and metastatic breast cancer, which would normally cost $55,000 per year for a course of treatment without subsidy
• Vimpat® for the treatment of intractable partial epileptic seizures for children aged four to 15 years, which would normally cost $4,700 per year without subsidy
• Xeljanz® for the treatment of patients with psoriatic arthritis, which would normally cost $16,500 per year without subsidy

Patients will now be able to access these medicines for just $40.30 per script, or $6.50 with a concession card.
All were recommended by the independent medical experts at the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee.
Since 2013, the Morrison Government has listed over 2,000 new or amended items on the PBS. This represents an average of around 31 listings per month – or one each day – at an overall cost of around $10.6 billion.
We are listing all medicines on the PBS unlike the former Labor Government.
In 2011 when the current leader of the opposition Bill Shorten was Assistant Treasurer Labor took the unprecedented step of stopping the listing of new medicines on the PBS.
Labor’s 2011-12 Budget stated “given the current fiscal environment the listing of some medicines would be deferred until fiscal circumstances permit”. This included medicines for asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, endometriosis chronic pain and IVF amongst others.
Our commitment to ensuring that Australians can access affordable medicines, when they need them, remains rock solid.

Large scale research projects with a vision to boost industry and create jobs could share in funding from the Federal Government.
Round 21 of the Co-operative Research Centre (CRC) grants are now open, with the average CRC receiving around $35 million.
Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews said the CRC Grants are designed to bring industry and our world-class researchers together to grow and create new Australian jobs.
“Our aim through this program is to improve the competitiveness, productivity and sustainability of national industries, especially where Australia has a competitive strength,” Minister Andrews said.
“These partnerships solve industry-identified problems through conducting and commercialising leading-edge research, driving emerging technologies and leveraging global supply chains and new markets.
“Since 2013, the Liberal National Government has invested almost $1 billion into CRCs, demonstrating our commitment to ensuring the innovative work of our best and brightest reaches the market.
“Along with other Coalition initiatives such as the Entrepreneurs Programme and Industry Growth Centres, the CRC Grants is a proven model for industry and research cooperation that produces impressive commercial results.”
This latest funding further builds on our commitment to strengthening Australian industry, strengthening our economic growth and helping to create 1.25 million jobs in the next five years.
The Coalition Government continues to make significant investments in science, research and innovation – smart, strategic investments that will deliver stable support for our researchers and entrepreneurs across the coming decade.
The CRC Grants provides competitive and merit-based grant funding to support industry-led collaborative research partnerships. The grant is complemented by cash and in-kind support from industry and research partners.
Applications for Round 21 will close at 5:00 pm AEDT on 1 July 2019
Information on the CRC Grants and how to apply is available at www.business.gov.au/CRC

The Australian Greens condemn the vile racism behind vandalism of Greens SA Senate candidate Major Moogy Sumner’s election poster.
“This racism is not acceptable. We need First Australians in our Parliament and they need to be able to participate without these kinds of attacks,” Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.
“This does not represent South Australia. Moogy is a beloved and respected leader in our state. People on all sides of politics respect him, love him and I know wish him well for this election.
“I am so proud to have such a distinguished aboriginal elder standing shoulder to shoulder with me in this election campaign.
“Our Parliament and our state would be all the richer with Moogy Sumner in the Senate.”
Moogy Sumner, Ngarrindjeri elder, said:
“My face is well known in Adelaide. People know who I am and what I stand for,” he said.
“It is disappointing to see this crop up in our community, but it won’t stop me from standing up for what we believe in. Here I am, you’re not going to scare me away.”

Labor’s latest backflip, abandoning support for more native forest reserves in Tasmania, including 356,000ha of permanent reserves, shows they cannot be trusted to protect the environment or tackle climate change.

“Labor talks big about overhauling environment laws and taking strong action on climate change, but has now backflipped on protecting vast areas of Tasmania’s native forests,” said Senator Janet Rice, Australian Greens forest spokesperson.

“Labor still won’t rule out support for the Adani mine, plans to open up the Northern Territory to fracking, and just yesterday backtracked on their electric vehicle target.”

“This decision shows Labor will buckle under the slightest pressure from their industry mates and corporate donors.”

“You just cannot trust Labor when it comes to protecting our environment or climate.”

“The Greens plan would end native forest logging immediately, and transition the industry to 100% plantations from the current 88%.”

“Labor is willfully allowing the destruction of our forests because, which are hugely important for storing carbon, for threatened animals and for our water security. To log them, mainly for woodchips, is just madness.”

“Labor are reverting to type as they always do when the pressure comes on from the loggers,” said Senator Nick McKim, Australian Greens senator for Tasmania.

“Trashing and burning carbon rich forests like takayna/Tarkine, the Blue Tier and the Styx is unacceptable while the world is in a climate emergency and a biodiversity crisis.”

“The Greens will fight to protect these beautiful places, the carbon they store and the wildlife they support.”

“We are the only party standing up for Tassie’s forests – we always have and we always will.”

Bill Shorten has shown he either isn’t across the details or that Labor hasn’t done its homework on the cost of its own policies.
On Perth radio this morning Mr Shorten couldn’t tell listeners the cost of Labor’s 45 per cent emissions reduction target.
“I can’t tell you what the cost is going to be.”
Bill Shorten, Nova Radio Perth, 30 April 2019
Coalition Campaign Spokesman Senator Simon Birmingham said it was time for Bill Shorten to come clean with Australians.
“How can a man who wants to be Prime Minister not know the cost of one of his key policies,” Senator Birmingham said.
“Either Bill Shorten doesn’t know the cost of his policy or he is hiding the true cost.
“Australians deserve to know what Labor’s 45 per cent emissions reduction target and 50 per cent renewable energy target will cost them, just like they deserve to have Bill Shorten answer questions about Labor’s tax policies.
“Bill Shorten chose to release a policy that relies on Australian businesses buying international permits, so why won’t he be honest and upfront about how many permits will be bought and how much money will be sent offshore?
“Last week Labor were falsely spinning that there was no cost to their policies yet now Shadow Climate Change Minister Mark Butler claims it’s not even possible to cost their plans.”
“If I can go to the cost impact of the policy we have announced, it is impossible to cost.”
Mark Butler, Doorstop, 30 April 2019
However, we know from independent modelling by BAEconomics that Labor’s 45 per cent emissions reduction target and 50 per cent renewable energy target will:

• cost the economy $472 billion
• slash more than 336,000 jobs
• cut the average wage by over $9,000
• increase wholesale electricity prices by more than 58 per cent.

“It’s time Bill Shorten came out of the shadows and outlined the true cost of his reckless policies,” Senator Birmingham said.

800,000 electricity customers in South Australia, New South Wales and South-East Queensland will get a better energy deal as the Morrison Government continues to drive down power prices.
Effective from 1 July 2019, the Morrison Government has abolished the loyalty tax and the misleading use of discounts to attract customers.
The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) has today released the final determination for the Default Market Offer (DMO) which will cap prices for standing offers, acting as a price safety net for those who find pricing and discounts confusing, or who simply don’t have time to negotiate.
The DMO figure will also act as a reference price for all other small business and residential customers, requiring energy retailers to advertise their standing and market offers against a common price benchmark.
Households changing to default market offers from standing offer tariffs could save up to $481 in South Australia, $663 in NSW and $662 in south-east Queensland.
Small businesses on standing offer tariffs could save up to $896 in South Australia, $457 in south-east Queensland and $878 in NSW.
The DMO and reference price were recommendations of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), and will prevent energy companies from slugging their customers with excessive standing offer rates and benefitting from the confusion created by misleading discounts.
The DMO will not apply in Victoria, after the Victorian Government followed the Morrison Government’s lead and implemented their own default market offer.
For too long, the energy companies have been taking advantage of loyal Australian families and small businesses who have been paying the highest electricity prices on the market.
The Australian Energy Market Commission found a family on a standing offer in Adelaide could be paying as much as $832 more per year for their electricity than a neighbour, simply because they’ve been loyal or haven’t shopped around. That is simply unfair.
The ACCC will also be watching retailers to ensure they provide their customers a fair deal and not increase better offers to offset the loss of their excessive margins from standing offer customers.
The savings delivered by the DMO builds on the price cuts that the Morrison Government secured from 1 January 2019 of up to 15 per cent for families and small businesses.
The Morrison Government actions to bring down electricity prices are in stark contrast to Labor’s policies. Electricity prices doubled when Labor was last in government. Independent modelling has shown that Labor’s 45 per cent emissions target will push up wholesale electricity prices by 58 per cent by 2030.
Labor simply can’t be trusted to address cost of living pressures for families and lower costs for small businesses.

The Morrison Government will invest $5 million to establish a National Dust Diseases Taskforce to develop a national approach for the prevention, early identification, control and management of dust diseases in Australia.
The funding will also establish a National Dust Diseases Register, commission new research to support understanding, prevention and treatment of preventable occupational lung diseases.
There is an emerging trend of new cases of accelerated silicosis, a preventable occupational lung disease occurring in workers as a result of exposure to silica dust in parts of Australia. This can occur in various industries, with recent cases related to the manufacture and installation of artificial stone bench tops, in particular in Queensland.
Silicosis is caused by inhalation of very fine silica dust.
In the last six months in Queensland alone, over 100 stonemasons have been diagnosed with the preventable lung disease and one reported death associated with accelerated silicosis March this year in Queensland.
Members of the Taskforce will be drawn from the medical community, industry, researchers and Government, and be chaired by an eminent medical expert. The objectives of the Taskforce will be to identify ways to:

• reduce the incidence and severity of dust diseases;
• ensure availability of effective treatment;
• reduce exposure through improved prevention, awareness and capacity building;
• eliminate hazards through better machinery and workplace design;
• ensure appropriate control of potentially hazardous materials;
• achieve better work health and safety outcomes through improved regulation and compliance;
• review the latest research into dust diseases and identify research gaps.

The Taskforce will report to the COAG Health Council, under the direction of the Minister for Health.
The taskforce will commence in July 2019 and will provide a final report by 31 December 2020

Making sure health services in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are culturally appropriate, responsive, and safe is a priority of the Morrison Government.
The transfer of remote Northern Territory (NT) Government clinics to the control of First Australians is a key part of the Morrison Government’s significant primary healthcare agenda.
The Red Lily Health Board Aboriginal Corporation, with the support of Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance Northern Territory (AMSANT), will transition the Jabiru Remote Public Health team from Top End Health Service to community control from 1 April 2019.
This transition is the result of decisive action by Elders and the wider community to ensure culturally appropriate health services are provided close to where people live.
Country Liberal candidate for Lingiari, Jacinta Price said Red Lily’s delivery of primary prevention health programs will help address the poor health status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the West Arnhem region.
“This is an important step in realising community aspirations for self-determination. Good health is a key enabler in supporting First Australians and in building strong and resilient communities.”
Transition to community control in the NT is a partnership between AMSANT, the NT Aboriginal Health Forum, NT and Commonwealth Departments of Health, the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and the NT Primary Health Network.
The Morrison Government is providing up to $4.3 million from 2017-18 to 2020-21 to Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services in the regions of Maningrida, East Arnhem and West Arnhem to assist with primary health transition activities.
A key to closing the gap in health outcomes is providing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with equal access to effective, high quality, comprehensive and culturally appropriate health and welfare programs no matter where they live in Australia.

Bill Shorten has today confirmed that Labor’s 50% by 2030 electric vehicle target isn’t an election promise, and that it “doesn’t mean that [it] will happen.”
“The Greens are extremely disappointed that Bill Shorten and Labor have caved in to the scare campaign from the climate deniers on the hard right on their electric vehicle policy,” said Senator Janet Rice, Australian Greens transport spokesperson.
“Labor’s backtrack on their already weak 50% by 2030 electric vehicle target shows that their commitments on climate change are all open to reversal under the slightest bit of pressure.”
“Having an electric vehicle target with no plan to get there is like saying you’re going to the moon with no plan to build a spaceship.”
“A real commitment to electric vehicles uptake will need subsidies, mandates, an accelerated build out of the fast charging grid, and a long term deadline to give industry certainty.”
“We need only look to Norway, Denmark, Ireland and the Netherlands. These countries are already achieving their strong targets by using a mix of these mechanisms to drive electric vehicle uptake.”
“The Greens have a plan to get to 100% of new car sales being electric by 2030. This isn’t a target, it’s a promise that we would write into law.”
“Today’s backflip from Bill Shorten makes it clear that to deliver real action on climate change, we’re going to need Greens in the parliament to hold Labor to account.”