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The Morrison Government is backing South Australian manufacturers to grow their businesses, create more jobs and compete internationally as part of its plan for a strong economy and a stronger future.

Seven innovative South Australian businesses will share in more than $48 million of funding through Round 2 of the Integration and Translation Streams of the Modern Manufacturing Initiative.

South Australian icon Bickford’s Australia will receive up to $2.95 million to establish a new manufacturing facility which will be dedicated to the production of highly sensitive beverage product categories such as dairy, electrolyte replenishment, prebiotics, protein milk and ready to feed baby formula

The new facility will significantly raise quality and material management standards to meet Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) requirements, upskill Bickford’s workforce and create new skilled employment opportunities. It will also increase Bickford’s demand for locally sourced raw materials and ingredients, providing benefits right across the supply chain.

Minister for Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor said this funding would bolster the state’s thriving manufacturing sector and unlock further significant investment.

“South Australia has a long and proud history in manufacturing. This funding is a big win for jobs and another vote of confidence in South Australia’s advanced manufacturing capability,” Minister Taylor said.

“We are backing these businesses to turn good ideas into commercial success stories and build critical capability for the future. Our $2.5 billion Modern Manufacturing Strategy is all about helping home-grown manufacturers break into new markets and turn innovative ideas into a reality.

“The election on May 21 will be a choice, between a Coalition Government which delivers a strong economy that enables investment in Australian manufacturing capability, or a Labor Government that will weaken the manufacturing sector by making Australia a harder place to do business with higher taxes and higher energy costs.”

Other business that will share in the funding include:

• Hallett Concrete will receive up to $20 million for a $109 million project to build an integrated green cement business, consisting of a slag granulating plant at Whyalla Steelworks, a grinding, processing and distribution hub at Port Augusta, and a product receival, blending and distribution hub at Port Adelaide. The project will take industrial waste products from three existing mineral processing operations into low carbon cement products, replace imports and secure low carbon cements for the Australian construction industry.
• Orora will receive up to $12.5 million to construct a new low carbon clean energy glass melting furnace to replace the current G3 glass gas/air red furnace. This project will be the first oxygen red glass furnace in Australia, create more than 150 new jobs and will deliver low carbon wine and beer glass containers to support the Australian food and beverage industry.
• Mayne Pharmaceuticals will receive up to $4.8 million to expand its advanced manufacturing capability and ensure the Salisbury site remains one of Australia’s leading solid oral dose manufacturing facilities. The project seeks to double the production of chronic pain medications such as Kapanol, boost encapsulation capacity from 56 million to 104 million doses per annum, and increase blister packaging capacity from 7.9 million to 21.3 million boxes per annum.
• Southern Launch will receive up to $4.95 million to develop a local facility in Adelaide to support the development of the AT Space rocket, extend test facility for the rocket testing and develop the orbital launch complex. It aims to attract foreign launch providers to Australia and grow the local supply chain. It will deliver a vertically integrated sovereign space launch capability within two years and create new mature value chains that do not currently exist in Australia.
• Inovor Technologies will receive up to $1 million to expand their current electronics test and integration labs and clean rooms to accommodate larger spacecraft as well as grow the batch manufacture of smaller cube satellites.
• Samuel Smith & Son will receive up to $2.1 million to adopt an in-house de-alcoholising system to produce and bottle low alcohol products to meet the rapidly increasing consumer demand in low alcohol/no alcohol wines and increase efficiencies for quality and cost for competitiveness in global supply chains. The project will also enable up to 50 smaller wineries to access the common user infrastructure through packaging operation technology.

Together these projects are delivering a pipeline of jobs and economic benefits for Australia, creating more jobs, more investment, more exports and more Australian companies leading the way.

A re-elected Coalition Government will provide targeted support for regional newspapers to assist them in the face of dramatically rising costs driven by global pressures affecting print production.

The establishment of a new $10 million round of the Public Interest News Gathering program will allow eligible regional newspaper publishers to apply for funding to support their sustainability in the face of newsprint prices rising by up to 80 per cent from 1 July 2022.

We will move quickly to consult on and finalise the guidelines, to call for applications and to make funding decisions. Support payments are expected to be made early in the new financial year.

In addition to this support, the Government will undertake further work following the election

on the long-term sustainability of the sector.

Up to $2 million will also be provided to fast-track an investment ready analysis for the replacement of the coal-fired boiler at Norske Skog’s Boyer Mill. The analysis is part of a larger investment in partnership with the Tasmanian Government and Norske Skog to help secure the Boyer Mill’s long-term future as Australia’s only producer of publication grade paper.

Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, Paul Fletcher, said the Coalition Government had provided critical support for regional media during the COVID-19 pandemic and is standing with them again now.

“Ongoing volatility overseas is having an impact back home, which is why Australians need a Government with strong economic management that can steer the Australian economy through

uncertain times,” Minister Fletcher said.

“Regional newspapers provide a vitally important role in bringing regional communities together and keeping them informed of local news and events.

“Our Government has been there to support regional media over the past three years. The Public Interest News Gathering program is a tried and tested model that supported regional newspapers and broadcasters during the pandemic.

“I have met with major regional publishers on the issues they are facing and the support they require. We will move urgently to deliver this new round following the election, working closely with the sector, with payments expected to be made from 1 July when newsprint prices are due to increase.”

Minister for Regionalisation, Regional Communications and Regional Education, Bridget McKenzie, said the support package is part of the Coalition’s plan for stronger regions.

“Our regional newspaper publishers employ thousands of people in regional Australia and regional manufacturers like Norske Skog employ many more,” Minister McKenzie said.

“Locally printed newspapers are so important for our regional communities because they tell local stories that will never be covered by the bigger publishers.

“While the Coalition is standing up for regional jobs, the Labor Party is implementing a carbon tax by stealth. It needs to come clean on how its harmful safeguard mechanism will impose higher costs on large regional employers and what that will mean for the future of paper manufacturing in this country and the future of our regional newspapers.”

The package today builds on the significant support the Coalition Government has delivered

for regional media to date. This includes $50 million through the Public Interest News Gathering Program and legislating the News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code that has seen Google and Facebook strike commercial deals with a wide range of Australian news media companies across the country.

The Coalition has also established a new $10 million Journalist Fund for regional media organisations to hire new cadet journalists and upskill existing journalists.

Newsprint costs are rising worldwide, with international demand, COVID, the war in Ukraine, rising input costs in Europe, oil prices and global shipping issues all affecting the supply and cost of paper.

Funding will be contingent on no newspaper closures or job losses due to increased newsprint prices. Funding amounts will be determined based on the demonstrated cost impacts to eligible applicants of newsprint cost increases.

Only the Coalition will deliver a better future for Australia, and this is part of our plan to build a strong economy and a stronger future.

The new Australian Curriculum website, hosting the updated and approved Australian Curriculum, Version 9.0, has been launched. The specially built website, v9.australiancurriculum.edu.au, has been designed with teachers for teachers and is one of the few digitalised curriculums in the world. 

ACARA CEO, David de Carvalho, said the new website was going to give teachers control over the way they view the curriculum and make their work easier.

“Teachers will be able to quickly and intuitively find relevant information, and lessons can be more easily planned,” he said.

The new Australian Curriculum sets high expectations and standards for what all students should know and be able to do, and was endorsed by education ministers on 1 April 2022. 

Mr de Carvalho said the new national curriculum is a “more stripped-back and teachable curriculum” that supports deeper conceptual understanding and improvement in educational performance.

“A key aim of reviewing the curriculum was to give teachers time to teach for deeper understanding. For the curriculum to be effectively delivered in the classroom, it also has to be presented in a way that is useful,” he said.

“Teachers from across Australia have been involved in the design and user experience testing,” ACARA’s Director of Curriculum, Sharon Foster, said.

“The website has been designed so teachers can clearly see and explore the connections between the 3 dimensions of the curriculum – the learning areas, general capabilities and cross-curriculum priorities. 

“They can view multiple learning areas side by side and see the alignment of achievement standards to content descriptions. There is also an inline glossary showing definitions for key terms as pop-ups if needed.” 

Teachers have easy access to all areas of the curriculum through a selector tool and the website includes advice about planning and implementation, exploring the different dimensions, and how to access various resources.

Updates to the functionality of the website and further teacher resources will be rolled out in subsequent releases as they are developed to support teaching the new curriculum.

The website meets the terms of reference of the Australian Curriculum Review, which included improving “the digital presentation of the Australian Curriculum in line with agreed content changes and user experience requirements”.  

The new curriculum will be implemented by schools according to the timelines and approaches set by each state and territory education authority. Some jurisdictions may start supporting their teachers to become familiar with Version 9.0 in 2022 in preparation for starting to teach some or all learning areas from 2023.

ACARA will maintain the existing Australian Curriculum website with the Version 8.4 curriculum and all support resources while Version 9.0 is now available on the new website. Both websites will remain live until all states and territories have transitioned fully to the Australian Curriculum, Version 9.0. 

To keep up to date with ACARA’s work and any developments on the new Australian Curriculum website, please subscribe to the ACARA Update, our e-newsletter.

The Australian Workers’ Union will today launch an ad campaign highlighting Clive Palmer’s controversial record as an employer, including legal wrangling involving workers seeking basic entitlements after the collapse of Queensland Nickel.

Mr Palmer and his United Australia Party have been spending record amounts of money positioning the billionaire and his team as friends of the average workers.

But AWU National Secretary Daniel Walton said the image being projected by the UAP marketing material was at odds with Mr Palmer’s form as an employer.

“Clive Palmer the politician likes to talk a lot about freedom, but Clive Palmer the employer is a very different character,” Mr Walton said.

“After the collapse of Queensland Nickel and the struggle workers had to go through to get their entitlements, many were silenced with strict non-disparagement clauses — not exactly ‘freedom.’

“We know the UAP has been successful in picking up support in regional seats, and I don’t blame blue collar workers for a second if they’re looking for an alternative from politics as usual.

“But the fact of the matter is Clive just ain’t it. He is no friend of the worker.

“We think it’s vital that voters understand who the real Clive is – and it’s not the big smiling thumbs-up character from his ads.”

Click here to view the ad

An Albanese Labor Government will support families to learn and build connections through play with funding to help playgroups recover from COVID and expand their network across Australia. This will mean more mums and dads can be part of a playgroup and connect with other parents, children and community members.

Playgroups shut down around the country during the pandemic, taking away an important source of connection, community and support for new mums and kids.

Playgroups are great for mums and dads – helping new parents connect with others on a similar journey, build support networks and learn more about raising kids – and they’re fantastic for children, boosting social, emotional and physical development.

Labor will invest $11 million over the forward estimates to:

• Support Playgroups Australia and Toy Libraries Australia to grow their membership, offer free playgroups and set up new playgroups in regional and remote areas. 
• Upgrade facilities and purchase new materials, like toys and books, for playgroups and toy libraries across the country.
• Help expand intergenerational playgroups – like those seen in the television series ‘Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds’ – many of which are yet to return to normal after COVID.

Around 1 in 3 children attend one of the 6,000 playgroups around Australia in the years before they start school. Community playgroups are often a child’s first educational experience outside the home, where they learn through social play with other children and adults.

Research shows children who are part of a playgroup are more likely to start school ready to learn with better communication, language and cognitive skills than those who aren’t part of a playgroup. This is particularly the case for children from remote parts of Australia.

Playgroups are also a valuable source of social support for parents and care-givers. 87 per cent of parents say one of the benefits of attending their playgroup is social support.

Anthony Albanese, Leader of the Australian Labor Party said: 
 
“We know that over 90 per cent of human brain development occurs in the first five years. Playgroups play a critical role in that development with kids learning together and developing social skills, as well as creating a vital network for parents. 
 
“On Mothers’ Day, I can’t think of a better way to come out of the pandemic than by strengthening the communities that are built for mums and kids through increasing funding to grow and support playgroups all over the country.” 

Amanda Rishworth, Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education and Development said:

“Labor knows how important playgroups are for families with babies and young children. Becoming a parent is one of the happiest but most challenging times in life.
 
“Playgroups help new mums forge new friendships and share experiences, and dads alike. 
 
“And the evidence shows children who go to playgroups do better on the key development indicators.
 
“Labor wants to help playgroups bounce back from COVID, and to reach more families.
 
“We also want older generations to share in the joy of playgroups by supporting the expansion of playgroups into aged care. 
 
“This is another way Labor is committed to a better future for Australian families.”

Nadene Lee, Playgroup Australia spokesperson said:

“Playgroup organisations nationally have long delivered intergenerational play programs that improve the health and wellbeing of older Australians, and provide rich learning experiences for families and young children. 

“Investment in Timeless Play intergenerational groups would support expansion of a range of program and service models, both digitally, at aged care sites and in community. 

“This would occur with Playgroup’s network of partners including aged care providers, universities, innovation specialists, technology companies and early childhood organisations, and serve as a collaborative commitment to enacting critical and meaningful impact for older Australians, families and communities.”

The Morrison Government will slash the costs thousands of Australians face on their IVF journey as part of a $53 million package to help mums and dads-to-be with reproductive services, pregnancy planning and postnatal care.

Around 50,000 patients received Medicare-funded Assisted Reproductive Technology services in 2020-21 including through IVF, and now patients with cancer or people at risk of passing on genetic diseases will have their egg, sperm or embryo storage subsidised for the first time.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he understood the hurdles and difficulties many Australians faced in trying to have children after his own family’s IVF journey.

“I want to help thousands more Australians achieve their dream of becoming parents,” the Prime Minister said.

“For people battling cancer or staring down the risk of genetic diseases it’s already a difficult battle, and this new subsidy will help give them more options about their aspirations to become parents.

“Right when these aspiring mums and dads need help the most, we’ll be there.

“Our plan for a strong economy isn’t just about the dollars and cents of a Budget, it’s about being able to make investments like this that help Australians who need it most.”

One in six Australian couples face difficulty trying to start a family and it can be even more difficult for those suffering from cancer or at high risk of passing on genetic diseases or conditions to their children.

Commencing 1 November 2022, the Morrison Government will commit $14.4 million to help support Australians with fertility issues. The Government will subsidise the costs of storage of eggs, sperm or embryos for patients with cancer and people at risk of passing on genetic diseases or conditions who have already undergone Medicare-funded genetic testing:

• $9.9 million will be committed to support patients with cancer to preserve their future fertility by paying the costs of storage. This will assist an average of 4,200 patients per year, saving them approximately $600 per year.
• $4.5 million will be committed to support people who have undertaken Medicare-funded pre-implantation genetic diagnosis testing and have been identified as being at high risk of passing on genetic diseases or conditions to their children. This will assist an average of 2,000 patients per year, saving them approximately $600 per year.

Minister for Health and Aged Care Greg Hunt said the Government would also deliver more support to parents planning pregnancy and in those first 12 crucial months.

Minister Hunt said $13.7 million would help streamline access to information and services to support new parents from during the pregnancy planning stage until the baby is 12 months old by expanding the Birth of a Child Life Event Service pilot program, updating clinical pregnancy care and postnatal guidelines, and strengthening advice to government on improving maternity services for families in rural areas.

“Whether it’s supporting more Australians with IVF services or in their planning and those precious first few months of caring for a child, our Government is investing to improve the lives of new and hopeful parents,” Minister Hunt said.

“Thinking about having a child, let alone those first few months of a newborn’s life, can be overwhelming and we want to do what we can to make it that bit easier.

“These investments build on the $330.6 million we committed to women’s health in the Budget and will build on the five priority areas of the National Women’s Health Strategy 2020–2030 to improve long term health outcomes for all Australians.”

The early postnatal period is a time of great emotional change for most women, with one in three women identifying a traumatic birthing event.

Minister for Government Services Linda Reynolds said the expansion of the Birth of a Child Life Event Service would now make it significantly easier for parents to enrol their newborn child with Medicare and Centrelink.

“Parents who opt in will simply provide their details once to the hospital, which shares this information with Services Australia to enrol their newborn with Medicare and Centrelink for family assistance,” Minister Reynolds said.

“A process that used to take weeks will now only take a few days, so rather than have to fill out endless government paperwork, parents can spend more time with their new baby.”

Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention David Coleman said a re-elected Morrison Government would deliver 20 new Gidget Foundation Australia perinatal mental health and wellbeing services across the country through a $25 million investment over four years.

“We know around 100,000 Australian parents are touched by perinatal depression and anxiety each year and the Gidget Foundation Australia have the experience and skills for interventions that work,” Assistant Minister Coleman said.

“We want to make sure that all new parents know they don’t have to go it alone, that there is specialist support available and that it can be accessed by all new and expecting parents, no matter their situation or where they live.

“Gidget has a long track record of supporting thousands of women and families each year and these additional locations will mean trusted support is available to more Australians, right across the country.

“Our Government is committed to the task of ensuring every Australian gets the help they need to overcome mental ill health and that means ensuring high-quality support is available to those who need it.”

Through the 2021-22 and 2022-23 Budgets, the Government is investing a record $3 billion into the Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan to drive this reform.

Unlike the Labor Party, which cut mental health funding when last in Government and has not given Australians any detail on their plans for mental health, the Morrison Government will continue to ensure that all Australians can access information, advice, counselling, or treatment, when and where they need it.

Anyone experiencing distress can seek immediate advice and support through Lifeline (13 11 14), Beyond Blue (1300 224 63), Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800), or the Government’s digital mental health gateway, Head to Health (www.headtohealth.gov.au).

The PANDA Helpline, which is for women, men, and their families affected by or at risk of perinatal mental illness can be accessed at 1300 726 306 from 9:00am to 7:30pm (AEST/AEDT) from Monday to Friday.