16 News

Australia is a fantastic sporting nation and the best of our amazing athletes will begin competing at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham this Friday.

From the 28^th of July to the 4^th of August, more than 420 elite Australian athletes will compete across all 21 sporting disciplines wearing the Green and Gold.

“I have no doubt Australians right across the country will be cheering our athletes by interacting on social media using #BeBoldinGold and even becoming inspired to take up a new sport,” Shadow Minister Ruston said.

“Australia’s representation at the 2022 Commonwealth Games is a credit to all of the coaches, support staff, families and importantly local communities who support our athletes to train and prepare for events on the world stage. I’m excited to soon be watching our Athletes make us proud to be Australians.

Federal Member for Capricornia Michelle Landry congratulated Queensland athletes on achieving the impressive feat of being selected to compete in the Commonwealth Games.

“It is a great honour that my state has 122 representatives at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

“I encourage everyone in Queensland to support our amazing Australian athletes,” Ms Landry said.For more information about our amazing athletes, and to keep up to date with their achievements, visit https://www.birmingham2022.com/

Greens Treasury spokesperson, Senator Nick McKim, has responded to the release of today’s inflation figures.

“The government should introduce a corporate super profits tax to help ease cost of living pressures, including by fixing up the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax (PRRT).

“And they should use the additional revenue to provide cost of living support, such as by putting dental into Medicare and making childcare free.”

“COVID disruption and energy price hikes are driving inflation globally.

“But inflation is also being driven by corporate profiteering.

“The share of national income going to profits is at record highs.

“But wages’ share is at record lows and workers are being asked to brace for further real wage cuts.

“Workers are not to blame for higher inflation but they are the ones feeling the pain.

“In particular, new homeowners and renters will be hit hard by expected further increases in interest rates.

“The Treasurer needs to be more than a reporter of bad economic news.

“Fiscal policy needs to be deployed to mitigate monetary policy overreach. 

“The Treasurer needs to heed the advice of the likes of Joseph Stiglitz and Rod Sims and tax excess profits to help cushion the impact of inflation.

“In particular, global gas giants are taking the Australian public to the cleaners while also fuelling the breakdown in the climate.

“On paper, the PRRT is already a windfall profits tax.

“But it is broken and being exploited, and the government should fix it.”

In the first week of Parliament, Labor and the Liberals have joined forces to deny the disability community the opportunity to have disabled person as Chair of the Joint Standing Committee of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

Tonight, Senator Larissa Waters as Greens Leader in the Senate moved a motion to change the rules that govern the composition of the Joint Standing Committee of the NDIS. If that motion had been successful, it would have allowed Greens Senator Jordon Steele-John the opportunity to Chair the Committee. 

Senator Jordon Steele-John is the only physically disabled person in the Australian Parliament.

Greens Senator Jordon Steele-John, Disability Rights and Services Spokesperson said:  

“The Joint Standing Committee of the NDIS is the key Parliamentary oversight body of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. 

“It is an outrage that the Labor and Liberal Parties have worked together to block our Greens motion which would have ensured that a disabled person would have led that committee and the reviews it undertakes. 

“Right now the NDIS is failing so many people in our community. Urgent, transformative change is required. The only pathway we will get this change right is centering lived experience, putting disabled at the helm of reviews, and we must ensure disabled people are taking on leadership roles.=

“Shame on the old, two-party system denying our community this vital opportunity.” 

New data from the Productivity Commission reveals that this country is still failing to hit more than two-thirds of the Closing the Gap targets. Suicide, adult incarceration, First Nations children in out of home care and developmental milestones are among the targets that are not on track.

“If the Albanese Government has any backbone, they will implement all of the recommendations from the Bringing them Home report and the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody.”

“First Nations people are sick of hearing about the continued failures of Closing the Gap, we demand action from this so-called progressive Government who says that Blak Lives Matter.”

“We have the solutions. We’ve known how to Close the Gap for over 30 years.”

“First Nations people are taking their lives because they can’t see a future for themselves in this system. Survivors of the stolen generation are seeing a new generation of our children being stolen. Over 500 people have died in custody since the Royal Commission and no one has been held accountable. It’s devastating.”

“The Joint Council on Closing the Gap shows us that advisory bodies don’t work. Every year, they tell us how bad we’re doing. The Albanese Government needs to listen to the voices that have already spoken and go back to the incredible work that our old people have already done.”

“Everyone does better when we’re free to make our own choices. We can Close the Gap by putting First Nations people in charge of our own communities through Treaty. The area’s where we’re seeing progress shows us that putting First Nations people in the driver’s seat works.”

“The area’s where we’re going backwards are areas that successive Governments have chosen to ignore, for over 30 years. They have the solutions and they choose to ignore them. This is your chance to do the right thing, Labor.”

I have declared the unfolding situation regarding monkeypox (MPX) in Australia to be a Communicable Disease Incident of National Significance.

This follows the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring the global situation regarding MPX to be a public health emergency of international concern.

The latest data from 1 January to 28 July 2022 as reported by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC) indicates there have been 20,311 MPX cases in 71 countries (including Australia) that have not historically reported MPX.

In Australia, there have been 44 cases – the majority of which have been within returned international travellers.

It is important to note that although I have declared MPX to be a Communicable Disease Incident of National Significance, it is far less harmful than COVID-19 and there have been no deaths reported during the current outbreak outside of countries where the virus is endemic.

MPX is also not transmitted in the same way as COVID-19 – and is far less transmissible.

The decision to declare MPX a Communicable Disease Incident of National Significance was made under the Emergency Response Plan for Communicable Disease Incidents of National Significance, in consultation with the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee.

Since May, Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care public health experts have engaged with at-risk communities in partnership with key stakeholders and have been working very closely with their counterparts in state and territory health departments to ensure our response to MPX has been swift and coordinated.

The National Incident Centre has been activated to provide enhanced national coordination to assist states and territories to effectively manage the outbreaks within their jurisdictions.

MPX’s rash and flu-like symptoms are relatively mild, and in most cases, resolve themselves within two to four weeks without the need for specific treatments.

Most cases of MPX in Australia have been among people aged 21 to 40 years. The experience internationally and in Australia to date is most cases have been among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men.

Although MPX is not usually considered a sexually transmissible infection, physical contact with an infected person during sexual intercourse carries a significant risk of transmission and intimate physical contact such as hugging, kissing and sexual activities represent a risk of infection, with infectious skin sores being the likely mode of transmission.

The rash usually occurs on the face before spreading to other parts of the body, including the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet. However, in this outbreak it is being seen especially on the genital and perianal regions of affected people.

The rash can vary from person to person and take on the appearance of pimples, blisters or sores. The flu-like symptoms often include fever, chills, body aches, headaches, swollen lymph nodes and tiredness.

The National Medical Stockpile has available stock of MPX treatments, such as antivirals, for states and territories to access on request.

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) has updated clinical guidance on vaccination against monkeypox using the ACAM2000 vaccine to include the use of MVA-BN vaccine to prepare for supplies of the third-generation vaccine being made available in Australia.

Further information about monkeypox is available from the Department of Health and Aged Care’s website www.health.gov.au/health-topics/monkeypox-mpx