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As coal production begins again at Anglo American’s Grosvenor mine almost two years after a methane explosion left five miners with horrific burns the Mining and Energy Union (MEU) says all Queensland mine workers’ thoughts are with those injured in the disaster.

As the regulator, Resources Safety and Health Queensland (RSHQ), allows operations to recommence the mine operator must ensure coal production at the notoriously gassy mine is never again put ahead of safety. 

An inquiry recently heard 14 potential incidents of methane exceedance were recorded at longwall 104, where the explosion occurred, in the eight weeks leading up the May 2020 explosion.

It found the mine’s gas drainage systems could not cope with the rate of production.

The inquiry also heard if coal workers reported unsafe work practices, they could lose money under so-called ‘safety penalties’ or even be sacked – completely legally.

Workers at the mine aren’t directly employed in permanent jobs by Anglo American like workers at other Anglo American mines, but by labour hire company One Key, which means they have fewer rights and can be sacked more easily.

“The labour hire arrangements at Grosvenor are at the root of the safety issues, Anglo needs to employ their workers directly in permanent jobs,” says Stephen Smyth, Queensland District President of the Mining and Energy Union.

“We welcome RSHQ decision to allow the mine to reopen, but significant trust issues remain and we call on Anglo American and One Key to support the workforce and be transparent about all issues.

“Since the incident the workers have formed a union lodge which means they will have a stronger unified voice when it comes to safety, rostering, pay and other issues.

“We are so proud of their resilience and strength; they won’t be taking a backward step on safety.

“Union safety inspectors will be keeping a close eye on operations, and we call on the regulator to keep a close eye as well. 

“Anglo American and One Key have a history of putting production before safety, this must stop.

“Anglo American and One Key were warned many times about safety issues at the mine, they need to start listening.

“It’s so important to the workers, their families, and coal workers all over Queensland we don’t see a repeat of the catastrophic explosion of May 2020.

‘I note the RSHQ’s investigation of the incident was also referred to the Work Health and Safety Prosecutor for consideration of potential charges, the union is hoping those responsible for the explosion feel the full force of the law.”

More than 70 of Australia’s leading epidemiologists, GPs, global health, business, development and aid organisations have signed on to an open letter calling on the Prime Minister to make a Budget commitment to accelerate the global vaccination effort and prevent the emergence of another COVID variant of concern.

It comes after US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken on Monday convened foreign ministers from around the world on Monday to coordinate additional leadership, political will, capacity, and resources, to achieve specific targets in the global COVID-19 response.

The letter was initiated by the End COVID For All in December as Omicron broke out and has now grown to include the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), the Business Council of Australia, the Burnet Institute, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) and World Vision Australia.

Their joint letter outlines “grave concern regarding the state of global vaccine inequity” and highlights the opportunity “Australia has to help address this vital issue affecting us all”.

The letter calls on the Australian Government to take three critical steps:

• Continue to add our weight to tackling global vaccine inequity by committing an additional $250 million to the COVAX AMC Facility
• Use our partnerships to tackle vaccine hesitancy by committing $50 million from the existing $532 million Vaccine Access and Health Security Initiative into addressing vaccine hesitancy in the Indo-Pacific
• Reduce the chance of future outbreaks, variants and pandemics by committing $100 million to the CEPI replenishment

End COVID For All spokesperson and CEPI chair Jane Halton said the return on these investments far outweighs the cost.

“We are dangerously behind our targets to vaccinate the world. Less than six per cent of people in low-income countries are fully vaccinated and case numbers are increasing,” Ms Halton said.

“This not only puts these countries in a perilous position but is a significant threat to Australia.

“The emergence of Omicron in a region with dire vaccination rates proves, just as Delta did, that when left unchecked, COVID will mutate into more transmissible and deadly forms.”

End COVID For Allspokesperson and Burnet Institute director Professor Brendan Crabb said the Australian Government can help save lives by ramping up its contribution to the global vaccination effort.

“1,582 people died from COVID across Australia in January alone. We cannot simply wait for another variant to arrive and wreak havoc on our lives, our health system, aged care and economy,” Professor Crabb said.

“The International Monetary Fund estimates the cost may rise beyond $US12.5 trillion by the end of 2024. That’s a very large slice of a circa $100 trillion global economy.

“Investing in COVAX, tackling vaccine hesitancy in the Indo-Pacific and backing CEPI to reduce the chance of future outbreaks is a small ask to help stem the damage, save lives and end COVID for all.

Australian economy remains strong through Omicron

Highest jobs on record, Female participation highest on record

The Australian economy has remained strong and creating jobs through the peak of the Omicron surge with almost 13,000 jobs added to hit a record high at the same time as female workforce participation hit the highest level on record.

Labour force figures released today by the ABS confirm that seasonally adjusted employment increased by 12,900 in January 2022, within the range of market expectations, to stand at a record high of 13,255,000. Employment is now 259,500 (or 2.0 per cent) above the level recorded in March 2020 (when Australia recorded its 100th case of COVID-19).

The unemployment rate was unchanged over the month, at 4.2 per cent, the equal lowest rate recorded since August 2008—below the 5.3 per cent recorded in March 2020 and significantly lower than the 5.7% that Labor delivered when the unemployment rate was rising when they were in Government.

Encouragingly, the participation rate rose by 0.1 percentage points to 66.2 per cent in January 2022, well above the 65.9 per cent recorded in March 2020. It is also worth noting that the female participation rate rose by 0.6 percentage points over the month, to a record high of 62.1 per cent in January 2022. The level of unemployment rose slightly (by 5,600 or 1.0 per cent), to 580,000 in January 2022. Part-time employment rose by 30,000 (or 0.7 per cent) in January, while full-time employment fell by 17,000 (or 0.2 per cent).

Today’s figures reflect the impact that Omicron had on the Australian labour market in January, particularly in relation to hours worked. Aggregate hours worked declined, by 159.4 million hours in January, due, in large part, to the impacts of the Omicron variant.

It is encouraging to note that the level of recruitment activity nationally, as measured by the National Skills Commission’s Internet Vacancy Index, is now 54% (or 90,900) above its pre-COVID level.

Moreover, the RBA has noted that while Omicron has impacted the recovery, it has not derailed it, with information from the Bank’s business liaison program suggesting that more than half of businesses intend to increase their headcounts over the coming months, which augurs well for a rebound in labour market activity in the period ahead.

Australian Greens Education spokesperson Senator Mehreen Faruqi has responded to the latest analysis released by Save Our Schools this morning, which finds that over the last decade, government funding for private schools increased by $3,338 per student, adjusted for inflation, compared to $703 per student for public schools.

Senator Faruqi said:

“The systemic underfunding of our public schools and corresponding overfunding of private schools is a national disgrace.

“Special deals such as the Liberals’ $1.2 billion so-called ‘Choice and Affordability’ slush fund for private schools have only worsened decades of systemic favouritism.

“Public schools are trying their best to navigate the impacts of Covid, inadequate and crumbling infrastructure, and provide suitable educational resourcing for students, all while enrolments tick up and funding remains stubbornly low.

“The Coalition and Labor are on a unity ticket so far as unfair, outrageous private school funding is concerned.

“The Greens are taking to the federal election a fully-costed plan to invest $32 billion in our public schools over the next decade and achieve 100% funding of the Schooling Resource Standard for public schools by 2023.”

Greens Election Policy: https://greens.org.au/campaigns/fully-funded-public-schools

Greens Leader Adam Bandt MP says the closure announcement of Australia’s largest coal fired plant shows why Australia urgently needs a credible climate and energy plan.

Origin Energy has brought forward closure of the NSW Eraring power plant, one of the most polluting in the country, by seven years to 2025.

Despite this build up of announced coal closures before 2030, the government’s own projections that they took to Glasgow show another one to two further coal plants closing in the next eight years, which the government won’t tell us – or coal communities – about.

Greens Leader Adam Bandt MP said:

“We urgently need a national climate and energy plan to manage this accelerating shift from coal.”

“Instead of lying to coal workers and their communities about a future for coal, Liberal and Labor need to get real and join the Greens with a plan that secures workers’ future.”

“By lying to communities about the future of coal, Liberal and Labor are leaving workers exposed to the wolves of the market.

“The climate crisis and falling costs are driving a renewables revolution and it’s not going to stop.”

“Everyone could see this coming. Instead of fighting the renewables revolution, Scott Morrison should have been investing in renewables and storage and putting in place a planned phase down of coal.

“Coal workers and the Hunter community are being left behind by the big energy corporations and the Morrison government. They have failed to put in place a renewables and industry investment plan for the region, leaving everything to the decision of overseas corporate boardrooms.”

“The fact Origin is giving only the minimum notice for the power plants closure shows that coal is on the nose financially.”

The Greens election policy calls for increased government investment in renewables, storage and the grid and a timetable for the orderly closure of coal fired power stations and support for workers and communities.

Mr Bandt and NSW Greens Senate Candidate David Shoebridge will visit the Hunter region to meet with the community and coal workers next week.    

The rate of new registrations for organ donation has reached record levels, with 87 per cent year-on-year growth in Australians signing up as an organ donor.

Data released today reveals a substantial increase in new registrations on the Australian Organ Donor Register (AODR), in a report that also outlines the ongoing impact COVID-19 has had on donation and transplantation rates.

Minister responsible for the Organ and Tissue Authority (OTA), Dr David Gillespie released the 2021 Australian Donation and Transplantation Activity Report, confirming that despite a further drop in donation and transplantation rates last year, public support for donation is increasing.

“We saw 350,000 more Aussies getting behind organ and tissue donation in 2021, registering to be donors at a rate never seen before,” Dr Gillespie said.

“It’s heart-warming to see that even during the toughest of times, Australians understand the importance of donation and have joined the 7 million other Australians on the AODR.”

“Importantly, 1,174 Australian lives were saved in 2021 through an organ transplant, due to the generosity of 421 deceased organ donors and their families.”

Dr Gillespie said that while record-breaking new registrations were a step in the right direction, the strain that COVID-19 has put on the Australian healthcare system continues to be felt.

There was a nine per cent decrease in the number of organ donors and a seven per cent decrease in the number of people who received a transplant during 2021, compared to 2020.

Overall, this equates to a 25 per cent drop in donation and transplantation activity from pre-COVID levels seen in 2019 and is consistent with the experience of comparable countries like the UK and Canada.

“Despite the drop, donation and transplants continued throughout the year, which is testament to a highly skilled workforce of doctors and nurses who helped to minimise risk,” Dr Gillespie said

“Australian DonateLife teams worked with transplant teams to navigate the challenges created by COVID-19 — including pressures on hospitals, staff impacts, restricted family visits in hospitals, and logistics impacting the national program, such as flight reductions and border closures.

Dr Gillespie said there were 200 people who received a kidney from a living donor in 2021, more than 2,400 people with restored eyesight through a corneal transplant, and over 10,000 people who received tissue (e.g. musculoskeletal, heart, skin) transplants – all thanks to the life-changing gift of donation.

“I would like to acknowledge all donors and express heartfelt thanks to families who say “yes” to organ donation and give the gift of life to others,” Dr Gillespie said.

“There are around 1,850 Australians who are waitlisted for an organ transplant and an additional 13,000 people on dialysis – some who may need a kidney transplant one day.

“The best chance we have to address the challenge of the longer waitlist is to have more Australians say “yes” to donation – both yes to registering and yes in the hospital if there is the opportunity to donate.”

Data shows that nine out of 10 families consent to donation if their loved one is registered, but this drops to 4 out of 10 if they don’t know what their what they wanted.

Registering to be an organ and tissue donor is easy. You just need your phone, Medicare card and one minute. Head to donatelife.gov.au or you can join through the Express Plus Medicare app when you download your COVID-19 vaccination certificate. The report is available at the above link.