Bonner residents whose hours of work have been impacted by the current lockdown will be able to claim COVID-19 Disaster Payment.

Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP said the Morrison Government is committed to standing with Australians as we make our way through the global pandemic.

“Eligible people will receive $750 per week if they have lost 20 or more hours of work, and $450 per week if they have lost between 8 and less than 20 hours of work, or a full day of work,” Mr Vasta said.

“The payment will be available to eligible people who live or work in the hotspot areas in Queensland, or who have visited a Commonwealth-declared COVID-19 hotspot.

“Eligible people will be back-paid to the start of the lockdown.”

People who currently receive an income support payment can also claim to receive a payment of $200 if they have lost more than 8 hours of work and meet the other eligibility requirements for the COVID-19 Disaster Payment. This payment is additional to their regular income support payment.

The fastest and easiest way to claim is through a myGov account.

More information about financial support available to Queenslanders and how to claim will be available on the Services Australia website at: servicesaustralia.gov.au/covid19disasterpayment

In celebration of Early Learning Matters Week falling between 26 to 30 July, Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP visited Green Eggs Early Childhood Centre in Mansfield and Mother Duck Manly Child Care Centre to raise awareness and understanding of the importance of early learning.

Visiting both centres kindergarten classes, Mr Vasta donated the ‘If I Was Prime Minister’ book written by Beck Feiner and Rob Feiner and read it to the children.

“I have so many wonderful childcare centres in Bonner and I always feel welcome by the staff and the children. These centres are building the foundation for children’s wellbeing and achievement throughout their lives,” said Mr Vasta.

“As a father, we want to make sure our children are in the best hands and reaching their full potential. This Early Learning Matters Week, I want to thank our early childhood educators in Bonner for the high-quality early education and care they provide.”

“It was heart-warming to see the children at Green Eggs Early Childhood Centre and Mother Duck Manly Child Care thrive in a space that is inclusive and supports them to be confident and enthusiastic learners.

“This year, the Morrison Government invested a further $1.7 billion in childcare to increaseits affordability and give more parents the choice to take on extra work.

Mother Duck Child Care and Preschool Nominated Supervisor, Kate Crossan said, “Early Learning Matters Week matters to me and my work in the sector as we are playing a part in nurturing the futures of the children in our community and equipping them with the skills they need.

“Children need strong role models, both at home and in their daily environments. It is vital as educators we are guiding them on the value of early education right from the very start.”

Mr Vasta said childhood educators continue to make a real difference to the lives of our children and their families.

“I encourage parents, families and communities across Bonner to thank their childhood educators this week.”

Today, Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP convened a Bayside Mental Health Roundtable, which saw mental health experts including service providers, GP’s, first responders, schools and more, come together to start a conversation around mental health services on the Bayside.

It follows the recent Bayside Mental Health Survey that Mr Vasta put out, with over 500 responses and 97% of respondents confirming there was a great need in our community.

Reflecting on today’s event, Mr Vasta said it was a privilege to bring together a breadth of mental health and community providers to partake in positive and constructive conversations to workshop solutions for the Bayside.

“To make a difference in our community, it starts with a simple conversation. This was the aim of today’s Roundtable; bringing together experts in the mental health sector who are united by their shared passion for this space.”

“These individuals work across all parts of the community including (but not limited to) with children, men, women, young people, adults, older people, First Nations and LGBTQI+ meaning they have a deep understanding of what is happening and what needs to be done in our area specifically.”

“We had three levels of government in the room, from both sides, which clearly demonstrates the overwhelming need in our area. It also reiterates the mental health of our community is far greater than politics.”

Stride National Manager – Business Development and Bayside local, Ellen Heathwood, facilitated the Bayside Mental Health Roundtable.

“Today’s event provided a space for local providers, funders and other community representatives to have real and honest conversations around the mental health needs of this community with some great proposed solutions. With so many providers in the room, not to mention a representative from each levels of government, we were able to really challenge each other when it came to devising solutions to bridging gaps,” said Ms Heathwood.

“As a local, I regularly hear from the community that there is a need for more support for mental health services on the Bayside and today was a great way to sense check this. I was proud to be involved in this Roundtable.”

Mr Vasta extended his sincere thanks to those working in the Bayside’s Mental Health Sector.

“Listening to and learning about the life changing work they do in our community, it was clear that their dedication and passion is vital to supporting the livelihoods of our locals,” said Mr Vasta.

“I look forward to pursuing the outcomes of the Bayside Mental Health Roundtable and delivering for our community.”

Supporting mental health is a key priority of the Morrison Government, who made a $2.3 billion commitment to the sector as part of the recent 2021-22 Federal Budget. The Bayside Mental Health Roundtable forms part of Mr Vasta’s plan to ensure the funding included as part of the Budget will benefit the Bayside.

Do not hesitate to reach out for mental health support. Anyone experiencing distress can seek immediate advice and support through headspace (https://headspace.org.au/eheadspace/), Kids Helpline (1800 55 1800), Beyond Blue (1300 224 636), Lifeline (13 11 14), or the Government’s digital mental health gateway, Head to Health (www.headtohealth.gov.au).

In the lead up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, happening up until 8 August, Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP has been catching up with Australian Olympians and Paralympians in the electorate.

There are a five Olympians competing in the 2020 Olympics who reside in Bonner, including Gymnasts Georgie Godwin, Lidiia Iakovleva, Alexandra Aristoteli, Emily Ellison Abbot along with Footballer Clare Elizabeth Polkinghorne.

Sleeman Sport Complex in Chandler is home to some of the Australian athletes and teams from across the country competing this year.

Visiting the complex last week, Mr Vasta said he was thrilled to meet with diver Cassiel Rousseau as well as four weightlifters training at its Cougars Weightlifting Club including Brandon Wakeling, Erika Yamasaki, Matthew Lydeme, Charisma Amoe-Tarrant; all of whom are making their Olympic debut at Tokyo.

“How incredible it is to have our Australian Olympians training and reaching their personal best right here in Bonner, with teams including Track Cycling, BMX Cycling, Artistic Swimming, Olympic and Paralympic Swimming, Water polo, Diving and Pentathlon,” said Mr Vasta.

“Facilities like Sleeman’s Sport Complex are setting our athletes up for success. In fact, four out of five of the Olympic Weightlifters representing Australia come from Cougars Weightlifting Club.

Following the Tokyo Olympics will be the Tokyo Paralympics happening between 24 August and 5 September.

Ahead of these games, Mr Vasta met with Paralympic Swimmer and Bonner local Rachael Wilson OAM who won gold at the 2016 Rio Paralympics in the 50m freestyle event.

Ms Watson said, “After training incredibly hard over the last five years, I am thrilled the games are going ahead this year. I can’t wait for the opportunity to be with the team in Tokyo and for all my hard work to pay off.”

“It is a privilege to personally congratulate the athletes who are representing our country in Tokyo and when meeting with Rachael, I was even able to present her with an Australian flag to take on her travels,” said Mr Vasta.

Mr Vasta said many of these athletes shared how they were inspired by the achievements of previous Australian Olympians.

In time for tonight’s opening ceremony, Mr Vasta met with Australian long-distance freestyle swimmer Julie McDonald OAM on the Bayside.

“Julie grew up in the electorate in Rochedale. It was fantastic to hear her story and what eventually led her to competing in freestyle events at the Barcelona 1992 and Seoul 1988 Olympics and being the only Australian woman to win a swimming medal in Seoul!” said Mr Vasta.

“She is a true inspiration to young athletes in the electorate, proving that if you have the passion and drive, you can too begin your Olympic journey in your own neighbourhood.”

Passing on a message to this year’s Olympians Mrs McDonald said, “Enjoy the experience, absorb it all, take it all in and keep a journal of all your experiences!”

“Bonner is clearly becoming the place to be for our current and upcoming athletes, and it couldn’t be more exciting to see Brisbane awarded the 2032 Olympics this week,” said Mr Vasta.

“This is a game changer for our young Aussie athletes who get to see where they could be in 10 years’ time.”

You can watch the Olympics live and free in Australia on Channel 7, 7mate, 7two and 7plus, with coverage beginning from 5.30am AEST on weekdays and 6am AEST on weekends.

Preliminary planning for the Lindum Crossing upgrade has been completed, with work set to start on vital short-term safety upgrades as well as the development of a preliminary business case to investigate a long-term grade separation of the crossing.

Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP is getting on with improving congestion and safety for commuters, with $10 million of his $85 million commitment to the crossing being put towards these immediate upgrades.

Mr Vasta said this project has been long awaited but we must get it right and that takes time.

“I share the community’s frustration in the speed of the upgrade. Keeping our community safe is my main priority and we have all three levels of Government working behind the scenes on this project.

“I am happy to share the safety upgrades to Lindum Crossing are finally getting underway, with $10 million of my $85 million commitment to this project going towards short term safety upgrades to be undertaken by the Brisbane City Council.

“We recognise the urgency of improving the safety and congestion of commuters and that is why we have pushed for these immediate upgrades.”

Doboy Ward Councillor Lisa Atwood said, “It’s great to be working with Ross Vasta on this project and delivering the outcomes we have been fighting hard for our community.

“We know the community is calling for these safety outcomes and we are delivering them as soon as we possibly can, with the immediate short-term upgrade being the first stage of this plan.

“To keep pushing this project, conversations between all levels of Government will be had over the coming weeks. We will continue to address the essential safety, efficiency, and accessibility issues to put in place long-term safety solutions for commuters.”

The Federal funding for the Lindum Crossing upgrade has been delivered as part of the Coalition’s $4.8 billion Urban Congestion Fund.

Bonner residents are being encouraged to Arm Yourself, in a major new advertising campaign to promote the COVID-19 vaccinations.

Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP said the COVID-19 vaccine is the best way Australians can protect themselves, their loved ones, the people they care about and the wider community.

This new campaign features a variety of people with a band aid on their arm, representing being vaccinated.  In this way, they providing the best defence against hospitalisation and death from COVID-19.

The new advertisements are a step change from the previous campaign and reflect the step up in the vaccination rollout.

“The advertising strategy has always been designed to evolve in line with the vaccination program,” Mr Vasta said. “This is now happening with increased supply of vaccines, particularly the Pfizer vaccine.”

More than 900 general practices around the nation are now administering the Pfizer vaccine today, with a total of more than 5,000 GPs offering Astra Zeneca.

The number of practices giving the Pfizer vaccine will be further increased to 1,300 by the end of July, along with up to 135 Commonwealth Vaccination Clinics and approximately 90 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHS).

All up, there are more than 5,000 GPs administering vaccines, including the Astrazeneca vaccine.

“I encourage those not yet vaccinated to make a booking and they can do that through the eligibility checker and finder service at australia.gov.au,” Mr Vasta said.

“More than 9.3 million vaccinations have now been administered.  Importantly those most at risk are increasingly being protected with three quarters of those over the age of 70 having received a vaccine”.

“Bonner residents who have armed themselves with the vaccine know they are protecting themselves and our community and we thank them for that and we encourage others to now do make their vaccination booking,” Mr Vasta said.

The overwhelming generosity of the community has seen the 2021 Bonner Winter Appeal be the most successful year thus far, with donations of blankets, warm clothing and canned goods for Bonner’s community organisations in need.

With the appeal taking place over six weeks, Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP’s office was visited multiple times a day by members of the community and local businesses with goods to help spread the love this winter, even in the days after it had wrapped up.

“I want to express my sincere thanks to everyone who donated to this year’s Bonner Winter Appeal. Winter is an extremely hard time for some of our locals and this year’s appeal gave us the special opportunity to make a difference,” said Mr Vasta.

“I was humbled to provide these donations to our various community groups including, Wynnum Community Place, Mt Gravatt Community Centre, Beyond DV, St Peters and Rosies. In fact, we had over 70 blankets donated to Mt Gravatt Community Centre alone!

“These organisations couldn’t be more grateful for what it will mean for locals needing some of the simple food and clothing items most of us take for granted.”

Mt Gravatt Community Centre CEO Deb Crompton said, “We’re very grateful for the donations. This means so much to our most vulnerable in the community who can keep warm this winter.”

“There’s always more we can do as a community to help our vulnerable, but even the smallest acts of generosity can make a priceless difference to someone’s life,” said Mr Vasta.

Manufacturers, research institutions and organisations in Bonner are being encouraged to work together on job-creating projects as part of the $800 million Collaboration stream of the Modern Manufacturing Initiative (MMI).

The Government has recently launched the Collaboration stream which will support business-to-business and business-to-research collaboration across the six National Manufacturing Priorities under the MMI, the centrepiece of the Government’s $1.5 billion Modern Manufacturing Strategy.

The launch of the Collaboration stream of the MMI follows the opening of the Translation and Integration streams of the MMI earlier this year.

Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP has called on Bonner’s businesses and research organisations to consider opportunities to collaborate on job-creating projects.

“We already have a strong collaborative spirit in Bonner and this stream under the Modern Manufacturing Initiative is about seizing on that,” Mr Vasta said.

“When organisations are brought together to draw on each other’s strengths that’s when we realise enormous economic and jobs potential.”

Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Christian Porter said grants of between $20 million and $200 million will be available on a co-investment basis for large-scale collaboration projects.

“Collaboration is crucial if we are to build scale in Australian manufacturing and create the jobs we need now in the COVID-19 recovery and for generations to come,” Minister Porter said.

“We want to support transformative collaborations that will spur private sector investment, encouraging our manufacturers to work together, and work with our world class research sector to innovate and become more competitive.

“The Collaboration stream is the largest under the Modern Manufacturing Initiative, designed to turbo-charge Australia’s manufacturing sector while opening up new export markets and creating new skilled jobs.”

The six National Manufacturing Priorities are Resources Technology and Critical Minerals Processing, Food and Beverage, Medical Products, Recycling and Clean Energy, Defence, and Space.

The design of the Collaboration stream will be a single stage process. This approach will get money into the hands of successful applicants sooner, providing the boost the manufacturing sector needs to make important new investments, particularly as we continue our path to recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.

Guidelines have today been released at: www.business.gov.au/mmic

Businesses can now prepare their applications, which can then be lodged from 11 August, 2021. The program closes on 9 September 2021.

Grants will cover up to 33 per cent of eligible project expenditure.

Owning your own home is the great Australian dream and the Morrison Government is making this a reality for first home buyers and single parents with children in Bonner.

Applications are now being accepted for 30,000 additional places under the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme, the New Home Guarantee program, and the Family Home Guarantee.

The Family Home Guarantee was announced as part of the 2021-22 Budget to support single parents with dependants. This means 10,000 guarantees are now available to eligible single parent families to build a new home or purchase an existing home with a deposit of as little as 2 per cent.

Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP said, “We’re giving first home buyers and single parents with children in Bonner the opportunity to enter the housing market and buy their very own home.

“By supporting single parents and their children, the Coalition Government is helping more people in Bonner achieve the security and dignity that home ownership provides.

“With the 30,000 new places available from 1 July, now is the time for potential applicants to contact a participating bank or mortgage provider and get their applications underway.”

Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Housing Michael Sukkar said that the new places will assist Australians in achieving the aspiration of home ownership.

“The First Home Loan Deposit Scheme has been a landmark success of the Morrison Government since its commencement in 2020. 30,000 first home buyers have been supported into home ownership through First Home Loan Deposit Scheme and New Home Guarantee already,” Minister Sukkar said.

“We know how difficult it can be to buy a new home or re-enter the housing market, and that saving a deposit is the hardest part of getting into home ownership. That’s why the Morrison Government has established the new Family Home Guarantee, which recognises the challenge of saving for a deposit is that much more difficult when you are a single parent with children.

The New Home Guarantee commenced on 6 October 2020 as a temporary expansion of the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme. It will provide an additional 10,000 places for first home buyers seeking to build a new home or purchase a newly built dwelling with a deposit of 5 per cent and a construction commencement timeframe of 12 months.

July 2021 marks eight years of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

This world-first insurance Scheme has changed the lives of more than 450,000 Australians with disability.

Eight years on there are now 2,300 NDIS participants in Bonner benefiting from the Scheme.

The NDIS was born from a grassroots campaign, backed by thousands of Australians. Introducing a national approach to disability support, so that people could be more independent and participate fully in their chosen communities.

The disability sector has grown from $8 billion per year across the sector in 2015-16 to $23 billion in 2020-21 on the NDIS alone.

Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP said with 2,300 participants in Bonner now receiving support, the eighth anniversary marked significant progress for the local community.

“So often members of my electorate tell me that NDIS has either transformed their lives or the lives of a loved one.”

“Not only does it deliver people with disabilities a new sense of independence, it impacts those around them who are always in awe of their growing confidence, happiness and motivation to live their lives to the fullest.”

“The NDIS is the result of a collective goal and hard work from so many people. It’s fantastic to see the difference it’s made to the lives of Australians with disability, especially here in Bonner.”

Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme, Senator the Hon Linda Reynolds CSC, said importantly, the NDIS is providing support to more than 260,000 Australians who’d never previously received supports prior to the NDIS.

“We’ve seen and heard how the NDIS is changing lives – for participants and for their families”, Minister Reynolds said.

“I’ve met with so many people with disabilities and their loved ones tell me that they really value and appreciate how the NDIS allows them to feel safe and supported and with increased independence.”

Now, as we enter the Scheme’s ninth year, the Morrison Government is working on reforms to deliver improvements. For a better, fairer, simpler, and more flexible NDIS that’s affordable and will be in place for years to come.

Key highlights of the NDIS to 31 March 2021:

• More than $21.7b in funding provided to Australians with disability to access the supports they need, in the 12 months to 31 March 2021.
• 70,745 children in the 0-6 age group were being supported by the NDIS as at 31 March 2021.
• Participants from diverse backgrounds are in the Scheme at increasing rates:
• 8% of participants are from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander background (up from 5.9% two years ago)
• 5% of participants are from remote and very remote areas (up from 1.2% two years ago).
• Participants formerly in residential aged care are being supported to move into alternative accommodation. Admissions to aged care for those aged under 65 has reduced by 68% in three years.
• Participants entering from State/Territory systems are receiving 50% more funded supports (on average) than before they transferred to the NDIS.