Category: Media Releases

More job-ready graduates in Bonner

The Morrison Government has announced reforms to higher education to increase the number of graduates in areas of expected employment growth and demand.

Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP said university students would now pay less for their degree if they study in areas of expected employment growth.

“Our Government’s new package is focused on better preparing students to succeed in the jobs of the future,” Mr Vasta said.

“To power our post-COVID economic recovery, we will make a bigger contribution to degrees in areas of expected employment growth such as nursing and teaching, making them cheaper for students to undertake study in a job with a guaranteed career pathway.

“The Coalition Government will also provide an additional 39,000 university places by 2023 to meet the expected increase in demand because of COVID-19.”

Mr Vasta said the package would restructure higher education funding to better align the cost and revenue of a university degree, with around 60 per cent of students seeing a reduction or no change in their student contribution.

“Course fees for current students will be grandfathered, with the new funding model applied to students who commence their studies from 2021,” Mr Vasta said.

“Students in Bonner will continue to have access to the world’s most generous income contingent loan scheme­, the Higher Education Loan Program.”

From 2021, students will pay:

  • 46 per cent less to study teaching, nursing, clinical psychology, English and languages
  • 62 per cent less to study agriculture and math, and
  • 20 per cent less to study health, architecture, environmental science, IT, and engineering.

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BYAC talk waste and recycling

Cutting down on our waste footprint and improving recycling methods were the main topics of the first Bonner Youth Advisory Council (BYAC) meeting on Monday, June 22.

Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP said each high school in his electorate was invited to select students to take part in the program, as a chance to be the youth voice of the region.

“The BYAC participants were chosen as future leaders and the youth voice for their school to discuss and share the issues that matter most to them,” Mr Vasta said.

“The first meeting was held on Monday via Zoom and our special guest was the Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction and Environmental Management Trevor Evans.”

Mr Vasta said topics discussed included how young people could encourage others to cut down on their waste footprint, and how the Government could support young people to achieve a reduction in their waste footprint.

“We had some great questions including how we’ve improved recycling in Australian and what policies we’re looking at to keep going down the path of plastic free, like supermarkets have done,” Mr Vasta said.

“The BYAC meeting was also a great opportunity to learn more about the role Assistant Minister Evans plays in shaping this policy area and the students who took part really did a fantastic job asking questions.

“I also shared some insight on some of the great waste management programs already operating in Bonner, including the Ocean Crusaders bottle cap recycling scheme.

“The more young people learn about the role we play in the community, it provides them a greater opportunity to get involved, give feedback and influence change on the issues they care about.”

Mr Vasta said he wanted to congratulate everyone who took part in the BYAC Zoom meeting, and he looked forward to organising the next one.

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More essential support for patients through community pharmacy

Australians will have better access to subsidised medicines and medication management services through community pharmacy with the Morrison Government finalising a seventh Community Pharmacy Agreement (7CPA).

Under this landmark agreement, the government will continue to partner with community pharmacy to ensure Australians have access to more than 200 million subsidised Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) prescriptions each year through their community pharmacy of choice.

Medicine safety will be a key focus of the 7CPA with the Morrison Government increasing its investment in medication management services and programs to $1.2 billion over five years, which is an additional $100 million investment compared to actual expenditure in the Sixth Community Pharmacy Agreement.

Minister for Health Greg Hunt MP said elderly Australians, people with chronic conditions and Australians on concession cards would benefit from this increased investment through simplified and improved Community Pharmacy medication management, and adherence programs, such as dose administration aids and medicine checks.

“There will also be greater support for regional, rural and remote pharmacies to deliver community pharmacy services with reforms to the Rural Pharmacy Maintenance Allowance to adopt the Modified Monash Model for rural classification,” Minister Hunt said.

“Our Government will also implement reforms to improve access to medicines for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people by expanding the number of people eligible for the Closing the Gap PBS Co-payment measure.”

This program provides free or lower cost medicines to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders who have, or at risk of, chronic disease.

There will be greater transparency for consumers on the cost of their medicines, and the government will reduce the level of discretionary fees that can to be charged on medicines priced below the general patient co-payment.

Consumers will continue to have access to cheaper medicines through the continuation of the optional $1 discount on PBS co-payments.

The Morrison Government will also work to support the adoption of a nationally consistent approach to vaccinations available through community pharmacies.

The 7CPA signed by the Commonwealth, the Pharmacy Guild of Australia and for the first time the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, will commence on July 1, 2020 and be in place until June 30, 2025.

Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP said the 7CPA demonstrated the Morrison Government’s ongoing support for patients and community pharmacy.

“This agreement acknowledges the role Australia’s community pharmacies have played and continue to play in our government’s efforts to improve the health of all Australians,” Mr Vasta said.

“Community pharmacies have played a central role in supporting their community during the recent bushfires and have kept their doors open to support patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Remuneration for the dispensing of subsidised PBS medicines, community pharmacy medication management programs and services, is expected to be $18.3 billion over the five years of the agreement.

The Morrison Government will provide greater funding predictability for the dispensing of PBS medicines by community pharmacies through structural reforms to dispensing remuneration, and risk sharing arrangements to ensure Australians continue to have timely access to safe and affordable medicines for the next five years.

Reforms to pharmaceutical wholesaling and the Community Service Obligation Funding Pool arrangements will ensure pharmaceutical wholesalers can continue to support community pharmacies in providing equitable and timely access to medicines for all Australians, particularly those living outside our major cities.

The Morrison Government continues to make more medicines available for patients through the PBS. Since 2013, our Government has approved more than 2,400 new or amended medicine listings on the PBS.

This represents an average of around 30 medicine listings or amendments per month – or one each day – at an overall investment by the Government of $11.6 billion.

Taken together, the measures agreed as part of the 7CPA underscore the Morrison Government’s rock solid commitment to ensuring that Australians can access essential, affordable medicines and community pharmacy services, when and where they need them.

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Government invests $50.6 million to back our athletes

The Morrison Government is backing high performing athletes by investing $50.6 million over the next two years to ensure Australia remains a world-leading sporting nation.

Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP said there had never been a more important time to ensure talented athletes and coaches were supported as they worked towards their ultimate goals.

“This funding will support our Olympic and Paralympic athletes and coaches across Bonner, many who use the Brisbane Aquatic Centre and Anna Meares Velodrome at Chandler, as they prepare for the Tokyo 2021 Olympics and Paralympics,” Mr Vasta said.

“We also have the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics and the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games coming up our athletes need to prepare for.”

Minister for Youth and Sport Senator Richard Colbeck said the government was committed to helping Australia’s sporting sector impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“With the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics likely to be the first major international sporting event to take place following the COVID-19 pandemic, Australian athletes are set to inspire the next generation,” Minister Colbeck said.

“Sport Australia will distribute the high-performance grants to our national sporting organisations who will identify, train and develop their most promising athletes.

“The Government is aware many national sporting organisations have had to stand down staff and reduce their hours because of COVID-19.

“Without this investment to high performance funding, there is a significant risk our best coaches and high-performance support staff will face an uncertain future.”

Minister Colbeck said the measure would ensure core funding for athletes and coaches was maintained at record levels, and build on the Morrison Government’s recent investments to support athlete wellbeing and pathways for young aspiring Olympians and Paralympians.

Additionally, as part of the previously announced $70 million Supporting Sport and Physical Activity election commitment, Minister Colbeck said more than $3.9 million would be brought forward to invest in five projects to improve infrastructure at high performance facilities across Australia.

It forms a part of the $11.5 million to support infrastructure upgrades at high-performance facilities.

“One of these recipients will be the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia, which will receive $800,000 to improve training equipment available for aerial skiing and snowboarding,” Minister Colbeck said.

Other recipients include Swimming Australia which receives $725,000 to equip at least one pool in each state with the latest technology, including cameras and instrumented turning plates and Paddle Australia which will benefit from an allocation of $1.25 million to improve its high-performance facilities.

Minister Colbeck said the investments support the Australian Government’s Sport 2030 objective of backing our best athletes, coaches and sporting bodies to develop a high-performance culture.

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Extending the Instant Asset Write-Off for Bonner businesses

The Morrison Government continues to back small business with the announcement it will extend the $150,000 instant asset write-off for six months to December 31, 2020.

Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP said this meant businesses with annual turnover of less than $500 million would be able to take advantage of the extended timeframe to invest in assets to support their business.

“As the economy reopens and coronavirus health restrictions continue to be eased, these measures will support over 3.5 million businesses nationally, employing more than 9.7 million employees,” Mr Vasta said.

“They are designed to support businesses to stick with the investment they had planned and encourage business to bring investment forward to support economic growth over the near term.”

The instant asset write-off also helps to improve cash flow for businesses by bringing forward tax deductions for eligible expenditure.

The threshold applies on a per asset basis, so eligible businesses can immediately write-off multiple assets provided each costs less than $150,000.

Mr Vasta said the extension of the instant asset write-off was great news for local businesses in Bonner, giving them additional time to acquire and install assets, as they now had until the end of the year.

“Assets can be new or second hand and could include for example a truck for a delivery business or a coffee machine for a cafe,” Mr Vasta said.

“Hardworking Australian businesses can rest assured the Morrison Government will do all that is necessary to support them to bounce back stronger and get to the other side of this crisis.

“Local business are the lifeblood of our economy and I want to do everything I can to assist them through this difficult time.”

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HomeBuilder program to boost construction industry

The Morrison Government is supporting jobs in the residential construction sector with the introduction of the new HomeBuilder program.

From today until December 31 2020, HomeBuilder will provide all eligible owner-occupiers (not just first home buyers) with a grant of $25,000 to build a new home or substantially renovate an existing home.

Construction must be contracted to commence within three months of the contract date.HomeBuilder applicants will be subject to eligibility criteria, including income caps of $125,000 for singles and $200,000 for couples based on their latest assessable income.

A national dwelling price cap of $750,000 will apply for new home builds, and a renovation price range of $150,000 up to $750,000 will apply to renovating an existing home with a current value of no more than $1.5 million.

The program is expected to provide around 27,000 grants at a total cost of around $680 million.

This increase in residential construction will help to fill the gap in construction activity expected in the second half of 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP said the HomeBuilder program would help support 140,000 direct jobs.

“This will also support another one million related jobs in the residential construction sector, including businesses and sole-trader builders, contractors, property developers, construction materials manufacturers, engineers, designers and architects,” Mr Vasta said.

HomeBuilder complements existing state and territory First Home Owner Grant programs, stamp duty concessions and other grant schemes, as well as the Commonwealth’s First Home Loan Deposit Scheme and First Home Super Saver Scheme.

This year, the Government delivered the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme to help eligible first home buyers to purchase their first home with a deposit of as little as five per cent, allowing them to get into the market sooner.

HomeBuilder will create even more opportunities for first home buyers to enter the property market, as well as support other eligible Australians to build a new home or renovate an existing home.

The HomeBuilder program will be implemented via a National Partnership Agreement, signed by the Commonwealth and state and territory governments.

More information on HomeBuilder, including eligibility, can be found on the Treasury Coronavirus Economic Response website https://treasury.gov.au/coronavirus/homebuilder

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Public hearings into Question Time inquiry

The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Procedure is holding a public hearing as part of its inquiry examining the practice and procedure relating to question time in the House.

Chair of the committee Mr Ross Vasta said the Committee would hold a public hearing by teleconference tomorrow, 4 June.

“This is the first of the Committee’s public hearings into this inquiry,” Mr Vasta said.

“The committee will hear from a range of witnesses about how Question Time can be improved.

“I’m really looking forward to the feedback and looking into ways we can make it easier for people to engage with question time and be part of the process.”

The Committee has received more than 40 submissions and has conducted surveys to seek suggestions from the public and from Members on the rules and conventions around question time and opportunities for change.

At the conclusion of its inquiry, the Committee will make recommendations to the House for its consideration. Further information about the inquiry is available on the Committee’s website.

Public hearing details

Date: Thursday, 4 June 2020
Time: 11am to 3.45 pm
Location: Teleconference

Indicative times:

11am – 12 noon: Mr Harry Jenkins
1pm – 2pm: Ms Anna Burke
2pm –2.45pm: Professor Colleen Lewis
3pm–3.45pm: Accountability Roundtable

3.45pm: Close

The hearing will be broadcast live at aph.gov.au/live.

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First Home Loan Deposit Scheme’s successful first year

Australian first home buyers have now reserved all of this financial year’s First Home Loan Deposit Scheme guarantees.

Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP said this was a major milestone for the Scheme which was a key election commitment of the Morrison Government to help Australians get into their first home sooner.

“Saving a deposit for your first home can be a real struggle, with most banks and lenders requiring a 20 per cent minimum deposit, or forcing borrowers to pay tens of thousands of dollars extra with mortgage insurance,” Mr Vasta.

“I am so please this Morrison Government scheme has provided 10,000 Australians with the opportunity to purchase their first home with a deposit of as little as five per cent with the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme offering a guarantee on the loan.

“Although all the places have been reserved, from July 1, the scheme will be back up for grabs so I encourage those in Bonner saving for their first home to speak to their bank or lender about taking part.”

National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation (NHFIC) data shows applications for guaranteed loans are being received from all parts of our community, be it in our capital cities, regional centres or rural areas.

Intended purchase location data presently shows the following amount of guarantees have been secured in each state and territory:

  • New South Wales: 3,114
  • Victoria: 2,306
  • Queensland: 2,111
  • Western Australia: 550
  • South Australia: 413
  • ACT: 200
  • Tasmania: 183
  • Northern Territory: 35

NHFIC data also shows it is Australians on middle incomes who are taking advantage of the Scheme, with the average income of applicants are well below the Scheme’s caps.

The average income of single applicants is $67,387 ($125,000 cap) and for couples $109,525 ($200,000 cap).

The Scheme has proven most popular with first home buyers under the age of 30 years of age who have secured 58 per cent of guarantees.

Another positive Scheme outcome is the fact that 12 per cent of guarantees have been secured by Australians over the age of 40.

This is a clear indication Scheme is helping Australians who are a bit older and may have struggled in the past to get a deposit together.

Also, the largest amount of applications for guarantees, 44 per cent, have been made through mortgage brokers.

Despite the COVID-19 health crisis causing a slight flattening of demand in the Scheme in mid-March, first home buyers have shown huge confidence in the housing market and have moved quickly to secure the remaining guarantees available before the 30 June deadline.

On 1 July 2020, a further 10,000 guarantees will become available to first home buyers, and given buyer’s initial reception of the Scheme they will be highly sought after.

For more information on the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme visit: https://www.nhfic.gov.au/whatwe-do/fhlds/

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Join the Aussie-made club

In an effort to help the national economic recovery, a new ad campaign has been launched to encourage Australians to support Australian Made products by joining the ‘Aussie-made Club.’

Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP said buying Australian-made products whenever possible was a practical way to back local producers and manufacturers.

“The best way to do this is visit the Australian Made website and literally joint the club,” Mr Vasta said.

“It’s free, you get offers and discounts, and it helps you identify a range of Australian-made products to support.

“When you buy Australian Made, you’re not only helping the local small businesses, but the flow on effect means you’re supporting Australian manufacturers and their supply chains from farmers to designers and more.”

Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews said the new ad campaign reflected the ground-swell of community support for Australian products.

“As a country we’ve rallied together to slow the spread of coronavirus, now we need to pull together to back our local businesses and manufacturers,” Minister Andrews said.

“Australians are the first to put up their hand to help in a crisis and as we look to navigate the economic impacts of coronavirus the simplest thing we can do to help is to buy Australian.”

Australian Made Campaign Limited CEO Ben Lazzaro said the campaign was designed to build on the huge grass-roots movement spawned by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our website is attracting more than 250,000 visitors a month – a 130% increase on normal and our social media audience has grown ten-fold since the beginning of this pandemic,” Mr Lazzaro said.

“Australian brands are also seeing the value in using our logo, with a four-fold increase in applications and a doubling in new licensees.”

The new ad campaign comes after the Morrison Government earlier this year committed $5 million to expand the reach of the Australian Made logo, so our manufacturers could take on new markets around the world.

For more information or to join the Aussie-made club, visit www.australianmade.com.au

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Supporting senior Australians to stay connected

The Morrison Government is supporting senior Australians through two new initiatives to prevent loneliness and social isolation under a $6 million communications package.

The Be Connected program will provide digital devices and support to older residents to help them connect with friends and family during the coronavirus pandemic, while also helping to boost IT skills.

Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP said with more than 22,000 seniors in his electorate, these grants would also help many of them to build confidence using digital technology.

“In addition to the Be Connected program, an additional $5 million will be used to expand the Friend Line, a national telephone support service for older Australians, to answer 60,000 calls a year.

“These grants will help improve the online skills of our senior residents who are increasingly turning to the internet to access online services during the coronavirus while expanded access to Friend Line will make sure that no seniors in Bonner will feel lonely or isolated.”

Minister for Families and Social Services Anne Ruston said access to timely support as well as digital and social connections was essential to support older Australians to live independently.

“With a third of all senior Australians living alone there is a real need for this assistance to alleviate loneliness and social isolation,” Minister Ruston said.

Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts Paul Fletcher said the Government’s Be Connected program was making modern technology available to seniors for free as well as building their online skills and know-how through step-by-step training.

“These grants will help provide devices such as a laptop or tablet and data plans to older Australians who would otherwise be at risk of disconnecting,” Minister Fletcher said.

“The Be Connected program, delivered in partnership by the eSafety Commissioner and the Good Things Foundation, plays a critical role delivering digital skills workshops to older Australians helping build their confidence online as they increasingly turn to virtual services, including telehealth, during COVID-19.”

Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians Richard Colbeck said the funding for Friends Line would enable its provider Friends for to expand the service through to 30 June 2024.

“Friend Line is a free and anonymous telephone service that will provide older Australians an opportunity to chat with a friendly volunteer,” Minister Colbeck said.

“In the first year Friend Line anticipates answering 20,000 calls scaling up to at least 60,000 a year after that up from 5600 calls a year currently.”

Friend Line (1800 4 CHATS) will rapidly expand to be available outside normal business hours between 10am to 8pm, seven days a week.

The latest investment comes on top of a new support line offering specific advice and counselling for senior Australians seeking assistance because of COVID-19.

Established in conjunction with the Council on the Ageing Australia, National Seniors Australia, the Older Persons Advocacy Network and Dementia Australia, the COVID-19 support line will operate Monday to Friday, except public holidays, from 8.30am to 6pm on 1800 171 866.

To find a Be Connected program near you visit https://beconnected.esafety.gov.au/find-local-help

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