This month: serving and ex-serving Australian Defence Force members, migration movements and philanthropic and charitable donations. Read more...
The National Health Amendment (COVID-19) Bill 2021 (the Bill) was introduced in the House of Representatives on 26 August 2021. The Bill will allow the Minister for Health to enter into agreements and authorise payments for the provision of COVID-19 vaccines (including boosters), treatments for COVID-19 and related consumables. This Flagpost will discuss the Bill, followed by some of the key funding arrangements to date for securing COVID-19 vaccines for domestic use, and COVID-19 treatments. Read more...
The Paid Parental Leave Amendment (COVID-19 Work Test) Bill 2021 (the Bill) proposes amendments to the Paid Parental Leave Act 2010 (the PPL Act) toallow time in receipt of the COVID-19 Disaster Payment to count as work for the purpose of the Paid Parental Leave scheme. The Paid Parental Leave scheme includes both Parental Leave Pay and Dad and Partner Pay. Read more...
The purpose of the Foreign Intelligence Legislation Amendment Bill 2021 (the Bill) is to amend the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 (TIA Act) and the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Act 1979 (ASIO Act) to broaden the capacity of intelligence agencies to collect intelligence from domestic sources about foreign threats to Australia. The Bill was introduced in the House of Representatives on 25 August 2021 and passed the same day. It has been listed for debate in the Senate on 26 August 2021. This FlagPost is published in lieu of a Bills Digest. Read more...
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to public debate around vaccine incentives and mandates, including a proposal from Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese for a $300 payment for those vaccinated against the disease. Linking vaccinations to government payments is not a new policy idea in Australia—immunisation requirements for family assistance payments have been in place for decades. Rather than offering an incentive payment for families to immunise children, these requirements apply a financial penalty for those whose children are not immunised. This FlagPost sets out the current immunisation requirements for family payments and provides a brief history of these requirements. Read more...
This Flagpost was updated on 25 August 2021 with additional information on EU sanctions. On 3 December 2019, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Marise Payne, asked the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Human Rights Sub-committee to inquire into the use of targeted sanctions to address human rights abuses. A year later, on 7 December 2020, the Committee tabled its report entitled Criminality, corruption and impunity: should Australia join the Global Magnitsky movement? The first recommendation of the report was that ‘the Australian Government enact stand alone targeted sanctions legislation to address human rights violations and corruption, similar to the Uni... Read more...
With the news that Australia has recently withdrawn the last of its troops from Afghanistan, attention has turned to the fate of Afghans who have worked with foreign forces. There is growing concern that these people are at risk of persecution from the Taliban, as it seeks to reassert control across Afghanistan. The Australian Government is granting humanitarian visas to Afghans who are at risk due to their work assisting Australian forces, but is facing increasing pressure, including from the Opposition and former soldiers, to move more quickly as the situation in Afghanistan deteriorates. This is not the first time Australia has offered sanctuary to local staff who have assisted Australian... Read more...
The release of the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ (ABS) Microdata: National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health, Australia, 2018–19 (NATSIH) makes available a range of non-health estimates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, such as work, income and education. This article provides a snapshot of employment by a range of characteristics, as well as some earlier data from a comparable ABS source. Figures in this article refer to people aged 15 to 74 years, unless otherwise specified. Read more...
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