Posted by Steve on August 10, 2011
The Australian Greens have welcomed the announcement of the Government’s first steps to establish a National Disability Insurance Scheme but plans must be backed up by a sustainable funding commitment.
“We agree with the Productivity Commission that funding for disability should be a core function of Government, and we are pleased that the Government has announced it will start work on the foundations of a NDIS. The foundation work is essential however the community needs to be assured that funding for the Scheme will be available” said Senator Rachel Siewert, spokesperson on disability services.
“So far the Government has been silent on how it will fund the scheme. There must be a commitment from Government that funding will be provided, to ensure the valuable work they will be doing on the foundations of the Scheme is not all in vain.
“We also with the Productivity Commission that current disability funding and support is underfinanced, unfair, fragmented, and inefficient, and gives people with a disability little choice and no certainty of access to appropriate supports. This new scheme must put an end to this ineffectiveness.
“The Australian Greens urge State and Territory Governments to get behind the NDIS. This needs urgent attention and shouldn’t be delayed by any bickering with States.
“Implementation should start as soon as possible as it will take some years for the full Scheme to be operational. The Greens will be carefully assessing the fine detail to make sure it as effective as possible and provides life-long support for those living with a disability,” said Senator Siewert.
Posted by Steve on July 25, 2011
The Australian Greens have condemned the Malaysian Solution reached today which will involve sending up to 800 people, including unaccompanied children, to an unknown fate.
“Under this deal, the Australian government is shirking its international obligations to offer protection to those seeking our assistance,” Greens’ immigration spokesperson, Sen. Sarah Hanson-Young, said.
“The Greens are doubtful that in reality the rights and protections of 800 vulnerable people sent by Australia will be any different to the 94,000 asylum seekers already in Malaysia.
“Ultimately these 800 people will be subject to domestic Malaysian law, and we know these laws do not meet appropriate human rights standards.
“We do not support any policy to expel unaccompanied children and families to a country which has not signed the UN Refugee Convention.
“This four-year deal is a waste of Australian taxpayers’ money that would be better spent increasing our humanitarian intake so 800 people do not have to board boats before 4,000 refugees are taken from Malaysia.
“Both houses of parliament have already condemned this deal, but it can be enacted because the Immigration Minister does not need parliament’s approval.
“Nearly 10 years ago the Greens condemned the Pacific Solution. We condemn its newest version, the Malaysian solution.”
Posted by Steve on June 2, 2011
“The documents clearly show terms such as ‘asylum seeker’ has been replaced by ‘illegal immigrant’ and there’s no mention of human rights,” Greens’ immigration spokesperson, Sen. Sarah Hanson-Young said.
“While the Prime Minister claims the 800 people to be sent to Malaysia will be treated in accordance with our human rights standards, these documents, and e-mails from the UNHCR, ridicule her remarks.
“In this race to the bottom between Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott to see how tough they can be on asylum seekers, where is the Prime Minister’s bottom line on walking away from the human rights she says would underpin the agreement?
“We also have confirmation that unaccompanied children already on Christmas Island will be expelled to Malaysia – something the Greens have long feared would happen.
“The Immigration Minister has a clear conflict of interest, because he is by law the guardian of these children and must ensure they are not endangered.
“By emphasising the government is trying to send messages to people smugglers, Mr Bowen is ignoring the nine unaccompanied children already on Christmas Island.
“Australia has domestic and international obligations to ensure the safety of these children.
“Australian tax payers’ money should not be spent on this deal which means Australia pays the cost for expelling 800 people and having no say in how those asylum seekers will be treated.
“The Australian government should walk away from this deal if it cannot guarantee that Australian human rights standards will be used in the final agreement, which must be made public whenever the two governments sign it.”
The Greens’ policy on asylum seekers can be found here
Posted by Steve on May 15, 2011
The Australian Greens say immediate problems facing the aged care sector have been ignored in the Federal Budget.
“Funding for aged care remains basically unchanged in the face of serious threats to the viability of services and the growing demands of an ageing population,” Senator Rachel Siewert said.
“The sector has been seeking short term fixes to secure services while the Government develops its longer term response to the reforms suggested by the Productivity Commission. This call remains unanswered and I’m concerned about the capacity of the sector to manage until the long awaited reform is put in place,” said Senator Siewert.
“The aged care sector requested some very modest increases to try to prevent services from closing and to ensure older Australians don’t miss out on support in the interim. I’m disappointed to see that the funding for services continues to fall further behind rising costs, such as accommodation, utilities and wages.
“The government have overlooked the 1.75% conditional adjustment payment requested to keep up with rising costs and they have failed to take any steps to put money aside for pay equity for workers in the sector,” said Senator Siewert.
Senator Siewert says the release of new figures on the number of people with dementia also serves to highlight the increasing importance of adequate funding for the aged care sector.
“It is imperative that the Government makes reform of aged care a priority,” concluded Senator Siewert.
Posted by Steve on May 14, 2011
The Australian Greens are concerned by reports a ministry in Victoria may have breached federal guidelines covering the chaplaincy programme in public schools.
Access Ministries has been accused of trying to convert students into “disciples”, contrary to federal regulations.
“We await the review of Access Ministries by the Federal Education Department, something Peter Garrett has indicated will happen because the federal guidelines as ‘crystal clear’ on proselytising in schools,” stated the Greens’ education spokesperson, Sen. Sarah Hanson-Young.
The government announced in the budget this week that the National Schools Chaplaincy programme will cost $222m over the forward estimates and be extended to cover as many as 1,000 more schools.
“We argue it should be up to schools to decide how they want to use that money, not the department,” Sen. Hanson-Young said.
“Schools should be getting qualified counsellors to properly assess the various needs of students. What are chaplains qualified in? “Different schools have different needs. There should be two main criteria for counsellors – an ability to service the needs of a particular student community, and that their qualifications are relevant to the position.
“$74 million a year has already been allocated in the budget for the chaplaincy programme. The government could replace the chaplains with a student support programme to give students the services they need, and that counsellors are qualified for.
“A school may decide they want to retain their chaplain or instead hire a qualified counsellor or youth coordinator or someone who has experience liaising with different service groups. Ultimately, it should be a school’s decision.”
Posted by Steve on May 7, 2011
The Australian Greens continue to push for action on dental care to be included in Tuesday’s budget.
“We need to see some action from the Government as a down-payment on their commitment to improve Australia’s dental health,” Senator Rachel Siewert, Australian Greens health spokesperson said today.
“This was a key part of our post-election agreement with the ALP,” said Senator Siewert.
“Improved national dental care has the capacity to dramatically improve the health of millions of Australians, and we’ve been working hard towards that outcome.
“A modest first step is required from the Government on Tuesday, with more substantial action to be delivered the following year,” concluded Senator Siewert.
Posted by Steve on October 6, 2010
The Senate has acknowledged the essential role of carers in our community and recognised that more needs to be done to provide them with support, passing a motion proposed by Australian Greens Community Services spokesperson, Senator Rachel Siewert.
The Senate noted that 17-23 October is National Carer’s Week with the theme, Anyone, Anytime can become a carer, which reflects the indiscriminate nature of the caring role and particularly how it can impact upon people at any life stage.
“There are over 2.6 millions unpaid carers in Australia, who provide essential support to those they care for and who take pressure off our overwhelmed public health system,” Senator Siewert said.
“Carers come from all walks of life, with different needs and experiences. As this year’s theme reflects, anybody can find themselves in this position.
“Without their work, the quality of life of many people would suffer. More should be done to provide carers with the support and assistance they deserve.
“Regardless of their age or life situation, people fill the role of carer out of compassion and love, and the personal impact upon them and their families can not be underestimated,” said Senator Siewert.
“I’m pleased the Senate support this motion acknowledging the work of our carers and importantly understanding that more needs to be done to support the work of carers in our community” concluded Senator Siewert.
National Carers Week will be held from 17-23 October 2010 and this year’s theme is ‘Anyone, Anytime can become a carer’.
Posted by Steve on May 23, 2010
Dental care for all Australians
The Australian Greens will push for a national, universal public dental care scheme in the lead up to the federal election.
Around half a million Australians are already on waiting lists for urgent dental care, with a national average waiting period of over two years.
“Dental health is essential to good physical health and emotional well-being and it makes no sense for it to be excluded from our public health system,” said Australian Greens health spokesperson Senator Rachel Siewert.
“The Greens will continue to campaign for a universal dental care scheme, operating as part of Medicare as a key priority in the lead up to and beyond the federal election.
“Current public dental services are struggling to treat almost half Australia’s population with less than 10% of the dentists.
“The Menzies Centre for Health Policy estimates that oral disease costs the Australian economy around $2 billion in direct costs and lost productivity.”
Posted by Steve on April 5, 2010
The Prime Minister’s appointment of a new Population Minister to investigate population strategy must be matched by action said Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown.
“After so many years of government failure on this issue I welcome the Prime Minister’s move to take up Australian Greens’ call for a comprehensive national investigation into population strategy,” said Senator Brown.
“But the announcement today means any action to address urgent population issues will now be put off until after the federal election, at the earliest.
“In 2008 I called on the Government to establish a population policy and the Greens currently have a proposal for a national population inquiry before the Senate.
“The work by the Greens follows 15 years of failure by successive federal governments to implement the results of the last national population inquiry delivered in 1994 by Barry Jones.
“Australia cannot support a population of 35 million by 2050 as discussed by both the Prime Minister and the Opposition.
“The major parties population growth plan is outstripping Australia’s infrastructure and environmental capacity and affecting quality of life.
“We cannot wait until after the election for action.
“The Greens have already proposed immediate action the Government can take to manage population, including:
- Increasing Australia’s overseas aid budget by 0.7 percent of our GDP with more funding for literacy and reproductive health
- Reducing skilled migration while increasing our humanitarian and investing in skills and training.”
We acknowledge and respect the traditional owners of this country and the land on which we stand