Bonner General Practices join the Phase 1B COVID-19 vaccine rollout

More than 1000 General Practices (GPs), including several in Bonner will join the COVID-19 vaccination program from next week, further strengthening the Commonwealth’s capacity, and ensuring an efficient and equitable distribution of vaccines across the country.

Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP said services would come online from March 22.

“We all know the invaluable work our local GP’s do for our community,” Mr Vasta said.

“Now we will see them play a vital role the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.

“Phase 1B of the rollout will see 1000 GP’s across Australia delivering COVID-19 vaccines for our elderly and immunocompromised, progressively increasing in number to more than 4000 by the end of April.”

Initial GP clinics in Bonner offering the COVID-19 vaccine include:

  • Baywest Medical Centre, Wynnum West
  • Carina Medical and Specialist Centre, Carina
  • Wynnum Medical Centre, Tingalpa
  • Manly Clinic, Wynnum
  • Manly Village Medical, Manly
  • Mansfield Family Practice, Mansfield
  • Tyack Health, Manly West
  • Carindale Medical Clinic, Carindale
  • Eight Mile Plains Doctors, Eight Mile Plains

Mr Vasta said Australians eligible for Phase 1B could find a vaccination provider through the new national vaccination information and location service, at the Department of Health website.

“This will enable people to locate their nearest general practice providing General Practice Respiratory Clinic vaccinations and link through to their online booking system or phone number to make the appointment” Mr Vasta said.

“Vaccines are the game changer in our fight against the COVID-19 virus and I urge everyone in Australia to come forward and get vaccinated when they are able to. It will protect themselves, their family, and their community.”

In making the announcement, Federal Minister for Health and Aged Care Greg Hunt MP said the rollout would continue to grow in coming weeks.

“This staged scale up will align with the supply of the locally produced AstraZeneca vaccine, and as more vaccine becomes available more services will come online,” Minister Hunt said.

“General practices will play a major role in ensuring all Australians who seek to be vaccinated have access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines.

“We are committed to making sure that every Australian that wants a vaccine will be able to be vaccinated,” Minister Hunt said.

Phase 1B includes vulnerable groups, such as older people and people with certain underlying medical conditions. No-one is better placed to support these people than our general practices.

Over 100 Aboriginal Health Services and 130 Commonwealth operated GP-led Respiratory Clinics, who have been instrumental partners in the COVID-19 response to date will also be progressively added as additional vaccine providers.

Appointments on the service finder will increase as general practices establish their systems and vaccine supply. More appointments will become available as more clinics come on-board.

People will still be able to book their vaccine appointments directly at a participating general practice – as they do now, for instance, to get a seasonal flu vaccine.

As the rollout moves into Phase two, additional general practices and selected community pharmacists will also participate in the program. No-one will miss out, whether they live in a city or country town or a very remote area.

There will be six million Australians in Phase 1B, and not all will be able to be vaccinated immediately. We recognise that every Australian will have the opportunity to be vaccinated over the coming months and we thank every Australian for their patience.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Where do I go and how do I book in?

Go to Department of Health website. Using the Eligibility Checker, you can find out which phase of the rollout you are in. If you are eligible, you will be able to view vaccination clinics and book an appointment online or via phone. If you are not yet eligible, you will be able to register your interest so that you can be notified when you are able to book.

If you prefer not to use the online option, you can call the National Coronavirus and COVID-19 Vaccination Helpline on 1800 020 080.

Will I be able to choose where I can book?

You will be able to view and select clinic locations based on the postcode you enter.

What happens if there are no clinics or appointments in my area?

A list of Commonwealth vaccination clinics, participating General Practices, and state and territory vaccination clinics will be made available as they come online.

Do I have to use the Eligibility Checker in order to book?

The checker is a helpful tool to help you find out if you are currently eligible to book.

The checker will guide you through to a simple way to find and book vaccine appointments, or help you register to be notified if you are part of a later phase. If you prefer to book appointments directly at a participating general practice or Commonwealth state vaccination clinic, you can contact them directly to do so.

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Get ready for your vaccination: link your digital government services

The Morrison Government is encouraging all residents in Bonner to get ready for their COVID-19 vaccination by linking their digital government services, particularly their myGov and Medicare accounts.

The call to link digital services follows the announcement that the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) will be the record for all vaccinations for Australians and that record will form the basis of the vaccination certificate that all Australians will be able to use, including visa holders.

The AIR has undergone significant upgrades in preparation for COVID-19 vaccine rollout. The AIR already allows you to see your recorded immunisations through myGov or the Medicare Express Plus app through an ‘Immunisation history statement’.

Almost 5.6 million immunisation history statements were securely accessed by individuals over the past financial year. Your immunisation history statement will record your COVID-19 vaccinations.

Minister for Government Services Stuart Robert encouraged all Australians to link their myGov and Medicare online services today to ensure they can access proof they have had a COVID-19 vaccination, quickly and easily.

“The Morrison Government is getting on with the vaccine rollout so we’re asking Australians to be vaccination-ready and link their digital services today,” Minister Robert said.

“Services Australia has been putting in the work to ensure government services are simple, respectful, transparent and helpful – so we have supercharged myGov and we have state-of-the art cybersecurity in place to protect the Australian Immunisation Register.”

Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP said linking your myGov and Medicare digital accounts was a simple step you could take right now to help you and your family be ready for a vaccinated Australia.

“This is something you can do right now to get your family vaccination-ready, it will be really helpful once you’ve had the vaccine and will mean you can easily access your vaccine certificate through the Australian Immunisation Register at the touch of a button,” Mr Vasta said.

“Do not forget, if you already have your Medicare account linked in myGov, make sure you check your contact details are up to date.”

Data from Services Australia indicates there are currently 19.7 million active myGov Accounts with 9.9 million linked to Medicare.

Since 30 June 2020, on average 150,000 new myGov accounts have been created and linked to a member service each month and 92,000 myGov accounts have been linked to Medicare each month.

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Reforms to support small business recovery in Bonner

The Morrison Government will undertake the most significant reforms to Australia’s insolvency framework in 30 years as part of our economic recovery plan to keep businesses in business and Australians in jobs.

The reforms, which draw on key features from Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the United States, will help more small businesses restructure and survive the economic impact of COVID-19.

Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP said the reforms would give more support to the region’s businesses that had been hit hard by the coronavirus.

“The Morrison Government is standing by small and family businesses and doing all we can to help make sure these businesses come out on the other side of this crisis,” Mr Vasta said.

“Along with early access to super, cash-flow boosts and JobKeeper, we are doing everything we can to keep family businesses up and running.”

As the economy continues to recover, it will be critical that distressed businesses have the necessary flexibility to either restructure or to wind down their operations in an orderly manner.

The reforms will assist incorporated businesses with less than $1 million in liabilities covering around 76 per cent of Australian businesses subject to insolvencies today, 98 per cent of which have less than 20 employees.

Together, these measures will reposition our insolvency system to reduce costs for small businesses, reduce the time they spend during the insolvency process, ensure greater economic dynamism, and ultimately help more local businesses get to the other side of the crisis.

Earlier this year the Morrison Government announced temporary regulatory measures to help financially distressed businesses get to the other side of COVID-19. On 7 September 2020 the Government announced a further extension of this relief to 31 December 2020.

The new processes will be available for small businesses from 1 January 2021.

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Nominate a Bonner Local Legend

Nominations are now open to find Bonner’s Local Legends – the people in our community who have gone above and beyond during COVID-19 to help others.

Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP said the global coronavirus pandemic had brought out the best in people and he wanted to hear from the community with stories of selfless acts of kindness.

“We want to recognise our local legends,” Mr Vasta said.

“We’ve heard incredible stories of teachers going above and beyond during distance learning, frontline workers putting others first and businesses donating meals to those who had fallen on tough times.

“We’ve seen community kindness such as notes to the neighbours to see if they need help with groceries or instigating the teddy bear hunt to keep kids occupied.

“Even at our local shops we’ve seen assistants provide as much support as possible, whilst also dealing with stressful restrictions and challenging customers.

“I know there’s many more and that’s why I need your help to find them.”

Mr Vasta called on the Bonner community to come forward and share stories of someone’s selfless actions.

“Maybe you have been at the receiving end of a kind act and this could be a way to repay their good deed,” Mr Vasta said.

“If you know someone who has stepped up during COVID to help their family, friends, neighbours or even total strangers, head to my website and nominate them for the Bonner Local Legend.

“Teachers, doctors, nurses, retail staff, local charities and volunteers, this is a chance to say thank you and give them a big shout out.”

Nominations open September 16 and close Friday, October 16.

Visit www.rossvasta.com.au to nominate a Bonner Local Legend.

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New scheme helps small businesses get paid on time

The Morrison Government is supporting millions of small businesses by helping to ensure they get paid on time.

Legislation to implement the Payment Times Reporting Scheme was passed by the Senate, which will put every big business on notice.

Under the scheme, large businesses and applicable government enterprises with a total annual income of over $100 million will have to report publicly on how and when they pay their small business suppliers.

This scheme will provide unprecedented transparency and will show Australians how big businesses pay their suppliers.

This transparency will help small businesses make more informed decisions about who they do business with, and the general public can make better decisions about the large businesses they purchase from.

We have already seen large companies change their practices following adverse media coverage. Recently, businesses such as Rio Tinto and Telstra rapidly abandoned payment practices which negatively impacted on small businesses once they were subject to public exposure.

As a result, their payment policies were shortened to ensure suppliers were paid within 20 days.

Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business, Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash said the measure would support small businesses, especially through COVID-19 challenges.

“Late payments have a significant impact on small business cash flow and inhibit the ability of a firm to invest, grow and employ,” Minister Cash said.

Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP said shining a light on large business payment performance would lead to fairer and faster payments for Australia’s 3.5 million small and family businesses.

“Bad payers won’t be able to hide, as this Scheme will expose their poor practices,” Mr Vasta said.

“The Morrison Government is committed to striking the right balance to ensure faster and fairer payment terms to local small and family businesses in Bonner.”

The Government developed the legislation following extensive consultations with industry associations and representatives of small and large business since early 2019.

Their feedback has directly informed the design and operation of the scheme.

The Coalition Government has a strong record when it comes to ensuring small and family businesses get paid on time.

Since July 2019, Commonwealth agencies have paid invoices for contracts up to $1 million within 20 calendar days or paid interest on any late payments.

This captures approximately 95 per cent of procurement contracts entered into by the Commonwealth.

The scheme will begin on 1 January 2021.

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COVIDsafe App launch

The new COVIDsafe app to help keep you, your family and your community safe from further spread of coronavirus through early notification of possible exposure is now available to download.

The COVIDSafe app is just one of the tools used to help protect the health of the community by quickly alerting people who may be at risk of having contact with the virus.

Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP said the use of the app would help to move more quickly to reduce restrictions than would otherwise be possible.

“Without the assistance of technology, finding people who may have been exposed to the virus relies on people being able to recall who they have been around and knowing the details of every individual they have been in close contact with,” Mr Vasta said.

“In many cases, we don’t know the names and contact details of those we’ve been in close contact with – for example, at the supermarket or on the train.

“The COVIDSafe app uses technology to make this process faster and more accurate and has been developed to ensure your information and privacy is strictly protected.”

Collection and use of information from the app is consent based and consistent with the Privacy Act and Australian Privacy Principles.

To further strengthen the app’s privacy arrangements the Health Minister made a Determination under the Biosecurity Act to protect people’s privacy and restrict access to app data to state and territory health authorities for contact tracing.

Under that Determination, it will be a criminal offence to use any app data in any other way. It will also be a criminal offence for someone to be refused to enter a premises, participate in an event or receive a service for failing to use the app.

At the end of the Australian pandemic, users will be prompted to delete the app from their phone.

This will delete all app information on a person’s phone. The information contained on the highly secure information storage system will also be destroyed at the end of the pandemic.

While COVIDSafe app use is voluntary, all Australians are encouraged to download COVIDSafe app to help ensure we can effectively protect Australians and ensure we can quickly respond to any new cases of COVID-19.

For more information on the COVIDSafe app, please visit: https://www.covidsafe.gov.au/help-topics.html

To download the COVIDSafe app for your iPhone please visit: https://apps.apple.com/au/app/covidsafe/id1509242894

To download the COVIDSafe app for your android device please visit: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=au.gov.health.covidsafe

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Second Economic Stimulus Package

The Morrison Government has released the second stage of its economic plan to cushion the economic impact of the coronavirus and help build a bridge to recovery.

A total of $189 billion is being injected into the economy by all arms of Government in order to keep Australians in work and businesses in business, including in the electorate of Bonner.

This includes $17.6 billion for the Government’s first economic stimulus package, $90 billion from the RBA and $15 billion from the Government to deliver easier access to finance, and $66.1 billion in today’s economic support package.

Our economic support package includes:

  • Support for households including casuals, sole-traders, retirees and those on income support
  • Assistance for businesses to keep people in a job
  • Regulatory protection and financial support for businesses to stay in business

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Government was acting to cushion the blow from the coronavirus for businesses and households to help them get through to the other side of the crisis.

“We want to help businesses keep going as best they can and for as long as they can, or to pause instead of winding up their business. We want to ensure that when this crisis has passed Australian businesses can bounce back,” the Prime Minister said.

“Our focus is on cushioning the blow and providing hope to every Australian that we will get through this and come out the other side together.

“We know this will be temporary.  That’s why all our actions are geared towards building a bridge, keeping more people in work, enhancing the safety net for those that aren’t and keeping businesses alive so they can get to the other side and stand up their workforce as quickly as possible.

“We know Australia’s more than 3 million small and medium businesses are the engine room of our economy. When they hurt, we all hurt.

“The next few months are going to be a difficult journey but we all have a role to play to adapt to the changes we’re facing, to cushion the impact of what is happening and to pull together so we can bounce back when we get to the other side.”

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the $189 billion economic support package was the equivalent of 9.7 per cent of GDP.

“The Government is taking unprecedented action to strengthen the safety net available to Australians that are stood down or lose their jobs and increasing support for small businesses that do it tough over the next six months.

“These measures build significantly on what we have already announced.

“These extraordinary times demand extraordinary measures.”

Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP said the action would directly benefit the local community by supporting residents, workers and small and medium businesses to bounce back.

“We need to show kindness, compassion and patience at this difficult time and I encourage everyone to make an effort to remain calm and look out for the vulnerable people in the community,” Mr Vasta said.

“We are working to support everyone impacted by the unprecedented outbreak of COVID-19 and if you can manage it, please think of the small businesses in your local community, shop locally and support local jobs.”

 

Support for workers and households

Coronavirus supplement

The Government is temporarily expanding eligibility to income support payments and establishing a new, time-limited Coronavirus supplement to be paid at a rate of $550 per fortnight.  This will be paid to both existing and new recipients of the JobSeeker Payment, Youth Allowance jobseeker, Parenting Payment, Farm Household Allowance and Special Benefit.

The Coronavirus supplement will be paid for the next 6 months. Eligible income support recipients will receive the full amount of the $550 Coronavirus supplement on top of their payment each fortnight.

This measure is estimated to cost $14.1 billion over the forward estimates period.

An increase of up to 5,000 staff for Services Australia will assist to support delivery of new Government measures.

Payments to support households

In addition to the $750 stimulus payment announced on 12 March 2020, the Government will provide a further $750 payment to social security and veteran income support recipients and eligible concession card holders, except for those who are receiving an income support payment that is eligible to receive the Coronavirus supplement.

This second payment will be made automatically from 13 July 2020 to around 5 million social security, veteran and other income support recipients and eligible concession card holders. Around half of those that benefit are pensioners.

The first payment will be made from 31 March 2020 to people who will have been on one of the eligible payments any time between 12 March 2020 and 13 April 2020.

This measure is estimated to cost $4 billion over the forward estimates period.

Early release of superannuation

The Government will allow individuals in financial stress as a result of the Coronavirus to access up to $10,000 of their superannuation in 2019-20 and a further $10,000 in 2020-21.

Eligible individuals will be able to apply online through myGov for access of up to $10,000 of their superannuation before 1 July 2020. They will also be able to access up to a further $10,000 from 1 July 2020 for another three months. They will not need to pay tax on amounts released and the money they withdraw will not affect Centrelink or Veterans’ Affairs payments.

This measure is estimated to cost $1.2 billion over the forward estimates period.

Temporarily reduce superannuation minimum drawdown rates

The Government is temporarily reducing superannuation minimum drawdown requirements for account based pensions and similar products by 50 per cent for 2019-20 and 2020-21. This measure will benefit retirees by providing them with more flexibility as to how they manage their superannuation assets.

Reducing social security deeming rates

On top of the deeming rate changes made at the time of the first package, the Government is reducing the deeming rates by a further 0.25 percentage points to reflect the latest rate reductions by the RBA.

As of 1 May 2020, the lower deeming rate will be 0.25 per cent and the upper deeming rate will be 2.25 per cent.

The change will benefit around 900,000 income support recipients, including Age Pensioners.

This measure is estimated to cost $876 million over the forward estimates period.

 

Assistance to business to keep people in a job

Boosting Cash Flow for Employers

The Government is providing up to $100,000 to eligible small and medium sized businesses, and not‑for-profits (including charities) that employ people, with a minimum payment of $20,000.  These payments will help businesses’ and not-for-profits’ cash flow so they can keep operating, pay their rent, electricity and other bills and retain staff.

Under the enhanced scheme from the first package, employers will receive a payment equal to 100 per cent of their salary and wages withheld (up from 50 per cent), with the maximum payment being increased from $25,000 to $50,000. In addition, the minimum payment is being increased from $2,000 to $10,000. The payment will be available from 28 April 2020.

By linking the payments to business to staff wage tax withholdings, businesses will be incentivised to hold on to more of their workers.

The payments are tax free, there will be no new forms and payments will flow automatically through the ATO.

This measure will benefit around 690,000 businesses employing around 7.8 million people, and around 30,000 NFPs (including charities).

Small and medium business entities with aggregated annual turnover under $50 million and that employ workers are eligible. NFPs entities, including charities, with aggregated annual turnover under $50 million and that employ workers will now also be eligible. This will support employment at a time where NFPs are facing increasing demand for services.

An additional payment is also being made from 28 July 2020. Eligible entities will receive an additional payment equal to the total of all of the Boosting Cash Flow for Employers payments received.

This measure is estimated to cost $31.9 billion over the forward estimates period, including the value of the measure announced in the first package.

 

Regulatory protection and financial support for businesses to stay in business

Coronavirus SME Guarantee Scheme

The Government will establish the Coronavirus SME Guarantee Scheme which will support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to get access to working capital to help them get them through the impact of the coronavirus.

Under the Scheme, the Government will guarantee 50 per cent of new loans issued by eligible lenders to SMEs.

The Government’s support will enhance lenders’ willingness and ability to provide credit to SMEs with the Scheme able to support $40 billion of lending to SMEs.

The Scheme will complement the announcement the Government has made to cut red-tape to allow SMEs to get access to credit faster. It also complements announcements made by Australian banks to support small businesses with their existing loans.

This builds on the investment the Government is making to enable smaller lenders to continue supporting Australian consumers and small businesses, through providing the AOFM an investment capacity of $15 billion to invest in wholesale funding markets used by small authorised deposit-taking institutions (ADI) and non-ADI lenders.

It further supports the Reserve Bank of Australia’s announcement of a $90 billion term funding facility for ns ADIs, that will reduce the cost of lending, with particular incentives to lend to small and medium enterprises.

The measures the Government is announcing today, along with the previous announcements, will deliver a total of $125 billion to support Australians get through the impact of the coronavirus.

The Government will guarantee up to $20 billion to support $40 billion in SME loans.

Providing temporary relief for financially distressed businesses

The Government is temporarily increasing the threshold at which creditors can issue a statutory demand on a company and the time companies have to respond to statutory demands they receive. The package also includes temporary relief for directors from any personal liability for trading while insolvent.  The Corporations Act 2001 will be amended to provide temporary and targeted relief for companies to deal with unforeseen events that arise as a result of the Coronavirus.

  • This builds on the support for business and business investment provided in our first economic support package, which included:
  • increasing the instant asset write off
  • backing business investment by providing accelerated depreciation deductions
  • supporting apprentices and trainees
  • targeted support for Coronavirus-affected regions and communities

Support for the aviation industry

As previously announced, the Government is also providing up to $715 million in support for Australian airlines and airports, which will ensure that our aviation sector receives timely cash flow support through an unprecedented period of disruption to international and domestic air travel.

While these are challenging times, Australians can rest assured that the Commonwealth Government will do all that is necessary to support them and build a bridge to ensure that all Australians can get to the other side of this crisis.

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