SENATOR THE HON CAROL BROWN
Senator for Tasmania
Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Transport

SENATOR ANNE URQUHART
Senator for Tasmania
Chief Government Whip in The Senate
Media Release

DELIVERING OUR PROMISES
$685 MILLION INFRASTRUCTURE BOOST FOR TASMANIA WILL BE GOOD FOR BRADDON

Tasmanian Labor Senators, Carol Brown and Anne Urquhart, have welcomed today’s announcement confirming the Albanese Labor government will deliver on $685 million of election commitments for vital infrastructure projects in Tasmania in the 2022-23 Federal Budget.

The Government is investing $540 million to upgrade Tasmania’s important road corridors, including the Bass Highway, the Tasman Highway and the East and West Tamar Highways.

Quotes attributable to Senator the Hon. Carol Brown, Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Transport:
“The Albanese Government is working hard to deliver on our election promises.

“The $685 million infrastructure boost to Tasmania will be good for jobs, our communities and the safety of some of our most used roads”

Quotes attributable to Senator Anne Urquhart:
“Here in the North-West we understand just how important upgrades to the Bass Highway are, particularly after the recent rainfall events, and I am pleased to see funding in place to ensure we deliver on our commitments.

“Investing in nationally significant highways like the Bass Highway will help the economy which relies heavily on road transport and help make life easier and safer for everyone.”

The Budget will also commit:

• up to $35 million for the TransLink transport hub at Launceston Airport.
• $60 million towards the upgrade of the runway at Hobart Airport.

The Albanese Government is working in partnership with the Tasmanian Government on the investments that deliver the best value for taxpayers’ dollars and the best outcomes for the people of Tasmania.

Sunday Oct 16, 2022

 SENATOR ANNE URQUHART

 SENATOR FOR TASMANIA

CHIEF GOVERNMENT WHIP IN THE SENATE

National Anti-Corruption Commission

During the 2022 Federal election, voters across Braddon told me they wanted to elect a government which would return integrity and trust to parliament.

Today the Albanese Government introduced legislation to establish a powerful, independent and transparent National Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate serious or systemic corrupt conduct across the entire federal public sector.

As part of this commitment, the government has also announced $262 million to fund the establishment and ongoing operation of the Commission over the next four years.

This will ensure the Commission can hit the ground running. It will have the staff, capabilities and capacity to triage referrals and allegations it receives, conduct timely investigations, and undertake corruption prevention and education activities.

The Albanese Government’s National Anti-Corruption Commission is built on the following design principles:

• Broad jurisdiction: The Commission will have broad jurisdiction to investigate serious or systemic corrupt conduct across the Commonwealth public sector by ministers, parliamentarians and their staff, statutory officer holders, employees of all government entities and government contractors.
• Independent: The Commission will operate independent of government, with discretion to commence inquiries into serious or systemic corruption on its own initiative or in response to referrals, including from whistleblowers and complaints from the public.
• Oversight: The Commission will be overseen by a statutory Parliamentary Joint Committee, empowered to require the Commission to provide information about its work.
• Retrospective powers: The Commission will have the power to investigate allegations of serious or systemic corruption that occurred before or after its establishment.
• Public hearings: The Commission will have the power to hold public hearings in exceptional circumstances and where it is in the public interest to do so.
• Findings: The Commission will be empowered to make findings of fact, including findings of corrupt conduct, and refer findings that could constitute criminal conduct to the Australian Federal Police or the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions.
• Procedural fairness: The Commission will operate with procedural fairness and its findings will be subject to judicial review.

The election of the Albanese Government on May 21 shows we have the support of the Australian people to establish a National Anti-Corruption Commission.

We now look forward to the entire Parliament coming together to support this clear mandate to establish a National Anti-Corruption Commission.

28 Sept 2022

Media contact: Susan Wallace 0418 372198

THE HON MATT KEOGH MP

MINISTER FOR VETERANS’ AFFAIRS

MINISTER FOR DEFENCE PERSONNEL

and

SENATOR ANNE URQUHART

SENATOR FOR TASMANIA

CHIEF GOVERNMENT WHIP IN THE SENATE

ROSEBERY DISTRICT SCHOOL AND FOREST PRIMARY SCHOOL AWARDED FOR HONOURING PEACEKEEPERS

Braddon’s Rosebery District School and Forest Primary School have been praised for their creative projects honouring Australian peacekeepers as part of the annual Anzac Day Schools’ Awards.

Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Matt Keogh said the national competition is an exciting opportunity for students to engage with veterans and learn more about Australia’s wartime history.

“This year’s theme was chosen to complement the 75^th anniversary of Australia’s involvement in international peacekeeping operations, which we commemorated this week,” Minister Keogh said.

“The students in the winning schools took the theme to heart by engaging with former and current peacekeepers in a variety of ways, and genuinely reflected on the courage and sacrifice involved with the unique nature of peacekeeping service.

“I’d like to congratulate the winning schools, but also all schools which took part – your commitment to acknowledging service is commendable. I also want to thank the teachers who worked with students and coordinated the entries for their schools, you have done a great job. ”

Senator Anne Urquhart applauded the two schools.

“Congratulations to the Tasmanian State winner, Rosebery District School, which also won the Remote Schools Award and to Forest Primary School for winning the Specialist Educational Setting category,” Senator Urquhart said.

“Both schools have made great contributions which have made our community proud.”

For more information on the Anzac Day Schools’ Awards visit the Anzac portal.

16 September 2022  

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Stephanie Mathews (Minister Keogh’s Office): 0407 034 485

Susan Wallace (Senator Urquhart’s office): 0418 372198

Authorised by The Hon Matt Keogh MP.

The Hon. Mark Butler MP

Minister for Health and Aged Care

Senator Anne Urquhart

Chief Government Whip in the Senate

 MEDIA RELEASE

Diabetes support for Tasmanians

More people in Tasmania living with Type 1 diabetes are now able to access life changing subsidised Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) products to better manage their blood glucose levels.

The Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mark Butler, announced the Australian Government will extend subsidised access to CGM products under the National Diabetes Services Scheme (NDSS), effective from 1 July.

Australians over the age of 21 with Type 1 diabetes will be able to access CGM products through their pharmacy, with a co-payment equivalent to $32.50 per month or $390 per year. These life saving devices were previous costing them up to $5,000 per year.

“The Australian Government is investing an additional $273.1 million over four years to deliver our election commitments to better support people living with type 1 diabetes,” Minister Butler said.

“CGM technology is life-changing. Supporting more people with subsidised CGM products will improve the health and quality of life for tens of thousands of Australians living with type 1 diabetes.”

People who are currently eligible for CGM products through the NDSS will continue to receive products free of charge. This includes children and young adults under 21 with type 1 diabetes, concession card holders with type 1 diabetes, and people with type 1 diabetes who are pregnant, post-pregnancy or trying to become pregnant.

Welcoming Minister Butler’s announcement, Anne Urquhart, Senator for Tasmania, said the extended access would mean new hope and help for people living in North west Tasmania to manage their type 1 diabetes.

“This is great news for people with type 1 diabetes in our community,” she said. “CGM products help reduce complications from living with diabetes, and the need to see a doctor or go to hospital.

“While finger prick blood testing gives patients a glucose reading at a single point in time, CGM gives continuous glucose readings, including during sleep.”

People on the North West and West Coasts and King Island will be among the 71,000 more Australians who will now have subsidised access to CGM under the Government’s initiative. It means that, for the first time, all Australians with type 1 diabetes – around 130,000 people – will have access to subsidised CGM products.

The Government is also delivering on its commitment to expand the eligibility criteria for the separate Insulin Pump Program.

This will provide an additional 35 fully subsidised insulin pumps a year to allow young adults aged 18 to 21 with type 1 diabetes from financially disadvantaged families to benefit from this life-changing technology.

“Until now, this program has been limited to children up to the age of 18,” Senator Urquhart said. “Again, it is more great news to help people in our community to better manage their condition.”

More information about the Insulin Pump Program, including online application forms, is available at www.jdrf.org.au

Further information about the NDSS, including information about how to access CGM products, is available at www.ndss.com.au

FRIDAY, 8 JULY 2022