Arrival caps halved, jab push for business
International arrival caps slashed
National Cabinet of Federal, State and Territory leaders have agreed to reduce the number of international arrivals by 50 per cent, down from the present weekly cap of 6,370 arrivals. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the reduced caps would apply from July 14 through August 31, with NSW continuing to take around half of all arrivals. Mr Morrison said almost 84 per cent of international arrivals in June were Australian permanent residents and their families.
Business poised to host vaccination hubs
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has canvassed the prospect of workplace vaccinations for Covid-19, following talks with industry leaders and company chief executives. After meeting with more than 30 business representatives, Mr Frydenberg said businesses would promote Covid-19 shots for workers and customers, through on-site vaccinations at workplaces and potentially, commercial venues. The Treasurer said 8.5 million vaccine doses had been delivered across Australia, with more than 30 per cent of eligible Australians receiving their first jab.
Treasurer stands firm: no more JobKeeper
As the NSW Government extended into a third week the Covid-19 restrictions applying in Greater Sydney, the Federal Treasurer has again rebuffed calls to resurrect the former JobKeeper scheme. Josh Frydenberg said the Federal Government had already provided $90 billion through the former JobKeeper package, in what he termed was the country’s most expensive and comprehensive job subsidy scheme. He noted that emergency support extended to NSW was the same as that made available to Victoria during its June lockdown.
Payroll jobs, total wages rising steadily
Payroll job numbers rose 0.3 per cent and total wages paid by 0.4 per cent in the first two full weeks of June, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Tasmania was a strong performer, with the number of payroll jobs rising 0.5 per cent (second to the ACT, 0.6 per cent) and total wages rising 1.6 per cent, ahead of the Northern Territory (one per cent rise) The survey period included the relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions in Victoria but before the onset of fresh restrictions in NSW and other states and territories.
CSIRO to head international hydrogen research drive
Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, has been charged with the responsibility of leading an international collaboration program to advance the clean hydrogen industry. Industry Minister Christian Porter and Energy and Emissions Reduction Minister Angus Taylor said CSIRO would seek to strengthen connections between Australian research institutions and international hydrogen research organisations. Australia has entered into partnerships with Germany, Singapore and Japan to accelerate the development of low emissions technologies, including hydrogen.
Move to increase space collaboration with US
Australia is strengthening its presence in the civil space sector through a new agreement to increase its collaboration with major US companies. The Government has announced that it will start negotiations on a bilateral technology safeguards agreement, to establish principles that will protect sensitive US technology and data on local launch projects. It will also defer the introduction of a partial cost recovery regime, enabling businesses to apply for space activities such as launches without incurring an application fee.