Speeches

Transcript: 6PR with Jo McManus, 7pm (AEST) 12 January, 2022

Transcript: 6PR with Jo McManus, 7pm (AEST) 12 January, 2022

"I think that all people should take up the opportunity to have a vaccination. And nationally, we've seen that occur very broadly. But from the Australian Government's perspective, it is a voluntary program. We're really pleased that in excess of 93, 94 per cent of Australians across the board have already taken that up. But the circumstance that I've indicated to you where you're not vaccinated, there is reasonably requirement for you to take other measures to ensure that you're not carrying the virus into an aged-care facility..."

Transcript: 2GB Drive with Chris O'Keefe, 3:30pm 6 January, 2022

Transcript: 2GB Drive with Chris O'Keefe, 3:30pm 6 January, 2022

"There was a lot of work that was done there. The issue is, a traveller,  whether you’re a tennis player or a tourist, is required to provide evidence of your qualifications to enter the country at the point of entry. And in this case, that evidence wasn't able to be provided."

Transcript: RN Breakfast with Hamish MacDonald, 7:45am, 6 January 2022

Transcript: RN Breakfast with Hamish MacDonald, 7:45am, 6 January 2022

"We asked Victoria - Border Force, as I understand, asked them for information in relation to the exemption. So I think it's a bit of a red herring that's being thrown up by Victoria. We didn't ask for information to support a visa."

Transcript: Today Show with Karl and Ally. 8:10am 25 October 2021

Transcript: Today Show with Karl and Ally. 8:10am 25 October 2021

"We're expecting advice in the next couple of days around booster shots to make sure there is the highest possible level of protection for people like Graeme in aged-care facilities. I don't want to go back to last year where three-quarters of the deaths that we suffered in the country were people in residential aged-care. So, we need to have good infection control practices in place to protect them, but we also need to make sure they can enjoy the freedoms the rest of us enjoy too. Both of those things are important."

Transcript: 4BC with Neil Breen, 7:45am 19 October 2021

Transcript: 4BC with Neil Breen, 7:45am 19 October 2021

"This is a really important event for Australia. It's a very exciting event for Australia, obviously. We’ll become one of a few countries to have ever hosted the Olympics three times and so very exciting. A lot for us to gain. We need a good and strong committee that’ll endure that 11 years and put on a cracker event in 2032."

Opinion: Everyone shares the same Olympic dream

Opinion: Everyone shares the same Olympic dream

Never before has an Olympic and Paralympic future host benefited from a decade-long run-up to what we hope will be an era-defining event. The Brisbane 2032 Games present us with an opportunity to showcase not just our credentials in major international events – but our ability to work together.
We already understand the power of the Games to strengthen the fabric of the nation. We witnessed it in Sydney - and 21 years later we are still talking about it. Comprehensive and cohesive planning will ensure these are a Games that cement a stronger future.

Transcript: Australia Today with Steve Price, 5 October 2021

Transcript: Australia Today with Steve Price, 5 October 2021

"If a facility has an outbreak, for example, visitors will obviously be restricted. Although there are, and I have to give credit to the sector here, they've been quite proactive in supporting family members coming in, even in a circumstance where there has been an outbreak for end-of-life visits and things of that nature."

Opinion: North-West paralympian Deon Kenzie an inspiration during pandemic Picture: The Advocate Newspaper

Opinion: North-West paralympian Deon Kenzie an inspiration during pandemic

There is no greater example of our individual ability to overcome the odds than in the achievements of our Paralympians. This week we have watched as the largest contingent of Australian athletes have made their mark at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. It is humbling as Minister for Sport to read the remarkable stories of those athletes who have each thumbed their noses at personal circumstance and showcased what can be achieved with a determined spirit and rigorous training. Middle-distance athlete Deon Kenzie is a shining light for the North West Coast.

Transcript: SEN Mornings with Gerard Whateley, 9:40am 9 September 2021

Transcript: SEN Mornings with Gerard Whateley, 9:40am 9 September 2021

"We’ve made a very clear statement as you’ve indicated overnight, we don’t support excluding women from sport at any level. Simply unacceptable. So we’re really concerned about the reports that came out last night. We’ve been in very productive conversations with Cricket Australia. Our perspective, I know, has been passed through to the ICC. And of course, we’ve also urged the ICC and other global sporting authorities to take a stand against this if in fact this is the case."

Transcript:  6PR with Oliver Peterson, 28 September 2021

Transcript: 6PR with Oliver Peterson, 28 September 2021

"We've had to do a lot of work to organise quarantine arrangements for the cricketers coming to Australia. We want the Ashes Tour to go ahead, but I'd say there's serious questions about whether or not there'll be a Test match in Perth this summer."

Transcript: ABC Hobart, Mornings with Leon Compton, 8:40am Thursday 9 September

Transcript: ABC Hobart, Mornings with Leon Compton, 8:40am Thursday 9 September

"I think that we're having very constructive and productive discussions with Cricket Australia. I've spoken to them a number of times overnight. I spoke to the Premier last night to understand the discussions that he's having and I'll leave him to make public comment on those, which I'm pretty sure he will. I think it's pretty clear our- what our view is. We don't accept excluding women from playing sport."

TRANSCRIPT: FIVEaa with Leon Byner, 10:35am 17 August 2021

TRANSCRIPT: FIVEaa with Leon Byner, 10:35am 17 August 2021

"The issue for us as a Government and as a community is to ensure that we find ways to ensure that there is service provision of the appropriate quality in regional parts of Australia. As someone who lives in regional Australia myself, I'm very focused on that, and have been all through my time in the portfolio."

Transcript: 4BC Drive with Scott Emerson, 3:30pm 22 July 2021

Transcript: 4BC Drive with Scott Emerson, 3:30pm 22 July 2021

Yes, it was a fantastic night, a real coup for Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, and something for all those young athletes in Australia, athletes and para-athletes to aspire to in 11 years’ time. 9, 10, 11-year olds sitting on the couch, watching the Olympics over the next couple of weeks, and the Paras in a few weeks’ time, really have got something to aim for. To be able to compete on home soil is a really rare thing. And it's really exciting that we've been able to pull off the opportunity for young Australians to do just that.

Transcript: RN Breakfast with Fran Kelly, 7:35am 22 July

Transcript: RN Breakfast with Fran Kelly, 7:35am 22 July

(The bid) hit all of the things that the IOC look for in a bid now. It complied with their 2020+5 documents. It was put together in accordance with the new norm proposals for bidding for future games. And so, it actually hit every mark and that was very much the feedback that I got back from delegates when I was receiving congratulations from them after the announcement was made. An extraordinarily exciting time for Australia over the next 11 years as we lead up to the games.

Transcript: Brisbane 2032 press conference, Tokyo, 21 July, 2021

Transcript: Brisbane 2032 press conference, Tokyo, 21 July, 2021

This is an extraordinarily exciting time for Australia to bring the Olympics back for just the third time. We're one of two countries who’ve competed in every modern Olympic Games. We’ve competed in every Paralympic Games. We've competed in every Winter Olympics since 1936, with the exception of 1948. So we have a very proud tradition. This will draw enormous amount for athletes. To those young Australians who are sitting on the couch tonight, aspiring to be an athlete, the chance to compete on home soil in Brisbane 2032 is yours.

Transcript: Doorstop, Tokyo International Airport 19 July 2021

Transcript: Doorstop, Tokyo International Airport 19 July 2021

I think we all understood that there was always a risk that COVID would be in the village. So, significant precautions have been taken by the IOC and the AOC to safeguard the athletes. They all understand that. We’ve been living with COVID at home; it’s a difficult situation here, just as it is at home at the moment. I send my enormous gratitude to the Japanese people for having us here. This is a huge event for the world, it will give a lot of people a lot of joy and we all thank the Japanese people for having us here.

Transcript: Doorstop, TSO Community Concerts, Uniting Agewell Strathdevon, Latrobe, 6 July 2021

Transcript: Doorstop, TSO Community Concerts, Uniting Agewell Strathdevon, Latrobe, 6 July 2021

Terrific to be here at Uniting Agewell Strathdevon today, and thank you for having us here along with TSO to launch the TSO Community that’s being streamed here for the residents today. Music is one of those sensory things that takes you back, does so many things in a fantastic way. And it’s terrific to see the TSO developing this material that can be live streamed or streamed out in delay into residential aged care facilities or to people in the community more broadly. And I was hearing earlier that there’s clients in Victoria who- ex-Tasmanians who love the TSO and were taking advantage of this and talking to the residents here today, how delighted they are to have the opportunity to participate and to have available to them the concerts that are being prepared by one of the great orchestras in this country. It’s fantastic to see this initiative.

Transcript: Channel 7 Interview, Thursday 17 June 2021

Transcript: Channel 7 Interview, Thursday 17 June 2021

"It's been a very difficult period over the time of the Royal Commission, and particularly during COVID last year, but we now have the opportunity to implement those significant reforms, and I'm looking forward to the work involved in doing that."

Transcript: RN Breakfast with Fran Kelly, Tuesday 01 June 2021

Transcript: RN Breakfast with Fran Kelly, Tuesday 01 June 2021

"We have and we continue to do everything we possibly can to support aged care and aged care residents to keep them safe. That's why we prioritised aged care residents as a part of the vaccination process. That's why when we had to reset the rollout for staff, we provided a number of channels to make it as easy as possible for staff to access a vaccination."

Transcript: Doorstop at Parliament House Canberra, Tuesday 01 June 2021

Transcript: Doorstop at Parliament House Canberra, Tuesday 01 June 2021

"The Health Services Union actually took an aged care provider in New South Wales to the Fair Work Commission last year to challenge their imposition of one worker, one site provisions, and were successful. So it's actually illegal to inhibit how somebody earns a living, particularly somebody who's working in a casual circumstance. So what we've done is we’ve, in conjunction and cooperatively with the Victorian Government, instituted a one worker, one site program where once there's a hotspot declared by the Chief Medical Officer, automatically one worker, one site provisions are triggered, which assists providers to restrict the number of people who are working across sites."

 Transcript: Sunrise, Tuesday 01 June 2021

Transcript: Sunrise, Tuesday 01 June 2021

"I think that the providers that we've had working for us have done a really good job scheduling this, it's a very complex exercise to match up the vaccine deliveries, the vaccine workers, all of those across the country, working with providers, going into each facility twice to set up a vaccine clinic. It's a significant logistical exercise. I think the providers have done a really good job to do that…"

Transcript: 7AD Across The Coast with Martin Agatyn, Monday 31 May 2021

Transcript: 7AD Across The Coast with Martin Agatyn, Monday 31 May 2021

"Well the Rugby World Cup is projected to bring over 200,000 visitors in from the international market, generating something in the order of $2 billion dollars, which is an enormous amount of money and 13,000 full time equivalent jobs, so it really does have a significant presence and as I said it does add to the golden decade if you like that we are starting to build at the moment.."

Transcript: Doorstop at Parliament House Canberra, Thursday 27 May 2021

Transcript: Doorstop at Parliament House Canberra, Thursday 27 May 2021

"So, we've worked with the providers to progressively get this done. It's a significant logistical exercise. It’s largely been completed in 13 weeks. I think it's a good job and I congratulate the people who've been working on this every day, every week since we started the vaccine rollout. And of course, we'll continue to push on our work with aged care providers, their staff, and, of course, continuing the disability rollout."

 Transcript: The Today Show, Thursday 27 May 2021

Transcript: The Today Show, Thursday 27 May 2021

"So this has been a very live exercise all the way through, and Minister Hunt and I, and in fact the Prime Minister, have been very closely keeping an eye on this all the way through because it's really important, we want people to go and get vaccinated."

Budget blueprint for a brighter future

Budget blueprint for a brighter future

THIS month’s Federal Budget is the next stage of the Government’s economic plan to secure Australia’s recovery.

For Tasmanians, it’s a plan that creates jobs, guarantees essential services and builds a more resilient and secure state.

Tasmania is bouncing back – but there has never been a more important time to stimulate spending and bolster our state economy.

Transcript: Australia Today with Steve Price, Monday 17 May 2021

Transcript: Australia Today with Steve Price, Monday 17 May 2021

"...So getting the residents vaccinated first is the most important thing. Obviously, we've had to reset the vaccination process for staff. And so, we've got a number of outlets that are available there so that they can get access to a vaccine as quickly as possible, and we continue to work our way through that vaccination process."

Transcript: Doorstop at Melaleuca Home for the Aged, Tuesday 18 May 2021

Transcript: Doorstop at Melaleuca Home for the Aged, Tuesday 18 May 2021

"...the whole objective of the reforms coming out of the back of the royal commission are to ensure a high quality of care for senior Australians in aged care. That's the point of the redesign of the system. And it is a generational redesign, the new pricing structures, all of those things go to support better care, including many of the access to GP's and ancillary services. All of those things are about a better provision of care."

Transcript: 2CC Radio with Stephen Cenatiempo, Thursday 13 May 2021

Transcript: 2CC Radio with Stephen Cenatiempo, Thursday 13 May 2021

"And while we roll out that 80,000 packages over the next two years, we'll also be reforming the way that we deliver care at home to be much more tailored to the individual needs of residents. But also, to gain some efficiencies from the system and some additional oversight to ensure that we're getting the best value for money for the taxpayer dollar that we're contributing to support senior Australians. So, this is a fundamental reform of the system, once in a generation across the entire system, in response to the 148 recommendations of the Royal Commission."

Transcript: ABC Radio Hobart with Leon Compton, Thursday 13 May 2021

Transcript: ABC Radio Hobart with Leon Compton, Thursday 13 May 2021

"Well Leon, we've responded to each of the 148 recommendations of the Royal Commission, including providing additional capacity and powers for the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission. We’ll be doing a capability review of the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission. There will be a review of the quality standards that apply to the aged care sector. There will be additional oversight and advocacy in support of the aged care sector, so governance is a very important part of the overall process of delivery care. There will be an Inspector General of aged care. There will be new at national Aged Care Advisory Council and the Council of Elders that supports the delivery of service. So this is not just about a large allocation of money, although that it is a very significant allocation of funding to the aged care sector. This is about a fundamental generational redesign of the system supported by a new Aged Care Act to change the way that we deliver aged care in this country for the better."

Transcript: ABC Radio National Breakfast with Fran Kelly, Thursday 13 May 2021

Transcript: ABC Radio National Breakfast with Fran Kelly, Thursday 13 May 2021

"Well, this is not just about money. This is about a fundamental reform of the way that aged care is delivered. There will be a new aged care act. There will be a complete review of the quality standards. There'll be a new aged care advisory committee. There'll be a director-general of aged care that's established as well. So this is not just about money."

Transcript: Sky News First Edition with Peter Stefanovic, Thursday 13 May 2021

Transcript: Sky News First Edition with Peter Stefanovic, Thursday 13 May 2021

"But we are, I think, in a good position because we do have sovereign vaccine capacity here in Australia now. And obviously, given the fact that there will be an ongoing requirement, vaccines and mRNA vaccines are probably one of the future vaccine types that will be available, it would be good to have that capacity here in Australia."

Transcript: ABC AM with Sabra Lane,  Sunday 2 May 2021

Transcript: ABC AM with Sabra Lane, Sunday 2 May 2021

"When you have opposition parties particularly the Greens who attack our major industries for their own political ends, this is not the time for Tasmania to have that and you know we have the best performing economy in the country, we have the highest levels of business confidence in the country and that actually sets up the economy to deliver the services that Tasmanians want and need."

Transcript: Sky News AM Agenda with Laura Jayes, Wednesday 28 April 2021

Transcript: Sky News AM Agenda with Laura Jayes, Wednesday 28 April 2021

"...every aged care provider around the country either has a date or a window within which the vaccinations will be completed, and that will be done in the next few weeks. So, we have always prioritised our most vulnerable, they’re well on the way. And of course, the decision's been made by National Cabinet to bring the Olympians, Paralympians and support crews into Category 1B as a part of that rollout."

Transcript: ABC Radio National Breakfast with Fran Kelly, Wednesday 28 April 2021

Transcript: ABC Radio National Breakfast with Fran Kelly, Wednesday 28 April 2021

"National Cabinet decided that they would, after a request from the AOC and Paralympics Australia, include the athletes and support staff in stage 1B of the rollout. And we announced that decision obviously last night in support of the athletes being able to safely- safely as possible complete in the games- the Olympics in July and the Paralympics in August."

Transcript: ABC News Breakfast with Michael Rowland, Wednesday 28 April 2021

Transcript: ABC News Breakfast with Michael Rowland, Wednesday 28 April 2021

"What National Cabinet’s decided to do is to bring the athletes and support staff for the Olympics into category 1B. And so while the rollout continues through 1A, then the athletes will have the opportunity to be vaccinated as part of 1B which has already commenced."

Transcript: 4BC Breakfast with Neil Breen, Tuesday 27 April 2021

Transcript: 4BC Breakfast with Neil Breen, Tuesday 27 April 2021

"...the important thing from our perspective is that we want to see the games coming to Australia. That's why we were early movers in the context of supporting the bid. We put $10 million on the table to assist the Queensland Government with the preparation of the bid."

Transcript: ABC Radio Brisbane with Rebecca Levingston, Tuesday 27 April 2021

Transcript: ABC Radio Brisbane with Rebecca Levingston, Tuesday 27 April 2021

"Well, the 50/50 commitment is to critical infrastructure towards the Games. So, it will, depending on- depend on the costings of those particular projects; the assessment of the projects there need otherwise; and you've talked about the potential upgrade of The Gabba, for example - so that project will go through an assessment process, through the body that we're proposing as part of a genuine partnership between the Australian Government and the Queensland Government to actually assess, design, and then deliver the infrastructure that’ll be required for the game."

Transcript: ABC Radio Gold Coast with Matt Webber, Tuesday 27 April 2021

Transcript: ABC Radio Gold Coast with Matt Webber, Tuesday 27 April 2021

"I think if people are comfortable that those that need or want access to the vaccine can get it through the various channels, then they'll be comfortable with others, like Olympians who are going onto the international stage to represent our country, that they would have access to it too, so that they can travel there safely."

Transcript: Sunrise with David Koch, Tuesday 27 April 2021

Transcript: Sunrise with David Koch, Tuesday 27 April 2021

"Well that’s the point of us wanting to have a partnership as a part of the development of the infrastructure, to make sure that taxpayers got value for money, to assess each project, to assure ourselves that the expenditure was as it should be. But this is a significant event for Australia. We’ve seen through the ‘56 Melbourne games, the 2000 Sydney games, what a huge [indistinct] it is for the country, what it does for the economy. So the whole nation does benefit from this and it actually builds another international city for us."

Transcript: Press conference at Kirribilli House, Monday 01 March 2021

Transcript: Press conference at Kirribilli House, Monday 01 March 2021

"As both the Prime Minister and Greg have said, it is a once in a generation opportunity to create real change in the way that aged care is provided in this country."

Transcript: Sky News AM Agenda with Laura Jayes, Tuesday 02 March 2021

Transcript: Sky News AM Agenda with Laura Jayes, Tuesday 02 March 2021

"...And as I said, in some states, the vaccine rollout in aged care is actually ahead of schedule. We're having some issues in certain locations around the country. We will overcome those and we will get the vaccination rollout completed to aged care facilities, protecting those who are most vulnerable first."

Transcript: ABC Radio Gold Coast with Matt Webber, Wednesday 17 March 2021

Transcript: ABC Radio Gold Coast with Matt Webber, Wednesday 17 March 2021

"I'm very happy with the progress and the progress of ramping up the vaccination process. Of course, an additional load comes on this week when we started doing the second visits, to do those second vaccinations, and there's been a few circumstances where somebody might not have wanted to have a vaccination in the first round. They're being picked up as we go back through the process again. So, I'm very comfortable with the way that the system is..."

Transcript: Mornings Around Tasmania with Leon Compton, Wednesday 03 March 2021

Transcript: Mornings Around Tasmania with Leon Compton, Wednesday 03 March 2021

"...I said this when the report was released on Monday, being in the portfolio and the events of the last 18 months or so have really made me question, fundamentally, the way that we deliver aged care in this country, including whether or not residential aged care, for example, is something that we should maintain. So, my thought process has gone right back to fundamentals as part of this process."

Transcript: ABC Radio National Breakfast with Fran Kelly, Tuesday 02 March 2021

Transcript: ABC Radio National Breakfast with Fran Kelly, Tuesday 02 March 2021

"So, we will be working very, very quickly to respond to the Royal Commission's report, and to start putting in place the measures that we need to have an effective aged care system in this country that provides the level of care that people deserve."

Transcript: 2GB with Ben Fordham, Thursday March 02 2021

Transcript: 2GB with Ben Fordham, Thursday March 02 2021

"We will have a quite comprehensive response to the Royal Commission in the budget. And as the Royal Commission has asked us to provide a full response to the Parliament by the end of May and we've said we will do that too."

Transcript: ABC Radio Gold Coast with Matt Webber, Monday 22 February 2021

Transcript: ABC Radio Gold Coast with Matt Webber, Monday 22 February 2021

"...it's a very, very big week, not only in the context of the commencement of vaccination for COVID, but it's also a significant week in the context of aged care, more broadly, with the Royal Commission's report due this week. We've been working very, very hard, looking at the draft recommendations from counsel assisting, in particular, as to where we think the commission might be going. But we're actually looking forward to that report.it's a very, very big week, not only in the context of the commencement of vaccination for COVID, but it's also a significant week in the context of aged care, more broadly, with the Royal Commission's report due this week. We've been working very, very hard, looking at the draft recommendations from counsel assisting, in particular, as to where we think the commission might be going. But we're actually looking forward to that report."

Transcript: 102.9FM Hot Tomato with Paul Gale and Emily Jade O’Keeffe, Thursday February 25 2021

Transcript: 102.9FM Hot Tomato with Paul Gale and Emily Jade O’Keeffe, Thursday February 25 2021

"I'm very happy to be in targeted dialogue exclusively with the IOC at this point in time because it puts us in the best possible position to be able to win the bid."

Transcript: Doorstop interview in Parliament House, Thursday February 25 2021

Transcript: Doorstop interview in Parliament House, Thursday February 25 2021

"...we are doing our own independent process on top of that now to ensure that that's the case. But it's- but I think that, overall, that they’re a good contractor, but they are now on notice that they need to make sure that this doesn't happen again."

Transcript: Sky News First Edition with Peter Stefanovic, Thursday 25 February 2021

Transcript: Sky News First Edition with Peter Stefanovic, Thursday 25 February 2021

..."we are in the front seat. We’re now in an exclusive time of targeted dialogue – we’ve moved from the continuous dialogue process to targeted dialogue which means that we now have the opportunity to exclusively negotiate and work with the IOC for the 2032 games."

Transcript: ABC News Breakfast with Lisa Millar, Thursday 25 February 2021

Transcript: ABC News Breakfast with Lisa Millar, Thursday 25 February 2021

"We know that the vaccines are safe and they will protect you, as an individual, against serious illness. Those things remain the truth and are very important."

Transcript: Today Show with Karl Stefanovic and Sylvia Jeffreys, Thursday 25 February 2021

Transcript: Today Show with Karl Stefanovic and Sylvia Jeffreys, Thursday 25 February 2021

"So, Sylvia, we’re now entering what’s called, targeted dialogue, with the IOC through the Brisbane bid process. That means we are the only ones negotiating with the IOC for the 2032 games. So, a lot of work to do. Our officials at a state, Commonwealth and local government level are already starting to work together with respect to this bid, but it puts us in a really, really strong position."

Transcript: ABC Radio Hobart with Lucy Breaden, Tuesday 23 February 2021

Transcript: ABC Radio Hobart with Lucy Breaden, Tuesday 23 February 2021

"We have had another shipment arrive overnight to come off the back of the first 142,000 doses that arrived last week. And so, it's good to see that starting to move and of course, the frontline workers who are receiving their vaccines in Hobart as of today, which is great."

Transcript: 7AD Across The Coast with Martin Agatyn, Monday 22 February 2021

Transcript: 7AD Across The Coast with Martin Agatyn, Monday 22 February 2021

"The objective is to offer everyone in the country, everyone living here, a vaccine by the end of October. The specific timings on that will depend on the supply of the vaccine as it rolls out. But we're very lucky to have a sovereign capacity to manufacture here in Australia. And there’s 50 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine being manufactured here in Australia."

Transcript: Sky News AM Agenda with Laura Jayes, 22 February 2021

Transcript: Sky News AM Agenda with Laura Jayes, 22 February 2021

"...We want to be able to have the operation of our aged care facilities coming back to normal as quickly as possible, and I know that’s one of the aspirations that residents in aged care are already talking about. They want to be able to go back out for little trips, opportunities to get out, have friends and visitors come back in and see them - so, they’re all looking forward to that. And so, the roll out of the vaccine is a serious enabler for that, and as we work our way through the community that will become more possible."

North West aged care homes set for vaccine rollout

North West aged care homes set for vaccine rollout

Residents of Tasmania’s North-West Coast understand only too well the impact COVID-19 has had on our lives.

And while this year promises to offer a semblance of normality – we cannot afford to be complacent.

We’ve seen the disastrous effects of COVID-19 in countries where government regulations have failed, while the world keeps a close eye on new strains of the virus in places like the United Kingdom and South Africa.

As the COVID-19 virus continues to adapt and spread, so too does the global response in combating it.

Transcript: ABC Radio National Breakfast with Fran Kelly, Wednesday 17 February 2021

Transcript: ABC Radio National Breakfast with Fran Kelly, Wednesday 17 February 2021

"...that's the process that we've been through with respect to the approval, to ensure that the vaccines are both safe and that they work - and that's the process that's been approved by the TGA."

Transcript: 7AD Across The Coast with Martin Agatyn, Monday 8 February 2021

Transcript: 7AD Across The Coast with Martin Agatyn, Monday 8 February 2021

"... it's been wonderful to see the AIS grow from an organisation that had a relatively small number of athletes looking after a few sports to being one that now has, through the National Institute Network, about 2200 athletes working through that network in any one time, all supporting them in their endeavours to represent Australia or to play sport at the best possible level."

Transcript: Interview with ABC 7.30, Tuesday 2 February 2021

Transcript: Interview with ABC 7.30, Tuesday 2 February 2021

"...all through this pandemic, we have taken the advice of the AHPPC in our management of the of the virus and the pandemic. I think that advice has served us extremely well. The day that I received advice from the AHPPC that aged care workers should wear masks and face shields, I implemented that advice. That I think is the responsible thing to do."

Transcript: FiveAA with Leith Forrest, Tuesday 19 January 2021

Transcript: FiveAA with Leith Forrest, Tuesday 19 January 2021

"..99 per cent of those who have been allocated a package, particularly a high level package, are offered some level of support to support them all while they're waiting for the package to be provided. And as our consistent allocation of additional packages indicates, we are very, very keen to resource this sector."

Transcript: 7AD Across The Coast with Martin Agatyn, Monday 11 January 2020

Transcript: 7AD Across The Coast with Martin Agatyn, Monday 11 January 2020

Martin Agatyn:

We’ve spoken before about Australia’s bid for the 2023, I think it is, Women’s World Cup for Soccer. But since we last spoke, we've also applied to host the Rugby World Cup in 2027. This will be worth over $2 billion to the economy and it'll bring 200,000 visitors to Australia and create 12,000 jobs. So it’s a big deal, isn't it?

Comment: After a difficult year, optimism for a brighter future

Comment: After a difficult year, optimism for a brighter future

There are lessons to be learned from what has been the most difficult of years. The impact of the global pandemic in Australia has changed the way we go about our daily lives and connect with our families, loved ones, communities and workplaces. Lives were lost. Businesses closed. Relationships were put under enormous pressure. It’s been tough. But while the holiday season grants us an opportunity to look back on the difficulties we faced – it is as much a chance to build on the experience.

Transcript: Mornings Around Tasmania with Leon Compton, Friday 18 December, 2020

Transcript: Mornings Around Tasmania with Leon Compton, Friday 18 December, 2020

"...I think it’s been talking to families who’ve been impacted by the virus and those that have lost loved ones, it’s the human elements. There’s been significant work obviously, I’ve never seen this as being about me at all it’s about the residents, their families and so the hardest thing has been talking with families and working with them and then working to ensure that they had services to deal with their grief for example things of that nature, that’s the hardest part because it’s such a human and personal thing."

Transcript: Home Care Packages Announcement, Wednesday 16 December, 2020

Transcript: Home Care Packages Announcement, Wednesday 16 December, 2020

"...this Government has invested in excess of $5 billion to support the aged care sector, both through COVID and to grow its capacity, particularly in home care packages which is an area of significant demand and demand growth."

Comment: Challenges ahead, but we've shown our resilience

Comment: Challenges ahead, but we've shown our resilience

The challenges thrown at Tasmanians have this year showcased our community fortitude.  We have learned that together we are stronger.  It has also underlined the kind of individual qualities that help reinforce the framework of communities – those attributes that often go unnoticed amid normal busy lives. But this year has been far from normal.

Transcript: Tasmania Talks with Aaron Stevens, Friday 20 November, 2020

Transcript: Tasmania Talks with Aaron Stevens, Friday 20 November, 2020

"We've continued to build our response to COVID-19 for aged care as the pandemic has progressed. It put us in a very good position when we heard of the outbreak in South Australia last week, all of the things that we’d learned very quickly were put into place. We had every resident in- and worker in the facility that had the outbreak in South Australia, where there was a staff member who was found to be positive, they were tested in the first 24 hours. We have three staff members who are resident. We got the test results from the second round of testing of residents back this morning, and they're all negative. So all 40 of the residents in the facility in South Australia have tested negative twice now, which is great news."

Transcript: RN Drive with Patricia Karvelas, Tuesday 17 November, 2020

Transcript: RN Drive with Patricia Karvelas, Tuesday 17 November, 2020

"...we do understand, only too well, the link between community transmission and then transmission into aged care. We've seen that tragically in Victoria and we've seen it everywhere else in the world. I heard a report this morning from the UK of the increase in numbers in aged care that are occurring over there with the increase in community transmission. So we're really concerned about it." 

Transcript: Press conference, Devonport, Tasmania. 11 August, 2020.

Transcript: Press conference, Devonport, Tasmania. 11 August, 2020.

"... we  have worked extremely closely with the sector. We have been meeting on a very regular basis -weekly, sometimes twice-weekly – to ensure they were informed of what we were doing, we were learning from their experience and interacting with them on a regular basis to understand the concerns that they might have, and how we might act on those concerns, and how we might continue to build the plan that we have for COVID-19 in residential aged care."

Interview: ABC News Breakfast, 18 August 2020

Interview: ABC News Breakfast, 18 August 2020

"... the front line of our approach to the infection of COVID-19 all along has to be control community infection rates because we understood, only too graphically, how devastating it would be if it gets into aged care - transmitted in by staff members who were showing no symptoms, they didn't know they had the virus, and they were infecting the facilities before anybody understood what was happening."

Statement to the Senate: Action to protect Senior Australians in aged care

Statement to the Senate: Action to protect Senior Australians in aged care

Thank you Mr. President. I want to thank the Senate for the chance to further outline the Government’s record and commitment to preventing and tackling COVID-19 in aged care, and how that has evolved as we learn more about this virus.

These are extraordinary times. Times of great tragedy for so many, and full of emotion, pain and grief.

I would like to extend my condolences to the families and loved ones of the more than 360 older Australians who have lost their lives from Covid-19 each of which is a tragedy.

Press conference: Extension of Age Care support measures - Minister for Health Greg Hunt, Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians Richard Colbeck and Acting Chief Medical Officer Prof. Paul Kelly, Parliament House, Canberra, Monday 31 August, 2020

Press conference: Extension of Age Care support measures - Minister for Health Greg Hunt, Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians Richard Colbeck and Acting Chief Medical Officer Prof. Paul Kelly, Parliament House, Canberra, Monday 31 August, 2020

"We need to send a message to our workers in residential aged care that they are very important. They're important to us, they are important to the people who they work with, and this is one of the ways that the Government is seeking to do that, in acknowledgment of the fact that we need our aged care workers to come to work. The people who are in the residential facilities rely on that. We rely on that, and the care that residential aged care residents get is dependent on that."

Transcript: Sky News, AM Agenda with Tom Connell, 17 August, 2020

Transcript: Sky News, AM Agenda with Tom Connell, 17 August, 2020

"Obviously, the fact that we called the Royal Commission was an acknowledgement that there were issues in aged care in the first place. So no one's ever pretended that the whole sector has been perfect. There were issues that we wanted to address and deal with, and that's why we called the Royal Commission. So we'll be working very closely to watch what (it) says."

Transcript -  ROYAL COMMISSION INTO AGED CARE PRESS CONFERENCE

Transcript - ROYAL COMMISSION INTO AGED CARE PRESS CONFERENCE

31 October 2019 - Minister Colbeck

Thanks everyone. Today we’ve seen the release of the Royal Commission into the aged care sector’s interim report, and as the Prime Minister said when he announced the Royal Commission, that we needed to be prepared for some very, very difficult conversations, and to hear some very difficult things. What we have been is shocked at the extent of what we’ve found. But importantly, what’s happened is that this process has given senior Australians in particular a voice – an important voice in how they receive aged care and what might happen into the future. I said to industry last week, in anticipation of the report being released, that it would put us all on notice. It has certainly done that. It's done that in spades. It's put the government on notice, it's put the industry on notice, but I think as importantly as anything, it's put the entire community on notice.

Transcript: RN Breakfast with Fran Kelly, 27 July, 2020

Transcript: RN Breakfast with Fran Kelly, 27 July, 2020

"Nobody's immune from this and unfortunately, because we don't know- people don't know that they've got the virus, they're asymptomatic, they're going to work. That's why we've ramped up the testing, that's why we put in the additional testing teams so that we could go around aged care facilities and asymptomatically test the workforce."

Opening of Stage One of Living City, Devonport

Opening of Stage One of Living City, Devonport

Friday 12 October 2018

It is good to see you all here. To the project team, other local Government members, those who worked on the project, and members of the community, it is a very special day for Devonport.

The opening of this building takes us to the next stage in the development of the City, and one that's been aspired to for a long, long time.

I can recall the original concept of opening Devonport up to the City, and I think I might still have a copy of the newspaper clipping from that which goes back to the early 1990s.

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Transcript: First Edition with Peter Stefanovic, July 9, 2020

Transcript: First Edition with Peter Stefanovic, July 9, 2020

Transcript: Sky News, First Edition with Peter Stefanovic, July 9, 2020

Peter Stefanovic: Well, joining me live now is Aged Care Minister, Richard Colbeck. Minister, good morning to you, thanks for joining us. So, you were born in Melbourne, can I ask you what you make of everything that’s going on?

Richard Colbeck: Actually, I was born in regional Victoria, so I’m not taking responsibility for Melbourne.

Peter Stefanovic: Well, a Victorian thing. Yeah.

Richard Colbeck: But, it is really tough. But I currently live in a place that was locked down for a period of time during the height of the virus in the north-west coast of Tassie. We closed two hospitals, we had 5000 hospital workers and their families in isolation for periods of about four weeks and we haven’t had a case in north-west Tassie, or in Tassie now for about 50 days. So, if everybody can go along with this - they can obey the rules; observe cough and sneeze etiquette; social distancing; washing your hands; taking all the appropriate measures - there is an opportunity for us to work our way through this. It’s going to be very difficult, particularly for those businesses who have just reopened and are going to feel the pain of that, but also for people who are isolated. And so, there’s a range of measures that we continue to place to try and keep people connected, particularly in my portfolio.

Bankruptcy Amendment (Debt Agreement Reform) Bill 2018

Bankruptcy Amendment (Debt Agreement Reform) Bill 2018

18 September 2018 - Senator the Hon Richard Colbeck

The debt agreement system is an important part of Australia's consumer finance framework. For many debtors, a debt agreement is the final option to avoid bankruptcy.

The debt agreement system gives those in financial difficulty an opportunity to protect their family home and take control of their finances.

Unfortunately, debt agreements can also be used as a tool to keep people in financial stress, trapped in unsustainable debt repayments

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Tobacco Plain Packaging Amendment Bill 2018

Tobacco Plain Packaging Amendment Bill 2018

18 September 2018 - Senator the Hon Richard Colbeck

As I said last night, I think you probably pay moreexcise on one smoke now than I paid for that one packet that I bought when I was a lot younger.

I was making some remarks around initiatives that have been put in place over a period of time around tobacco and tobacco campaigns and, in particular, responding to a comment made by Senator O'Neill that there weren't any current campaigns running.

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Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Amendment (Hammerhead Shark) Regulations 2018

Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Amendment (Hammerhead Shark) Regulations 2018

2018 09 12 - Hansard

Let's not be shy about this. Senator Whish-Wilson's motion is just about stopping fishing. That's all it's about.
He's not interested in good fisheries management. He misrepresents terribly. He is not interested in good fisheries
management. He quotes a piece of alleged science—I think is probably better to say—which is based on people
going snorkelling in inshore waters and trying to correlate that to the impacts on our Commonwealth waters
outside three kilometres. This is not science. This observational science that he talks of, that he quotes in support
of his argument, is not science.

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MATTERS OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE Turnbull Government

MATTERS OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE Turnbull Government

21 August 2018 - Senator Richard Colbeck

The government, over our two and a bit terms of parliament, have been focused on delivering economic returns for the Australian people, and we've been successful.

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MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS Lyons, Dame Enid Muriel, AD, GBE

MINISTERIAL STATEMENTS Lyons, Dame Enid Muriel, AD, GBE

21 August 2018 - Senator Richard Colbeck

I too would like to associate myself with remarks celebrating the 75th anniversary of the election of Dame Enid Lyons to the House of Representatives. There has been a lot spoken about the way that Dame Enid conducted herself, the separation that she suffered from her husband, Joe, and the difficulties that she faced as a woman at that particular point in time. I think the first speech that we heard here this evening indicates how far we've come from the time when Dame Enid made such a spectacular entry into the Australian parliament.

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Treasury Laws Amendment (Enterprise Tax Plan No. 2) Bill 2017

Treasury Laws Amendment (Enterprise Tax Plan No. 2) Bill 2017

2018 08 20 - Senator Richard Colbeck

I rise to make my contribution to the Treasury Laws Amendment
(Enterprise Tax Plan No. 2) Bill 2017. We bring this piece of legislation forward because we believe that
Australia, as a nation, needs a competitive tax regime for all business.

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Restoring Territory Rights (Assisted Suicide Legislation) Bill 2015

Restoring Territory Rights (Assisted Suicide Legislation) Bill 2015

15 August 2018 - Richard Colbeck

I rise to make my contribution to the Restoring Territory Rights (Assisted Suicide Legislation) Bill 2015.

I acknowledge the contributions made by others in this debate,regardless of their perspective. I understand fully that there are very strongly held views on this matter.

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QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE: TAKE NOTE OF ANSWERS Taxation

25 June 2018

Senator Singh talks about being out of touch, but her presentation on
taking note, just then, demonstrates just how out of touch Labor really is. In fact, the topic that she chose to take
note on, the question from Senator Chisholm, shows how low the Labor Party has sunk in the politics of envy and
how far out of touch they genuinely are about what's happening in their communities, that they would go down
this line.

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QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE: TAKE NOTE OF ANSWERS Income Tax

19 June 2018

Labor may claim to have all
the plans that they like, but of course they're not in government, so they actually can't deliver anything. They're
not in government. They might aspire to that, if they understand what that 'aspiration' might mean. But they're
not in government, so they can't deliver. They can make all the promises they like. In fact, in my home seat,
where I live, in Braddon, they're making a whole range of promises at the moment, but they have to win two
elections in Braddon before they can deliver on any of those promises.

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CONDOLENCES Newman, Hon. Jocelyn Margaret, AO

8 May 2018

I too rise to make a contribution in recognition of the life of my
immediate predecessor in my first incarnation in this place in 2002, the Hon. Jocelyn Newman, AO. Jocelyn was
part of a family that enjoys a very special place in Tasmanian and national politics, particularly the Liberal Party
of Tasmania.

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Economy, Taxation Speech

8 May 2018 - The Senate

The Labor Party are starting to sound increasingly desperate in their arguments around this matter. I have to say the shrill presentation that we just heard from Senator Cameron is sounding desperate, and there is nobody on this side who will be lectured to by the Labor Party on economic management. I think Senator Abetz was right to note that the only economic manager that the Labor Party were prepared to quote in their questions in question time today was former Treasurer Peter Costello. They can't find one of their own to quote. Perhaps they have an obsession with Treasurers from this side of the House - I'm not sure - but they could not find anybody else to quote.

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STATEMENTS BY SENATORS Honey Industry

28 March 2018

I rise today to make a contribution in support of the manuka honey
industry in Australia, particularly in my home state of Tasmania. Canberrans are used to pronouncing manuka
differently than we do back home in Tasmania. The name manuka goes back a long way in my home state of
Tassie.

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QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE: TAKE NOTE OF ANSWERS Taxation

27 March 2018

You'd almost think that the Labor Party don't really want to debate the
motion that they've just moved before the Senate. To be frank, given some of the activities of the last 24 hours
and some of the briefings that are coming out from the Labor Party, I have to say I am starting to feel the ghosts of
Labor past return from the Rudd-Gillard years, where 'policy turmoil' and 'policy implementation turmoil' were
basically the buzzwords of how the Labor Party operated.

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Building and Construction Industry Speech

20 March 2018 - The Senate

I rise to speak to this motion not necessarily because I support it but because I think it deserves to be debated. It is an issue of concern for someone who spent 25 years working in the construction industry and who has seen the results of this at a practical level, as Senator Georgiou has expressed he has himself. In fact, we're probably rare beasts, alongside Senator Marshall, who was an electrician—is an electrician? I'm not sure whether he still has his licence.

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QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE: TAKE NOTE OF ANSWERS Dividend Imputation

19 March 2018

Labor talk about fairness, and you hear them talk about fairness a lot. Senator Ketter also talked about
what Labor's policy wouldn't do, including that it wouldn't take the pension and wouldn't take dividends. But
what Labor's policy is doing is taking away pensioners' and self-funded retirees' and part-pensioners' income.

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