AUGUST 2021 THE BRUCE BULLETIN JULIAN HILL MP FEDERAL MEMBER FOR BRUCE Morrison’s vaccine mess and quarantine failures

Scott Morrison has failed quarantine, failed the vaccine rollout, and failed in aged care. Leaving our most vulnerable Australians without the protection they so desperately need.

Every COVID-19 outbreak from promised that has been facing the hotel quarantine is a direct result of four million Australians would be coronavirus pandemic since March Scott Morrison’s failure to put in vaccinated by the end of March. But last year. But Scott Morrison is only place a safe national quarantine he only managed to get just over half just announcing he’s developing a system. He has had more than a year a million doses administered, barely COVID plan. And he still hasn’t set to establish purpose-built facilities. an eighth of what he promised. any timelines or targets. Every day that goes by without Scott Morrison promised to purpose-built quarantine means fully vaccinate all 20 million adults Australians face more outbreaks in Australia by October. It won’t and more lockdowns. happen. Now he refuses to set Last November, Scott Morrison another target, to avoid being promised our community Australia embarrassed again. is at the “front of the queue” for Aged care workers and residents vaccines. But, in reality, we are at were all supposed to be fully the back of the queue. vaccinated by Easter. Yet the We are actually closer to the 100th still can’t country in the world for vaccination even answer basic questions about rollout – the slowest rollout for any these vaccinations. developed nation. The rest of the world has a choice in vaccines – but not in Australia. We could have had as much Pfizer as we wanted, but the Prime Minister refused. The Morrison government put all their eggs in the AstraZeneca basket, and the chickens have come SEE INSIDE FOR PAGE home to roost. Last year they should have followed international best Assistance and information 2 practice and made deals for four or Medicare surgery funding cuts 3 more different vaccines. Healthcare going backwards 3 Without a safe, fast and consistent Robodebt scheme illegal 4 vaccine program, Australian lives Stay alert for scams 5 will be left in the lurch – while other Cashless pension card 6 countries with effective vaccine Cheaper child care plan 6 programs begin to return to normal Health services handy guide 7 life. Aged care crisis 8 2 JULIAN HILL MP NEWS Australia is falling behind Congratulations Australia is falling behind Julian can arrange congratulations for special birthdays and wedding under Scott Morrison anniversaries. Depending on the special occasion, messages can be arranged from the Premier of , Prime Minister, Governor of Victoria, Governor- General and the Queen for: l 90th birthdays l 100th birthdays l 50th wedding anniversaries l 60th wedding anniversaries l 65th wedding anniversaries If possible, please contact Julian Hill six weeks before the event. Pensions Guide Information for older Australians Julian Hill’s Pensions Guide booklet contains up-to- date details about current Our nation is going backwards under the Liberals, entitlements, payments and and falling behind much of the rest of the world. services. Including: Australia is less productive, more global rankings of key measures of l Age Pension unequal, more corrupt, less happy, Australia’s progress and wellbeing. l Aged Care more indebted, less affluent, and The Australian people deserve l Carer Allowance less trusting of public institutions a government that acts in their l than when the Liberal Party interests. We must, and can, do l Seniors Health Card government was elected in 2013. better. l Concession cards Australia’s Global Performance: Contact Julian to get the printed l Grandparent carers Falling Behind report, collated by booklet posted to you, or download l HomeCare Packages Julian Hill, brings together publicly the report from www.julianhillmp. To get your copy of the guide, just available, reputable data and com/FallingBehindReport call Julian on 9791 7770, or email [email protected] You can also download the guide from the www.julianhillmp.com website. Wellington Rd Bruce Dandenong Creek Julian is here electorate Jacksons Rd to help you Following the 2021 Princes Hwy Boundary Rd As your representative in redistribution, Bruce EastLink the Australian parliament, now includes the BRUE Harkaway Rd Julian Hill is available to suburbs of: Railway Line Princes Hwy assist you with anything Dandenong North, Doveton, Endeavour Hills, involving the government. South Gippsland Hwy Eumemmerring, Hallam, Julian is also here to help whenever Lysterfield South, Hallam Main Drain you, or your family, encounter Narre Warren and problems with government services. Narre Warren North. Please contact Julian anytime And parts of Berwick, Narre Warren-Cranbourne Rd Clyde Rd you want assistance, to discuss a Dandenong, Harkaway, local or national issue, or make a Mulgrave, Narre Warren Glasscocks Rd suggestion. South, and Noble Park North. BRUCE COMMUNITY NEWS, AUGUST 2021 3 NEWS Medicare Scott Morrison is cutting Medicare funding for vital surgeries

Under the cover of the national focus on COVID-19, Medicare and healthcare Scott Morrison is trying to sneak through Medicare going backwards funding cuts to vital surgeries Australia has one of the world’s best universal healthcare that Australians need. systems, thanks to the Whitlam, Hawke-Keating and Scott Morrison is cutting Medicare Rudd-Gillard Labor governments. rebates for hip, shoulder, hand, and cardiac surgeries. That means people This system is complemented by the UK, Germany, France, Norway, optional private health insurance the Netherlands, Sweden and will now have to pay thousands of coverage. But under the Liberals, Canada. dollars or go without the operation. private health coverage has become And a 2017 Commonwealth Fund Australians who are already 36% more expensive, and coverage study ranked Australia just 7th out suffering are being punished even is at its lowest rate in 15 years – of 11 countries for equity. Australia’s further because of Scott Morrison’s putting pressure on the health health system under the Liberals ruthless Medicare cuts. system. under-performs for people on lower No Australian should lose their incomes. mobility because they can’t afford Global performance the necessary medical care. Costs to Australians The 2020 Commonwealth Fund The AMA warned the Morrison have never been higher government about the rushed nature International Health Policy Survey of these changes and that they can’t shows Australia now ranks only 8th Under the Liberals, it costs 37% be implemented without significant out of 11 high-income countries for more to see a doctor in Victoria than healthcare affordability. it did in 2013. disruption to the provision of Under Morrison, healthcare is Making cuts to Medicare is in the healthcare to countless Australians. less affordable in Australia than in Liberal Party’s DNA. Whenever the Liberals get the chance, they try to cut Medicare. Tony Abbott and tried it, and now Scott Morrison is trying it too. All Australians should have access to medical treatment regardless of their bank balance or their credit card limit. Medicare is one of Australia’s greatest achievements. Labor built Medicare, and Labor will always protect it. But you can never trust the Liberals with healthcare. They have opposed Medicare ever since it began, and attack it whenever they can. 4 JULIAN HILL MP NEWS Robodebt scheme Liberals’ shameful, illegal Robodebt scheme

Robodebt was a government scam targeting the most vulnerable Australians by sending them fake debt notices for Centrelink debts they did not owe. And it was Scott Morrison’s idea. The Federal Court has found that Robodebt was illegal and called it “a shameful chapter” in Australia’s history. There are no words to fully convey This wasn’t some message found the impact on people from these in their email spam folder. Federal Court fake notices for debts that they did It was an official letter, from the not owe. The tragic suicides been government of Australia demanding Robodebt well-documented in the media. payment of money they did not owe judgement One of the most difficult things within 28 days. that I have had to do, as a Member They had no way of disproving “The proceeding has of Parliament, is sit down with the claimed debt, and no way of exposed a shameful chapter numerous local people as they are paying it. in the administration of breaking down crying because of Does Scott Morrison know what this cruel scheme. the Commonwealth social a payment plan is like for someone security system and a being forced to ‘repay’ $20,000? massive failure of public The same government that administration. handed over billions of dollars of It should have been obvious to the JobKeeper to profitable companies, senior public servants charged with who used it to increase their profits, overseeing the Robodebt system were chasing vulnerable Australians and to the responsible Minister at for money they didn’t owe. different points that many social security recipients do not earn a stable or constant income, and The Federal Court has any employment they obtain may be casual, part-time, sessional, or found that Robodebt intermittent and may not continue was illegal and called it throughout the year. “a shameful chapter” in The evidence shows that the Australia’s history. Commonwealth unlawfully asserted such debts, totalling at least $1.763 billion against approximately 433,000 Australians. Then, including And yet, not one Minister in through private debt collection his government has been held agencies, the Commonwealth responsible. And do you know why? pursued people to repay these It’s because Scott Morrison started wrongly asserted debts, and this scheme. And if one of them recovered approximately $751 million went, he would have to go too. from about 381,000 of them.” BRUCE COMMUNITY NEWS, AUGUST 2021 5 INFORMATION AND ADVICE

For more information Stay and advice alert for Scamwatch Information for consumers and small businesses about how to scams recognise, avoid and report scams. www.scamwatch.gov.au Protect your personal Consumer Affairs Victoria information Learn how common scams work Scammers are calling or sending and what to do if you get scammed. emails and texts impersonating well- known businesses and government Tel: 1300 558 181 agencies. www.consumer.vic.gov.au And prompting you to click links or download software designed to get Australian Cyber Security access to your personal information. Centre Advice about how to protect Superannuation scams yourself, your family and your Scammers are taking advantage business online. of people in financial hardship due How you can to COVID-19 by attempting to steal www.cyber.gov.au their superannuation, or by offering protect yourself unnecessary services and charging Australian a fee. from these scams Communications and They pretend to be from a l don’t click hyperlinks in texts, Media Authority superannuation or financial service social media messages or emails Report or make a complaint about and try to get information about l go directly to the website through email or SMS spam, and steps your superannuation accounts by your browser you can take to reduce spam and falsely offering to: l don’t ever respond to unsolicited The Do Not Call Register helps messages and calls that ask for l help to access your super- reduce phone calls from people annuation early personal or financial details - just selling goods and services. press delete or hang up Tel: 1300 850 115 l ensure you are not locked out l the best way to detect a fake www.acma.gov.au of your account under new trader or social media shopping COVID-19 rules scam is to search for reviews IDCARE l check whether your account is before purchasing Help for Australian individuals and eligible for various benefits l be wary of sellers requesting organisations to reduce the harm unusual payment methods such experienced from the compromise Online shopping scams as upfront payment via money and the misuse of their identity Scammers have created fake online order, wire transfer, preloaded information. stores claiming to sell products card, or electronic currency that don’t exist (such as cures Tel: 1800 595 160 Information courtesy of the www.idcare.org for COVID-19), and hard-to-find Australian Competition & Consumer products. Commission Scamwatch eSafety Commissioner Online safety programs, education resources, and help to take action or make a complaint if you experience online bullying or abuse. www.esafety.gov.au

If it sounds too good to be true... it probably is. 6 JULIAN HILL MP NEWS Privatised cashless pension card Scott Morrison’s Liberal government wants to expand the cashless debit card to include all pensioners. The Minister for Social Services, Anne Ruston, admitted in a Channel 7 interview “we are seeking to put all income management onto This government thinks it knows The government has spent over the universal platform... the cashless better than Australians how to spend $5,200 for each person currently debit card”. their money. The vast majority of on the card – more than some part- 80% of the pension would be put pensioners manage their money pensioners get in a year. on the privatised, cashless card. So perfectly well. They know where The government, not corporations, they can then limit where, when and every cent goes. should operate the social security how you spend your own money. You At every turn, the Liberals try to system and Centrelink for the might also have to use a special cash find more opportunities to give their benefit of pensioners who have register to make your purchases. corporate mates more profit from worked hard and paid taxes all If this card scheme gets through, taxpayers’ funds. their lives. pensioners wouldn’t be able to pay The Morrison government Labor will fight this government’s cash to buy cheap food at the local has already wasted $70 million plan to force this shameful debit market, second-hand goods, a meal establishing the privatised cashless card onto pensioners. And a Labor or a beer at the RSL, or give cash to pension control card, operated by federal government would abolish their grandkids. a private company, called Indue. the privatised card. Labor’s cheaper child care plan Child care is too expensive and too complicated. The current system punishes people, often mums, who want to work more than three days a week.

Working families with kids in child care are struggling right now. Since the Liberals came to power in 2013, child care fees have Australian families. That’s four times who use child care… regardless of risen by 38% – while real wages as many as the Liberals. the number of children, their age have fallen. Labor’s boost in support would and the family income.” This would The average family spends be available for 97% of families for also lead to a significant increase in nearly 20% of their income on the entire time they have children in workforce participation, resulting child care costs – double the care. Unlike the Liberals’ announced in an economic boost three times global average. scheme, you wouldn’t have to have larger than under Scott Morrison’s Scott Morrison’s child care plan a second or third child in care to get announcement. does little to solve the problem that any benefit. Affordable child care is essential he helped create. Analysis by the Grattan Institute for Australia’s future – helping Labor’s alternative child care shows that Labor’s child care parents, helping children, and scheme would help one million policy would benefit “all families helping grow the economy. BRUCE COMMUNITY NEWS, AUGUST 2021 7 Community health services

Handy guide to government and community health services After Hours GP Helpline Diabetes Australia After assessment by a registered Working to reduce the impact of nurse, you can speak directly to a GP diabetes on the community Tel: 1800 022 222 National Diabetes Services Scheme (NDSS) Helpline Arthritis Australia Tel: 1300 136 588 Improving quality of life for www.diabetesaustralia.com.au National Health Services Australians living with arthritis Directory Head to Health Tel: 1800 111 101 Find health services www.arthritisaustralia.com.au Helping you find mental health digital resources and phone (GPs, pharmacies, hospitals) Asthma Australia support services www.nhsd.com.au Working to create a brighter future www.headtohealth.gov.au NURSE-ON-CALL for people with asthma Health Complaints Commissioner Phone service providing immediate, 15 Dudley Street West Resolves complaints about expert health advice from a Tel: 1800 278 462 healthcare and the handling of registered nurse www.asthmaaustralia.org.au health information Tel: 1300 60 60 24 Better Health Channel 570 Bourke Street Melbourne www.health.vic.gov.au Tel: 1300 582 113 Information to improve the health Poisons Information Centre www.hcc.vic.gov.au and wellbeing of people and their Advice about what to do if a person communities Heart Foundation Helpline has been poisoned, bitten or www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au Personalised information on heart stung, or has overdosed or made a health, nutrition and a healthy lifestyle Beyond Blue mistake with medicine Tel: 13 1112 Improving the lives of people Tel: 13 1126 www.heartfoundation.org.au affected by anxiety, depression, www.austin.org.au/poisons or suicide Kidney Health Australia Suicide Call Back Service Tel: 1300 224 636 Helping people with kidney disease Telephone and online counselling to www.beyondblue.org.au to improve health outcomes 125 Cecil Street South Melbourne people who are affected by suicide Cancer Council Australia Tel: 1800 454 363 Tel: 1300 659 467 Offers a range of services to www.kidney.org.au www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au support anyone affected by cancer 615 St Kilda Road Melbourne Lifeline Suicide Line Tel: 13 11 20 24 hour crisis support and suicide Counselling service offering www.cancer.org.au prevention services professional support to people at Tel: 13 1114 risk of suicide Casey Hospital www.lifeline.org.au Tel: 1300 651 251 62 Kangan Drive Berwick Medicare www.suicideline.org.au Tel: 8768 1200 Payments that can help when you use Vision Australia www.monashhealth.org health care services or buy medicines Supporting people who are GPO Box 9822 Melbourne Coronavirus Hotline blind or have low vision to be as Dandenong Service Centre If you suspect you may have independent as they choose coronavirus disease, call the 27-29 Robinson Street Dandenong Fountain Gate Service Centre 45 Princes Highway Dandenong dedicated hotline Tel: 1300 847 466 Tel: 1800 675 398 71 Webb Street Narre Warren www.visionaustralia.org www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus Tel: 13 2011 www.humanservices.gov.au Dandenong Hospital Medicines Line 135 David Street Dandenong Information on prescription, Tel: 9554 1000 over-the-counter, and For more local government www.monashhealth.org complementary medicines and community services Dementia Australia Tel: 1300 633 424 including community safety, Support and information for people www.nps.org.au/medicines-line support and legal services, living with dementia, their carers, Monash Health Community see the handy guide on and family Dandenong Julian’s website National Dementia Helpline 122 Thomas Street Dandenong Tel: 1800 100 500 Tel: 9792 8100 www.julianhillmp.com www.dementia.org.au www.monashhealth.org 8 JULIAN HILL MP NEWS Aged Care The Liberals can’t be trusted to fix the aged care crisis Older Australians and the families who love them deserve so much better than the chaotic, unsafe system that has evolved under Scott Morrison.

Scott Morrison stubbornly failed to listen to residents in aged care, their families, or their care workers. When the Prime Minister was Treasurer, the government cut funding for aged care services by $1.7 billion. And he was asleep at the wheel when 685 older Australians died in Key recommendations have been nursing homes during last year’s fobbed off, delayed or outright A Labor government would coronavirus outbreak. rejected that are important ensure that every dollar spent Scott Morrison is responsible for to improving care, nutrition, the aged care system. And he is in aged care goes to employing transparency, and staffing. For a guaranteed minimum level responsible for the funding cuts and instance, they’ve: the terrible neglect identified in the of nurses, assistants and Royal Commission. l ignored the recommendation carers and on daily needs The Royal Commission into to require a nurse to be on duty like decent food. Instead of Aged Care found the aged care 24/7 in residential care into the pockets of the more system failed in its duty to support l gifted $3.2 billion to providers unscrupulous providers. older Australians and graphically with no strings attached, without highlighted the tragic outcomes. ensuring this money goes to The Royal Commission’s interim additional care or better food report titled Neglect, detailed: l done nothing to improve wages l up to half of aged care residents for overstretched, undervalued are malnourished aged care workers l mistreatment of older people l opted for fewer hours of care in residential aged care is than recommended and to deliver commonplace, including poor them much later wound management, over- l failed to clear the home care medication, use of restraints, and waiting list of 100,000 rationing of incontinence pads Julian Hill MP Scott Morrison and his hapless l care staff are overworked, Federal Member for Bruce Minister Richard Colbeck can’t be underpaid, and lack support Please contact Julian anytime you trusted to fix this broken system. want assistance, to discuss a local or l 28,000 people died while waiting They won’t take responsibility and national issue, or make a suggestion. for a home care package always pass the buck. 45 Robinson Street Dandenong The Liberal government’s response Older Australians were there 9791 7770 to the Royal Commission and the for us, paid their taxes, held their aged care crisis falls way short of communities together, raised [email protected] what’s required. their families, and served our julianhillmp.com They talked a lot, but only country in war and in peace. They JulianHillMP provided about one-quarter of the deserve to feel safe, and be treated julianhillmp funding needed. with dignity.  JulianHillMP

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