Showing posts with label NSW Coalition Government. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NSW Coalition Government. Show all posts

Wednesday 2 February 2022

CASH SPLASH: a lesson in how to retain your parliamentary majority between elections

 

Leslie Williams
Liberal MP & former Nationals MP for Port Macquarie
since 26 March 2011

IMAGE: Manning River Times, 4 Feb 2015


The Saturday Paper, 26 February 2022:


Less than a month after New South Wales Port Macquarie MP Leslie Williams sensationally quit the National Party to join the Liberals, the defector was in direct conversations with then treasurer Dominic Perrottet’s office about a controversial $5 million grant to a private nursing home in her electorate.


The building project – for a new community centre, as part of a wider redevelopment of the St Agnes’ Care and Lifestyle facility in the coastal town that gives the state seat its name – was not part of any NSW government program. It was not on the radar of any official, or recommended by bureaucrats. Senior Treasury officials warned the state government’s powerful expenditure review committee (ERC) that the funding made no sense and should not be supported.


Instead, exactly one week after Leslie Williams forwarded details of the aged-care company’s development application to Perrottet’s ministerial staff, the $5 million grant was approved by the ERC, which was led by Perrottet and then premier Gladys Berejiklian.


The money was not new funding. It had to be found from elsewhere in the Health budget. As the coronavirus pandemic raged, the $5 million was taken from the Department of Health’s general spending budget and handed to St Agnes’ Care and Lifestyle for capital works on land owned by the Roman Catholic Church Diocese of Lismore. At the time, the-aged care operator had $34.7 million “cash on hand” and had received $3.1 million in federal JobKeeper funds.


The funding proposal that went to the ERC was blunt in its assessment of the project. Under the heading “risks, sensitivities and any other issues”, Treasury officials wrote that the grant was “not supported”.


The document prepared for the review committee said: “The proposal provides financial support for the establishment of a private residential aged-care facility. Given funding and regulation of aged care is a matter for the Commonwealth government, and the benefits accrue to the private residents and operator of the facility, the need for government support is unclear.”


As it happens, the decision had already been made. Hours before the ERC meeting actually took place, public servants were given the job of writing a press release for the announcement.


A week later, on October 27, 2020, Berejiklian was in Port Macquarie posing for a ceremonial sod-turning at the development site next to newly minted Liberal MP Leslie Williams. The official press release, now absent from the NSW government directory but still hosted by Williams on her MP website, includes quotes from the then premier and her treasurer.


Port Macquarie has one of the highest prevalence rates of dementia in NSW and this state-of-the-art facility will offer transformational care for the elderly,” Berejiklian said.


And from Perrottet: “We expect this unique project, which is a NSW first, to create hundreds of jobs in the health, building and construction industries on the mid-North Coast.


What is clear from the time line of events is that the government, with negotiations handled out of the then treasurer’s office, moved quickly to rush through the $5 million in funding. This raised eyebrows internally.


The aged-care sector is poised to grow substantially in NSW, contributing to jobs growth and the economy but as Covid events have shown us, quality of care is paramount.”


The ERC brief from Treasury did not put a figure on the jobs created, noting only that it was “TBD” or “to be disclosed”.


Williams, naturally, was thrilled. At the time, she said: “The NSW government’s investment will help build the community centre in the village, which houses all the social amenities that make this facility unique.”


St Agnes’ Care and Lifestyle chief executive Adam Spencer remarked that “both Ms Williams and the premier have been very supportive of this project”…..


Monday 4 October 2021

NSW Coalition Government admits vaccination certificates may not be available by 11 October 2021 & concerns grow that QR code monitoring may be removed from state's public health response and COVID-19 case tracing & contacting downgraded to an ineffectual level

 



YASMIN CATLEY MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE AND DIGITAL


NO VAX APP FOR ROADMAP, BEREJIKLIAN GOVERNMENT ADMITS


The NSW Government has admitted that the vaccination certificate feature on the Service NSW app will not be ready when the state reopens on 11 October.

Meanwhile, the Minister for Customer Service and Digital, Victor Dominello also told 7:30 he is planning on withdrawing mandatory QR codes completely come December – which received a no comment from the Chief Health Officer, Dr Kerry Chant at a Parliamentary hearing yesterday.

VICTOR DOMINELLO: I think the QR codes should be retired once we get to the 90 per cent mark.
[ABC 7:30, WEDNESDAY, 29 SEPTEMBER 2021]


The delay of this app is causing significant anxiety amongst the business community who face having to police the vaccination status of customers.

QR codes and the check-in system have been vital to testing, tracing, isolation & quarantine (TTIQ), a cornerstone of the National Roadmap and Doherty Institute Modelling.

The Committee also heard that the Government is still considering what TTIQ looks like at 70 per cent, with reopening only a week away.

Minister Dominello also indicated future measures may increasingly rely on automated text messages and questionnaires, which the committee was told yielded lower compliance - with a response rate of as little as 40-50 per cent.

NSW Labor is concerned without a working app and a clear approach to contact tracing, public confidence in the reopening will be seriously undermined. We are seeking assurances that this will not place an additional burden on hospital capacity.

Shadow Minister for Customer Service and Digital, Yasmin Catley MP said businesses are desperate for certainty and are deeply concerned the failure of the app to be ready for reopening will place staff in the difficult position of enforcing compliance with the health orders.

“The Minister has form in letting business down consistently throughout this pandemic and the delay of the app is just another instance of the Minister failing to provide certainty”, Ms Catley said.

“This is the Minister that botched the rollout of critical financial support to businesses right across this state, leaving business waiting weeks for applications to be processed while their income completely dried up.

“The NSW Government needs to step up to the plate and provide the business community with clear answers on if the app will be ready on 11 October, and if not when can business owners expect the app to be available?” Ms Catley said.

DATE: FRIDAY, 1 OCTOBER 2021


Copyright © 2021 NSW Labor SPLP Media, All rights reserved.


Tuesday 28 September 2021

Have NSW Premier & Liberal MP Gladys Berejiklian and Deputy Premier & Nationals MP for Monaro John Barilaro closed their ears to an earnest cross party plea to protect the residents of Ballina, Byron Bay, Clarence Valley, Kyogle, Richmond and Tweed Valley local government areas from COVID-19 infected travellers from Greater Sydney?


The question posed in the heading to this post appears to be yes - apparently neither Liberal leader Gladys Berejiklian nor National leader John Barilaro have listened to our concerns.

On or about 25 October fully vaccinated people - who as statistics demonstrate are still capable of becoming infected and infectious - will be free to travel into regional New South Wales. While from 1 December 2021 it is likely that even unvaccinated people will apparently be able to travel around the state.

Because on 27 September 2021 the NSW Premier & Liberal MP for Willoughby Gladys Berejiklian announced a three stage plan to open up the state once average full vaccination reaches 70 to 80 per cent of the total state population of those 16 years of age and older aka the ‘adult’ population.


The plan's alleged aim is that; Only fully vaccinated people and those with medical exemptions will have access to the freedoms allowed under the Reopening NSW roadmap.


At 70 per cent; Stay-at-home orders for fully vaccinated people will be lifted. Fully vaccinated residents will be allowed to have up to five people in their homes and the reopening of hospitality venues with a booking cap of 20 people per booking, retail, hairdressing and gyms will be allowed to re-open with tight density limits. This is expected to occur on or after 11 October 2021.


At 80 per cent; Fully vaccinated residents will be able to freely travel to the regions, they will be able have up to 10 people visit their home, participate in community sport, and access hospitality venues (where drinking while standing up will be allowed indoors). All premises will operate at 1 person per 4sqm indoors, and 1 person per 2sqm outdoors and, the limit of fully vaccinated guests for weddings and funerals will be lifted. Customer caps for personal services such as hairdressers will also be removedThis is expected to occur on or after 25 October 2021.


From 1 December 2021; Further changes will be introduced including all venues moving to the 2sqm rule, masks will not be required indoors at offices, indoor pools and nightclubs can reopen, and unvaccinated people will have greater freedoms. [my yellow highlighting]


The main problems with this staged plan is that: (i) a state-wide full COVID-19 vaccination average does not reliably denote a safe level of personal or local community immunity from infection, hospitalisation and/or death from this virulent disease; and (ii) not every region or local government area in NSW is likely to have reached 70 or 80 per cent of their resident population fully vaccinated by 11 to 25 October 2021.


Percentage of residents aged 15 years and over fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in North East New South Wales, according to the Australian Government Dept. of Health


As at 19 September 2021:


Ballina – 49% of a LGA ‘adult’ population of 37,124 (full resident population is est. 45,217 in 2020)

Byron Bay – 34.9% of LGA ‘adult’ population of 29,052 (full resident population is est. 35,773 in 2020)

Clarence Valley – 41.5% of LGA ‘adult’ population of 42,953 (full resident population is est. 51,730 in 2020)

Kyogle – 41.2% of LGA ‘adult’ population of 7,285 (full resident population is est. 8,788 in 2020)

Lismore – 38.5% of LGA ‘adult’ population of 35,892 (full resident population is est. 43,667 in 2020)

Richmond Valley – 41.8% of LGA ‘adult’ population of 18,938 (full resident population is est. 23,490 in 2020)

Tweed – 45% of LGA ‘adult’ population of 80,493 (full resident population is est. 98,382 in 2020)


NOTE:

*2021 LGA ‘adult’ population figures was calculated by the Australian Government based on the sreet address recorded for persons enrolled in Medicare.

**2020 resident populations estimations can be found at: https://profile.id.com.au/


BACKGROUND


NORTH COAST VOICES, FRIDAY, 24 SEPTEMBER 2021

All five NE NSW Nationals, Liberal, Labor & Greens MPs ask Premier Berejiklian and Deputy-Premier Barilaro to adjust COVID-19 public health order by restricting non-essential travel to the region until it too reaches the 70% fully vaccinated target