Once again Australian passport makes the annual Henley & Partners Top 10 for ease of travel

 

ABC News, 15 January 2023:

The passports of the world have been ranked according to how powerful they are by an international citizenship assistance firm, and Australia has come out in the top 10 once again.

Henley & Partners produces a list of the most powerful passports each year, with Japan coming in first place for the sixth year in a row.

People who hold Australian passports can travel to 185 countries with relative ease — but there's still a long list of places that require paperwork…….

1: Japan— visa-free score: 193

2: Singapore and South Korea— visa-free score: 192

3: Germany and Spain— visa-free score: 190

4: Finland, Italy and Luxembourg— visa-free score: 189

5: Austria, Denmark, Netherlands and Sweden— visa-free score: 188

6: France, Ireland, Portugal and United Kingdom— visa-free score: 187

7: Belgium, Czech Republic, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland and United States— visa-free score: 186

8: Australia, Canada, Greece and Malta— visa-free score: 185

9: Hungary and Poland — visa-free score: 184

10: Lithuania and Slovakia — visa-free score: 183

11: Latvia and Slovenia — visa-free score: 182

12: Estonia — visa-free score: 181

13: Iceland — visa-free score: 180

14: Malaysia — visa-free score: 179

15: Liechtenstein and the United Arab Emirates — visa-free score: 178

16: Cyprus — visa-free score: 177

17: Romania — visa-free score: 175

18: Bulgaria, Chile, Croatia and Monaco — visa-free score: 174

19: Hong Kong (SAR China — visa-free score: 171

20: Argentina and Brazil — visa-free score: 170

21: San Marino — visa-free score: 169

22: Andorra — visa-free score: 168

23: Brunei — visa-free score: 166

24: Barbados — visa-free score: 163

25: Israel and Mexico — visa-free score: 159

26: St. Kitts and Nevis — visa-free score: 157

27: Bahamas — visa-free score: 155

28: Vatican City — visa-free score: 154

29: Seychelles and Uruguay — visa-free score: 153

30: St. Vincent and the Grenadines — visa-free score: 152

31: Antigua and Barbuda, tying with Trinidad and Tobago — visa-free score: 151

32: Costa Rica — visa-free score: 150

33: St. Lucia — visa-free score: 147

34: Grenada and Mauritius — visa-free score: 146

35: Dominica and Taiwan (Chinese Taipei) — visa-free score: 145

36: Macao (SAR China), Panama and Ukraine — visa-free score: 144

37: Paraguay — visa-free score: 142

38: Peru — visa-free score: 136

38: Serbia — visa-free score: 136

39: Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras — visa-free score: 133

40: El Salvador, Samoa and Solomon Islands — visa-free score: 132

41: Tonga — visa-free score: 130

42: Venezuela — visa-free score: 129

43: Nicaragua and Tuvalu — visa-free score: 128

44: North Macedonia — visa-free score: 125

45: Kiribati and Montenegro — visa-free score: 124

46: Marshall Islands — visa-free score: 123

47: Moldova — visa-free score: 121

48: Palau Islands — visa-free score: 120

49: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Micronesia and the Russian Federation — visa-free score: 118

50: Georgia — visa-free score: 116

51: Albania — visa-free score: 115

52: Turkey — visa-free score: 110

53: South Africa — visa-free score: 106

54: Belize — visa-free score: 103

55: Qatar — visa-free score: 100

56: Vanuatu — visa-free score: 98

57: Kuwait — visa-free score: 7

58: Timor-Leste — visa-free score: 94

59: Ecuador — visa-free score: 92

60: Nauru — visa-free score: 90

61: Maldives — visa-free score: 89

62: Fiji and Guyana — visa-free score: 88

63: Bahrain, Botswana and Jamaica — visa-free score: 87

64: Papua New Guinea — visa-free score: 83

65: Oman and Saudi Arabia — visa-free score: 82

66: Bolivia — visa-free score: 80

66: China — visa-free score: 80

67: Namibia — visa-free score: 79

68: Belarus and Thailand — visa-free score: 78

69: Lesotho — visa-free score: 77

70: Kazakhstan and Suriname — visa-free score: 76

71: Eswatini — visa-free score: 75

72: Malawi — visa-free score: 74

73: Kenya — visa-free score: 73

74: Tanzania — visa-free score: 72

75: Indonesia and Zambia — visa-free score: 71

76: Azerbaijan, Dominican Republic and Tunisia — visa-free score: 70

77: The Gambia — visa-free score: 69

78: Philippines and Uganda — visa-free score: 67

79: Armenia, Cape Verde Islands and Zimbabwe — visa-free score: 66

80: Cuba, Ghana and Morocco — visa-free score: 65

81: Kyrgyzstan and Sierra Leone — visa-free score: 64

82: Mongolia and Mozambique — visa-free score: 62

83: Benin and Rwanda — visa-free score: 61

84: Sao Tome and Principe, tying with Tajikistan — visa-free score: 60

85: India, Mauritania and Uzbekistan — visa-free score: 59

86: Burkina Faso — visa-free score: 58

87: Cote d'Ivoire, Gabon and Senegal — visa-free score: 57

88: Equatorial Guinea, Guinea, Madagascar, Togo and Vietnam — visa-free score: 55

89: Cambodia and Mali — visa-free score: 54

90: Algeria, Bhutan, Chad, Comoro Islands, Egypt, Jordan, Niger and Turkmenistan — visa-free score: 53

91: Central African Republic and Guinea-Bissau — visa-free score: 52

92: Angola and Cameroon — visa-free score: 51

93: Burundi and Laos — visa-free score: 50

94: Congo (Rep.), Haiti and Liberia — visa-free score: 49

95: Djibouti — visa-free score: 48

96: Myanmar — visa-free score: 47

97: Ethiopia and Nigeria — visa-free score: 46

98: Eritrea and South Sudan — visa-free score: 44

99: Iran — visa-free score: 43

100: Congo (Dem. Rep.), Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Sudan — visa-free score: 42

101: Bangladesh, Kosovo and Libya — visa-free score: 41

102: North Korea — visa-free score: 40

103: Nepal and Palestinian Territory — visa-free score: 38

104: Somalia — visa-free score: 35

105: Yemen — visa-free score: 34

106: Pakistan — visa-free score: 32

107: Syria — visa-free score: 30

108: Iraq — visa-free score: 29

109: Afghanistan — visa-free score: 27

Rankings, visa-free scores and placenames have been replicated as they were listed in Henley & Partners data

What about Russia and Ukraine?

Russia's invasion of Ukraine hasn't affected either country in terms of the Henley Passport Index, with a press release saying there were in roughly the same position since the war began:

• Ukraine ranks in 36th position with a score of 144

• Russia ranks in 49th position with a score of 118

However, the firm said that while they weren't majorly affected "on paper", there were practical differences.

"Due to airspace closures and sanctions, Russian citizens are effectively barred from travelling throughout most of the developed world, with the marked exceptions of Dubai and Istanbul, which have become focal points," the firm's statement said.

"Ukrainians, on the other hand, have been granted the right to live and work in the [European Union] for up to three years under an emergency plan in response to what has become Europe's biggest refugee crisis this century."

The firm said that, if Ukraine was successful in joining the European Union, it would probably break into the top 10 most powerful passports in the world.

• List of countries which allow visa-free travel to holders of Australian passports:

Africa

Botswana

Eswatini

Lesotho

Mauritius

Mayotte

Morocco

Namibia

Reunion

Senegal

South Africa

The Gambia

Tunisia

Americas

Argentina

Belize

Bermuda

Bolivia

Brazil

Colombia

Costa Rica

Ecuador

El Salvador

Falkland Islands

French Guiana

Guatemala

Guyana

Honduras

Mexico

Nicaragua

Panama

Peru

Uruguay

Venezuela

Asia

Hong Kong (SAR China)

Indonesia

Kazakhstan

Kyrgyzstan

Macao (SAR China)

Malaysia

Philippines

Singapore

Taiwan (Chinese Taipei)

Thailand

Uzbekistan

Caribbean

Anguilla

Antigua and Barbuda

Aruba

Bahamas

Barbados

Bonaire; St. Eustatius and Saba

British Virgin Islands

Cayman Islands

Curacao

Dominica

Dominican Republic

French West Indies

Grenada

Haiti

Jamaica

Montserrat

St Kitts and Nevis

St Lucia

St Maarten

St Vincent and the Grenadines

Turks and Caicos Islands

Europe

Albania

Andorra

Austria

Belarus

Belgium

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bulgaria

Croatia

Cyprus

Czech Republic

Denmark

Estonia

Faroe Islands

Finland

France

Georgia

Germany

Gibraltar

Greece

Greenland

Hungary

Iceland

Ireland

Italy

Kosovo

Latvia

Liechtenstein

Lithuania

Luxembourg

Malta

Moldova

Monaco

Montenegro

Netherlands

North Macedonia

Norway

Poland

Portugal

Romania

San Marino

Serbia

Slovakia

Slovenia

Spain

Sweden

Switzerland

Ukraine

United Kingdom

Vatican City

Middle East

Armenia

Iraq

Israel

Oman

Palestinian Territory

Qatar

Oceania

Cook Islands

Fiji

French Polynesia

Guam

Kiribati

Micronesia

New Caledonia

New Zealand

Niue

Northern Mariana Islands

Vanuatu

Henley & Partners, 10 January 2023:

By combining Henley Passport Index data and World Bank GDP data, the new research ranks all 199 passports in the world in terms of their Henley Passport Power (HPP) score, a term that indicates the percentage of global GDP each passport provides to its holders’ visa-free. 

Take the Japanese passport, for instance, that gives visa-free access to 193 destinations (85% of the world). 

Collectively, these countries account for a whopping 98% of the global economy (with Japan’s own GDP contribution being around 5%). 

To contrast this figure with a passport from the lower end of the spectrum, Nigerian passport holders can access only 46 destinations visa-free (20% of the world), with these countries accounting for just 1.5% of global GDP. At the bottom of the ranking, the Afghanistan passport provides visa-free access to just 12% of the world and less than 1% of global economic output.

NASA-National Snow and Data Center reports extensive melting in West Antarctica and the Peninsula

 

“The Antarctica Ice Sheet contains approximately 30 million cubic kilometres of ice, which is around 1,779,359 times the volume of Sydney Harbour. We’ll just let that sink in for a little bit…

It’s the largest single mass of ice on earth, and most of that ice is sitting on land – which means it has the potential to contribute to sea level rise if melted.”

[Climate Council, News/The Facts, ANTARCTIC ICE MELT UNSTOPPABLE WITHOUT STRONG CLIMATE ACTION, 16 October 2015]

For all of us in Australia who trust the scientific method but whose understanding is limited by lack of training in the appropriate fields, watching Antarctica for the last seven years is like waiting for the other climate change shoe to drop.

This is the latest information I have read......

National Snow and Ice Data Center, 12 January 2023:

Extensive melting in West Antarctica and the Peninsula

As the peak of Antarctica’s melt season approaches, surface snow melting has been widespread over coastal West Antarctica, with much of the low-lying areas of the Peninsula and northern West Antarctic coastline showing 5 to 10 days more melting than average. However, much of the East Antarctic coast is near average. Snowfall in Antarctica for the past year has been exceptionally high as a result of an above average warm and wet winter and spring.

Overview of conditions

Figure 1a. The upper maps of the Antarctic Ice Sheet (left) and the Antarctic Peninsula (right) show the total melt days for the areas from November 1, 2022 to January 10, 2023. The graph on the bottom shows daily melt extent for the Antarctic Ice Sheet as a percentage of ice sheet area for the same time period in red and the 1990 to 2020 average in blue. The interquartile and interdecile ranges appear in grey bands.

Credit: E. Cassano and M. MacFerrin, CIRES and T. Mote, University of Georgia

Antarctic surface snow melting through January 10 is above average and reached near-record extent in late December. A significant melt event spread over the Peninsula and across much of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet northern coast and into the Ross Ice Shelf area (Figure 1a). Melting has been moderately above average for the Peninsula areas, but unusually high in the Getz Ice Shelf area, where melting is less frequent. The Larsen Ice Shelf area has seen up to 25 days of melting, about 5 more than average, and the Wilkins region up to 30 days, again about 5 more than average (Figure 1b). The Getz and Sulzberger Ice Shelves (to the lower left of the Antarctic maps) have seen 10 melt days this season, about double the average for this time of year. East Antarctic Ice Shelves—Fimbul, Roi Baudouin, and Amery—have had near-average to slightly above-average melting of 5 to 10 days each.

Conditions in context

Figure 2. These plots show weather conditions as a difference from average relative to the 1991 to 2020 reference period for Antarctica and the surrounding coastal areas. The top plot shows air temperature at the 925 millibar level, in degrees Celsius, for December 1, 2022 to January 10, 2023. Yellows and reds indicate higher-than-average temperatures; blues and purples indicate lower-than-average temperatures. The bottom plot shows sea level pressure for the same period. Yellows and reds indicate higher-than-average air pressure; blues and purples indicate lower-than-average pressure.

Credit: National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Reanalysis data, National Center for Atmospheric Research

Snow globe Antarctica

Snowfall over Antarctica has been significantly above average over these last weeks, continuing a trend that began in November 2021. Several recent hydrological years (March 1 to February 28) for Antarctica have had up to 200 billion tons more snow than average, but the 2022 to 2023 year has reached nearly 300 billion tons as of January 10, 2023. This is in line with some future projections that suggest larger accumulation with a warmer climate until warming reaches above 7.5 degrees Celsius (13.5 degrees Fahrenheit). This very high deviation from average snow input suggests that the Antarctic Ice Sheet could gain mass this year. Snowfall amounts have been especially high along the western edge of the Peninsula and the Bellingshausen coast, where persistent southeastward-flowing winds push marine air against a series of mountain ranges and the ice ridge along the spine of the Peninsula. However, the biggest contribution to the above average total snow input occurs in East Antarctica, and specifically Wilkes Land and the interior of Antarctica. Overall, high snowfall in Antarctica may completely offset recent net ice losses from faster ice flow off the ice sheet for this assessment period. Most of the past decade has seen annual net losses of 50 to 150 billion tons.

Melt ponds and glacier retreat in the Peninsula

Figure 4. This true color image shows several melt ponds on the northern part of the Antarctic Peninsula (see inset map) on January 10, 2023. The image is from the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor aboard the NASA Aqua satellite. For reference, North is towards the upper right, and the image is 312.5 by 187.5 kilometers in size (about 180 x 120 miles).

Credit: NASA Worldview

Above average surface melting over the northern Peninsula is evident in the accumulation of surface meltwater in several areas of the eastern side of the Peninsula. The Larsen C Ice Shelf, and the SCAR Inlet Ice Shelf, a remnant of the former Larsen B shelf, are all showing significant areas of accumulated meltwater on their surfaces. Meltwater on ice shelves can pose a threat to ice shelf stability through a process called hydrofracture, where water fills pre-existing cracks in the shelf and forces the crack to open further as water pressure increases inside the crack.

The warm conditions have also triggered several rapid tidewater-style retreats in the area this season, most noticeably for Hektoria/Green/Evans glacier system in the northwestern Larsen B embayment. The glacial ice front of Hektoria has retreated roughly 5 kilometers (3 miles) in the past two months. A similar outflow can be seen in the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data to the north near the Sobral Peninsula from the Bombadier/Edgeworth/Dinsmore glacier system (not shown). The Seal Nunataks Ice Shelf remnant, which is between the Larsen A and Larsen B Ice Shelves, is also degrading since the sea ice minimum of early 2022.

Cartoons of the Week

 

Cathy Wilcox

David Rowe

Unsurprisingly New South Wales is yet to officially enter drought. However, soils do appear to be drying out in some regions.

 

Unsurprisingly New South Wales is yet to officially enter drought. However, soils do appear to be drying out in some regions.

The Australian Water Outlook for 11 January 2023 shows the Clarence River catchment rootzone soil moisture is 21% in absolute terms (below average) and in the 11^th percentile in relative terms – representing the percentage of available water content in the top 1m of the soil profile.

While the upper layer soil moisture is 2% in absolute terms (below average) and the 8^th percentile ranking in relative terms – representing the percentage of available water content in the top 10 cm of the soil profile.

Across the entire Northern Rivers region it appears that only the Brunswick and Richmond river catchments are coming in with an average soil moisture content for the month of January 2023 to date.

Overall the average first 10cm of the state's top soils holds only 0.83% moisture in absolute terms and the root zone 10% moisture.

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology gives north-east NSW a 50–55 chance of exceeding median rainfall between February and May 2023.

On Thursday 12 January 2023 the NSW Rural Fire Service recorded an ongoing bushfire fire at Townsend in the Lower Clarence on 6ha of grass & close tree cover and a fire at Malabugilmah on a 19 ha mix of grass and open woodland. Both fires are under control

Clarence Valley Independent, 11 January 2023:

Smoke rises into the sky as a massive fire takes hold of the Australian Community Care Network (ACCN) and the adjoining property Broomy’s Towing and Recovery on December 28. Image: Ross Pritchard

Heavy black smoke billowed over Grafton’s CBD shortly after 4pm on December 28, as close to 70 firefighters and emergency services personnel fought to contain a large-scale fire which seriously damaged two properties in Fitzroy and Victoria Streets and impacted several nearby businesses.

A spokesperson for NSW Police said the blaze began in a storage area at the rear of the Australian Community Care Network (ACCN) in Fitzroy Street and quickly spread to the adjoining business in Victoria Street, Broomy’s Towing and Recovery.

As Grafton Fire and Rescue 306 Station Captain Garry Reardon and several of his crew members battled the flames from Victoria Street, Grafton Fire and Rescue 306 Station Deputy Captain Chris Rumpf undertook fire attack from Fitzroy Street.

Describing the blaze as extremely fierce, Captain Reardon said local crews were aided by firefighters from Ballina, Lismore, Goonellabah, Casino, Maclean, Yamba, Woolgoolga, and Coffs Harbour, along with Rural Fire Service (RFS) crews from Southampton, Ulmarra, Grafton, and Casino.

NSW Ambulance paramedics also attended the scene and treated several firefighters who suffered minor burns and dehydration as they fought to bring the fire under control and save neighbouring properties.

No other injuries were reported.

“It was a massive blaze,” Captain Reardon said.

“It certainly took hold of the buildings very quickly.

“From Victoria Street, we had fire control within half an hour, but it was still roaring in Fitzroy Street.”

Deputy Captain Rumpf recalled being faced with a wall of flames upon his arrival at the scene, and said conditions were very hot and very intense……

Manager of the ACCN Alison Tomlinson described the situation as a nightmare, and revealed the business lost more than 50 percent of its stock including numerous food and household items, a cool room, and a large freezer, and is currently unable to trade.

Dean Broomhall from Broomy’s Towing and Recovery confirmed they are still operating after their tow truck was saved from the flames which caused significant internal damage to their building…...

Firefighters battle to control the fire after it spread into Broomy’s Towing and Recovering in Victoria Street. Image: contributed

Read the full article here.

Here comes the Sun......

 

 

 NASA Goddard, 6 January 2023:

This video chronicles solar activity from Aug. 12 to Dec. 22, 2022, as captured by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). From its orbit in space around Earth, SDO has steadily imaged the Sun in 4K x 4K resolution for nearly 13 years. This information has enabled countless new discoveries about the workings of our closest star and how it influences the solar system. With a triad of instruments, SDO captures an image of the Sun every 0.75 seconds. The Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) instrument alone captures images every 12 seconds at 10 different wavelengths of light. This 133-day time lapse showcases photos taken at a wavelength of 17.1 nanometers, which is an extreme-ultraviolet wavelength that shows the Sun’s outermost atmospheric layer: the corona. Compiling images taken 108 seconds apart, the movie condenses 133 days, or about four months, of solar observations into 59 minutes. The video shows bright active regions passing across the face of the Sun as it rotates. The Sun rotates approximately once every 27 days. The loops extending above the bright regions are magnetic fields that have trapped hot, glowing plasma. These bright regions are also the source of solar flares, which appear as bright flashes as magnetic fields snap together in a process called magnetic reconnection. While SDO has kept an unblinking eye pointed toward the Sun, there have been a few moments it missed. Some of the dark frames in the video are caused by Earth or the Moon eclipsing SDO as they pass between the spacecraft and the Sun. Other blackouts are caused by instrumentation being down or data errors. SDO transmits 1.4 terabytes of data to the ground every day. The images where the Sun is off-center were observed when SDO was calibrating its instruments. SDO and other NASA missions will continue to watch our Sun in the years to come, providing further insights about our place in space and information to keep our astronauts and assets safe. The music is a continuous mix from Lars Leonhard’s “Geometric Shapes” album, courtesy of the artist. 

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Scott Wiessinger (PAO): Lead Producer Tom Bridgman (SVS): Lead Visualizer Scott Wiessinger (PAO): Editor

Review of COVID-19 Vaccine and Treatment Purchasing and Procurement aka the Halton Report is very clear about the fact that the world & Australia are not yet 'COVID-stable'. That federal and state governments need to revisit public heath and vaccine procurement policy & planning.

 

Transcript of letter accompanying Review of COVID-19 Vaccine and Treatment Purchasing and Procurement report:

The Hon Mark Butler

Minister for Health and Aged Care

Parliament House

CANBERRA ACT 2600

Dear Minister

On 30 June 2022 you commissioned an independent review of the purchasing and procurement of COVID-19 vaccine and treatments to inform the next 12-24 months. This report provides the conclusions and recommendations of the review.

The review team engaged with a number of key stakeholders involved in Australia’s response to the

COVID-19 pandemic and rollout of vaccines and treatments. This included epidemiological experts

both nationally and internationally, Commonwealth, state and territory Health departments and bodies, health sector organisations, as well as manufacturers of the vaccines and treatments procured within Australia.

As principal reviewer I was assisted by Professor Peter Collignon AM who provided expert medical advice. I would also like to acknowledge the work of the review project team led by Georgie Fairhall, Department of Health and Aged Care.

Early procurement of vaccines and treatments occurred in a highly competitive global market. In this context Australia secured a portfolio of effective COVID-19 vaccines and treatments enabling high rates of primary course vaccination preventing serious illness and death relative to global peers.

However, Australia and the world are not yet ‘COVID-stable’, and we are unable to confidently predict the timing or impact of new waves and variants. This uncertainty presents particular challenges. The availability of efficacious vaccines and treatments will continue to play a key role in ensuring ongoing protection for lives and livelihoods.

The next two years are critical to supporting our economy, health and education systems to recover. Australia's approach to the procurement of vaccines and treatments needs to be responsive to the changing environment and should be guided by clear policy and understanding of risk appetite.

Consideration should be given to the decision-making structures and advice required, and whether new and existing pathways for procurement and distribution of vaccines and treatments should be retained or adapted. Finally, it is critical that Australia maintains surge capacity in the event of a serious new variant or another infectious disease.

Yours sincerely

Hon. Professor Jane Halton AO PSM

19 September 2022

[my yellow highlighting]

Review of COVID-19 Vaccine and Treatment Purchasing and Procurement aka the Halton Report by clarencegirl on Scribd

https://www.scribd.com/document/618758421/Review-of-COVID-19-Vaccine-and-Treatment-Purchasing-and-Procurement-aka-the-Halton-Report

Note: This letter, executive summary & recommendations are the full extent of what the federal government was prepared to release for public consumption. The remainder of the Halton Report allegedly covers contractual arrangements with vaccine manufacturers and as such is commercial-in-confidence.

The Saturday Paper, 7 January 2023, excerpts:

A summary of the review by former senior health bureaucrat Professor Jane Halton was released in September last year. The full version of the report, obtained by The Saturday Paper under freedom of information laws, paints a disturbing picture of what could lie ahead as the virus mutates further and existing vaccines become less effective.....

Speaking to The Saturday Paper this week, Halton emphasised that the virus remains a serious threat that could worsen. 

“The world is currently seeing the emergence of yet more new variants, including XBB1.5, which underscores that the pandemic and particularly the effects of SARS-CoV-2 are not yet completely behind us,” said Halton, who heads the global Centre for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, or CEPI. 

“It’s really important to take a step back and say, ‘What are we trying to achieve here?’ I’d love to see a narrative from the federal Health minister – the goals we want to achieve. I’m just not seeing that. It just seems to be a lot of Whac-A-Mole going on.” 

“The entire world is looking forward to a day where we don’t have to worry about SARS-CoV-2. However, we continue to need to be prepared for all circumstances, including new and more dangerous variants.” 

In her report, Halton writes that Australia signed advanced purchasing agreements (APAs) with vaccine manufacturers “later than other comparative countries which delayed the supply of vaccines and the speed of the rollout”. 

Australia later overtook other countries, once a distribution plan was in place. However, Halton warns that those foundational APAs are now expiring. “As a consequence, new APAs giving effect to purchasing decisions will be needed.” 

A spokesperson for Butler declined to comment specifically on new purchasing agreements but said the government “has ensured there is a portfolio of vaccines and supply available to Australians in 2023 and 2024”. 

The report says the new government should rethink eligibility for both vaccines and the antiviral treatments that lessen the virus’s impact on individuals. It says optimising their uptake and investing in new versions will be “critical” in what will continue to be a highly competitive global market. 

“In the short-term, wider eligibility for some treatments should be considered where there are stocks available, there is evidence of efficacy, safety and broader economic and societal benefits (such as workforce availability). This is particularly the case where there is no significant private market to help limit the burden of the disease.” 

The absence of a “private market” highlights that the government’s approach to Covid-19 vaccines is different than for other vaccines. 

For example, anyone in Australia can access the annual influenza vaccine. The government lists the vaccine on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and identifies priority groups who can receive it free. Others who want to be vaccinated protectively can pay to obtain it through vaccination clinics or their local general practice. Some employers offer staff vaccinations to limit workdays lost to illness. 

That is not the case for Covid-19 vaccines and was also not the case for Covid treatments when they first became available. The government is the only purchaser and distributor of these vaccines and it alone controls who can access them. 

Unlike its American counterpart, the Australian government has only authorised a fifth vaccine dose for the most vulnerable. In the United States, a protective fifth shot is widely available. 

Butler’s spokesperson did not respond directly to a question about the different approaches to eligibility. “New booster dose recommendations are anticipated in early 2023 in preparation for winter,” they said. “Future recommendations will aim to provide ongoing clear guidance across all groups including time since last dose and definitions of eligibility.” 

The current, restrictive approach was adopted in the pandemic’s emergency phase to ensure access was not dictated by who could pay; but Halton notes circumstances have now changed, with most of the population protected by at least basic vaccination. 

She suggests that widening access to vaccines – and treatments – could slow the spread of variants and lessen risk as immunity wanes. In other words, the cost-benefit equation around restricting access has shifted. 

Halton writes that variants influence the effectiveness of both vaccines and treatments. “These changes are significant for decision-making,” she writes, “and the relative benefit of individual vaccines and treatments will continue to need to be assessed.” 

The report also indicates a shift in the importance of antiviral treatments, which have not been a focus in Australia’s Covid policy. Halton notes that if vaccination or previous infection no longer offer significant protection against new variants, treatments may now be considered proportionally more beneficial than when protection from vaccines was higher.

Halton warns that the current broad distribution framework for vaccines “does not include a strategy for the distribution of treatments as they were not widely available in 2020”...... 

Halton’s report says strategies and frameworks drafted early in the pandemic are now out of date and don’t adequately consider developments in vaccines and especially treatments for the virus. She says government should rethink those restrictions put in place because of supply constraints.....

She also notes that because the previous government elected to adopt all advice from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI), it effectively became the decision-maker. Its advice was not always interrogated and was portrayed as entirely clinical when it was sometimes based on judgement.

“The ATAGI advice, which is released publicly, is often treated as prescriptive and rules-based. The timeliness of this advice has also been questioned.”

Halton describes a “mismatch” between vaccine supply and demand, the latter having been restricted by the eligibility criteria ATAGI had applied, which were often narrower than those contained in the Therapeutic Goods Administration approvals. Halton says this has created confusion about their respective roles.

She writes that ATAGI’s advice “has changed over time and does not provide a firm foundation for procurement decisions”.

Halton’s report says there have also been delays in the booster stage.

“While Australia has had early success with managing the pandemic, further emergence of new variants and management of the vaccination rollout has seen waning performance in comparison to other countries,” the report says. “Australia currently has the second lowest rate of booster uptake among comparator countries.”

Halton says “inconsistent messaging from health authorities” has contributed to the slow booster uptake and urges the government to significantly improve public communications.

The government has accepted all of Halton’s recommendations “in principle”, Butler’s spokesperson said. A formal government response is expected soon.

Perrottet Government finally commits to bringing the Volunteer Rescue Association's emergency communications capability up to scratch

 

The Volunteer Rescue Association of NSW (VRA) formed in 1969 says of itself :

NSW VRA has over 1500 volunteer members across 53 squads, including specialist rescue operators working for their communities across New South Wales. They are primary responders for Road Crash Rescue, General Land Rescue, Vertical Rescue and many types of specialist rescue encountered by Emergency Service personnel and primarily operate in rural and regional New South Wales. The NSW VRA also includes Aerial Patrol, Remote Area Communications, Cave Rescue, Ski Patrols, Swift Water Teams and other Rescue Support Teams.

The VRA funding model is a mix of government grants, community fundraising and donations. This model results in a very tight budget.

So when in 2018 then Premier & Liberal MLA Gladys Berejiklian and her then Treasurer & Liberal MLA Dominic Perrott had the bright idea of charging commercial rental rates for use of around 800 communications towers on Crown land and abolishing rent rebates, the VRA feared it would have to cease using these towers as the organisation couldn’t bear the additional costs.

Tower rental costs in rural and regional low population density areas were foreshadowed to increase by 19 per cent.

By November 2019 the NSW Coalition Government appears to have decided that rebates on communication tower rents could still be made to eligible organisations on application, but these rebates would still require payment of the statutory minimum rent.

I suspect that the $4.7 million government funding injection mentioned in the article below is in part a workaround for a situation that Premier Perrottet himself helped create in 2018-2019.

Echo, 9 January 2023:

The Volunteer Rescue Association of NSW (VRA) will soon have access to seamless communications coverage across the state.

Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience and Minister for Flood Recovery Steph Cooke said a $4.7 million government funding injection will overhaul the VRA’s radio network to bring it into line with the other emergency services.

The funding will provide for 421 new radios and equip 100 vehicles with Vehicle as a Node technology.

Vehicle as a Node

The Vehicle as a Node capability integrates radio, mobile phone and satellite networks to provide a communication system that is resistant to ‘blackspots’, which often occur when natural disasters impact infrastructure.

VRA Acting Commissioner Andrew Luke said the upgrade will also give volunteers access to a duress button that is centrally monitored.

‘At the press of a button our members can request urgent assistance if they are in danger, enabling an immediate response,’ he said.

A consistent and reliable radio network

Ms Cooke said this multi-million dollar boost will give VRA volunteers access to a consistent and reliable radio network which is compatible with other agencies and guarantees their ability to communicate anywhere in NSW.

‘The VRA is the only agency in the State solely dedicated to rescue and its volunteers and staff have done an incredible job, particularly over the past 12 months supporting flood operations.

‘The independent Flood Inquiry highlighted ways we can enhance our emergency response and we will continue to ensure first responders have the resources they need to keep regional, rural and remote communities safer and stronger.’

‘Being able to send and receive life-saving communications in all conditions is vital to the safety of everyone, including our 1,218 members,’ said Acting Commissioner Andrew Luke.