INDIA NEWS
Nov 1-15, 2021 - Vol 2, Issue 9
Remembering Bert Newton Melbourne, October 31: Bert Newton was an icon, a larrikin and a born entertainer. We have never known TV without Bert – he was there from the beginning. From black and white to colour – as TV changed, Bert endured. He lived his life on the silver screen — and we welcomed his wit and humour into our homes. As we reflect on his legacy in the coming days, we’ll all be reminded of his legendary partnerships with Graham
Kennedy and Don Lane. For so many, those partnerships are as inseparable as they are memorable. He brought the Logies to life during TV’s golden era. And while TV was always his anchor, Bert was also a star on radio and the stage — performing in some of our most iconic musicals including Phantom of the Opera and the Rocky Horror Picture Show among others. But above all his achievements, he was a family man and his
greatest partnership was with his wife of almost 50 years, Patti. Our thoughts and prayers are with her, their children and their grandchildren. We will all have an opportunity to honour his memory, his talent and his achievements at a state funeral - details will be shared in the coming days. Bert will live on in the memories of an entire generation. Gone, but never forgotten. Vale Bert Newton.
Victoria continuing to cut greenhouse gas emissions Melbourne, October 29: Victoria’s emissions are continuing to fall with an emissions report clearly demonstrating the state’s transition to a net zero emissions economy by 2050 is on track. Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio released the Victorian Greenhouse Gas Emissions report for 2019 showing the state’s emissions continued to fall to 24.8 per cent below 2005 levels. The result means the Andrews Labor Government’s ambitious 2020 target − to reduce emissions by 15 to 20 per cent below 2005
levels − was exceeded ahead of schedule. The report also shows that in 2019, Victoria contributed 17. 3 per cent of Australia’s total net emissions − less than Queensland (31. 1 per cent); NSW (25. 8 per cent) and WA (17.4 percent). Victoria is decarbonising at the most rapid rate of any major jurisdiction in Australia and is doing so while its population and economy continues to grow. The report shows that while cutting emissions the economy has continued to grow. The Government has set targets to halve emissions by 2030 as part
of its Climate Change Strategy released in May this year. It has also legislated a target for 50 per cent of Victoria’s electricity to be provided from renewables by 2030 – and the Government’s own operations will be powered by 100 per cent renewable electricity by 2025. The Labor Government is ensuring the state plays its part in meeting the Paris Accord and keeping the increase in global average temperatures to as close to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels as possible.
Outdoor economy cash vouchers open for business Melbourne, October 27: Victorian businesses from 11am today can apply for vouchers to help them take advantage of open-air trading opportunities as the state prepares for the next major stage of reopening on Friday. More than 7,000 vouchers valued at $2,000 are available to help pay for the hire and purchase of furniture and equipment and other costs as part of the Victorian Government’s new $54.5 million Outdoor Economy Package. Public health settings for regional and metropolitan Victoria come together at 6pm on Friday as we enter Phase C of the Roadmap to Deliver the National Plan and significant new freedoms are shared across the state – some 20 per cent of
the vouchers will be reserved for regional businesses.
The COVIDSafe Outdoor Activation Voucher Program is open to businesses, community organisations, not-for-profits, charities and trader associations to set up street trading and invigorate local areas. Successful businesses will be able to use their voucher for expenses including purchasing and hiring marquees, screens and umbrellas, obtaining insurance and promoting outdoor operations, to a limit of $2,000. Restaurants, cafes, hotels and bars are eligible to apply for vouchers, as are hairdressers, beauty services, dance studios, gyms and retail shops – including
Brunswick fashion label Kindling which has created a welcoming space for customers to browse and try on clothes in its courtyard. The courtyard had previously been used for staff breaks.
Applicants to the program must provide a plan detailing how they will move their business activities outdoors, and provide proof that the voucher payment has been spent on eligible items within three months. The Outdoor Economy Package also includes the $40 million COVIDSafe Outdoor Activation Fund which is helping councils transform outdoor areas with new street furniture, landscaping and public art as well as entertainment.
New grants to help young people reach their potential Melbourne, October 18: The Victorian Government is using the power of sport, art, music and creativity to keep vulnerable young people away from the justice system. Opening today, the Youth Engagement Grants provide up to $50,000 for projects designed by small multicultural and Aboriginal clubs to engage young people and help keep them on the right path. The grants can be used to boost an existing program or to fund new projects. Through co-designing a project with the support of Government,
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the grants also give smaller organisations the opportunity to build expertise in developing proposals. This partnership approach will build the capacities of grassroots groups, allowing them to deliver projects that acknowledge the diverse needs of their communities. The new grants are part of the Building Safer Communities Program, which supports Victorian communities to address the root causes of crime and improve community safety. = Working together to provide positive opportunities for at-risk
young people forms part of the Government’s Crime Prevention Strategy, which is backed by more than $30 million in investment. The Crime Prevention Strategy sets out a clear plan and a long-term, evidence-based approach to addressing the causes of offending to keep our communities safe. A Youth Engagement Grants information session will be held online on 3 November 2021, with expressions of interest open from 18 October until 13 December 2021.
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NEWS FROM VICTORIA
Stronger protections against discrimination introduced Human Right Watch
Melbourne, October 27: The Andrews Labor Government is continuing to protect LGBTIQ+ Victorians against discrimination, with landmark reforms now in effect and further new laws introduced to Parliament today. The Government today introduced the Equal Opportunity (Religious Exceptions) Amendment Bill 2021 which will better protect LGBTIQ+ Victorians working within religious organisations and schools. The Bill will narrow current exceptions so that discrimination on the basis of sexuality, marital status, gender identity or other protected attributes will not be permitted. Religious organisations and schools will only be able to make employment decisions based on an employee’s religious beliefs where these are inherent to the job. Religious bodies and schools will still be able to practice their faith, teach their beliefs and set the religious ethos within their
organisation. The reforms will also mean religious bodies that receive government funding to provide services will also not be able to refuse to provide those services to people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. The Government has undertaken extensive consultations with LGBTIQ+ groups, education peak bodies and faith-based groups to ensure that the new laws give fair recognition to those involved. For the very first time, intersex Victorians are now also explicitly protected against discrimination under the Equal Opportunity Act 2010, with sex characteristics now included as a protected attribute under the Act. Previously, intersex Victorians were only given limited protection under the Act under the definition of gender identity. These new measures follow Intersex Awareness Day – a day observed across the globe to highlight human rights issues faced by people with an intersex variation. Adding sex characteristics – defined as a person’s physical features relating to sex such as chromosomes, hormones and anatomy – alongside race, disability, religious belief or activity and other protected attributes makes it clearer than ever that discrimination on this basis is unlawful and will not be tolerated.
Victorians thanked for making vaccination a success Melbourne, October 22: Thanks to the incredible efforts of millions of Victorians who turned out to get vaccinated at lightning speed, Victoria’s lockdown has lifted and the state can now move to relax quarantine rules further. As Victoria powers towards its 80 per cent double-dose vaccination rate, the Chief Health Officer has removed quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated international arrivals from 1 November.
Fully vaccinated international travellers will be able to enter Victoria without spending 14 days in hotel quarantine as part of the Victorian Government’s Roadmap to Deliver the National Plan. There will no longer be a cap on fully vaccinated returning Australians wishing to enter Victoria, and the opening of our borders to Victorians coming home will reunite families and friends and boost our vaccinated economy. International arrivals will need to demonstrate their vaccination status to the Commonwealth with a vaccine approved or recognised by the Therapeutic Goods Administration. TGA recognised vaccines are: Pfizer (Comirnaty) Astra Zeneca (Vaxzevria) Moderna (Spikevax) COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen ( Johnson and Johnson)
Coronavac (Sinovac) Covishield (AstraZeneca/Serum Institute of India). Arrivals will also be required to test negative to COVID-19 within 72 hours of their departure and will be required to undertake testing within 24 hours of arrival into Victoria. In line with Commonwealth protocols, children under 12 arriving with fully vaccinated parents and people with a valid medical exemption will be considered fully vaccinated. Any person who tests positive for COVID-19 once in Victoria, or their primary close contact, will be required to isolate at home just as any other case in the community, while unvaccinated international travellers will be subject to mandatory 14-day hotel quarantine unless they can prove their vaccination status during their quarantine period. International travellers in hotel quarantine as of 1 November who have had their vaccination status verified on the Australian Immunisation Register and who have returned a negative test will be released regardless of whether they have completed 14 days’ quarantine. From 1 November, Victoria will cap the number of unvaccinated or unverified international travellers at 250 a week.
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