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From Australia - News in Brief

PM holds phone call with US Vice President Kamala Harris

Attorney-General has broken down in tears while forcefully denying allegations he raped a woman in 1988.

It's been a 'difficult last 12 months' for Chinese Australians

NSW government reportedly not told of federal plan to use ADF in

vaccinating aged care residents

Major misleading in the Super Fund and the matter is on its way to the

Federal Court

Tutoring program excels for NSW students

NSW Labor demands crackdown on data breaches

Service NSW app gets big thumbs up




PM holds phone call with US Vice President Kamala Harris

MARCH 3, 2021

(See Translation in Arabic Section)

Canberra - M E Times Int'l:  US Vice President Kamala Harris has singled out China as a regional challenge during a phone call with Prime Minster Scott Morrison.

In a readout released by the White House, the vice president emphasised the strength of the alliance between the US and Australia.

The two leaders also discussed the situation in Myanmar as a key challenge to stability in the region.

A statement from Prime Minister Scott Morrison went into further detail and emphasised security and trade as key to strengthening the alliance.

Both statements also addressed the need for economic recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and signalled a greater focus on multilateral organisations.

Live Breaking News: Attorney-General Christian Porter denies 1988 rape  allegation in media statement

Attorney-General has broken down in tears while forcefully denying allegations he raped a woman in 1988.

Sydney: Attorney-General Christian Porter has broken down in tears while forcefully denying allegations he raped a woman in 1988.

Mr Porter broke his silence to reporters in Perth on Wednesday after the NSW Police revealed there was “insufficient admissible evidence” to proceed with an investigation into the alleged rape of a 16-year-old girl.

Mr Porter said he only knew the complainant for a brief period in his teens.

With voice shaking and tears welling in his eyes, he began by addressing the parents of the alleged victim, saying they deserved better than the allegation being politicised.

“The things that have been claimed to happen did not happen. I do not mean to impose anything more upon your grief,” he said.

“I hope that you will also understand that, because what is being alleged did not happen, I must say so publicly.”

The allegations came to light after an anonymous letter, which included an attachment containing the claims reportedly from the woman involved, was sent to Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Labor Senator Penny Wong and Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young.

The woman made a report to the police in 2019, however did not complete her formal statement before taking her own life in Adelaide in June 2020.

Gripping the lectern tightly while fielding questions from journalists, Mr Porter said he was aware of a “whispering campaign” before the story broke on Friday but no one had ever put specific allegations to him.

He said had the accusation ever been put to him before they were printed, he would have only told the truth.

“And that is that nothing in the allegations that have been printed, ever happened,” Mr Porter said.

The Attorney-General confirmed he and the alleged victim had attended a debating competition at the University of Sydney in 1988.

He said he kept silent as police worked through their process.

“In this last week, I have tried to do what I’ve tried to do all of my life, respect the rules and the processes in the law,” he said.

“I was determined to follow the process set out by the AFP commission. It’s a process which, because of my background I know well, to not comment on allegations through the media because it risks prejudicing any investigation.

“While I have followed the rules, I have been subject to the most wild, intense (and) unrestrained series of accusations that I can remember in modern Australian politics.

“Maybe that’s the new normal.”

 Who soured Beijing-Canberra ties? Chinese diplomat says it's 'difficult to  be China's friends in Australia today' - Global Times

It's been a 'difficult last 12 months' for Chinese Australians

Sydney: New research has found almost one in five Chinese Australians say they've been physically threatened or attacked in the past year.

A report by the Lowy Institute found most had blamed tensions stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic or hostility between Canberra and Beijing.

Lowy Institute Research Fellow Dr Jennifer Hsu spoke to media about the findings.

"It's been a difficult past 12 months for Chinese Australians," she said.

"We also found the survey results to be quite optimistic in some areas".

"There's a great sense of belonging to Australia".

"A great majority also feel like they belong ... well they are accepted, in their day-to-day life here in Australia".

"That tells me that part of what is going on in Australian society is that our multiculturalism is working in some parts, but not in all parts," she said.

COVID-19 vaccine: Gladys Berejiklian not told of ADF in aged care

NSW government reportedly not told of federal plan to use ADF in vaccinating aged care residents

Sydney: Premier Gladys Berejiklian and the NSW government were reportedly blindsided by federal Health Minister Greg Hunt’s decision to call in the Australian Defence Force to help vaccinate aged care residents, it has been revealed.

Mr Hunt enlisted the ADF to help with the government’s rollout of the vaccine in aged care, with the immunisation plan already behind schedule.

The rollout so far has been plagued by missteps, including an incident where two aged care residents accidentally received four times the recommended dose of the vaccine.

At present, there are an estimated 200,000 elderly Australians in aged care facilities but only 500 nurses trained to administer the vaccine.

That is why army doctors and nurses are being trained on how to immunise aged care residents and workers in rural areas against COVID-19.

Mr Fordham revealed on 2GB that no minister from the state government had heard about Mr Hunt’s plan until watching 9 News on Tuesday night.

“The first they heard about it was when Chris O’Keefe broke the story on Nine News. That was late yesterday,” he said on radio.

 Major super fund Rest taken to court for misleading customers | Daily  Telegraph

Major misleading in the Super Fund and the matter is on its way to the Federal Court

Sydney: Legal proceedings have been lodged against major super fund Rest for allegedly strong-arming members and denying them their right to switch providers.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has confirmed it will take one of the country’s largest industry funds to the Federal Court, claiming Rest made false and misleading claims that discouraged members from leaving.

The corporate watchdog alleges the Retail Employees Superannuation Trust (Rest) between March 2015 and May 2018 “delayed or prevented” people from transferring their account to another superannuation fund — a legal right all Australian workers are entitled to.

It is understood the retail workers fund’s alleged misleading behaviour occurred in both written and oral statements to members who flagged their intention to leave.

ASIC claims Rest told members a minimum of $5000 must be kept in accounts if they decided to leave and were still employed by an employer affiliated with the fund.

Members seeking to leave the fund were also allegedly told they needed to obtain an employer declaration to confirm a worker’s “choice of fund rights” and that the workplace was willing to pay benefits into another super fund.

Free tutoring to support students

Tutoring program excels for NSW students

Sydney: NSW public school students are already benefitting from the State Government’s $337 million tuition program.

Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said more than 3960 educators were already at 1755 schools. Most are retired or casual teachers along with university education students and tutors.

 “I’m thrilled to see members of the education community helping out students after a disruptive 2020,” Ms Mitchell said.

“This additional support is tailored by the school, using both the data from last year’s Check-in Assessments and knowledge of classroom teachers. 

Ms Mitchell said the program was receiving excellent reviews from teachers.

 “School communities are ecstatic to have this extra support and are already putting staff to work to ensure students benefit from the program as soon as possible,” she said.

Rural and remote school leaders will also have access to additional educators to develop tailored support models to implement the program.

 Service NSW told to urgently improve data handling after cyber attack -  Strategy - iTnews

NSW Labor demands crackdown on data breaches

Sydney: Labor is demanding the NSW Government take urgent action to protect government agencies from cyberattacks, following a four-fold rise in the number of data breaches reported in the past year.

Shadow Minister for Better Public Services Sophie Cotsis said: “The Berejiklian Government is failing to act on repeated warnings that urgent action needs to be taken to fix the state’s cyber defenses.”

 “It is nearly a year since the personal information of tens of thousands of Service NSW customers was breached. That should have been a wake up call for this government.”

Recent Cybersecurity Inquiry hearings found that up to 30,000 residents were unaware their private information was compromised in last year’s hacking incident.

Labor is calling on the government to make it mandatory for all state government agencies to notify individuals whose private information has been breached.

4 MILLION CITIZENS USING SERVICE NSW APP

Service NSW app gets big thumbs up

Sydney: The Service NSW app has been downloaded more than four million times and been used in more than 117 million COVID Safe check-ins.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the technology had been a game changer for businesses and customers during the pandemic.

“The app has provided an easy solution for businesses and customers for checking in, and it assists NSW Health and the contact tracing team in the event of an outbreak,” Ms Berejiklian said.

Minister for Customer Service Victor Dominello said more than 80,000 businesses were using the check-in feature, with 94 per cent giving it the thumbs up.

“We want the customer to be at the centre of everything we do, which is why we are constantly bolstering the app,” he said. “You can also use it to download a Digital Driver License, renew registrations and get the latest COVID advice.”

 

 

 




 














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