MINES RESCUE crews attending mine accidents will be able to access support for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) more quickly and easily under new laws for first responders passed by the Queensland Government yesterday. 

The union campaigned to ensure mines rescue personnel are covered by the law which also protects police, ambulance officers, and firefighters.

The new laws will ensure first responders’ diagnosed PTSD claims will be deemed work-related ensuring they get immediate treatment and benefits under the workers’ compensation scheme.

First responders are exposed daily to traumatic incidents most people can only imagine and have rates of mental health conditions 10 times higher than the Australian workforce generally.

These new laws provide a smoother pathway to compensation and support.

Stephen Smyth, CFMEU Mining and Energy Queensland district president, said it was a good outcome for mine rescue personnel to be covered by the new laws.

“Mines rescue teams witness horrific scenes, and they need to receive support quickly and with a minimum of paperwork and legal hoops to jump through,” Mr Smyth said.

“Last week marked the anniversary of the underground gas explosion at the Grosvenor mine which left five miners fighting for their lives in hospital for months with terrible burns.

“Our union appeared at Parliamentary hearings on this issue to ensure mine rescue personnel are covered.

“Our advocacy means it will flow on to other industries as well, like quarry and metalliferous mining.

“This is an important improvement for Queensland’s first responders and the union will continue to advocate for better and fairer laws for mining and energy workers.”

ends

THE Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Bruce Billson said the Startup Year initiative proposed in Labor’s budget reply could contribute to Australia having a world-class ecosystem for entrepreneurship.

Labor Leader Anthony Albanese’s budget response included a pitch for Startup Year, a program helping up to 2,000 of the nation’s most promising entrepreneurs commercialise their ideas and university research.

Under the proposal, students would have access to loans of up to $11,300 through the HELP system to cover costs while participating in an accredited accelerator program.   

Mr Billson said the initiative is an interesting proposal and is looking forward to learning more about it.

“The Startup Year program is a useful and constructive proposal about how we might ensure Australia has a world-leading ecosystem to support entrepreneurship,” Mr Billson said.

“I look forward to learning more about the approach over the coming weeks and working collaboratively to ensure small business are a key focus in Labor’s economic plan.

“We all share the ambition of Australia being the best place to start, grow and transform a business and what this means for our economic prosperity and livelihoods.”

www.asbfeo.gov.au

ends

HOMELESS Connect is a one-day event that links people experiencing homelessness with vital services and is one of the most effective ways to support the community, provide genuine help and develop meaningful connections with people in need.

Volunteering Queensland is appealing to medical and allied health service professionals to volunteer at the event on Thursday May 20, 2021.

Volunteers will help to support people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. The event is run entirely by volunteers as well as donations from schools, businesses and residents of Brisbane.

Since 2006, Brisbane City Council and Volunteering Queensland have joined forces with Queensland volunteers to orchestrate the annual Homeless Connect event and has helped more than 17,920 people since its inception. 

Homeless Connect provides:

• Healthcare services by medical and allied health care professionals such as doctors, dentists, optometrists, podiatrists and massage therapists
• Housing support and community support
• Haircuts by barbers and hairdressers
• Immunisation delivered by Council's immunisation team
• Personal grooming items such as face washers, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo and deodorant
• Clothing and shoes for adults, children and babies
• Non-perishable food items
• Lunch and entertainment.

ends

Homeless Connect contact, Brodie Peace, 07 3002 7600 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.\

ends

IN AN Australian-first, NSW Health will provide COVID-19 vaccinations to a small number of foreign seafarers onboard vessels that transport gas between Australian ports in an effort to reduce the risk of the virus entering the community.

The Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) welcomed the initiative between NSW Health and NSW Ports, which will cover vessels that regularly visit the Port Botany Bulk Liquids Berth, but said the model must be rolled out nationally to reduce the risk of COVID transmission to waterfront workers.

Sixteen seafarers onboard Singapore-flagged LPG carrier Epic St Agnes, which is on long-term charter to Australian energy giant Origin Energy, received their first vaccination dose yesterday morning while berthed at Port Botany.

The Epic St Agnes operates exclusively on the Australian coast, loading and discharging bulk gas at ports in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, and the Northern Territory.

The initiative follows last month’s COVID outbreak on another LPG carrier chartered by Origin Energy, the Inge Kosan. Testing of crew members on that vessel — conducted after the body of one of the seafarers washed up on a beach in Vanuatu — found 12 of 13 had the virus.

MUA Sydney deputy branch secretary Paul Garrett welcomed the NSW Health initiative, but questioned why it was only taking place on a small number of vessels at the Bulk Liquids Berth.

“This Australian-first effort to vaccinate foreign seafarers that make regular visits to Australian ports is a welcome step to reduce the risk of COVID transmission to waterfront workers, but it needs to be replicated at all ports and terminals,” Mr Garrett said.

“The COVID outbreak on the Inge Kosan last month, which appears to be responsible for the death of one of the seafarers onboard, highlights the significant risk that maritime ports of entry pose as a source of community transmission.

“NSW Health has made the decision that COVID vaccinations for crews onboard gas ships that use the Bulk Liquids Terminal are essential to reduce the risk of community transmission, yet seafarers on container ships berthed just a few hundred metres away are excluded.

“More than a year on from the Ruby Princess debacle, many of the lessons still haven’t been learnt, which is why the union is continuing to fight for COVID testing and vaccinations for all international seafarers arriving in Australian ports.”

MUA national secretary Paddy Crumlin said there was an urgent need for a nationally-consistent approach to close the gaping holes in Australia’s maritime biosecurity measures.

“Thousands of foreign ships visit Australian each year, with many conducting regular trips or undertaking coastal trade between Australian ports, resulting in a significant risk of COVID transmission into the community through direct contact with waterfront workers,” Mr Crumlin said.

“I wrote to the National Cabinet again last month to warn of the significant public health threat and outline the immediate reforms needed to address this risk.

“Inconsistent and tokenistic measures, such as vaccinations for seafarers at certain ports or terminals but not at others, can’t solve what is a national threat.

“What this initiative from NSW Health does prove is that it is possible to vaccinate foreign seafarers, but those efforts will only be truly effective if they’re done in a coordinated, nationally-consistent way.

“It shouldn’t take COVID outbreaks, such as the recent one on the Inge Kosan, to force Federal, State and Territory Governments to finally take the steps needed to address the risk of COVID transmission at Australian ports.”

International Transport Workers’ Federation Australia coordinator Ian Bray said the Federal Government needed to do more to protect the wellbeing of seafarers in Australia’s maritime supply chains.

“As well as providing vaccinations for seafarers travelling to Australian ports, there also needs to be COVID testing undertaken of all seafarers arriving from foreign ports,” Mr Bray said.

“Not only would rapid testing allow Australian workers who have come into contact with confirmed cases to be immediately isolated, it would mean appropriate medical care could be provided to seafarers, along with support to prevent further spread of the virus on the vessel.

“Seafarers are responsible for transporting 98 per cent of Australia’s imports and exports, which is why it is so important to address the threat COVID poses to these maritime supply chains.”