World leaders gather on eve of Queen’s funeral; Labor urged to act on paid parental leave

Well being Minister Mark Butler says Thursday’s public vacation is “an essential day to mourn the lack of the Queen of Australia” whereas acknowledging the plight of sufferers who’ve had their surgical procedures cancelled.

“That may have an effect on the group. There’s little question about that,” he informed reporters in Adelaide earlier in the present day.

“However that is an extremely essential day for us to mourn the lack of the Queen.”

In the meantime, the Labor frontbencher revealed that the pandemic depart funds of as much as $540 for individuals pressured to isolate with COVID-19 with out sick depart, prolonged final week by nationwide cupboard, might proceed past December.

“Over the course of the remainder of this 12 months, we will probably be contemplating the necessity for measures to be prolonged past the top of calendar 2022. And we’ll have extra to say on that [at a later date],” Butler mentioned.

“There will probably be a have to retain some measures.”

Nevertheless, he wouldn’t be drawn on whether or not the federal government will comply with GPs’ calls for for Medicare rebates to be raised according to inflation – saying that whereas “the monetary stress on normal apply is a unbroken theme” in his discussions with GPs – “I actually don’t need to preempt the end result”.

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Butler, whereas saying $1.4 billion in extra COVID-19 funding targeted on aged care, GPs and testing, added that PPE within the nationwide medical stockpile is “operating low” and that $352 million of the money is earmarked to purchase greater than 250 million gadgets like face masks, gloves and visors.

“This stockpile has been a vital supply [of] protecting private tools or PPE over the course of a pandemic,” the minister mentioned.

“It’s operating low, and we have to restock it over the course of the remainder of the 12 months to satisfy demand over the course of the remainder of 2022, but in addition to safe provide into the following 12 months.”