Australian Government Announces Free Child Care And Other Policies: An Exemplary Leadership
Scott Morrison, Australian Prime minister has announced that there will be free childcare for all workers to ensure – the smooth running of the economy during the COVID-19 crisis and a bounce back when it ends.
In a tweet today, the prime minister said: ” Our focus during this Coronavirus crisis continues to be on protecting lives and protecting livelihood – that means keeping Australians in jobs and businesses in business so that when this virus has passed we can bounce back stronger on the other side.”
Australian citizens have been blessed with a government that feels their impulses and understands what is really important during this crisis – economic survival.
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Who Is Scott Morrison?
According to Wikipedia, Scott John Morrison (born 13 May 1968) is an Australian politician who has been Prime Minister of Australia and leader of the Liberal Party since August 2018. He previously served in Cabinet from 2013 to 2018, including as Treasurer.
Morrison was born in Sydney and studied economic geography at the University of New South Wales. He worked as director of the New Zealand Office of Tourism and Sport from 1998 to 2000 and was managing director of Tourism Australia from 2004 to 2006. Morrison was also state director of the New South Wales Liberal Party from 2000 to 2004. He was later elected to the House of Representatives at the 2007 election, representing the Division of Cook in New South Wales.
After the Coalition victory at the 2013 election, Morrison was appointed Minister for Immigration and Border Protection in the Abbott Government, in which capacity he was responsible for implementing Operation Sovereign Borders. In a reshuffle the following year, he became Minister for Social Services. He was later promoted to the role of Treasurer in September 2015, after Malcolm Turnbull replaced Abbott as prime minister.
In August 2018, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton unsuccessfully challenged Turnbull for the leadership of the Liberal Party. Leadership tension continued, and the party voted to hold a second leadership ballot on 24 August, with Turnbull choosing not to stand. In that ballot, Morrison defeated both Dutton and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop to become the leader of the Liberal Party. He was sworn in as prime minister by the Governor-General later that day. Morrison went on to lead the Coalition to an upset victory in the 2019 election.
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Other Policies That Will Help During The COVID-19 Crisis
The Federal Government Launches A New Jobs Hub
The Australian government has launched a new job hub that lists tens of thousands of public and private jobs just waiting to be filled by Australian who are looking for work during the crisis. This ensures that no Australian is without a source for his/her daily bread.
The Job Keeper Wage Subsidy
The Morrison government has announced a $130 billion wage subsidy. This plan aims to keep Australians in jobs during the crisis. About 113,000 Australian businesses have registered their interest in the Job Keeper wage plan which gives each employee a $1,500 wage subsidy every fortnight.
This would help Australians stay afloat and increase their purchasing power of essentials such as food, groceries and medical supplies. It also gives them additional cash to care for their dependents.
$1.1 billion Assistance For Lower-Income Australians
$750 will be paid to about 6.8 million people who are eligible for it. These people include pensioners. This is to ensure that those people who earn little have some more money to purchase essentials and other things they need for survival during the crisis.
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Supporting Manufacturers Of Medical Supplies
The Australian federal government has given its support to industries that produce medical supplies to enable them to produce these products at a faster rate and in bulk. These products include face masks and other supplies needed to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
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COVID-19 Statistics In Australia
The latest statistics show that Australia has done more tests(more than 261,000 tests) for confirmed cases than most countries in the world. Statistics also show that there are 4,976 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Australia, with 21 deaths.
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Conclusion
The Australian government has indeed carried out some commendable and proactive actions towards fighting the spread of the disease and making sure citizens are comfortable even during the crisis. Policies that cater to children and as an extension their parents(especially mothers) are what most people around the world are hoping for during these times.
It is not enough to tell people to stay at home. Governments should take responsibility for the wellbeing of their citizens and make adequate decisions that would keep us all alive and safe so we can all witness the end of this virus. Australian Prime Minister has shown the world how it is done, it is now left for all our governments to take action and do BETTER.
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