The expanded program will immediately offer free RSV vaccination to expectant mothers to help protect their newborn infants.
The RSV vaccine Abrysvo can be safely administered to expectant mothers between 28 and 36 weeks of their pregnancy to provide newborn infants with protection against severe RSV disease from birth up to six months of age.
The expanded program builds on the $31 million RSV paediatric immunisation program already offering free immunisation to newborn babies, eligible infants and young children.
Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Tim Nicholls said the expanded program is an important step in keeping children out of hospital.
“We know almost all Queensland children will experience at least one RSV infection by the time they turn two, with the virus the most common cause of hospitalisations among infants and young children,” Minister Nicholls said.
“This year to date, Queensland has recorded more than 39,400 RSV cases across the state, with around 400 new cases currently recorded every week.
“While RSV can infect people of all ages, newborn babies and young children are particularly vulnerable to severe illness and may need to be admitted to hospital.
“The vaccine can reduce severe disease and decrease hospitalisation rates.
“It is an invaluable addition to the state’s immunisation program to support the health of young Queenslanders.”
Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr John Gerrard said the results of the RSV paediatric immunisation program were already being seen among infant hospitalisation rates.
“As of November 24 this year, we recorded 372 fewer hospitalisations among babies aged under six months this year compared to the same time last year,” Dr Gerrard said.
“We know we can do better and that’s why expanding the program is great news.
“This immunisation program is expected to continue alleviating pressure on paediatric health care services across Queensland.
“Based on current figures, we estimate the expanded RSV immunisation program will prevent around 960 hospitalisations among Queensland children next year during their first six months.”
Dr Gerrard encouraged all pregnant women and parents of eligible children to take the opportunity to protect their child against RSV.
“If immunisation occurs during pregnancy, healthy babies will not need to be immunised against RSV themselves,” Dr Gerrard said.
“Eligible infants and young children who are at the highest risk of severe RSV disease and not protected by maternal immunisation will continue to be offered immunisation through the RSV paediatric immunisation program,” he said.
Queensland’s expanded RSV immunisation program will roll out in advance of the national maternal RSV immunisation program, which commences ahead of winter 2025.
More information around eligibility and how to access RSV immunisation is available on the Queensland Health website.
Immunisation providers may charge a consultation fee to administer the RSV maternal vaccine, however the vaccine is free under the Queensland RSV immunisation program
A Fresh Start for Queensland is underway with key commitments from the Crisafulli Government’s 100 Day Plan delivered within the first month.
Since Ministers were sworn into their roles, major headway has been made addressing the youth crime, health, housing and cost of living crises, to deliver a Fresh Start for Queensland.
Eight deliverables outlined in the 100 Day Plan have all been completed within the month, including:
The Government has also introduced the landmark Making Queensland Safer Laws to Parliament, which will be law before the end of the year, with Committee hearings on the Bill set to commence on Tuesday.
Premier David Crisafulli said the Government was focused on delivering the Right Plan for Queensland’s Future.
“Queenslanders voted for a Fresh Start and we’ve wasted no time in addressing the issues of youth crime, health, housing and cost of living,” Premier Crisafulli said.
“We made a commitment to Queenslanders and I will be holding Ministers accountable to delivering on our 100 Day Plan promises.
“Already the Health Department is beginning to implement our Better Health, More Services plan with real-time data, to breathe life back into a system on life support.
“Two major cost of living initiatives have been locked-in with 50 cent fares made permanent and an Electricity Maintenance Guarantee implemented, to drive-down power prices and help deliver affordable, reliable and sustainable energy.
“Work is underway on a 20-year Tourism Plan to cut through green-tape holding back new eco-tourism opportunities and leverage the opportunities presented by the Games.
“The Games 100 Day Review has also started after the Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority was legislated and the Board appointed, ending 1,200 days of Labor’s Games chaos.
“We asked Queenslanders to place their trust in us and we’re delivering the Fresh Start they voted for across youth crime, health, housing and cost of living.
The Crisafulli Government has introduced legislation to repeal the Path to Treaty Act and announced funds will be reallocated into projects and programs that improve the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Queensland.
The Government’s intention to repeal the Path to Treaty Act 2023 was articulated throughout the election campaign and made clear from Opposition following Queensland’s overwhelming rejection of The Voice referendum more than a year ago.
Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Fiona Simpson MP, said the repeal would immediately cease the activities of the Truth-telling and Healing Inquiry and the First Nations Treaty Institute.
“This legislation delivers on our election commitment to repeal the Path to Treaty Act and wind up the Truth-telling and Healing Inquiry,” Minister Simpson said.
“Our position has been made very clear for more than 12 months after 68% of Queenslanders voted against The Voice referendum, which showed Queenslanders wanted to be united, not divided.
“Our commitment to delivering better health, housing and education outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Queenslanders has been clear and our Government looks forward to working in partnership with local communities to redirect funding into projects and programs that will be measurable and align with improving the lives of Indigenous Queenslanders.
“Indigenous Queenslanders have been failed over a long period of time and we must take tangible steps now to improve that situation.
“Under Labor, the outcomes for First Nations Queenslanders are lagging behind and we must turn that around to begin closing the gap.”
The latest Queensland Closing the Gap annual report (2023) revealed nine of the 17 targets were not on track, including across housing, education, and health.
Minister Simpson said it remained important to acknowledge the difficult history Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people had faced, while Queenslanders united to turn around outcomes in Indigenous communities today.
“The Truth-telling and Healing Inquiry was never supposed to be a legalistic venture, yet in just four months, $1.45 million was spent on Member remuneration, legal counsel, legal staff, and other legal costs,” Minister Simpson said.
“Forty-eight percent of the total expenditure from its establishment to date was spent on legal costs, which is money that should be invested in local communities, not lawyers in Brisbane.
“We all have an obligation to act now and be open and honest about the realities we are facing as a state.
“It’s a big challenge but I believe that together we can deliver better outcomes for all.”
The Department of Women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships and Multiculturalism will oversee the closure of the Inquiry and the Institute.
All permanent Government staff who had been working within the framework of the Inquiry will return to substantive roles within Government. Non-permanent staff will be supported to find other roles.
The Crisafulli Government will increase the independence of Queensland’s Public Sector Commissioner, to drive transparency, accountability and capacity of the public service and deliver the Right Plan for Queensland’s Future.
The Public Sector Act 2022 will be amended, removing the ability to terminate the Public Sector Commissioner without grounds, elevating the role to be independent of the Premier of the day.
The legislation was introduced to Parliament today and delivers on the Crisafulli Government’s commitment to establish an independent Public Sector Commission within its first 100 days.
These amendments will support the Commissioner to act independently, and oversee a public service empowered to provide frank and fearless advice, driven by a commitment to efficiency, ethics and delivering outcomes for Queenslanders.
The changes are the start of delivering on the Crisafulli Government’s seven-point plan for the Queensland public sector focused on accountability, integrity, independence, putting an end to outsourcing the core work of the public service, capacity-building and professional development, and no forced redundancies.
Premier David Crisafulli said independence for the Public Sector Commission was part of delivering a Fresh Start for Queensland and strengthening Queensland’s public service.
“We promised Queenslanders we would deliver a government that works for Queenslanders and the first step is empowering the public sector,” Premier Crisafulli said.
“This begins with delivering independence for the Public Sector Commission.
“The head of the public sector should be independent of the government of the day, able to deliver continuity to the public service and focused on accountability and transparency.
“This government values public sector workers and expects nothing less than frank and fearless advice to support good government decision making.
“We want to boost the independence of the PSC to restore a culture of integrity, accountability and respect right across government and the public sector.”
The Crisafulli Government will restore productivity to Queensland building sites, with the establishment of the Queensland Productivity Commission in laws introduced to the Parliament today.
The Productivity Commission will research solutions for pressing challenges facing Queensland across the economy and provide the Government with advice and recommendations for policy issues.
Labor abolished the previous Productivity Commission in 2021, leaving Queensland without the independent analysis and investigatory powers designed to boost the state’s economy.
Restoring the Productivity Commission will help deliver on a commitment to restore respect for Queenslanders’ money and drive down cost of living pressures.
The Productivity Commission’s first order of business will be to undertake a comprehensive review of Queensland’s construction sector in the wake of revelations Best Practice Industry Conditions were adding up to 30% to the cost of major projects.
Treasury modelling has also exposed productivity losses made up the majority of cost increases to major projects.
The Commission will also deliver Queensland’s first Intergenerational Equity Report, outlining the key issues Queenslanders face across generational lines, and the long-term policy solutions needed.
Queensland Treasurer David Janetzki said the Queensland Productivity Commission was part of a Fresh Start for Queensland and crucial to securing the state’s future.
“Productivity underwrites prosperity and we must return it to Queensland to drive-down costs across industry and around the kitchen table,” Treasurer Janetzki said.
“If we don’t reverse the productivity purge in Queensland, it is businesses and families who will pay the price.
“The Productivity Commission will identify opportunity and bolster our state’s economy.
“We cannot afford the cost of building sites remaining at a standstill, which is why the first order of business will be a review of the building industry.
“Labor’s CFMEU Tax will be put under the microscope to restore productivity to worksites.
“The Government has already announced a pause on BPIC while this review is completed, which is why I will be tasking the Productivity Commission with delivering a report in mid-2025.
“After a decade of stagnation under Labor, Queensland can’t afford to kick the can down the road any longer on productivity, which is why the Crisafulli Government has acted.”
The Crisafulli Government has taken the first step to restoring community safety and legislating Adult Crime, Adult Time with the introduction of the landmark Making Queensland Safer Bill 2024 to Parliament today.
The Making Queensland Safer Laws deliver on a key commitment to Queenslanders to restore community safety and turn the tide on the Youth Crime Crisis.
Under the laws, juvenile offenders who commit some of the most serious crimes will face the same penalties as adult offenders and the rights of victims will be put ahead of the rights of offenders.
Under the proposed laws, the Youth Justice Act 1992 would be amended so young offenders committing particular crimes would be subject to the same penalties as adults.
The tough provisions contained in the Bill complement plans for Gold Standard Early Intervention, crime prevention and effective rehabilitation to ensure fewer Queenslanders fall victim to crime.
Adult Crime, Adult Time offences include:
The principle of detention as a last resort would also be removed from the Act to prioritise community safety.
The Making Queensland Safer laws also make changes to how offenders are sentenced.
Courts will be empowered to consider an offender’s full criminal history when sentencing, making their criminal history as a juvenile available to the court when they are sentenced as an adult for a five-year period.
Consideration of victims will be prioritised during sentencing, raising the rights of victims ahead of the rights of offenders.
The Bill also includes measures to fully open the Childrens Court for victims and the media.
Premier David Crisafulli said restoring community safety would be the first order of business with the Making Queensland Safer Laws.
“The Making Queensland Safer Laws are the first strike back against a youth crime crisis a decade in the making,” Premier Crisafulli said.
“This is Adult Crime, Adult Time, the tough laws with consequences for actions, voted for by Queenslanders.
“Where we are today is the result of decisions made a decade ago; a fresh start is what we need, Queenslanders demanded it and we are delivering it with the Making Queensland Safer Laws.
“No one is suggesting there will be no crime, but these laws will start to restore safety to our community and mean fewer Queenslanders fall victim to crime.
“Youth who choose to commit the most serious crimes will serve the time under these strong laws, but with Gold Standard Early Intervention and effective rehabilitation they will have every opportunity to stay on the right track.”
Attorney-General Deb Frecklington said the Bill made important changes to fundamental provisions that determined how courts dealt with serious juvenile offending.
“The purpose of our justice system must be to hold people accountable for their actions and to break cycles of reoffending,” Minister Frecklington said.
“Under the changes we are introducing, courts will be able to consider an offender’s full criminal history to better address patterns of offending when sentencing.
“We’re giving our judges and magistrates every tool they need to impose sentences that meet community expectations and keep violent offenders off our streets.
“I am proud to be part of a Government that is taking immediate action to restore community safety.”
Youth Justice and Victim Support Minister Laura Gerber said the Bill was the tough on crime response Queenslanders had been pleading for.
“When Labor watered down youth justice laws, it created a generation of hardcore repeat offenders,” Minister Gerber said.
“That ends now, with the Crisafulli Government’s Making Queensland Safer Bill.
“Adult Crime, Adult Time will make young offenders think twice but there will also be early intervention measures and proper rehabilitation.”
Police Minister Dan Purdie said the Bill would give hardworking police the laws they needed to do their job effectively.
“Under Labor, Queensland became the crime capital of the country,” Minister Purdie said.
“Dedicated officers were trying to keep our streets safe but they were left to do it with one arm tied behind their back.
“The Making Queensland Safer Bill gives police the stronger laws they need to protect Queensland.”
The Crisafulli Government has taken the first step to delivering affordable, reliable and sustainable energy to power Queensland’s future, implementing an Electricity Maintenance Guarantee.
A five-year base $1.4 billion Electricity Maintenance Guarantee will lock in investment for maintenance of power plants and create a new framework around investment, performance, and accountability for Queensland power assets.
Executives at Queensland’s government-owned power companies will lose bonuses if they fail to comply with tough key performance indicators (KPIs) on maintenance, personal safety, process safety, and plant performance.
Under the Guarantee, Stanwell, CS Energy, and CleanCo will be provided with investment certainty to deliver on their five-year maintenance programs, driving the effective maintenance, safety, and long-term reliability of Queensland’s power generators.
Ultimately, the Electricity Maintenance Guarantee will give Queensland’s power grid more reliable energy generation and put downward pressure on power prices, by helping prevent disasters like the Callide explosion.
The Callide C failure – which left unit C4 offline for more than 1100 days - caused widespread blackouts and contributed to Queensland’s 19.9 per cent electricity price hike last year, an increase three times the national average.
The investigative Brady report into the incident condemned the organisation’s “failure to value and implement effective process safety practices”.
Executives at Queensland’s three major energy companies pocketed over $2 million in performance bonuses over the past five years, in spite of the Callide failure.
This included bonuses to CS Energy senior executives in the aftermath of the 2021 Callide C power plant explosion and cooling tower incidents in subsequent years.
A 2020 shareholding ministers’ mandate prioritised cost savings and constrained the government-owned corporations' investment strategies.
New shareholding ministers are writing to the companies to implement the Guarantee as a new investment, performance and accountability framework.
Treasurer David Janetzki said the Electricity Maintenance Guarantee was part of a Fresh Start for Queensland’s Future and delivered on a key commitment in the 100 Day Plan.
“Under the Crisafulli Government’s Electricity Maintenance Guarantee, Government Owned Corporations will prioritise maintenance expenditure and have no excuse not to maintain assets,” Treasurer Janetzki said.
“Despite Labor’s rivers of gold in revenue, they failed to allocate funds for adequate maintenance at Queensland power plants, leading to the Callide explosion.
“We’re being clear to power executives: no KPI delivery, no bonus.
“Inadequate maintenance was a key concern for years leading up to the Callide Catastrophe and the resulting power-price hikes cost Queenslanders every time they switched the lights on.
“Our Electricity Maintenance Guarantee will ensure Queensland’s energy assets are never left in a state of neglect again.
“The Electricity Maintenance Guarantee will make power executives accountable for performance, including clear KPIs for maintenance, personal safety, process safety, and plant performance.
“The Crisafulli Government is focused on delivering affordable and reliable power for Queenslanders to drive-down cost pressures.”
The Crisafulli Government will re-establish the Bruce Highway Advisory Council (BHAC) by the end of 2024 as part of its commitment to providing a long-term plan for the Bruce Highway.
Expressions of interest are now open to Queenslanders who regularly use the Bruce Highway between Carseldine and Cairns and can identify priority locations for future investment to improve road safety.
The Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) is currently seeking nominations for regional representatives from the following Queensland districts:
Road safety will be at the forefront of the re-established BHAC – bringing key stakeholders and industry together – with regional representatives playing a vital role in informing the Council on priority investment locations. Transport and Main Roads Brent Mickelberg will chair the BHAC.
Capacity and flood resilience will also be addressed however, the focus of the BHAC is to advise on current challenges and opportunities, as well as investment priority and sequencing of key upgrades along the Bruce Highway.
Minister for Transport and Main Roads Brent Mickelberg says the Crisafulli Government made a commitment for a re-established Bruce Highway Advisory Council to meet before Christmas, and that’s exactly what we’ll do.
“It’s important we listen to our regional communities to be able to deliver the upgrades that are so desperately needed to the Bruce Highway,” Mr Mickelberg says.
“We want to hear from a broad cross section of people who drive the Bruce Highway regularly from the Far North to south of the Sunshine Coast, whether they be truck drivers, local commuters or interested stakeholders.
“The BHAC will provide the Crisafulli Government with advice on challenges and opportunities, as well as investment priority and sequencing on the Bruce Highway.
“One of my key priorities as Minister for Transport and Main Roads is to help deliver a long-term upgrade plan to bring the Bruce Highway up to safety standards.
“I will also be calling out the Federal Government for cutting its share of funding to the Bruce Highway and calling for a return to the long-standing 80:20 funding split for the national highway.
“I look forward to hearing from regional representatives and their firsthand experience using the Bruce Highway at the first Council meeting scheduled for December 2024.”
Queenslanders interested in supporting the Bruce Highway Advisory Council need to submit an expression of interest by 5pm Friday 29 November 2024.
More information is available at https://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/business-industry/business-with-us/bruce-highway-advisory-council
The Crisafulli Government has today announced it will establish a Parliamentary Inquiry into Volunteering in Queensland.
Volunteering participation had fallen by more than 10 per cent over the previous three years, impacting many community organisations’ ability to deliver for Queenslanders and respond in times of emergency.
The inquiry, which will be established before the end of the year, will focus on the following five areas:
Establishing the Inquiry delivers on a commitment of the Crisafulli Government for the 100-day Plan.
Minister for Volunteers Ann Leahy said the Parliamentary Inquiry would be an important first step in providing more support for Queenslanders who wanted to volunteer.
“Volunteers make vital social and economic contributions to our state,” Minister Leahy said.
“I have been engaging with volunteers and volunteer organisations and they’re telling me there are a range of obstacles stopping people from volunteering.
“The Crisafulli Government is committed to removing those barriers and creating pathways to volunteering. This inquiry is the first step toward that.
“We want to make sure that anyone that has a passion to make a difference in their local community has every opportunity to become a volunteer.”
Minister Leahy said the Committee would be tasked with delivering a report to the government by September 2025.
“Public contributions to this inquiry are vital and I encourage those groups and individuals with an interest to get involved when the inquiry opens,” she said.
“The experiences of volunteers on the frontline need to be heard so the barriers they face can be addressed and we can reverse the decline in volunteering numbers.”
