Renewable Energy Target. Enhancing the Renewable Energy Target
Source: Australia. Department of Climate Change and and Energy Efficiency.
"On 26 February 2010, the Government announced changes to be made to the RET scheme to provide greater certainty for households, large-scale renewable energy projects and installers of small-scale renewable energy systems like solar panels and solar water heaters. The Government has released a discussion paper on the new RET design and seeking feedback on the implementation aspects."

Australia's Farming Future
Source: Australia. Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
"Australia’s Farming Future is the Australian Government’s climate change initiative for primary industries. It provides funding over four years to help primary producers adapt and respond to climate change. The objective of Australia’s Farming Future is to equip primary producers to adapt and adjust to the impacts of climate change."

Australian Government Data Centre Strategy 2010 - 2025
Sourec: Australia. Department of Finance and Deregulation, Australian Government Information Management Office.
"... This Strategy is the proposed whole-of-government approach to future data centre requirements. It contains initiatives and actions to achieve the recommendations of the Review including the avoidance of $1 billion in costs... Data centre requirements will be planned, procured and managed on a whole-of-government basis. Data centre facilities and services will be available via a whole-of-government panel. The panel will be set up in accordance with the normal practices of coordinated procurement policy..."

Targeted Early Numeracy
Source: New South Wales. Premier. Media Release.
"The Targeted Early Numeracy program will pay for 1,000 teachers to receive expert training each year so they can identify and foster students with numeracy difficulties. The Minister for Education and Training, Verity Firth, said the Targeted Early Numeracy intervention program would help to ensure all students were on track with numeracy by the time they finish Year 2."

Metropolitan Strategy Review: Sydney Towards 2036
Source: New South Wales. Premier. Media Release.
"Premier Kristina Keneally announced the beginning of the formal public consultation on Sydney’s Metropolitan Strategy. The Sydney Towards 2036 discussion paper is the first stage in an extensive consultation process to review Sydney’s Metropolitan Strategy." Discussion Paper.

Hassle Free Nights
Source: New South Wales. Premier. Media Release.
"The NSW Government launched a range of new initiatives – including additional late night bus services, new rules on party buses and secure taxi ranks - to help people enjoy their nights out free from alcohol-related violence. The $4 million action plan, Hassle Free Nights will be rolled out to popular nightspots. Hassle Free Nights will be trialled for 12 months. A report will then be provided to the community." Web site. Action Plan. Fact Sheet.

Water in Australia: Water for the Future
Source: Australia. Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.
"Australia faces major challenges in ensuring sustainable water supply in the face of drying climate and rising demand for water. In response, the Australian Government's framework, Water for the Future, provides national leadership in water reform for all Australians. The Australian Government's Water for the Future priorities will be delivered through a ten-year, $12.9 billion investment in strategic programs, improved water management arrangements, and a renewed commitment to deliver a range of water policy reforms in both rural and urban areas."

The Coalition’s Direct Action Plan on Paid Parental Leave
Source: Leader of the Opposition, Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education and Childcare and the Shadow Minister for the Status of Women. Policy Statement.
"The Coalition Joint Party Room this morning endorsed a proposal to introduce Paid Parental Leave if elected to government. The proposal is the first part of our broader package of support for Australian families. The Coalition’s Paid Parental Leave scheme will: provide primary carers with 26 weeks paid parental leave, at full replacement pay (up to a maximum salary of $150,000 per annum) or the Federal minimum wage, whichever is greater; be available to all employees in the public and private sector, including contractors and the self-employed; and include superannuation contributions at the mandatory rate of nine per cent."

Health Consultation Plan and Formal Response Agenda – to the proposed Federal health reforms.
Source: NSW. Premier. Media release.
"Premier Keneally detailed the NSW Government's three-part Health Consultation Plan and Formal Response Agenda - to the Prime Minister's proposed health reforms." The Premier has also written to Mr Rudd seeking clarification of some items."

Australian Government Response to the OECD Report – Towards a Seamless National Economy, 2009 Review of Regulatory Reform: Australia
Source: Australia. Minister for Finance and Deregulation. Government Response.
"The OECD report examines Australia’s regulatory governance system, including special topics on competition policy, market openness and federal-state regulatory issues. A key finding of the OECD’s review is that Australia’s sensible economic interventions and mature regulatory settings made a significant contribution to the resilience of the Australian economy in the face of the global financial crisis. The OECD concludes that the ‘impact of the global recession in Australia appears to have been less severe than in most other OECD countries’. The review also highlights Australia’s regulatory reform achievements more generally, finding that ‘Australia is one of the front-running countries in the OECD in terms of its regulatory reform practices’."

Kevin Rudd's Better Health, Better Hospitals speech
From: The Australian, March 03, 2010 12:42PM
"THIS is the full text of Kevin Rudd's speech to the National Press Club on the National Health and Hospitals Network. ...The Australian Government is delivering on the basics.This morning’s National Accounts confirmed once again that we have kept the Australian economy growing strongly – while other economies around the world remain devastated by the global recession.
Earlier this week, we delivered on our commitment to launch the first national curriculum for schools in our nation’s history – a curriculum grounded in teaching the basics and one delivered after two years of effort after thirty years of failure..."

A National Health and Hospitals Network for Australia’s Future
Source: Australia. Prime Minister, Treasurer, Minister for Health and Ageing. Joint Media Release.
"The Rudd Government today announced major structural reforms to Australia’s health and hospital system. The Government will deliver better health services and better hospitals by establishing a National Health and Hospitals Network. This new national network will be funded nationally and run locally. These reforms represent the biggest changes to Australia’s health and hospital system since the introduction of Medicare, and one of the most significant reforms to the federation in its history. "

Enhanced Renewable Energy Target Scheme
Source: Australia. Minister for Climate Change and Water & The Hon Greg Combet AM MP. Joint Media Release.
"The Rudd Government’s Renewable Energy Target scheme will be enhanced to provide greater certainty for households, employees and businesses within the renewable energy industry, as we build the low pollution economy of the future. From 1 January 2011 the Renewable Energy Target, which guarantees 20 per cent of Australia’s energy in 2020 will come from renewable sources, will include two parts - the Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme (SRES) and the Large-scale Renewable Energy Target (LRET)."

$38M TO GET NEW TECHNOLOGIES WORKING FOR AUSTRALIA
Source: Australia. Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science & Research. Media Release
"The Rudd Government is introducing a comprehensive national framework to guide the safe development of new technologies such as nanotechnology and biotechnology as part of a $38.2 million National Enabling Technologies Strategy released today. The strategy is part of the Rudd Government’s $1.1 billion Super Science Initiative."

Draft Legislation Released for NBN Co Operations
Source: Australia. Minister for Finance and Deregulation and the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy. Joint Media Release.
The Rudd Government today released exposure drafts of legislation to establish a regulatory framework for the National Broadband Network company, NBN Co Limited. Exposure drafts of two bills were released:
National Broadband Network Companies Bill 2010 (sets out ownership, governance and sale arrangements for NBN Co.)
Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (National Broadband Network Measures – Access Arrangements) Bill 2010 (sets out the access arrangements for NBN Co that reflect its wholesale-only status.)
The Government proposes to introduce the bills into Parliament in the Autumn or Winter sittings depending on the feedback received.

Securing Australia, Protecting Our Community
Source: Australia. The Prime Minister, The Attorney General & The Foreign Minister. Joint media release
"The Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, Attorney General, Robert McClelland and Foreign Minister, Stephen Smith today launched the 2010 Counter-Terrorism White Paper, Securing Australia, Protecting Our Community. The first responsibility of government is the protection of Australia, Australians and Australia's interests. This White Paper outlines the Government's assessment of the threat from terrorism and how we will deal with that threat."

Intervention for NSW and QLD public hospitals
Source: Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing and The Leader of the Opposition. Joint Press Release.
"Australia’s public hospitals are staffed by incredibly dedicated doctors, nurses and health workers who often can’t do their job properly because of suffocating bureaucracies.
The problem is not so much which level of government runs hospitals but how they are actually being managed. Especially in NSW and Queensland, hospitals have almost entirely lost the capacity for local decision-making. Doctors and nurses are often the “meat in the sandwich” having to explain to patients the consequences of decisions and policies over which they have no say....The Coalition’s comprehensive health and hospitals policy will be released nearer to the election."

$40m for teachers' professional development in ICT
Source: Australia. Minister for Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. Media release
"The Minister for Education, Julia Gillard, today announced a $40 million initiative to help ensure teachers and school leaders receive comprehensive training in information and communication technology (ICT). The Digital Strategy for Teachers and School Leaders , part of the Australian Government's $2.2 billion Digital Education Revolution, will help teachers and school leaders achieve ICT proficiency and embed these skills across the curriculum and teaching practices."

Productivity Commission inquiry into rural research and development
Source: Australia. Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. Media Release.
"Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Tony Burke. The Assistant Treasurer, Senator Nick Sherry, and the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Tony Burke, have today announced the terms of reference for a Productivity Commission inquiry into rural research and development corporation arrangements. The Australian Government collects industry levies under legislation for the purpose of research and development and matches expenditure on research and development on a 1:1 basis, up to 0.5 per cent of industry gross value of production."

PROTECTING PATIENTS FROM DODGY HEALTH PRACTITIONERS
Source: Victoria. Minister for Health. Media Release
"Unscrupulous health practitioners who prey on vulnerable Victorians could be jailed under a national scheme to protect patients from rogue operators. A meeting of Commonwealth, state and territory health ministers in Melbourne backed the Brumby Government plan, which will establish new rules for unregulated health practitoners.Victorian Health Minister Daniel Andrews said the new laws would stop sham healers from exploiting sick people seeking alternative health treatments.“Victoria wants to ensure that there is a nationally-consistent approach to protect vulnerable patients from unethical and incompetent practitioners,” Mr Andrews said. This scheme will establish national standards of conduct for unregistered health practitioners and give patients a mechanism to report complaints and have them investigated."