Three million vaccines are being distributed ahead of the start of the school year to enable the 2.3 million children now eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to get their first vaccine.

In the first four days of the 5 to 11-year-old rollout, close to 200,000 children have had a first dose of the vaccine. Australia is one of the most vaccinated countries against COVID-19, with over 92 per cent of the eligible population now fully vaccinated and more than four million boosters administered to date. Bookings can be made via the Commonwealth’s Vaccine Clinic Finder. 

CHANGES TO PANDEMIC LEAVE DISASTER PAYMENT 
Changes are being made to the Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment to better align with new testing and isolation requirements agreed by National Cabinet. Firstly, from Monday 10 January, Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) results will be accepted in addition to PCR results. 

People will need to have the advice of a positive test from a testing clinic or health professional or evidence that they have registered a positive result from a home-administered RAT with their state health authority. Effective from 18 January, people who have lost at least a day of work because they are isolated due to being COVID-19 positive, caring for someone who is COVID-19 positive or meet the definition of a close contact may be eligible for up to $750. 

END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND CHILDREN 
The draft National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032 sets out the Commonwealth, States and Territories shared commitment to ending all forms of gender-based violence in Australia built on four pillars: Prevention, Intervention, Response and Recovery. In the 2021-22 Budget, we announced a record $1.1 billion women’s safety package as a down payment on the next National Plan. This brings our investment in women’s safety to over $2 billion since 2013. 

ENHANCING THE ADF'S ARMOURED COMBAT CAPABILITY
Enhancements to the Australian Defence Force’s combat capability will be delivered by the Government through the purchase of evolved Abrams tanks and combat engineering vehicles. These investments will provide critical protection and firepower for the ADF in land operations. The introduction of the new vehicles will take advantage of the existing support infrastructure, with significant investment in Australian industry continuing in the areas of sustainment, simulation and training. 

RARE CANCERS AND RARE DISEASES RESEARCH 
Research into some of the world’s rarest forms of cancer and disease have received a boost, with the Government announcing 27 grant recipients. These projects aim to increase clinical trial activity in Australia for rare cancers and rare diseases by supporting new, high-quality research. The Coalition Government is proud to have invested almost $2 billion in ground-breaking medical research through the Medical Research Future Fund to improve the health and wellbeing of Australians.