Floral theme to royal stamp issue
Australia Post has released two floral-themed stamps to commemorate the 92nd birthday of Queen Elizabeth II.
Philatelic Manager at Australia Post, Michael Zsolt said the Queen was the most featured person on Australian stamps and creating something fitting to honour her each year was a proud philatelic tradition in Australia.
This year’s issue has a focus on the Queen Elizabeth rose, which was released in 1954 to honour the Queen’s ascension to the throne in 1952 and her subsequent coronation on 2 June 1953.
Australia Post will also release a postal and numismatic cover to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the Queen’s coronation later this year.
Commonwealth honour
A meeting of Commonwealth Heads of Government in London has elected Australia to be Vice-Chair of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG).
The CMAG is a committee of eight Foreign Ministers who act to uphold the Commonwealth Charter. It assesses infringements of the Commonwealth’s shared political values and has the power to suspend a member country.
Australia is joined on CMAG by the Foreign Ministers from Kenya (Chair), Samoa, United Kingdom, Ghana, Malaysia, Barbados and Belize.
Shots for aged care workers
Aged care workers across the country are to be vaccinated against the flu virus to protect senior Australians in this flu season.
The vaccinations will be compulsory after results were released of a survey showing a significant link between increased staff immunisation and lower aged care influenza outbreaks.
It showed that last winter, aged care homes with only a quarter of their staff vaccinated had a 25 per cent higher rate of flu outbreaks.
More than 1,100 influenza-associated deaths were reported in Australia in 2017 with people aged 65 years and older accounting for more than 90 per cent.
High profits for airports
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has released its annual report on Australia’s airports, revealing a 9.9 per cent increase in profits in the past year.
Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney airports earned a combined $757.6 million in operating profits.
In a statement, Chair of the ACCC, Rod Sims said it was not surprising that the airports were so profitable, given they faced little competitive pressure and no price regulation.
The Federal Government has directed the ACCC to monitor the performance of the four largest airports until 2020.
The ACCC’s 197-page report can be accessed at this PS News link.
Help for mature jobless
The Department of Jobs and Small Business has engaged 10 contractors to help mature-age people look for work or prepare for a new career.
The Career Transition Assistance (CTA) program, which begins on 2 July, will help older workers become more competitive in their local labour market.
The 10 organisations have been selected to deliver the CTA in five employment regions: Ballarat, Victoria; Somerset, Queensland; Central West, NSW; Adelaide South, South Australia; and Perth North, Western Australia.
