Treasurer Josh Frydenberg delivered the Federal Budget 2022-23 Tuesday evening.
- Community transmission will continue to occur
- A new Omicron wave is likely to occur over the winter. It may result in increased absenteeism and pressure on supply chains
- Australia will continue to experience intermittent, localised waves of Omicron or new COVID-19 variants beyond winter
- Public health safety measures, including physical distancing and density restrictions, could return in a targeted way in response to future COVID-19 outbreaks
- Australia's international borders are likely to remain open to migrants and fully vaccinated tourists
The federal government noted that the potential emergence of "new, more virulent or vaccine-resistant variants of COVID-19 is still a substantial downside risk to the domestic economy."
But the government was hopeful that high vaccination rates, better medical treatment and increased immunity could add to consumer confidence and see the household savings rate return to pre-pandemic levels.
Treasurer Frydenberg announced a total investment of $4.2 billion over four years from 2022–23 to 2025–26 to fight the pandemic and deal with future COVID-19 variants.
Of the $4.2 billion investment, $900 million will be spent on accessing safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines for eligible populations until the end of this year.
This new investment brings the total expenditure on COVID-19 vaccines and the vaccine rollout to more than $17 billion since the pandemic began.
Over 19.5 million (around 95%) Australians aged 16 and over are now fully vaccinated, and more than 12.7 million people aged 16 years and over have had a third or booster dose.
The federal government will invest $458.2 million to protect seniors from COVID-19. The funding is likely to benefit approximately 260,000 in residential aged care facilities and those receiving care in their own homes.
Mr Frydenberg announced $1.6 billion over 2021–22 to 2022–23 to secure and ensure residents have equitable access to rapid antigen tests (RATs).
COVID-19 Australian Stats for 30 March 2022
New South Wales: 25,235 new cases, 1,301 in hospital, 46 in ICU, 15 deaths
Victoria: 11,749 new cases, 280 in hospital, 18 in ICU, seven deaths
Tasmania: 2,472 new cases, 22 in hospital, two in ICU, one death
Queensland: 10,626 new cases, 393 in hospital, 15 in ICU, five death
Australian Capital Territory: 1,139 new cases, 48 in hospital, five in ICU, no death
Western Australia: 9,754 new cases, 208 in hospitals, six in ICU and three deaths
South Australia: 5,496 new cases, 180 in hospitals, eight in ICU and two deaths
Northern Territory: 513 new cases, 14 in hospital, two in ICU, one death
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