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Australian children are being urged to get off their devices and back on to sporting fields as the country emerges from a period marked by pandemic lockdowns and other heavy COVID-19 restrictions.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Saturday pledged another $20 million for the Sporting Schools program which would see it expanded to include up to 700,000 students in years 9 and 10 if his government is re-elected.
Mr Morrison said no one in Australia had done it tougher in the pandemic than the children of Victoria.
"They're looking forward, they're putting that behind them and they know the opportunities that are ahead," he told media in Melbourne's outer east.
"The competition is on, they're playing sport again, they're with their mates, they're at school, they're getting life back to normal - it's exciting.
"The country is in a very similar position."
Victoria endured more than 260 days in lockdown throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, more than any other state in Australia.
Mr Morrison said Australia was heading into a time of great opportunity, and he and the government were shifting gears to secure them.
"We need to get (children) off those phones and get them on the field," he said.
"They can have fun with their devices ... but we want them out there running around.
"We are moving into a golden decade of major events for sport in this country."
Lockdowns in other states and territories also hit the sporting sector hard, with cancellations of major events and community sport.
The Victorian government also announced on Saturday another $12.3 million to continue its Get Active Kids voucher program through to June 2023.
The program grants parents and carers $200 vouchers to put towards their children's community sport costs.
Meanwhile, a COVID-19 vaccine for babies and toddlers is another step closer after Australian regulators confirmed they are evaluating a low dose of Moderna's Spikevax.
There are currently no COVID-19 vaccines approved for children under four, with kids aged five and over given the Pfizer jab.
Spikevax is available for children over six and Moderna Australia has applied to the Therapeutic Goods Administration to extend it to younger children.
The TGA on Friday confirmed it is assessing using a low dose of Spikevax, 25 micrograms in 0.25ml, for children aged between six-months and five-years-old.
That is below the 50 micrograms in 0.25ml measurement that is currently used for children aged six to 11.
Spikevax, an mRNA vaccine, uses a genetic code to enable the production of the coronavirus spike protein.
Immune cells then recognise the spike protein as foreign and begin building an immune response against it.
LATEST 24-HOUR COVID-19 DATA:
NSW: 10,954 cases, 19 deaths, 1377 in hospital, 58 in ICU
VIC: 12,160 cases, 22 deaths, 524 in hospital, 24 in ICU
TAS: 925 cases, no deaths, 39 in hospital, one in ICU
QLD: 6130 cases, five deaths, 414 in hospital, 12 in ICU
ACT: 1001 cases, no deaths, 71 in hospital, five in ICU
WA: 13,162 cases, two deaths, 292 in hospital, 10 in ICU
NT: 278 cases, no deaths, 18 in hospital, no one in ICU
SA: 3816 cases, five deaths, 217 in hospital, 11 in ICU
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A man has been killed in Sydney's second deadly shooting this week believed to be linked to a recent spate of gangland shootings in the city.
Police arrived in Knox Street, Belmore, in the city's southwest early on Saturday to find a man with gunshot wounds to his torso.
Paramedics treated the man, believed to be in his 20s, but he died at the scene. He is yet to be formally identified.
The street remains closed to traffic while detectives investigate. It has not been confirmed if the shooting is gang related.
However, The Sydney Morning Herald reported on Saturday the deceased is the nephew of gangland figure Mahmoud "Brownie" Ahmad, who was publicly executed in Greenacre in late April.
Saturday's incident is the third fatal shooting in recent weeks, including Mr Ahmad's death, and comes only days after two Comanchero bikies were gunned down at a western Sydney gym.
Omar Zahed, 39, was killed and his brother, Comanchero bikie boss Tarek Zahed, 41, was critically wounded at the Body Fit gym in Auburn on Tuesday night.
NSW Police established a new strike force to investigate the shootings.
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A COVID-19 vaccine for babies and toddlers is another step closer after Australian regulators confirmed they are evaluating a low dose of Moderna's Spikevax.
There are currently no COVID-19 vaccines approved for children under four, with kids aged five and over given the Pfizer jab.
Spikevax is available for children over six and Moderna Australia has applied to the Therapeutic Goods Administration to extend it to younger children.
The TGA on Friday confirmed it is assessing using a low dose of Spikevax, 25 micrograms in 0.25ml, for children aged between six-months and five-years-old.
That is below the 50 micrograms in 0.25ml measurement that is currently used for children aged six to 11.
Spikevax, an mRNA vaccine, uses a genetic code to enable the production of the coronavirus spike protein.
Immune cells then recognise the spike protein as foreign and begin building an immune response against it.
LATEST 24-HOUR COVID-19 DATA:
NSW: 10,954 cases, 19 deaths, 1377 in hospital, 58 in ICU
VIC: 12,160 cases, 22 deaths, 524 in hospital, 24 in ICU
TAS: 925 cases, no deaths, 39 in hospital, one in ICU
QLD: 6130 cases, five deaths, 414 in hospital, 12 in ICU
© AAP 2022
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Anthony Albanese will pledge more than $700 million to boost Medicare across the country, as the election campaign enters its final week.
With one week until Australians go to the polls, the opposition leader will announce a $750 million fund that would deliver better care and access for patients.
The Strengthening Medicare Fund would provide $250 million a year over three years from 2023/24, and would seek to deliver more affordability for patients and provide better management for complex and chronic conditions.
Labor would also set up a Medicare that would be chaired by the health minister and bring together policy leaders in health, such as the Australian Medical Association.
A grants program of $220 million will also be spent on local GP clinics to upgrade systems, purchase equipment and upskill staff, with grants of $25,000 or $50,000 available for practices, depending on their size.
Mr Albanese, who will begin campaigning on Saturday in Darwin, said the funds would make it easier for people to see a GP.
"General practice is the cornerstone of the Australian health system," he said.
"Australians trust their GPs. It's a vital relationship in ensuring all Australians get the quality healthcare they deserve."
Labor is in a strong position to win the May 21 election, according to the latest Newspoll figures published ahead of Prime Minister Scott Morrison's campaign launch on Sunday.
Labor leads the coalition by 54 to 46 on a two-party preferred basis.
Mr Morrison will begin the day campaigning in Melbourne on Saturday, when he will announce the expansion of a program designed to get more high school students into sport.
The Sporting Schools program expansion would see up to 700,000 more students play sport in school, with more than $20 million being spent on the initiative.
The program, currently available for year 7 and 8 students, will be expanded into years 9 and 10.
The government will also pledge $79.6 million to extend the program into schools for another two years until the end of 2024.
The prime minister said the program would allow for more students to be able to get access to national sporting organisations such as Netball Australia, AFL and Cricket Australia.
"Getting more young people involved in sport helps keep our kids active, builds confidence and it provides a way for families to connect back to community sporting clubs as we bounce back from the pandemic," he said.
"It also creates opportunities and connections to support those students who want to make their sporting dreams a reality and look to become the next Sam Kerr, Ellyse Perry or Lance Franklin."
An extra $4.8 million will also be spent to support surf living clubs purchase equipment such as defibrillators and rescue boards and other safety gear.
Just one week out from polling day, Mr Morrison faces an uphill battle to retain office, according to the latest polling.
The prime minister admitted on Friday he could be a "bulldozer" and would change aspects of his prime ministership if re-elected.
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