Category: News

Better connected healthcare system already showing improved secure transfer of patient information

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Out of date contact details that healthcare providers have about healthcare services and other practitioners can mean that patients’ medical documents and information is not able to be sent from one healthcare provider to another. In a world where consumers can no longer be a conduit for delivering a referral letter or test result to another provider, and where our postal services are over capacity, an up to date electronic registry is more important than ever.

The Australian Digital Health Agency has built a Service Registration Assistant (SRA) to solve this problem. The SRA keeps healthcare service and practitioner information up to date with changes to contact details available immediately to authorised users.

Healthcare organisations can update their details in the SRA once, and this will automatically send these new details to all organisations they have authorised to receive their information. This might include hospitals, pathology and radiology services, public service directories, secure messaging providers and more. The SRA avoids the need for an organisation to update their information in multiple places and eliminates the need for hundreds of other directories around the country to manually keep their directories up to date.

Dr Steve Hambleton, a General Practitioner and Agency Clinical Reference Lead,  noted that “not only will this innovation bring about efficiencies for practice support staff who will only have to update changes in practice information once, it will increase confidence at the point of care that all of the incoming information about our patients will be there, and that our outgoing address book is complete and up to date”.

Initial results from a trial of the SRA in Northern NSW has shown significant improvements in communications between healthcare providers. To date, of 187 practitioners who participated in the trial and shared their details with the Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSWLHD), 186 had to change or update their details during the trial period.

For the NNSWLHD, having the most up-to-date contact information is essential to ensuring hospital discharge summaries get to the right person as quickly as possible.

Discharge summaries can include information about a patient’s assessment, treatment plan and progress notes from their hospital clinician, and a digital copy is sent via a secure service to the patient’s nominated GP. This helps the GP to continue post hospital care through follow up appointments.

Interim CEO of the Australian Digital Health Agency, Bettina McMahon said maintaining accurate provider address details was a longstanding challenge across the Australian healthcare sector.

“What is great to see is that the necessary, reliable and timely sharing of patients’ healthcare information between their healthcare providers is being improved by this latest feature of Australia’s digital health system,” she said.

“Healthcare providers all over Australia are enthusiastically using digital health so we want to make things as easy and efficient for them as possible. This tool will bring the benefits of digital health to more Australians.”

The trial is a partnership between the Agency, the NNSWLHD and the North Coast Primary Health Network (NCPHN).

CEO of NCPHN Julie Sturgess said “The opportunity to trial the SRA means local healthcare providers are able to be at the forefront of innovation in digital health to drive better patient outcomes. The results from the trial are really positive and we are keen to continue to work with the Agency on the next phase of the trial.”

Chief Executive of the NNSWLHD Wayne Jones said “We’re always looking at ways to improve the experience of patients in our care, and this system will help support the safe transfer of care of our patients from hospital to their GP.”

Australian Association of Practice Managers’ CEO Nicholas Voudouris said “Practice managers play a key role in ensuring a patient’s healthcare providers – wherever they work and whoever they work for – have accurate and timely clinical information. That is why we welcomed this trial of new technology.”

After the completion of the trial, the SRA will be expanded to provide a better-connected healthcare system, improve the transfer of care between healthcare providers and give healthcare providers more timely and complete information to support the care of their patients.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Survey of specialists shows telehealth can improve access and equity permanently

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Nearly 1,000 members responded. Full details of the survey results are available for download here.

Telehealth now forms a significant part of many specialists’ practice – almost three fifths (58%) of members who responded have reported that more than half of their practice is undertaken by telehealth.

RACP President Prof John Wilson AM says telehealth has been important at a time of national health crisis, but that it also has the potential to permanently improve equity and access to specialists. It will significantly shift the burden from public hospitals to MBS- funded alternatives.

“Three quarters of members who responded have reported that they thought the availability of these new items has increased accessibility of healthcare to their patients and 70% stated that patients were generally more likely to keep their telehealth appointments than face to face appointments,” Prof Wilson said.

“The swift uptake of telehealth has helped stop the spread of COVID-19 but in many cases it has also increased accessibility and equity – it’s been a welcome silver lining at a time of national health crisis.

“The potential for a permanent increase in accessibility and equity can’t be ignored. It’s clear we need to find ways to extend and improve telehealth in Australia.

“Telehealth has been particularly helpful for patients who find it a challenge to attend appointments in person such as those with mobility issues, immune-suppressed patients, those living in rural and remote areas and Indigenous patients who feel more culturally safe attending appointments in their own environment.

“What’s clear from the success of telehealth is that there’s no going back to how things were done in the past.

“The responses from members and their experiences in working with telehealth during the Covid crisis period will inform our recommendations to government over the coming weeks and months,” Prof Wilson said.

In delivering the results of the survey to the federal government, the RACP has recommended that telehealth should be seen as part of the foundation of future health reforms to improve the accessibility and quality of healthcare to Australians and potentially to the New Zealand community as further data comes to hand.

In particular, given that a significant cohort of patients treated by specialist and consultant physicians are those with chronic and complex care needs, the increased accessibility to physician care and reduced failure to attend rates promoted by telehealth suggests there are long term returns from retaining the new telehealth items in terms of measures such as reducing avoidable hospital admissions and increasing treatment adherence.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

$66 Million For Coronavirus-Related Research

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]This research will enable Australia’s world-class researchers to contribute to global efforts to control and eliminate the virus.

The funding will be available through the Government’s Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF), extending the $30 million already pledged for the Coronavirus Research Response.

There is currently no vaccine or proven and effective treatments for COVID-19.

The Government says it is absolutely committed to protecting the community and this will help ensure Australians are protected from COVID-19 at the earliest possible time.

There are found target areas of research:

  1. Investing in a vaccine for COVID-19;
  2. Investing in antiviral therapies for COVID-19;
  3. Clinical trial of potential treatments for COVID-19;
  4. Improving the health system’s response to COVID-19 and future pandemics.

The projects outlined here building on $14.4 million of previously announced COVID-19 research investment, including into improving the way the virus is diagnosed and how care for patients with COVID-19 is provided.

Investing in a vaccine for COVID-19

Australia is at the forefront of global efforts to develop a vaccine for protection against COVID-19.

University of Queensland (UQ) will receive a further $2 million for their innovative “molecular clamp” technology, which allows new vaccines to be developed within months, rather than years, in response to emerging diseases. This brings the total Australian Government investment in this to $5 million.

UQ was the top-ranked applicant to the Government’s open competitive grant opportunity supporting research to develop a vaccine against COVID-19. It is one of a small number of organisations around the world that is collaborating with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).

To extend its efforts to find a vaccine as soon as possible, the Government is announcing a further $13.6 million to support promising COVID-19 vaccine development projects in 2020-21, determined by an independent panel of experts.

The grant opportunity will be open between 15 June 2020 and 15 March 2021.

Investing in antiviral therapies for COVID-19

The Government has also announced $7.3 million to nine research teams to support the development of promising antiviral therapies for COVID-19.

There are currently no known antiviral therapies for COVID-19. Having effective antiviral there’s-aids will be a game changer for COVID-19, providing confidence that the disease can be managed.

The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute will receive $1 million for the VirDUB research project, that aims to develop medicines that stop COVID-19 from hijacking human cells and disabling their anti-viral defences.

By targeting a viral system that is found in a range of coronaviruses, VirDUB may lead to new medicines that could be instantly available to tackle potential future coronavirus disease outbreaks.

Clinical Trials of Potential Treatment for COVID-19

The Government will also provide $6.8 million to support seven clinical trials investigating treatments for the severe respiratory symptoms of COVID-19.

The clinical trials supported by this funding will investigate treatments for critically ill patients, health care workers and vulnerable cancer patients.

Patients can experience chest pain, difficulty breathing and shortness of breath. These symptoms can be life-threatening for vulnerable people such as the elderly, those with compromised immune systems and people with chronic illnesses.

Improving the Health System’s Response to COVID-19 and Future Pandemics

The University of New South Wales will receive $3.3 million from the Government for genomics research into the behaviour, spread and evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

The use of genomics will be critical to government’s response, as these tools will provide robust insights into exposure and clusters, especially in low prevalence settings.

The Government has said it will continue to invest in research to support a national health system response to COVID-19, including:

  • $4 million for digital health research infrastructure to help health systems response faster to high-need emerging challenges. This competitive grant opportunity will open on 2 June 2020;
  • $2 million for research into the human immune response to COVID-19 infection, particularly in at risk people. This competitive grant opportunity will open on 12 June 2020; and
  • $600,000 for research to understand the community’s information needs and behavioural drivers during outbreaks, and strategies to address these. This competitive grant opportunity will open on 2 June 2020.

The Government has said that Australians across the nation should be congratulated in their response to the significant restrictions and changes in their lives which have enabled the containment of the virus in Australia.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

COAG WHO? NATIONAL CABINET STEPS UP

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Since the Prime Minister formed the National Cabinet, it has worked effectively to response to COVID-19. But with news of the cessation of COAG, the new National Federation Reform Council (NFRC), agreed by Premiers, Chief Ministers and the Prime Minister, will change the way the Commonwealth and State and Territories effectively and productively work together to address new areas of reform.

The National Cabinet will be driven by an initial single agenda – to create jobs.

By an measure National Cabinet has proven to be a much more effective body for taking decision in the national interest than the COAG structure.

At the centre of the NFRC will be National Cabinet. National Cabinet will continue to meet regularly and will be briefed directly by experts such as the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee. Initial reform areas will be agreed by National Cabinet.

During the COVID-19 period, National Cabinet is expected to continue to meet every two weeks. In the future, these meetings will take place once a month,

The Council of Federal Financial Relations (CFFR), which is essentially a meeting of all Treasurers, will report to National Cabinet. CFFR will take responsibility for all funding agreements including National Partnership Agreements.

Important taskforce will continue in areas that are critical to the National Agenda. The taskforce on women’s safety and domestic violence will continue their critical work, as will the indigenous Adair’s taskforce with a particular focus on Closing the Gap.

Once a year, National Cabinet, CFFR and the Australian Local Government Association will meet in person as the National Federation Reform Council with a focus on prioritising national federation issues such as Closing the Gap and Women’s Safety.

This new model is expected to streamline processes and avoid endless meetings that do not result in action. The Prime Minister has said this  is a congestion busting process that will get things done with a single focus on creating jobs.

Further details on the National Federation Reform Council and consolidation and reset of the Ministerial Forums and Ministerial Regulatory Council will be reviewed by National Cabinet.

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Icon Group Partners with Varian to Advance Cancer Care in the Southern Hemisphere

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Icon Cancer Centre is part of Icon Group, Australia’s largest dedicated cancer care provider with a growing reach into Asia. Icon Group have been long-term global partners of Varian and have continued to support Varian in the evolution of radiation therapy technology.

Kenneth Tan, president, Varian Asia Pacific said: “We are proud of our long-standing strategic partnership with Icon. As consistent early adopters of technology, they are at the forefront of bringing the latest treatment options to cancer patients in the Southern Hemisphere. Radiation therapy has evolved immensely over the past decade. By harnessing the power of AI and working with partners such as Icon, we are taking another step forward in achieving our vision of living in a world without fear of cancer.”

Adaptive therapy provides the ability to personalize the patient’s treatment based on their anatomy and position at the time of treatment. The goal is to better target the tumor, reduce dose to healthy tissue, and potentially improve overall outcomes.

Prostate cancer patient, John Buchanan was the first patient in the southern hemisphere to be treated with adaptive Ethos therapy and is grateful to be able to access the latest in technology.

“The first six treatments have gone smoothly, and I haven’t experienced any side effects. From my point of view, receiving treatment that directly targets my prostate while avoiding damage to the bladder and bowel is fantastic,” said Mr Buchanan.

The streamlined workflow of Ethos therapy is enabled by its AI-driven planning and contouring capabilities. Physicians define their clinical intent from pre-defined templates and the initial treatment plan is generated based on the physician’s pre-defined clinical objectives. The treatment is adapted in response to changes in the patient’s anatomy and the tumor’s shape and position, at the time of treatment. The ability of Ethos to enable on-couch adaptive treatment puts the patient at the center of care.

Icon Radiation Oncologist, Dr Amy Teh says early results have proved positive. “Early Ethos therapy experience from Icon is showing promising results,” said Dr Teh. “In a prostate patient, where the target volume is highly dependent on bladder and rectal positioning, we have used the AI-driven online adaptive workflow on the Ethos platform to effectively and efficiently adapt to the new position of the bladder and rectum each day. This has allowed superior coverage of the true target. This technology marks another step forward in the advancement of radiation therapy – taking personalized medicine to another level – allowing us to ensure more dose to the tumor target, and less dose to surrounding healthy organs.”

Ethos therapy offers the use of multimodality images (MR, PET, CT) registered with daily iterative CBCT images at the console. By providing an up-to-date view of the patient’s anatomy in multiple imaging modality views, Ethos therapy provides clinicians the confidence to make more informed adaptive treatment decisions. The solution is built on Varian’s latest treatment delivery technology and provides fast imaging and treatment delivery without compromising quality.

Icon are members of the Varian Adaptive Intelligence Consortium contributing to the collaborative development of clinical and technical aspects of radiation, including Ethos therapy.

Icon Group CEO, Mark Middleton is proud of Icon’s longstanding relationship with Varian and how together they are revolutionising cancer care. “We have always been early adopters of Varian’s technology and share an unwavering commitment to the continual advancement of cancer care. Our early use of Ethos therapy has shown clear benefits to the patient and we look forward to continuing to develop this technology alongside Varian to keep improving outcomes for cancer patients.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

GREY INNOVATION SECURES $31M FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CONTRACT FOR INDUSTRY CONSORTIUM TO BUILD VENTILATORS IN VICTORIA

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The notus Emergency Invasive Ventilator Program is a Grey Innovation led initiative supported by the Victorian Government and Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC). With time to market critical, and under advice from its medical advisory team, the program will utilise a certified mechanical ventilator design from a leading medical device company under licence for production in Victoria.

MTAA has been asked by the Federal Government to lead the industry effort to coordinate the supply of essential medical equipment, and as part of that, have played a leading role in bringing industry players together to ensure our healthcare system is equipped with adequate ventilators, through identifying current stock, new sources of supply, and opportunities to increase domestic manufacturing.

“We are proud of the work that the medtech industry is doing to ensure continuity and capacity in our healthcare system throughout the COVID-19 crisis and beyond,” said Ian Burgess, MTAA CEO.

Grey Innovation’s executive chairman, Jefferson Harcourt is proud the company will play a role in helping Australia fight the COVID-19 humanitarian crisis. “Victoria has the highest concentration of engineering and manufacturing companies in Australia, and as such, we are well placed to work together to do something about ensuring there isn’t a shortfall of ICU equipment here in Victoria and the rest of the country,” Jefferson said. “We thank the Australian Government along with the Victorian Government and AMGC for their support of the vision and rapid response to get the program underway and are overwhelmed by the willingness of our industry colleagues to respond in this critical hour of need.”

Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews said Grey Innovation and their cohort of industry partners are stepping up to meet the challenge of this unprecedented pandemic. “This is another great example of Australian industry and the private sector working with our Government to ensure critical supply of medical equipment during the outbreak of this virus,” Minister Andrews said. “This deal demonstrates the power of bringing Aussie manufacturers and clinicians together and is also a reflection of the highly advanced manufacturing capability that exists in our country. “It also shows the incredible collaborative spirit that’s been on display as we respond to this unprecedented pandemic. Companies which are normally in competition are working together for the greater good.” Grey Innovation is grateful to its medical and clinical advisory team for their guidance. They are; Prof. Rinaldo Bellomo Professor of Intensive Care Medicine, University of Melbourne; Honorary Professor Faculty of Medicine, Monash University; Centre Integrated Critical Care, University of Melbourne, Prof. David Story Professor & Foundation Chair of Anaesthesia, University of Melbourne; Senior Clinical Anaesthetist, Austin Health and Prof. Bruce Thompson, Dean, School of Health Sciences, Swinburne University of Technology; President, Thoracic Society of Australia & New Zealand

“Ventilators are the next step from supplying oxygen via respirator to the patient who is having difficulty breathing; they are essentially life-support devices that take over the breathing for patients,” explained Professor Bruce Thompson.

“The ventilator design is lightweight and portable and has been selected for its ability to be easily transferred to us for the actual production, and its ease of use for our medical teams. Grey Innovation has done an incredible job in bringing everyone together to make it happen; government, local businesses, clinicians. it’s amazing what can be achieved in the wake of a global crisis such as this.”

Partner information will be provided once the consortium is finalised.

The Grey Innovation led notus Emergency Invasive Ventilator Program, supported by the Victorian Government and Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre will start supply of ventilators in June with 2000 to be produced by the end of July.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Medical Technology industry collaboration on PPE supply plays key role in return to elective surgery

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]“MTAA has been working closely with the Government to help secure the PPE supplies required to ensure the smooth running of our healthcare system, and we are proud to have played an important role in enabling a return to elective surgery,” said MTAA CEO Ian Burgess.

MTAA’s industry working groups have also been instrumental in securing essential supplies of ventilators and test kits on behalf of the Australian Government.

“The medical technology industry welcomes the announcement that patients will once again have access to life-changing treatments and technology through elective surgery.

“We congratulate Health Minister Greg Hunt and the Morrison Government for taking swift and decisive action to successfully flatten the curve through the elective surgery pause and many other effective measures.

“For a range of medical conditions, what is now non-essential, very quickly becomes essential if left untreated, and a measured and responsible return to elective surgery will ensure continuity of care for those who need it most.

“A gradual and responsible return to elective surgery with the safety of patients and medical personnel front and centre will enable thousands of Australians to access the treatments they need to keep them working, studying and spending more time with their families. “We look forward to more Australians once again being able to access the life-changing benefits of medical technology,” Mr Burgess said.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

COVID-19 RESTRICTION WIND-BACK – WHAT COULD IT MEAN FOR POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT?

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Despite these discussions, Prime Minister, the Hon Scott Morrison MP, has said that any return to normal would be gradual with a staggered approach to the reactivation of the Australian economy being preferable.

With restrictions to remain in place for at least the next four weeks, the National Cabinet has been working on sufficient measures to ensure that a relaxation of restrictions will mitigate the risk of a spike of COVID-19 cases.

EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS TO BE AMONGST THE FIRST TO REOPEN

On Tuesday, Mr Morrison indicated that his preference would be that schools return to face-to-face learning by mid-May.  This would allow parents of school aged children to return to the workforce and act as a jump starter for the economy following mass unemployment due to COVID-19.

Following the National Cabinet meeting on Thursday, the Prime Minister released the Government’s 7 Principles for the return of face-to-face education. This will be executed by the states and territories ensuring that measures remain in place for students who still needed to utilise online education options.

Teachers have continued to raise concerns with the reopening of schools given that many teachers fall within the high-risk categories for COVID-19. The Teacher’s Union has indicated that it will not support a reopening of schools.

GOVERNMENT’S APPROACH TO ROLLING BACK RESTRICTIONS

Following the Prime Minister’s call for schools to return, the next step to rolling back restrictions will likely focus on supporting small businesses.

The National Cabinet’s meeting on Thursday considered whether certain industries could recommence work, ensuring that existing social distancing measures continued to be adhered to. Workers in construction, non-essential manufacturing and office environments are likely to be amongst the first to return.

Australia’s Chief Medical Officer, Professor Brendan Murphy, has been supportive of the relaxation of the current restrictions. However, he has insisted that any rollback of restrictions would require that the government ensured that a good public health response system was in place in the case of another outbreak, such as the one in Singapore.

As part of these measures, the Government is looking at the introduction of apps that can track who an individual associates with and allow for the easy identification of areas that need to be locked in case of another outbreak.

Despite this, hospitality and entertainment industries will continue to have restrictions placed upon them given the increased risk posed by having people gather in large numbers. This is despite Australia’s infection curve flattening over the past month.

In addition, both the Prime Minister and the Chief Medical Officer have conceded that access to Australia would continue to be restricted to ensure that authorities have the best chance of containing the disease.

HOW HAVE RESTRICTIONS BEEN WOUND BACK WORLDWIDE?

Australia will not be the first country to attempt to return to normal, with other countries around the world lifting COVID-19 restrictions in order to prevent further economic stagnation.

Countries such as Denmark, China and Singapore are relaxing restrictions placed on their citizens but are ensuring that social distancing norms are still being observed. This is despite the relaxation of restrictions going against the advice of the World Health Organisation.

Australia appears to be following the approach from these countries, ensuring that the conversation regarding the transition away from strict restrictions is about a staggered tactic, as opposed to ‘flicking the on switch’ on the broader economy.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT?

Following the National Cabinet meeting on Thursday, the Prime Minister announced that the Parliament would return in May for a trial sitting week. This would allow Parliament House staff to familarise themselves with the introduction of social distancing measures to support the return of all parliamentarians and their staff.

Should the trial be successful, Mr Morrison indicated that the Parliament would return earlier than expected in mid-July, with the current sitting calendar having Parliament return regularly in mid-August.

Despite this, the Government remains reluctant to allow large gatherings to recommence in the near future. This will mean that the pause on traditional face-to-face political engagement at Parliament House will continue despite the resumption of sitting weeks.

Based on what the Prime Minister has said on the topic, it is likely to be another five to six months before the Parliament runs at full capacity and large numbers of stakeholders are allowed back into the building.

This may also impact events that are typically ran in the later half of the year, including Mid-Winter Ball. Should events proceed, there will likely be social distancing measures applied to the events, including limitations on the number of people allowed to attend.

Therefore, business and industry will need to continue to adapt to the current arrangements for engagement including utilisation of video conferencing as well as written and verbal updates.

In addition, stakeholders may wish to consider how events can be compliant with social distancing measures. This may include introducing an online aspect to your event so that people can participate without physically attending a venue.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Ventilator Training Alliance App

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The alliance is an industry-wide effort to provide healthcare professionals one central location for training across many ventilator models. You can learn more about the VTA in the press release from Medtronic and Allego, the technology platform building and hosting the app. To date Dräger, GE Healthcare, Getinge, Hamilton Medical, Nihon Kohden, and Philips have joined Medtronic to form this alliance.

With many new and unfamiliar ventilator models appearing in care settings following open sourcing and the shortage of respiratory therapists resulting in new users, quick access to information on operating the devices is a current pain point for many healthcare workers. This results in a high demand for additional training for nurses and other frontline medical professionals.

The VTA app connects respiratory therapists, nurses, and other medical professionals with ventilator training resources from alliance member companies, including instructional how-to videos, manuals, troubleshooting guides, and other ventilator-operation expertise critical to treating patients suffering from COVID-19-related respiratory distress.

The industry has come together in an unprecedented way to support frontline healthcare professionals. Download the app from the Apple App Store or Google Play store. There is no cost to use the VTA app.

MedTech Industry Reels from Covid-19

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The greatest impact comes through the cancellation of non-urgent elective surgery from 26 March. Companies were already reporting cancellation of elective surgery during March with specialist colleges such as the Australian Orthopaedic Association notifying that surgery would need to be scaled back.

However, the Prime Minister’s announcement that non-urgent elective surgeries would be cancelled from 26 March, with exemptions later provided until 1 April, means a dramatic overnight loss of revenue for many companies whose revenue is generated from the devices used in this type of surgery.

Category 3 surgeries include the following procedures in which prostheses and devices are heavily used:

  • Total hip replacement
  • Total knee replacement
  • Shoulder reconstruction
  • Cataract extraction (+/- intra-ocular lens insertion)
  • Breast reconstruction (for reasons other than cosmetic)

While some more urgent Category 2 surgeries will be allowed, many prostheses or devices will be in the large majority that are now on hold.

Supply and freight costs have increased across the board, in some cases as much as 500%, as companies work to bring crucial medical supplies into Australia, with these impacts further exacerbated by the drop in the Australian dollar.

MTAA and its members are committed to the war effort, however, our industry is facing unprecedented challenges, both economically and in meeting the needs of the local supply chain.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]