Good evening and thank you for following our coverage of today’s events curated by myself and Kate Rose. I’m David Estcourt, and it’s time to wrap up today’s blog. If you’re joining us late in the day, this is what you need to know:
Liberal backbencher Warren Entsch claimed some of his colleagues misled Prime Minister Scott Morrison when they crossed the floor in Parliament this week to prevent schools expelling transgender students. The incendiary claim backed earlier comments from Defence Minister Peter Dutton in a new row over months of negotiations on the divisive changes including claims of a broken promise from Mr Morrison in private talks last December.
- A Chinese spy ring attempted to bankroll NSW Labor candidates in the upcoming federal election in an attempt to get MPs elected to Australia’s Parliament. The plot was foiled by the nation’s counter-espionage agency ASIO, preventing the spies from installing sympathetic candidates into Labor’s preselection process. The plot was being run by a wealthy businessman with deep ties in both Australia and China, who was known to ASIO as “the puppeteer”.
- In national coronavirus news, Victoria’s has reported 8521 new cases of COVID-19 and 13 deaths, down on yesterday’s 9391 cases. NSW recorded 8950 new COVID-19 cases and 19 deaths, down on 10,130 yesterday, when 24 deaths were reported. There were 14 more COVID-19 deaths in Queensland on Friday, as the state reported 5977 new cases and said 535 people were being treated for the virus in public hospitals, and 49 in private facilities. The numbers take the overall tally of COVID-19 deaths today to 51, with authorities throughout the country reporting 27,129 new cases.
- Still on coronavirus news, Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley says the statewide code brown that was called for the state’s hospitals back in January - after a record number of COVID-19 admissions and widespread furloughing of staff - will be lifted on Monday. The state also announced that Victoria’s quarantine hotels will cease operating as isolation facilities by the end of next month as the state’s purpose-built quarantine hub approaches completion. The $200 million facility will become operational later this month and begin housing unvaccinated travellers as well as people unable to safely isolate at home.
- NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said his state would require aged care workers to get a third COVID-19 vaccination dose, as agreed by national cabinet yesterday, and would “work through” making sure other essential workers were also boosted. Mr Perrottet said he liked the term “up to date” in the advice from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation [ATAGI], in place of fully vaccinated.
- Australia is just starting to understand the impact of the Omicron wave. A study has found that more than one in five Australian businesses had staff who were unavailable owing to issues related to COVID-19. The shortages were especially severe among larger businesses, with 65 per cent of bigger firms reporting absences. The Australian Bureau of Statistics found that 22 per cent of businesses had staff that were unavailable between January 27 and February 4, a period when the Omicron wave was depleting workforces throughout the country.
In international news, Australia, Japan, India and the United States will present a united front against authoritarian countries all over the world as Russia and China grow increasingly close ahead of a potential invasion of Ukraine. The foreign ministers of the “Quad” grouping met on Friday afternoon in Melbourne alongside Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, vowing to combat misinformation from countries such as China, North Korea and Russia, and to send more vaccines to developing nations.
- On the property front, homebuyers face higher mortgage interest rates in the second half of the year if the economy recovers from the COVID-19 recession as expected, with the Reserve Bank arguing most households will be able to absorb the impost. A rate rise at the board’s August meeting, following the release of the June-quarter consumer price index, is now firmly on the cards even with fresh warnings the housing market could be “collateral damage” from the RBA’s efforts to normalise interest rates.