Live breaking news: ‘Wintry blast’ to hit multiple states

Aussies are being warned to brace for rain, storms and plunging temperatures as an upper low will change conditions in multiple states tomorrow.

Aussies are being warned to brace for rain, storms and plunging temperatures this week as an upper low changes conditions across multiple states.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said parts of south eastern Australia can expect heavy rain this week.

“Rug up #Victoria, there's a wintry blast on the way! Showers, thunderstorms & strong winds are expected overnight & on Tuesday,” the BOM said in a tweet.

Heavy falls are forecast in eastern Victoria and south eastern NSW, the ACT and Queensland.

Follow our blog for live breaking news updates throughout the day.

Updates

5:29 pm May 3, 2021 Highlight

‘Wintry blast’ to hit multiple states

Aussies are being warned to brace for rain, storms and plunging temperatures this week as an upper low changes conditions across multiple states.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said parts of south eastern Australia can expect heavy rain this week.

“Rug up #Victoria, there's a wintry blast on the way! Showers, thunderstorms & strong winds are expected overnight & on Tuesday,” the BOM said in a tweet.

Heavy falls are forecast in eastern Victoria and south eastern NSW, the ACT and Queensland.

The maximum temperature on Tuesday in Sydney will be 21 with rain, while in Melbourne it will be a chilly 15 degrees, with a 95 per cent chance of rain.

Canberra will reach just 16 degrees, with a high likelihood of rain. Brisbane will be warmer at a maximum of 26, with the chance of thunderstorm.

The falls will be driven by a low system, or “an upper level pool of cold air, approximately 5km above ground”.

4:33 pm May 3, 2021 Highlight

More vaccines than demand warns Deputy Premier

The NSW Deputy Premier said vaccine hesitancy is a concern as the state government now has more doses than it can give away.

John Barilaro said people are not booking vaccine appointments and turning out to get the vaccine, the ABC reports. He said the number of vaccines in NSW is outstripping people’s demand for the jab.

“Right now here in New South Wales one of my greatest concerns is that people aren't rolling up to get vaccinated," said Mr Barilaro.

"We've got capacity, actually we've got more vaccines than demand and that's because in one way here in New South Wales we're living in a period of (normality)."

Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

Mr Barilaro said everyone who was eligible to get the vaccine should speak with their GP about it.

Today all Australians over the age of 50 became eligible to get the vaccine.

3:59 pm May 3, 2021 Highlight

‘Didn’t feel a thing’: WA Premier vaccinated

The WA Premier had his first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine today saying he “didn’t feel a thing”.

“Today the health minister and I got vaccinated. I didn’t feel a thing,” Mark McGowan said.

“It wasn’t a difficult experience. I would encourage everyone to go and get vaccinated when your turn comes,” he said.

Picture: Paul Kane / Getty

Mr McGowan also said while a number of restrictions for venues remained in place in WA, they are due to expire on Friday night.

The closures affect nightclubs and the main gaming floor of casinos, as well as banning crowds at the football.

“We’ll review in the coming days, particularly in light of test results, how things are going. Particularly in light of whether we can expire some of those restrictions at that point in time.”

WA reported no new locally acquired cases of coronavirus today.
Three cases were reported in hotel quarantine.

3:41 pm May 3, 2021 Highlight

‘Ashamed of Australia’: Andrew Bolt unloads

–Samantha Maiden

Sky News host Andrew Bolt has declared he is “ashamed of Australia” over the threat of jail terms for Indian-Australians trying to return home slamming the Prime Minister’s decision as a bad call that “stinks of racism.”

The controversial columnist who rarely pulls his punches has come out swinging over the Prime Minister’s decision to threaten jail terms and $66,000 fines for Australian citizens trying to return from India.

The temporary measure is designed to allow for hotel quarantine upgrades in Australia before an influx of citizens fleeing COVID-ravaged India.

But Bolt has slammed the decision in his Herald Sun column and on Sky News today as a disgrace.

Picture: Sky News

“I hate people playing the race card. But even I must now say I am ashamed of Australia, which is making it a crime for Indian Australians to come back home,’’ he said.

“To me, it stinks of racism to tell the 8000 Indian Australians trying to come home that they must stay in India, in what Western Australia’s Premier admitted was the ‘epicentre of death and destruction’.”

Chillingly, Bolt goes on to argue that the death of any Australian left trapped in India should “shame” the Prime Minister.

3:34 pm May 3, 2021 Highlight

Holgate urges government to mediate or she'll sue

The former CEO of Australia Post has warned the Morrison government and her former company to call in mediators.

In a statement released through her legal representation, Ms Hogate said if mediation doesn't begin this week she will consider suing.

The former Australia Post CEO’s legal representative said in a statement today the government and the board have a deadline of 5pm Wednesday to agree to mediate, The Australian reports.

“We have been advised the Government requires more time to consider the offer to mediate and that Australia Post will not be able to meet the deadline,” Ms Holgate’s representative said.

Picture: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

“It is very disappointing to Ms Holgate that it appears neither the Government nor Australia Post have been able to prioritise an amicable resolution of this matter, particularly as they are very aware of the ongoing damage this matter causes my client and in light of the fact that it took them only hours to unlawfully stand her down.”

“Given there appears to be an absence of agreement to mediate this matter expeditiously, Ms Holgate will now have no option but to consider her legal options after the Senate Communications and Environment Committee’s report into these matters is released on May 17.”

“This was not her preferred method of dealing with this issue, but the ball is in the court of Australia Post and the Government to resolve this matter.”

2:50 pm May 3, 2021 Highlight

1500 per cent increase in cases

The Federal health minister said banning flights from India was crucial to protect Australia, saying the number of coronavirus cases had grown 1500 per cent.

Greg Hunt today said in two months the number of cases reported in returned travellers from India had grown by 1500 per cent. He added that cases had grown seven-fold at the quarantine facility in Howard Springs in the Northern Territory.

Mr Hunt said in a 28-day period over February, the number of positive cases from India was 14.

In the 28-day period over March, the number of cases was 38. And in the 28-day period covering April the number of positive cases was 210.

Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Geraghty

He said the rise of cases posed a risk to the Australian medical system and the advice from the Chief Health Officer was clear.

2:35 pm May 3, 2021 Highlight

Minister defends ‘agonising’ India decision

The Federal Health Minister has called the decision to ban flights from India an “agonising decision”.

Greg Hunt said during a press conference today the government received “very clear” advice from the Chief Medical Officer on Friday night.

“I received all of my advice in relation to this on Friday evening and responded immediately. And that's our approach,” Mr Hunt said.

He said the decision came after a seven-fold increase in cases at the Howard Springs facility, and a 1500 per cent increase in cases across the country.

Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Geraghty

“That led to an agonising decision,” Mr Hunt said. “But just as we did with China, just as we had to do with PNG, when we saw the increase in the number of cases, and therefore the risk of incursion to our medical system, we had to make decisions.

“This is temporary. It is due to expire. And it also allows — contrary to many media reports, and I would respectfully say to those who are reporting we are happy to provide advice but we would encourage you to provide the full advice — contrary to media reports, people who have been outside of India for 14 days can return to Australia.”

1:08 pm May 3, 2021 Highlight

'Stranded': MP breaks ranks over travel ban

Nationals MP Matt Canavan has become the first in Scott Morrison's government to slam the ban on Australians coming home from India.

Mr Canavan said the two-week ban, which is due to end on May 15, was leaving "fellow Australians stranded".

We should be helping Aussies in India return not jailing them. Let's fix our quarantine system rather than leave our fellow Australians stranded.

— Matthew Canavan (@mattjcan) May 2, 2021

12:53 pm May 3, 2021 Highlight

WA cases delivered food while infectious

West Australians are being reminded to check the state's public exposure sites after two people, who tested positive to coronavirus at the weekend, delivered food to more than 100 people.

Premier Mark McGowan said health authorities were chasing up the more than 100 people to ensure they were tested and isolated until receiving a negative result.

The premier said despite the need to isolate, the venues where the two delivery drivers went to were regarded as "very low risk".

"You know if you get food from a delivery driver … it is a limited and brief interaction … all the people who received food are required to be tested and isolate until a negative result," he said.

11:31 am May 3, 2021 Highlight

Why security guards aren't wearing N95 masks

WA Premier Mark McGowan and Health Minister Roger Cook have addressed why people working in hotel quarantine aren't using N95 masks.

The N95 masks have stronger air filters than the more widely adopted surgical masks and are regarded as the gold standard of masks.

But Mr McGowan said they had received health advice not to give workers N95 masks.

"The express advice we have from a range of doctors working in public health is that it's not advisable for them to wear the N95 mask," the premier said.

"The reason for that is they become wet, uncomfortable, they mean that the guards and the cleaners and whoever it might be move them far more often, and it's better they wear the other surgical masks available."

Mr Cook said the security guard, who contracted coronavirus at Perth's Pan Pacific Hotel, had been near positive returned travellers when he caught the illness.

"As you know, security guards are kept away from the doors of any rooms where we know we have positive travellers. But in this particular case the security guard was required to be in the proximity of the lift and potentially via that or by buttons and so on, that's an opportunity for the transmission to have occurred," Mr Cook said.

Mr Cook also explained N95 masks had not been recommended by the AHPPC because they "require fit testing and an element of training".

"It requires a person not to touch their face and not to be worn for a long period of time," he said.

"So, security guards have shifts of 12 hours. You couldn't use an N95 mask over that period. It would be too long in terms of wearing an N95 mask or even a number of them. The infection control is actually reduced."