Live Breaking News: Scott Morrison reveals vaccination target of 70 per cent needed to move past lockdowns

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has revealed the long-awaited vaccination target that will be required before the country can move past lockdowns.

Alexis Carey and Natalie Brown

less than 2 min read

July 30, 2021 - 10:00PM

Morrison: Every single jab, every single vaccine will take us closer to achieving these steps

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has revealed the long-awaited vaccination target that must be reached before the country can move past lockdowns.

Speaking after Friday's national cabinet meeting with state and territory leaders, Mr Morrison announced that 70 per cent of Australia's eligible adult population must be fully vaccinated in order to enter phase B of its four-step plan out of the pandemic.

"We will get to phase C when we hit 80 per cent," he told reporters.

"Now, these are targets for all Australians to achieve. States, territories, working together, communities working together, individuals, GPs, pharmacists, Australia will get this done by working together. The targets are there for us all to achieve and for us all to work towards."

Read on for the latest NSW Covid-19 news and updates. You can find our blog covering the rest of Australia here.

Updates

Good night and have a Covid-safe weekend!

That's it from me.

Catch the next live blog over the weekend.

Bye for now.

9 Bondi bars caught out in Covid breach

Nine venues in Bondi have been banned from operating for a week after being caught out in a blatant breach of public health orders.

According to The Daily Telegraph, authorities called out the venues after spotting them actively encouraging people to gather on the street by offering takeaway cocktails.

Although cocktails aren’t usually allowed to be served as a to-go option, rules have been changed in light of Sydney’s current lockdown.

However, Liquor and Gaming NSW compliance director Dimitri Argeres said bar staff were offering drinks and suggesting people drink nearby or as they walked to the next bar.

The seven-day ban was issued to nine of these “kerbside bars”: Bondi Rumba, Bondi Tony’s Burger Joint, TAQIZA, Italo House, Speakeasy, Neighbourhood, Bondi Liquor Co, Fonda Mexican and North Bondi Fish.

Aussies react to PM’s plan to end pandemic

There were mixed reactions when Aussies heard Australia’s reopening plan tonight from Prime Minister Scott Morrison, which is the closest he’s ever got to revealing when international borders might open and even when the Covid-19 crisis could end.

Speaking after a national cabinet meeting on Friday evening, Mr Morrison said there were four steps to end the pandemic for Australia.

The first was to reach a target of a 70 per cent vaccination rate nation-wide.

Australia could then enter Phase Two, which would see less lockdowns and reduced restrictions for vaccinated people should a lockdown occur.

When 80 per cent of all eligible Aussie adults are vaccinated, Australia is effectively in phase 3, which would see travel open up with “safe countries” – i.e. countries that have similar rates of vaccination.

Phase four – the final phase – would see Australia fling open its international borders and only require quarantine for people coming from high-risk settings.

However, some flagged some potential problems with the plan.

#Scomo: "We have to put restrictions on unvaccinated people to protect everyone else."#CDC: "Uh… kinda awkward. New study shows that fully vaccinated people are just as likely to spread Delta."#Scomo: "We're still gonna do the thing."

/basically [source @washingtonpost]
— Alexandra Marshall (@ellymelly) July 30, 2021

What's wrong with people? In the old Australia, we had vaccine passports for smallpox, cholera & typhoid to travel OS. We all protected each other's health by getting all those childhood vaccines, without whinging. That was Australia. Now we find ways to object or take offence.
— Chris Smith (@chrissmithonair) July 30, 2021

When 80% vaccination reached – the country will move into phase C but 'highly targetted lockdowns' will still be possible.

Wow. That's huge. Lockdowns STILL possible even with 80 per cent vaccination rates.
— Latika M Bourke (@latikambourke) July 30, 2021

Threats and coercion to increase vaccinations may force some into taking the vaccine, but for many others it will heighten suspicions and cement opposition.

It's a policy I feel deeply uncomfortable with.

It's both unethical and counterproductive.
— Professor Karol Sikora (@ProfKarolSikora) July 30, 2021

Clive Palmer explodes at Scomo's announcement

Controversial businessman and politician Clive Palmer has launched a High Court action against Prime Minister Scott Morrison for “infringing the rights of all Australians”.

Earlier today, Mr Morrison announced a path out of Australia’s current pandemic, with high vaccination rates of up to 80 per cent potentially able to end international border closures and the threat of lockdowns in the future.

However, Mr Palmer was none too pleased with the prospect of vaccine passports, which would make it easy for authorities to see who was and wasn’t vaccinated.

“Clive Palmer announced today he would be launching a High Court action against Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s proposal to introduce a vaccine passport,” he tweeted this evening,

“Our Prime Minister is blackmailing Australians with threats that they must be vaccinated, which is an attack on our liberty and our rights.”

Mr Palmer said the proposal was unconstitutional and infringed the rights of all Australians.

“I will challenge Scott Morrison over this matter in the High Court,’’ Mr Palmer said.
— Clive Palmer (@CliveFPalmer) July 30, 2021

Project host highlights virus problem

The Project host Susan Youssef has flagged a big problem with Sydney’s Covid-19 response.

Speaking on Friday night, Youssef revealed: “I can say anecdotally, I have a relative who was at a bakery last Sunday and was only contacted yesterday.

“He had been at a place where someone tested positive and so he had four days in the community where he could have … had Covid.”

Thankfully, she revealed her relative has since tested negative, although he remains in isolation.

She said the fact he was in the community for so long before he was notified by authorities could mean contact tracers can’t keep up with the virus case load.

“There is an indicator of someone in the community for four days, which means either the contact tracers are being overwhelmed but there's all the other variables, like people who are asymptomatic who aren't presenting,” she added.

The Project host Susan Youssef has flagged a big problem with Sydney’s Covid-19 response.

What Australia's path out of pandemic looks like

This was the sheet of paper the PM was waving around at the beginning of the press conference earlier tonight.

Australia's way out of pandemic at a glance.

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Four members of staff at NSW Health are being investigated after allegedly attending last Saturday's anti-lockdown protest in Sydney, The Australian reports.

The workers' attendance was both a potential breach of public health orders and the department's code of conduct.

According to The Australian, health staff have been encouraged to report co-workers suspected of having attended the event.

"NSW Health agencies are aware of reports of four staff who it is claimed attended the lockdown protest," a NSW Health spokeswoman told the paper.

"Each report is being investigated and any individuals found to have breached the code of conduct will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action."

NSW Police is also currently investigating a NSW Ambulance Paramedic who attended the event and has been stood down from work. It's unclear whether that case had been included in the four ongoing investigations.

Read the full story from The Australian here.

'Utter rubbish': Labor slams PM's wages claim

Alexis Carey

For at least the second time this week, Mr Morrison has wheeled out another Olympic comparison while describing our take-up of the four-phase plan out of the pandemic.

"I believe we can get this done, but it's not something that any one government, any one vaccination clinic, any one Australian, can achieve on their own," he said.

"It's done as a team effort. We are seeing our Olympians show that team spirit over there in Tokyo, and we will hit these targets with what I believe will be a gold medal run to the end of the year."

And that's that for his press conference.

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Alexis Carey

The PM is now breaking down what each of the vaccination targets mean.

PHASE 1

During the first phase, "suppression", which we're currently in, "early and stringent and short lockdowns will be necessary to deal with outbreaks in this Delta strain".

During phase 1, it's important to:

Strongly suppress the virus for the purpose of minimising community transmission.
If outbreaks do occur, "we need to clamp down on those extremely quickly".

PHASE 2

During the second phase, "which is achieved by the whole country reaching 70 per cent [vaccination] and then each state and territory reaching 70 per cent", the key is to "seek to minimise serious illness, hospitalisation, and fatality as a result of Covid-19 with low level restrictions".

During phase 2:

Community cases will be minimised through "ongoing low-level restrictions and effective track and trace".
Track, trace, isolate and quarantine will "remain very important parts of the program of keeping pace with any potential outbreak that may occur in the country at that time".
Broad-scale lockdowns will be less likely.
International border caps will remain.
Low-risk level international arrivals will be undertaken "under controlled settings with safe and proportionate quarantine".
Restrictions will be eased on vaccinated residents, "because if you're vaccinated, you present less of a public health risk".
Larger caps on returning vaccinated travellers coming to Australia (including all of the stranded Australians still waiting to come home).

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Alexis Carey

Scott Morrison has revealed the vaccination target agreed to by national cabinet to begin moving away from lockdowns.

The PM announced that 70 per cent of Australia's eligible population must be fully vaccinated in order to enter phase B of its four-step plan out of the pandemic.