This blog has now ended. Read on for all the earlier updates.
Live breaking news: PM stands firm on international border decision
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has issued an ominous warning to those complaining about international travel restrictions.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has refused to be drawn on when international travel will resume in full, saying he won't risk Australia being overwhelmed by overseas COVID-19 cases.
Mr Morrison said strict international border rules were a major factor in keeping Australians safe and allowing citizens to regain other freedoms, warning allowing overseas travel too quickly could plunge the country back into lockdown.
"I'm not going to have Australia's way of life changed by an incursion of cases into the country, and seeing lockdowns occur again and see border closures happening internally," he said.
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Updates
Signing off
Bold plan to fix Australia's vaccine crisis
A "12-week sprint" at the end of the year that would see millions of younger Australians vaccinated in one big push is among the ways Prime Minister Scott Morrison hopes to get the national rollout back on track.
Mr Morrison floated the ambitious plan ahead of a National Cabinet meeting today, where state and territory leaders agreed in principle to bringing forward the vaccination of people under 50.
The Prime Minister said he hoped to have six million Australians aged under 50 vaccinated in the final three months of this year with the help of mass vaccination hubs, where were also discussed by state leaders today.
The 12-week push would be dependent on the federal government receiving its expected delivery of 20 million Pfizer vaccine doses in October, as well as the Norovax vaccine, which is yet to be approved.
"There's a lot of work to be done given that would be effectively, if we wished, a 12-week sprint," the PM said today.
"To be able to do that safely and effectively…there'd need to be plenty of planning to achieve that."
National Cabinet agrees to vaccine rollout changes
Following this afternoon's meeting, the PM has released a statement declaring National Cabinet have "agreed in-principle to a series of changes to the Australian COVID-19 Vaccination Strategy".
The changes, which will be put forward for approval at the next meeting, include "options to bring forward the commencement of vaccinations for over 50-year-olds under the Australian COVID-19 Vaccination Strategy priority group 2a, and the readiness of more state and territory-operated vaccination sites including mass vaccination sites, as vaccine supplies increase".
Picture: NCA NewsWire/Gary Ramage
"National Cabinet reinforced that general practice will continue to be the primary model of rolling out vaccinations for Australians over 50 years of age, with states and territories to consider options to supplement rollout through expanded state vaccination centres," the statement read.
"The Commonwealth will continue to finalise the vaccination of residential aged care facility (RACF) residents with Pfizer using an in-reach model."
National Cabinet will meet again this Thursday, April 22.
Vaccinations mandatory for WA hotel quarantine workers
The COVID-19 vaccination will be mandatory for hotel quarantine workers in Western Australia, Premier Mark McGowan has announced.
"Mandating the vaccine to work in WA's hotel quarantine system was not my first preference, but it's critically important for WA's defence against COVID-19," Mr McGowan said.
Picture: NCA NewsWire/Tony McDonough
"Hotel workers are in the highest risk category given their ongoing exposure to international arrivals. In the past two weeks alone, we've had 21 confirmed COVID-19 cases detected in returned travellers in our quarantine hotels.
"It's important to ensure hotel quarantine workers are vaccinated to reduce their chance of contracting COVID-19 and spreading it to others and significantly reducing the transmission risk."
Roughly 60.2 per cent of workers have consented to receive their first dose of Pfizer vaccines, while 31.3 per cent have received their second.
Hawke slammed as 'insult to all women'
It must surely be one of the most uncontroversial ideas ever, naming a federal electorate after Australia’s longest serving Labor Prime Minister Bob Hawke.
But as they say in the classics, a small group of furious citizens have declared “hold my beer” – lodging formal objections to the idea.
The complaints to the Australian Electoral Commission over naming an electorate after “Hawkie” largely rest on the idea that the Labor leader liked two things a little too much – women and beer.
– Samantha Maiden
Hunt for mystery Aussie millionaire
Residents in Sydney's Winston Hills are being urged to check their pockets for their Saturday Lotto ticket, with a local or a visitor in the area set to be $1.1 million richer.
The mystery NSW player held one of the five division one winning entries in Saturday Lotto draw 4147, drawn on April 17 – with each division one winning entry scoring $1,145,653.60.
Picture: News Regional Media
The life-changing entry was purchased at Winston Hills Newsagency, with staffer Barbara Veitch saying the business is encouraging customers to check their tickets.
"We were so excited when we discovered we'd sold a division one winning entry," Ms Veitch said.
"We would love to know who our winner is! I certainly hope they come forward soon."
The winning numbers in Saturday Lotto draw 4147 on 17 April 2021 were 5, 33, 17, 13, 44 and 38, while the supplementary numbers were 22 and 35.
Notorious killer found dead in prison
A notorious murderer who killed a Melbourne mother-of-three has been found dead in prison.
Scott Alan Murdoch, who received a life sentence last year for the 2013 murder of Kylie Blackwood, was found dead in the cell of the Melbourne Assessment Centre at about 6am this morning, sources confirmed.
Victoria Police said Homicide Squad members were investigating the death of a 43-year-old prisoner.
Picture: Supplied
"The exact circumstances relating to the death have yet to be determined," a spokesperson said.
"It is standard procedure for all deaths in custody to be investigated by the Homicide Squad."
A Department of Justice and Community Service spokesperson said the matter had been referred to the Coroner.
– Additional reporting NCA NewsWire
Missing camper's body found
A logging protester who disappeared from a campsite in East Gippsland has been found dead.
The body of NSW man Christopher Fowell, aged 54, was discovered just off Bendoc-Orbost Road in Bendoc on April 16.
His death is not being treated as suspicious, police say.
A search was launched for Mr Fowell after he went missing on April 10, with police holding serious concerns for his welfare.
Mr Fowell was last seen around a communal campfire at a camping ground on Playgrounds Road, near the intersection of Plantation Track, in Bendoc, East Gippsland.
– Additional reporting NCA NewsWire
SAS Australia's full celeb cast revealed
Channel 7 has today announced the full cast of celebrities set to compete on season two of gruelling reality TV contest SAS Australia.
There are plenty of athletes in the mix – among them, controversial NRL star Sam Burgess – as well as a celebrity chef, several actors and even a pampered socialite.
No word on an air date yet for SAS Australia season two. The first season of the reality show was a runaway hit for Seven – but a bumpier ride for the celebs who took part, who were met with frequent social media controversies about their behaviour on the show.
Picture: Channel 7
FedEx shooter's bizarre obsession
The teen who shot up an Indianapolis FedEx facility and killed eight people was reportedly part of a bizarre Internet subculture obsessed with “My Little Pony.”
Posts on Brandon Hole’s since-taken-down Facebook page appear to indicate he was a member of the “Bronies” community — a group of mostly adult men who are extreme fans of the kiddie toys and animated television show, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Picture: Supplied
Some members are sexually attracted to the characters, while the group also has allegedly displayed far-right tendencies.
“I hope that I can be with Applejack in the afterlife, my life has no meaning without her,” Hole wrote on his Facebook page at 10:19 p.m. Thursday, less than an hour before his rampage began, the outlet reported.
The post included a photo of Applejack, a blond pony that is a main character on the show.
Picture: Supplied
The name Brony is a mashup between “bro” and “pony” — and the group has a history of extremist tendencies, the outlet said, citing an internal Facebook memo they reviewed that detailed the post.
“Brony online culture has displayed elements of far-right and white nationalist extremism,” the memo stated.
– Gabrielle Fonrouge, New York Post
Proof it’s a good time to be a homebuyer
A pause in rate hikes has helped give buyers confidence as new home listings reach a record, almost-10-year high.
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Footage captures unusual train station visit
The unusual commuter wandered through the suburban train station on a ‘self-guided tour’.
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Teen’s dog ‘looking for her’ after tragic death
The 13-year-old girl was killed in a buggy rollover in regional Victoria, which also left a 47-year-old man dead.
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