Coronavirus Australia live news: Japan set to reopen for Australian visitors
Qld may not be budging, but Japan is set to open its borders to Australia and a select few countries with low infections.
- Japan set to open up for Aussies
- Airport rail line promises 14,000 jobs
- Global infections surge past 6 million
- Debt will take three decades to pay
- Home renovation grants in new package
Welcome to live coverage of the continuing coronavirus crisis. Japan is considering opening its borders to select countries, including Australia. The PM and NSW Premier have revealed plans for a Sydney rail line that will create 14,000 jobs. It will take more than three decades to pay off the government’s surging debt, according to new analysis that urges tax reform to boost economic growth.
Rachell Pannett 7.20pm NZ down to last COVID-19 case
New Zealand is down to its last known coronavirus case, approaching a milestone beyond reach in most countries: the elimination of the virus within its borders.
It has been 10 days as of Monday since the last new COVID-19 case was confirmed. The only active case is an Auckland woman in her 50s who was diagnosed May 1. The last recorded death was a week ago and more than 1100 people have recovered.
The island nation of five million residents took advantage of a substantial easing of lockdown conditions — allowing people to travel outside their local area and gather in groups of up to 100 — to enjoy a three-day holiday weekend that was nearing normalcy.
Queenstown, a South Island resort town of ski fields, lakes and extreme-tourism experiences such as bungee jumping was again “pleasantly busy,” Mayor Jim Boult said, after weeks of being all but closed by the pandemic.
“People look like they are exceedingly happy to be out and about,” he said, with hoteliers reporting solid bookings and restaurants busy.
New Zealand is one of only a few places pondering the possible extinction of coronavirus within its borders, along with Taiwan, Iceland and some small island jurisdictions.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern placed some of the strictest constraints on New Zealanders in modern history, ordering citizens to stay home in late March and not socialise with anyone outside their household “bubble” for about six weeks.
The Wall Street Journal
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Kieran Gair 6.10pm Bars face random checks
Wineries from the Hunter Valley to bars in Byron Bay are being warned to expect “random checks” by police after the NSW Assistant Police Commissioner announced a COVID-19 crackdown on cash-strapped regional businesses.
Licensed venues in regional NSW will be the focus of a new “high-visibility police operation” targeting businesses that fail to adhere to social distancing rules after the NSW government eased more COVID-19 restrictions on Monday.
“Whether you’re heading to a winery in the Hunter Valley, a bar at Byron Bay, a pub on the bushfire-hit South Coast, or an RSL in drought-impacted areas out west — licensees and patrons alike need to be aware of their surroundings and the strict rules which now apply,” Assistant Commissioner Max Mitchell said.
“Police will be conducting random checks and patrols of licensed venues throughout our regions (and) particularly across the Queen’s Birthday long weekend.”
The warning comes amid hopes the movement of people across NSW will start to increase dramatically, as thousands of people head to regional communities to inject much-needed tourism dollars.
People are now able to head to the state’s regions for holidays after hundreds of camping grounds and caravan parks reopened on Monday following a ban on regional travel in March.
NSW residents now have more freedom than they’ve had in months with COVID-19 restrictions eased at a host of venues including restaurants, pubs, cafes, and beauty salons.
Up to 50 people are allowed to dine in restaurants, pubs, clubs, and cafes but only if patrons are able to observe the four-square-metre rule. Alcohol can be purchased without food, too. However, all customers must be seated.
NSW Police can issue on-the-spot fines of up to $1000 for individuals and $5000 for businesses that breach social distancing rules.
READ MORE: Queen rides back into public view
Patrick Commins 5.45pm Frydenberg welcomes rush to access super
The government has dismissed concerns that its COVID-19 early release of super scheme is being misused, as new data from the regulator revealed fewer than 2 per cent of applications have been knocked back.
Josh Frydenberg said 1.8 million people had withdrawn around $15bn from their retirement savings since the emergency measure was announced on March 22.
The enthusiastic uptake of the scheme comes with growing evidence that Australians are accessing their super to fund spending on non-essentials such as gambling, or putting it into their savings as a precautionary measure, rather than to alleviate immediate financial hardship from the coronavirus crisis.
But the Treasurer batted away such concerns on Monday, saying he was “comfortable with the fact that people are accessing their money when they need it most”.
“There are already provisions within the superannuation laws for people to access their super early because of hardship. We think this is a continuation of that and it's money that's going to people's needs,” he said.
Read the full story here
Wayne Smith 5pm Rugby Australia axes staff as revamp kicks off
Reality came crashing down on Rugby Australia on Monday when 47 out of its 142 full time staff were laid off in the openingphase of its planned restructure as the game works its way through the impact of COVID-19.
The global pandemic may well have provided a rationale for savage cutbacks but after recording a $9.4m deficit last year andwith debts that effectively total around $14m, there is no way the game could have continued as it was.
Not only have one-third of its fulltime staff been cut but so too 30 contractors and casual workers, all of whom have beenterminated with immediate effect. Even those workers who — for now at least — have survived the purge will be sharing thepain.
RA is seeking to implement a 5 per cent reduction in base salary for all senior staff who have been retained.
All up, the program of cuts will reduce thewages bill by $5.5m, a sum just under the RA allocation to a Super Rugby club eachseason. The expectation is that the next phase of RA organisational restructure will be the four Super Rugby franchises, thoughit would have to be said that most have been running very lean for several years.
“Today was an incredibly difficult day for the organisation, with many people affected by changes that are necessary to ensurethe viability and sustainability of the organisation as a result of the devastating impacts of the pandemic,” RA interim CEO Rob Clarke said.
Read the full story here
Agencies 5pm: NSW $1000 one-off payment labelled ‘a stunt’
The NSW government’s proposal to give public servants a one-off $1000 stimulus payment if they agree to a 12-month pay freeze has been slammed by unions as insulting, AAP reports.
Treasurer Dominic Perrottet has been talking with union bosses about the proposal which would see non-executive frontline staff such as nurses, police officers, paramedics and teachers receive a one-off payment in return for accepting a pay pause.
The state government wants to freeze the pay of all public servants due to the economic damage wrought by COVID-19 restrictions.
The move is estimated to save $3 billion which the coalition wants to reinvest in public projects.
The $1000 one-off payment would instead cost about $200 million with Mr Perrottet arguing it would leave the government with $2.8 billion to invest in job-creating projects.
The proposal has been slammed by public sector unions including the NSW Teachers Federation whose president, Angelo Gavrielatos, on Monday told reporters the bad policy added “insult to injury”.
Unions NSW secretary Mark Morey says $1000 “short changes” the people who have been working hard throughout the bushfire crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic.
READ MORE: Victorian premier in too deep
Agencies 4.30pm: NT on track for easing but some limits will stay
Northern Territorians might be in a buoyant mood about being ahead of the states in easing coronavirus restrictions with most businesses to reopen by Friday, but they have been warned physical distancing is here to stay, AAP reports.
That is bad news for many businesses that will reopen or expand their operations from Friday such as bars and clubs, entertainment venues, casinos and cinemas as they will not be legally able to accept as many patrons as before the restrictions.
NT Health Minister Natasha Fyles said she recognised that was difficult and a challenge for businesses but until there was a cure or vaccine the rules had to be maintained and the evidence in other countries was that the risk of the coronavirus increased whenever measures were eased.
The NT has been free of any active coronavirus cases for nearly a fortnight. However it had recorded its highest rate of testing last week, with 950 people undergoing tests, Ms Fyles said, out of a total of more than 8200 tests so far.
READ MORE: Matty Johns sorry for Hitler skit
Agencies 4pm: Steve Smith ready as July UK tour proposed
Steve Smith says he needs just a couple of weeks to be ready to play top-level cricket again, if the three-match July ODI series against England proceeds overseas, AAP reports.
With no net work possible Smith has hardly touched a bat over the last two months, but the champion batsman and former Australian captain says he is in his best shape for years.
The England and Wales Cricket Board said overnight it was possible the ODI series could still go ahead.
Asked whether he was comfortable about flying to England and quarantining, Smith replied: “I personally haven’t really thought about that. “I think it would be just going off the advice of the professionals and the government’s just doing essentially what we’re told.
“I’ve got myself into good shape probably the best shape I’ve been in years, doing lots of running and lots of gym sort of stuff.”
READ MORE: Family run skincare business fails
Agencies 3.30pm: Cases spike in South Korea as restrictions ease
South Korea has reported 238 cases of the coronavirus over the past five days, most of them in the Seoul metropolitan area, causing alarm in a country that had eased up on social distancing and started to send millions of children back to school, AP reports.
Hundreds of infections have been linked to nightspots, restaurants and a massive e-commerce warehouse near Seoul. The 35 new cases reported Monday include 30 around Seoul.
Agencies 3pm: Brazil passes 500,000 coronavirus cases
The number of cases of coronavirus in Brazil has surpassed half a million, the country’s health ministry says, AAP reports.
The country had recorded 514,849 cases of infection with the virus, the latest official figures showed.
After the US’ nearly 1.8 million cases, Brazil is the country with the highest number of officially recorded infections worldwide. Brazil is the biggest nation in Latin America and is carrying out relatively low levels of testing, meaning the real figure is likely significantly higher. There have been at least 29,314 virus-related deaths so far in the country.
Brazil’s death toll is in fourth place globally, behind the US, Britain and Italy, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University. In many cities in Brazil, hospitals have reached capacity. Authorities have set up makeshift clinics in football stadiums.
Meanwhile, a dispute between President Jair Bolsonaro, several governors and congress has paralysed the country.
Right-wing populist leader Bolsonaro sees the COVID-19 lung disease as a “mild flu” and has rejected protective measures. But many state leaders have put in place their own restrictions on movement and public life to stem the spread of the virus.
On Sunday, there were clashes between Bolsonaro supporters, anti-government protesters and police in several Brazilian cities.
READ MORE: China’s great wall of silence
Agencies 2.30pm: Japan set to open door to Aussie travellers
Japan is considering reopening its borders to travellers from selected countries which have low levels of coronavirus infections, as it begins to ease restrictions put in place earlier this year to control the virus, AAP reports.
As schools, cinemas, sports clubs and department stores reopened in the nation’s capital Tokyo on Monday, media have reported that the government is also planning to allow travellers from Thailand, Vietnam, Australia and New Zealand into the country in the coming months.
There was no immediate comment from the foreign ministry.
Around 17,000 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Japan as of early Monday, with roughly 900 deaths.
Since February, Japan has banned entry by foreigners to limit the spread of the virus from overseas visitors.
The government is considering allowing business travellers from the four countries to enter if they test negative for COVID-19 in two separate tests conducted upon departure from their home country and arrival in Japan, the Asahi Shimbun reported, citing unnamed sources.
Once permitted into the country, visitors’ movements would be restricted to areas including place of stay, company offices and factories, the newspaper said, adding that use of public transportation would be banned.
Along with Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia and New Zealand are members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP-11), and have strong trade ties with Japan. Southeast Asia accounts for just 4.4 per cent of global COVID-19 infections, according to the World Health Organisation, much lower than the Americas or Europe, which each account for roughly 40 per cent.
READ MORE: Another Andrews staffer linked to China’s ruling party
Gerard Cockburn 2pm: $12.2bn sapped from superannuation funds
The superannuation sector has been drained of more than $12bn by hardship requests, with industry funds still the most frequently tapped. Read more here
Max Maddison 1.40pm: SA residents urged to take a patient approach
South Australian Premier Steven Marshall is urging people to be patient as the state moves into stage two of easing social distancing restrictions.
“We have got to remember that it was only four or five weeks ago that many people were thinking they might be coming back in July, August or September and here we are on the first day of June and we have got 80 people in pubs in South Australia,” Mr Marshall said.
Responding to a question about how long patrons would have to wait, Mr Marshall said it was important to things in a “careful and considered way, not a reckless way”.
“We have said from day one in South Australia, it is not just about opening. It is about opening sustainably,” he said.
When asked about whether economic costs have begun to outweigh the health costs, Mr Marshall said it was a balance, but relative to other parts of the country, he said South Australia was in a good position.
READ MORE: Rugby league returns a game transformed
Max Maddison 1.25pm: WA Premier McGowan gives coronavirus update
One new case has been reported in West Australia, while health authorities have picked up a historical case, Premier Mark McGowan said.
The state has 29 active cases, 20 of which are residents who have returned from overseas, including the fresh case of a woman who had returned from the Middle East.
A crew member of the al-Kuwait sheep ship has now been admitted to Royal Perth hospital, Mr McGowan said.
Speaking at a press conference, Mr McGowan also spruiked the current international and interstate border closures as a “great opportunity” for West Ausrtalians to enjoy their state.
“Our incoming travellers, as great as they are, international and interstate don’t spend near as much as West Australians spend when they go overseas. So we have a $5 billion deficit,” Mr McGowan said.
“West Australians spend what they spent overseas or interstate, versus people coming in from interstate or overseas. Essentially, there is a big outflow of money from the state because of West Australians going elsewhere on holidays. Clearly, we can’t do that now.”
READ MORE: National broadcaster’s covid crusade
Patrick Commins 1.05pm: Treasurer OK with super spend on booze, bets
Josh Frydenberg has said he is “comfortable” with reports that a large portion of the nearly $15bn in early release super being spent on such things as booze and betting.
“This is their money. They will use that money for a range of purposes,” The Treasurer said, speaking at a Victorian pub where he visited to celebrate the easing of social distancing restrictions.
Frydenberg said 1.8 million Australians had accessed the COVID-19 early release of super scheme.
The scheme allows Australians to make two withdrawals of $10,000, spread across this and the next financial years.
The Australian has reported that federal public servants have accessed the scheme, and that ABS survey data suggests more than a third of applicants planned to or had used the money to boost savings, rather than meeting essential bills and so forth.
READ MORE: Chairman Dan belts the media
Gerard Cockburn 12.35pm: Self-managed super funds cop $70bn hit
Self-managed super funds suffered a $70bn hit in the March quarter, putting further strain on investor savings. Read more here
Ewin Hannan 12.25pm: Retailers dump plans for minimum pay rise
The Australian Retailers Association has backed down on its previous support for a 1.8pc pay rise for the nation’s low-paid. Read more here
Max Maddison 12.20pm: Morrison says focus on domestic uni students
Responding to a question in Western Sydney about exemptions for international students, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said domestic students are his focus.
“Right now, our focus, federally, is ensuring that we open our universities for domestic students. We need to remember that our universities have been built in this country to address the higher education needs of Australian students … And that is the primary purpose of universities,” Mr Morrison said.
While deferring questions about potential quarantine restrictions to the State Government, Mr Morrison said the current system which requires returning visitors to spend two weeks isolating in hotel rooms was “very effective”.
“And for international students, there are many risks to manage there … I think, very effective quarantine arrangements for returning Australian citizens and residents, and that experience can now be put to work to see how it can support other parts of the economy, and obviously international students is one of those.”
READ MORE: Queen rides back into view
Max Maddison 12pm: New NSW cases all returned travellers
NSW Health has released its daily COVID-19 figures. Only three people have been diagnosed with coronavirus, bringing the states total to 3098. The new cases are all returned travellers in hotel quarantine.
One person remains in intensive care, but they don’t require a ventilator.
“While there have been few cases recorded in the past 24 hours, the virus is likely circulating
among people in the community with mild symptoms. As such, the risk of outbreaks and a
resurgence of cases remains,” a statement from NSW Health said.
The majority of cases have come from overseas, with a breakdown from NSW Health stating that 1793 cases likely came from people returning home.
READ MORE: Renovation rescue for tradies
Max Maddison 11.35am: PM announces funds for Sydney airport train
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has dropped by western Sydney this morning to announce plans for invest $1.75bn to build a metro train line to the city’s second airport, at Badgerys Creek.
Speaking alongside Premier Gladys Berejiklian and NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance, Mr Morrison said the project was an important initiative for jobs.
Construction will begin before year’s end.
The federal and NSW governments will each tip in $1.75bn for the metro, which Ms
Berejiklian said would create 14,000 jobs.
“We are getting projects happening now because that’s the job making agenda that Australia needs, that NSW needs, and that western Sydney needs. We couldn’t hope for a better partner in our job-making program than the NSW government,” Mr Morrison said.
Construction of the airport at Badgerys Creek is projected to cost $5.3 billion.
READ MORE: ‘Taking out the trash’ a cynical move
Max Maddison 11.25am: Get out of the house, Palaszczuk urges
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has urged Queenslanders to get out and support the local tourism industry.
“I’m encouraging Queenslanders to get out of the house, to get into their car, and to book accommodation somewhere in Queensland that you haven’t been before,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
“There is so much to explore. I don’t know where to begin. But Queenslanders, hop on the internet, do the searches, and make sure you explore all that Queensland has to offer. We also know that businesses have been doing it tough.”
Speaking from tourist hotspot Cairns in Far North Queensland, Ms Palaszczuk didn’t mention when the state’s borders would be opened for interstate travel.
READ MORE: ‘Release JobKeeper data’
Rachel Baxendale 11.05am: New Victoria cases linked to hotel cluster
Four new cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Victoria in the past 24 hours, bringing the state’s total to 1653.
One of the new cases has been linked to an outbreak at Melbourne hotel Rydges on Swanston, with a case in a close contact of a worker bringing the total number of cases in the cluster to eight.
The Victorian Department of Health and Human Services said all relevant part of the hotel had been cleaned and contact tracing, isolation and quarantine of close contacts was being undertaken.
“A full investigation is underway to review all possible causes of transmission within the hotel, including looking into links between affected staff and contractors,” DHHS said.
Of yesterday’s other cases, one was detected in returned travellers in hotel quarantine and two were from community testing.
There are no new cases linked to any other known outbreaks, including a Keilor Downs family linked to 13 cases, and any aged care facilities.
There have been no recent deaths, with Victoria’s COVID-19 death toll steady at 19.
Six people are in hospital, including one in intensive care, while 1560 people have recovered
There have been 168 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Victoria that have been acquired from unknown sources.
READ MORE: Watchdog eyes Qantas
Agencies 10.45am: Patrons head to pubs, cafes in Victoria
Victorians are able to get back on the beers and go out for brunch as months of coronavirus restrictions ease across the state, AAP reports.
Cafes, restaurants and other spaces where groups usually gather are preparing to reopen with 20-person limits under changes to lockdown rules on Monday. Premier Daniel Andrews has acknowledged the situation is “not perfect” for hospitality businesses.
Victorians have been told they must continue to work from home if they can, potentially curbing the customers cafes and restaurants can attract. But Mr Andrews insists that’s far better than letting COVID-19 spread.
Chief Health Officer Professor Brett Sutton believes allowing hundreds of thousands of people back into offices in the CBD and suburbs is a key risk at this stage.
Patrons at eateries will still need to maintain 1.5m between tables, and contact details will be collected to assist in rapid tracing if anyone gets sick with COVID-19.
Libraries, galleries, museums, amusement parks, places of worship, beauty clinics, nail salons and massage parlours will also be allowed to reopen, albeit with no more than 20 people.
People will also be permitted to stay in holiday homes and return to caravan parks and camping grounds.
Health Minister Jenny Mikakos on Sunday declared Victoria’s state of emergency would be extended until 11.59pm on June 21.
Six new cases were reported in Victoria on Sunday, bringing the state’s total number of COVID-19 cases to 1649. About 70 cases remain active.
READ MORE: Pretty good outcome for property
Agencies 10.20am: Crowds wait for gallery reopenings in NSW
A loosening of restrictions in NSW includes libraries, art galleries, museums, zoos, reptile parks and aquariums also reopening from Monday, AAP reports.
The most requested restriction to be eased relates to beauty salons, with NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard saying their recommencement “topped the barrel”.
Lovely morning as the Art Gallery of NSW prepares to open its doors after ten weeks in the dark. Michael Brand and his deputy Maude Page have been circling the entrance as the clock ticks down. pic.twitter.com/s3s0I4Oq26
— Ashleigh Wilson (@ashleighbwilson) May 31, 2020
blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Welcome back to the gallery.
Thank you. Who are you?
I’m the director here. Hope you enjoy yourself. pic.twitter.com/ivRZQKJMYK
— Ashleigh Wilson (@ashleighbwilson) June 1, 2020
READ MORE: Wrap artist Christo passes away
Max Maddison 9.47am: Recovery the focus, not election: Palaszczuk
Despite low levels of coronavirus cases across the state, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk won’t be rushed into opening the borders.
With only five active cases in the Sunshine State as of Monday morning, Ms Palaszczuk said despite significant pressure to help the struggling tourism sector, the number of cases in southern states meant the risk of community transmission was too high.
“The first key point is the health of Queenslanders is my number one priority. We’re not the only states with our borders closed,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
“Unfortunately in NSW and Victoria they are still recording active cases … They are still concerned about community transmission.
“There is a whole lot of work that is coming into the national cabinet in a fortnight’s time. That is the huge research on how we have gone over the past month and I think all the premiers will look at that research very carefully at that point in time.”
When asked whether she thinks about becoming a “legend” of Australian politics by winning a third election in October, Ms Palaszczuk said the state poll is “the furthest thing from my mind”.
“I’m focused on this COVID recovery at the moment,” she said.
“Yes there is an election at the end of the year, but that’s a long way off and lots can happen between now and then.”
READ MORE: Tour operators want some southern comfort
Agencies 9.20am: Emirates the latest airline to sack staff
Dubai’s long-haul carrier Emirates said Sunday it fired an undisclosed number of employees as the coronavirus pandemic has halted global aviation, becoming the latest Mideast airline to shed staff over the outbreak.
Emirates, the jewel of the sheikhdom’s vast array of state-linked enterprises known as “Dubai Inc.” to diplomats and investors, declined to offer figures on how many staff it fired.
“We have endeavoured to sustain the current family as is … but have come to the conclusion that we unfortunately have to say goodbye to a few of the wonderful people that worked with us,” the airline said in a statement. The carrier said it would treat fired staff “with fairness and respect,” without elaborating.
Emirates had been the sole holdout among the Gulf’s two other major East-West carriers on retaining staff. Previously, Abu Dhabi-based Etihad and Doha-based Qatar Airways similarly fired staff as countries shut down their airspace as the virus spread.
AP
READ MORE: Brookfield plans $500m Virgin Australia cash injection
Max Maddison 9.08am: China deal has never been ‘more important’: Andrews
The investment stemming from Victoria’s controversial decision to sign up to China’s Belt and Road Initiative has “never been more important”, Premier Daniel Andrews says.
Speaking on Sunrise this morning, Mr Andrews rejected the idea that he ignored national security advice, but said the investment would be critical as the state attempted to fund its COVID19 recovery.
"You've got to take a cautious approach"
— Sunrise (@sunriseon7) May 31, 2020
Victorian Premier @DanielAndrewsMP joined us as more coronavirus restrictions ease across the country.
More on this story: https://t.co/Jae6LTTf7c pic.twitter.com/Tq8BKSGBfh
“That’s just no right … We take the view you want more relationships, not less. You want a good relationship, not a bad one with your biggest customer. This is all about jobs, this is all it’s ever been about,” Mr Andrews said.
“That sort of export, that sort of trade, that sort of investment has never been more important as we push through this virus.”
READ MORE: Media Diary: Chairman Dan belts media on China road
Max Maddison 8.30am: Restrictions ease across nation on landmark day
Social distancing regulations will ease across the nation today, as Australia embarks on the next step back to normal life. See the state-by-state breakdown here.
Max Maddison 8am: NSW won’t be rushed into reopening: Premier
New South Wales won’t be rushed into reopening, says Premier Gladys Berejiklian, as she warns people to expect different conditions at cafes and restaurants.
Speaking to Ben Fordham on 2GB this morning, Ms Berejiklian said that she expected to make an announcement regarding gyms and dance studios later this week, but for now, people need to remain patient.
“While we’re easing restrictions, we’re doing it cautiously,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“What we don’t want to see is businesses shutting down again. We’ve seen that across the world and we don’t want to see that in New South Wales.”
However, she warned patrons that communal items such as menus or cutlery stations would be off the cards for the time being.
“These things might seem trivial they could save lives,” she said.
READ MORE: Life’s a breach after tourism rules eased
Max Maddison 7.36am: Building stimulus package ‘not about school halls’: PM
Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the aim of the multibillion-dollar building stimulus package is to create local jobs, but says the challenge will be ensuring people don’t try to rort the system.
Speaking to Ben Fordham on 2GB this morning, Mr Morrison said while Australians had generally acted responsibly thus far, it was important to remain vigilant for people who would seek to take advantage of the government’s stimulus package.
“This is not building school halls … we want to make sure that whatever we do in this case, jobs get created locally,” Mr Morrison said.
“But this is the problem right Ben – I’d actually say the challenge – that while most Australians have done the right thing so far, there will always be people who will do the wrong thing.”
As revealed by The Australian, the building stimulus package is expected to include direct cash grants for housing renovations, as the government directly targets 380,000 tradespeople in a bid to rescue the housing construction industry.
READ MORE: Renovation rescue for tradies’ jobs
Yoni Bashan 6.40am: NSW public servants in line for $1000 payment
The decision to freeze salaries across the NSW public sector will deprive the state’s economy of more than 1100 jobs, according to newly released economic modelling that says a rise in pay packets will generate more jobs than spending on construction projects.
The data, obtained exclusively by The Australian, was released as NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced a backdown on her government’s $810 million upgrade of ANZ Stadium. Ms Berejiklian said she would scrap the project and divert the funding towards job creation across NSW.
With 221,400 people out of work because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Berejiklian government has stepped up efforts to find savings and redirect funding to promote job creation.
Treasurer Dominic Perrottet has argued repeatedly in favour of freezing wages, saying the money saved would be spent on infrastructure and would stimulate the economy more efficiently than pay increases could hope to achieve. He has not released modelling to support this assertion.
Last night Mr Perrottet was scrambling to win support for the policy by extending a revised offer to the opposition, crossbench and union leaders: $1000 one-off payments for 200,000 frontline workers in exchange for their support to freeze wages.
READ MORE: Pay rises generate more jobs, economic modelling shows
Agencies 6.22am: US sends 2m doses of unproven drug to Brazil
The United States has delivered two million doses of the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) to Brazil to fight COVID-19, the White House said on Sunday, though the drug has not yet been proven effective against the coronavirus.
“HCQ will be used as a prophylactic to help defend Brazil’s nurses, doctors, and healthcare professionals against the virus. It will also be used as a therapeutic to treat Brazilians who become infected,” a statement said.
It said the US would soon also send 1000 ventilators to Brazil, the epicentre of South America’s outbreak with nearly 500,000 confirmed cases.
“We are also announcing a joint United States-Brazilian research effort that will include randomised controlled clinical trials,” it added.
US President Donald Trump is an outspoken fan of HCQ, which has been used to treat malaria for decades as well as the auto-immune disorders lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.
He has previously said he is taking it himself in the hope of avoiding infection with the virus.
There is currently no evidence from a randomised controlled trial (RCT) — considered the gold standard of clinical investigation — for HCQ’s use either to treat or prevent COVID-19.
There are also fears that it may in fact worsen coronavirus patient’s outcomes. A paper published in The Lancet last week concluded that treating people who have COVID-19 with hydroxychloroquine and a related compound chloroquine did not help them and might have increased the risk of abnormal heart rhythms and death.
The study was not an RCT, and more than 100 clinicians and scientists have since questioned the authenticity of a hospital database it relied on to reach its conclusions.
AFP
READ MORE: Researchers halt patient recruitment for hydroxychloroquine trial
Agencies 6.00am: Italy records lowest figures since March
Italy has registered 355 new coronavirus cases and 75 deaths, some of the lowest such numbers since the country’s lockdown against the pandemic began in early March.
Italy now totals 233,019 known cases of COVID-19 and 33,415 deaths. But health experts say many people with no or mild symptoms likely didn’t get tested and note that many died in residences for the elderly or in their own homes also without being tested for the virus.
The latest figures from the health ministry come three days before Italy lifts a lockdown rule against travel for tourism between Italian regions and from most European countries.
This prospect has made some governors nervous in regions which have been relatively less hard hit in the pandemic.
Sicily governor Nello Musemeci told the Corriere della Sera daily that if holiday-makers come from places like northern Lombardy, Italy’s most stricken region, they should be prepared to indicate “day-by-day” whereabouts so they can be traced while visiting the Mediterranean island in case of infection.
For 10 days straight, Lombardy has been the only region in the country with daily increases of cases in the three digits, registering 210 confirmed infections in patients in the 24-hour period ending on Sunday.
AP
READ MORE: Italy’s hardest-hit city struggles to put trauma behind it
Jacquelin Magnay 5.37am: Sweden’s first day of no virus deaths since March
Sweden has been corona-death free in the last 24 hours, but officials have cautioned that the zero increase on Sunday could be due to a reporting delay.
For the first day since March 13, the Sweden health ministry said on Sunday there had been no new deaths to add to the current tally of 4395 people.
However, as has been the case in many European countries, there appears to be a dip in reporting cases of infections and deaths over the weekend, and death rates tend to rise earlier in the week.
But the news has been hailed as some vindication for Sweden’s anti-lockdown approach, illustrating that the virus rates have continued to fall, no matter how intense various lockdown protocols have been across Europe.
However Sweden still has a much higher death rate than its neighbouring countries, Denmark and Norway, which scientists attribute to the country’s more relaxed coronavirus attitudes without a lockdown, but stressing respect for social distancing and hand washing.
Meanwhile in the UK, the government said people who were vulnerable and shielding from the outside world would be allowed to go outside from Monday.
These include people aged over 70 and those with comorbidities that put them in a high risk category if they were to catch coronavirus. As well, people will be allowed to meet in groups of six, as long as they are outdoors and respect two metre social distancing.
Robert Jenrick, the communities secretary, said the “room for manoeuvre is quite limited” in regards to easing the lockdown situation and stressed that people must adhere to social distancing. But he said the government was reasonably confident that the time was right to ease the restrictions.
Deputy chief medical officer for England, Jenny Harries said the national death toll, which stands at 38,489 on Sunday was falling “very gently”.
She said: “As we move forward with the easing of our lockdown restrictions we encourage people to maintain all focus on maintaining social distancing.”
But the government’s loosening of lockdown rules have been criticised by the Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH) which said the latest measures were “not supported by the science”. The ADPH says that in the sunny weather “the public is not keeping to social distancing as it was”.
In Paris, outdoor cafes reopened on Sunday with the cafes allowed to take up more outside space for their clientele than previously licensed for.
READ MORE: Funerals, choirs key to cluster outbreaks
Agencies 5.15am: Global coronavirus cases surge past 6 million
More than 6.11 million people have been reported infected with the coronavirus globally and 368,539 have died, figures from Johns Hopkins University show.
Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019.
South Korea reported 27 new cases of coronavirus, including 21 in the Seoul area where officials are scrambling to stem transmissions linked to club-goers and warehouse workers.
The figures announced by South Korea’s Centres for Disease Control and Prevention on Sunday brought the country’s totals to 11,468 cases and 270 deaths. Twelve of the new cases were international arrivals.
Chinese authorities have reported two new cases of COVID-19, bringing the country’s total to 83,001. Both cases were imported and in the Shandong province south of Beijing, bringing the number of cases from abroad to 1740.
Meanwhile a German engineer who flew to China on a special charter flight on Saturday has tested positive. About 200 people arrived on the chartered Lufthansa A340 from Frankfurt. A second flight is scheduled to depart on Wednesday for Shanghai.
China has banned most foreigners from entering the country to prevent the introduction of new infections but agreed to allow the two German flights to bring back workers as it tries to revive economic growth after the coronavirus shutdowns.
No new domestic cases have been reported in China for a week. The country’s official death toll stands at 4634.
READ MORE: Immigration crash to cost $40bn a year
Adam Creighton 5am: Stimulus debt will take 30 years to pay off
It will take more than three decades to pay off the government’s surging debt, according to new analysis that urges tax reform to boost economic growth, including shifting more of the burden onto lightly taxed retirees.
The federal budget, which was on track to post a small surplus this financial year until the coronavirus derailed the economy, will remain in deficit until 2039 according to PwC, which estimates that without economic reform, net debt won’t fall to zero until 2056.
“An 18-year-old entering the workforce in 2020 would have always been working under federal budget surpluses had COVID-19 not emerged, and would have expected zero net debt when they reached 28 years of age,” PwC said in a statement.
“Now that same worker cannot expect to see a budget surplus until they are at least 37 years old, with net debt not predicted to hit zero until they near 55.”
Read the full story here.
Simon Benson 4.45am: Direct cash grants considered for home renovations
Direct cash grants for home renovations are expected to be a key plank of a multibillion-dollar building stimulus package to rescue the housing construction industry and save tens of thousands of jobs.
Scott Morrison is also expected to announce $1.75bn in federal funding to the NSW government to bring forward the construction start date to this year for the Western Sydney Airport metro rail line service, with forecasts the project could create 14,000 jobs.
The Australian understands that the stimulus package, which will be the fourth major economic intervention by the Morrison government since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, is due to be signed off this week by cabinet’s expenditure review committee.
With the housing sector emerging as the next big economic casualty from the coronavirus, the government is considering a cash grants scheme in its housing stimulus package that would extend grants for the first time to include home renovations.
Read the full story here.
CTE at age just 20: tragic rookie’s diagnosis that changes the game
NRL rookie Keith Titmuss was suffering brain disease Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy when he died at 20 — the youngest Australian sport player to be diagnosed with the head-knock-related condition.
Clark, the thief who stole hopes of a people
Geoff Clark’s criminal downfall has prompted an outpouring of regret and anger from Aboriginal leaders and policy makers, who see him as the symbol of dysfunction in Indigenous affairs.