PoliticsNow: Biden to tell Morrison: ‘America is back
Incoming US president Joe Biden will tell Scott Morrison that ‘America is back’ and ready to strengthen the alliance.
- PM to Labor: Stop playing politics on jobs
- Dreyfus attacks Fitzgibbon
- Berejiklian push to change anthem
- Former Lib staffer files complaint
- Could Aussies skip vaccine queue?
Welcome to our rolling coverage of politics around the nation amid the continuing coronavirus crisis.
Scott Morrison has urged Labor to stop “playing politics” over the JobMaker hiring credit and support the bill, saying it will help people get back into a job in the middle of the COVID-19 recession.
Opposition legal affairs spokesman Mark Dreyfus has launched a spectacular public attack on rogue Labor MP Joel Fitzgibbon, saying he’s out of step with the ALP on climate change.
Paige Taylor 8.15pm: Berejiklian raises her voice on anthem change
The national anthem’s description of Australia as a young country is untrue and should be removed from the second line of the song, Indigenous leaders and politicians said on Wednesday.
But the suggestion by NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on the eve of the second State of Origin game was designed to acknowledge that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people occupied Australia for tens of thousands of years before British settlement, was also described as a distraction from the serious matter of unfinished business between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
While the Morrison government has no plans to change the anthem, Indigenous Australians Minister Ken Wyatt and Labor Indigenous Australians spokeswoman Linda Burney each back Ms Berejiklian’s announcement that she wants the words “we are young and free” changed to “we are one and free”.
Labor senator Pat Dodson told The Australian he thought it was significant that a politician of Ms Berejiklian’s status would want to make such a change, but “a treaty with First Nations of NSW would be even more welcome”.
“It’s a bit of a refreshing interlude in the context of far more important things to be sorted,” Senator Dodson said.
AFP 7.55pm: British ‘student travel window’ for Christmas
University students in England will be allowed to travel home in early December after a four-week lockdown is eased to spend Christmas with their families, under government plans unveiled on Wednesday.
Universities will switch to online tuition by December 9 while students will be encouraged to return home during a “travel window” through the preceding week.
Health officials and university staff will work with transport operators to ensure there are staggered departure times during the seven-day window, according to the guidance.
A second wave of the coronavirus pandemic prompted the government to impose a four-week national shutdown this month, ordering people to stay at home and most businesses to close.
It is due to end in England on December 2.
The government has said it will help universities test as many students as possible before the travel window, with institutions in areas of high coronavirus prevalence prioritised.
Those testing positive must self-isolate for 10 days, but then should still have enough time to travel home under the plans.
“You can never eliminate the risk — we’re amidst a pandemic,” Universities Minister Michelle Donelan told Sky News.
“What we’re doing, is trying to manage that risk, reduce it and give students the confidence to go home.”
Britain has been the worst-hit country in Europe by the pandemic, recording nearly 50,000 deaths from 1.2 million positive cases.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government has responsibility for health policy in England only, with devolved governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland coordinating their own responses.
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Rosie Lewis 7.25pm: JobMaker passes the Senate
One Nation has delivered a narrow victory to the Morrison government, helping to drive its $4bn JobMaker hiring credit through federal parliament after backflipping on a Labor amendment designed to protect older workers.
The bill passed the Senate on Wednesday night 30-28, with Labor failing to get up a key amendment that would make a business ineligible for the scheme if they fired an existing employee to obtain the subsidy.
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson said she met with Josh Frydenberg on Wednesday afternoon and was “quite happy” with the information he provided her about the subsidy, which Treasury estimates will create or support 450,000 jobs.
She said youth unemployment was a “great concern” for her and told the Senate: “If you’re not happy with the way I’m voting, I really don’t care.”
Centre Alliance senator Stirling Griff also supported the unamended Jobmaker bill.
Opposition treasury spokesman Jim Chalmers said: “The Morrison government and One Nation’s refusal to back Labor’s amendments will make it easier to sack workers over 35 and replace them with younger, cheaper workers.”
Under the government’s JobMaker hiring credit plan, an eligible employer would receive $200 a week for hiring an unemployed person aged 16 to 29 years old or $100 a week for someone aged 30 to 35, with a maximum benefit of $10,400 for each new position created.
The new employees must work at least 20 hours a week.
To receive the subsidy, an employer must show the hiring of that person — between October 7 this year and October 6 next year — has increased their business’s headcount and wages bill compared to September 30.
READ MORE: Democracy relies on Trump conceding defeat
Natasha Robinson 7pm: Vaccine for 5m Aussies by March
The regulator of medicines in Australia has confirmed it expects to be able to approve the first coronavirus vaccine in late January, with jabs of five million people to begin in March.
That’s provided safety and efficacy data provided by pharmaceutical company Pfizer — which is manufacturing the frontrunner vaccine – meets rigorous regulatory standards. The head of the Therapeutic Goods Administration, John Skerritt, on Wednesday confirmed the news first reported by The Australian that Pfizer had been granted a provisional determination for its vaccine, which fast-tracks the approval process.
A vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca in conjunction with Oxford University has also been granted a provisional determination and is expected to be available in Australia in January, with vaccinations to begin in March if clinical trials prove successful and regulatory approval is granted.
The provisional determinations mean the TGA is already liaising with the pharmaceutical companies, examining data and co-ordinating with overseas regulators to cut time to approval.
“I’m hoping that, all going well, that by, say, the end of January, we’ll be in the position to be able to give the first couple of vaccines an approval,” Professor Skerritt said.
The TGA is also in discussions with “at least a dozen” other companies that are developing coronavirus vaccines to speed up the regulatory process should any of those vaccines prove successful.
Cameron Stewart 6.15pm: Biden to tell PM: ‘America is back’
Incoming US president Joe Biden will tell Scott Morrison that “America is back” and ready to strengthen its alliance with Australia.
The president-elect will speak with the Prime Minister in the next day or so and will send the firm message that he will replace Donald Trump’s America First approach with a renewed focus on allies like Australia.
Mr Biden, who has said previously that Australia and the US have “an unsurpassed relationship”, is expected to seek an even closer bond with Canberra in the face of a rising China.
The 77-year-old former vice-president has said he wants America’s allies to share the burden of global changes so that it is not “America alone”.
Mr Biden in recent days has been calling world leaders, including British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and Ireland’s Taoiseach, Micheál Martin.
AFP 5.40pm: HK ousts four pro-democracy legislators
Hong Kong has stripped four pro-democracy legislators of their seats, immediately after China gave the city the power to disqualify politicians deemed a threat to national security.
The ousting on Wednesday comes after 19 pro-democracy lamakers in the semi-autonomous city’s legislature threatened to resign “en masse” on Monday if their colleagues were disqualified.
The Hong Kong government issued a statement saying the four would “lose their qualification as legislators immediately”.
The statement came after one of China’s top lawmaking committees ruled that Hong Kong could remove any legislator deemed a threat to national security without going through the courts.
Hong Kong’s democracy camp has been under sustained attack since Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law in June, including political disqualifications, arrests for social media posts and activists fleeing overseas.
The law was imposed to quell months of huge and often violent democracy protests that broke out last year.
China’s leaders have described the law as a “sword” hanging over the head of their critics.
Hong Kong’s leader is chosen by pro-Beijing committees, but half of its legislature’s 70 seats are directly elected, offering the city’s 7.5 million residents a rare chance to have their voices heard at the ballot box.
A mass resignation would leave the legislature composed almost entirely of those toeing Beijing’s line.
The inability of Hong Kongers to elect their leaders and all of their lawmakers has been at the heart of swelling opposition to Beijing’s rule.
READ MORE: International alliances key to containing China
AFP 5pm: Vanuatu records first Covid case
Vanuatu has reported its first COVID-19 case, ending the Pacific island nation’s status as one of the few remaining virus-free countries in the world.
Health officials said a 23-year-old man who recently returned from the US had tested positive on Tuesday while in quarantine.
As the rest of the world struggled to contain outbreaks, Pacific island nations swiftly isolated themselves, despite the economic cost, fearing their poor health infrastructure made them particularly vulnerable.
Vanuatu closed its borders in March to keep the pandemic at bay, only recently allowing in strictly controlled repatriation flights.
“I want to assure the public and citizens of this country that this situation is under control,” Prime Minister Bob Loughman told the nation of 300,000 people on Wednesday.
The infected man, originally from Vanuatu, had travelled from the US via Sydney and Auckland, but had been isolated from other passengers during the journey as a precaution.
Mr Loughman indicated that — because the man was still in quarantine and contact tracing was under way — he would not put restrictions on public gatherings, close schools or ask people to work from home.
But some domestic travel would be restricted, the country’s mandatory quarantine for repatriates was set to be doubled to 28 days, and citizens would have to show negative test results at most 72 hours before departure.
“The timely and hard closure of Vanuatu’s borders has bought them crucial time to plan and act strategically,” Australia-based public health expert Lana Elliott said.
The government’s actions, she said, “kept their population safer than just about any other country on earth”.
The Solomon Islands and Marshall Islands lost their virus-free status last month, although, like Vanuatu, they have so far avoided community transmission.
The remote island nations and territories of Kiribati, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Samoa, Tonga, and Tuvalu are believed to still be free of the virus.
READ MORE: Dreyfus fans ALP climate war flames
Ewin Hannan 4.20pm: Setka ordered to stop poaching rival members
Victorian CFMEU leader John Setka has been ordered to stop poaching members from the union’s rival manufacturing division, after a full bench of the Federal Court upheld an appeal by recently departed national secretary, Michael O’Connor.
The full bench set aside an April decision that rejected Mr O’Connor’s application that Mr Setka’s construction branch breached union rules by poaching more than 200 members from the manufacturing division.
Mr Setka and senior Victorian officials were ordered to stop inducing, encouraging or advising members of the manufacturing division to resign from the division.
READ the full story here.
Nick Evans 3.28pm: Twiggy unveils plan for green energy plant
Mining billionaire Andrew Forrest wants to turn Fortescue Metals Group into one of the biggest energy companies in the world, outlining ambitious plans at the company’s annual shareholder meeting for Fortescue eventually produce 235 gigawatts of renewable energy, or five times the current capacity of Australia’s National Energy Market.
Mr Forrest told Fortescue shareholders on Wednesday Fortescue plans to challenge global energy majors such as Chevron as he tours the world trying to stitch up early stage deals with national governments to put Fortescue’s foot on the best renewable energy opportunities.
Fortescue Future Industries, a subsidiary of the WA iron ore miner, has already signed early stage agreements in Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and beyond for potential hydro electric and other renewable energy projects, and Fortescue itself has been investing heavily in plans to partly power its iron ore mines through a mix of solar and wind generation.
In addition the company has cut deals with Australia’s CSIRO to commercialise hydrogen and ammonia technology.
READ the full story here
Rachel Baxendale 3.00pm: SA reinfection case treated with caution
Victorian and South Australian health authorities say they are treating the case of a South Australian resident who tested positive for coronavirus while working in aged care in Victoria in early August with caution after the person tested positive for the virus again two days ago.
The worker isolated for the full required period in August and was cleared of the virus having recovered later that month, the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services said on Wednesday.
The person has not worked in aged care since mid-October, but tested positive in South Australia on November 9 as part of that state’s entry screening processes, despite showing no symptoms.
UPDATE: Exposure sites.
— VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) November 11, 2020
📠Melbourne Central between 2pm and 5pm on 8 November
📠Terminal 4 of Melbourne airport on 9 November between 12pm and 1pm pic.twitter.com/92skrU6Np5
“The case is likely to represent intermittent shedding following a previous infection but through an abundance of caution, and while further investigations are underway, the public health response across the two jurisdictions will align,” DHHS said.
“As a result, at this time, we are asking people who visited Melbourne Central on 8 November between 2pm and 5pm or were at Terminal 4 of Melbourne Airport on 9 November between noon and 1pm to be alert to even the mildest of symptoms and seek immediate testing if they become unwell.”
DHHS said two positive swab results had also been received from individuals who were recently cleared as confirmed cases of COVID-19.
“An expert review panel considered both cases and determined that they were most likely due to persistent shedding from the previous infection,” the department said.
“While these cases are not considered active cases, out (of) an abundance of caution additional testing is being undertaken and the individuals will remain in isolation until these results are received.”
READ MORE: Covid, Hayne put holes in NAB chiefs’ pockets
Anton Nilsson 2.58pm: Electronic customer registration to be mandatory
NSW businesses will be forced to register customers electronically under a strict new COVID-19 rule to come into effect on November 23.
The announcement, from Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello, means pen and paper will no longer be an accepted way of keeping track of customers for the purposes of coronavirus contact tracing.
Businesses that fail to have a digital system in place by November 23 – the same day the Victorian border will open – could face penalties.
“Any business that is serious about safety should be using digital registration, such as a QR code or other method of capturing contact details electronically. There are no excuses,” Mr Dominello said.
“We can’t respond to a pandemic with paper. We must be fast and precise and digital is the best way forward.”
The government says it would prefer if businesses used the government’s own QR code system through the Service NSW smartphone application.
However, other QR code systems will be accepted, as will other digital recording techniques such as the spreadsheet application Excel. — NCA Newswire
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Eli Greenblat 2.34pm: Woolies commits to net zero emissions by 2050
Woolworths supermarkets group, which accounts for 1 per cent of all the energy used in Australia, has committed itself to net positive carbon emissions by 2050 and to power its entire operations with renewable energy by 2025 as part of a new and ambitious sustainability pledge.
READ the full story here
Rosie Lewis 2.30pm: Albanese calls for job security for over 35s
Anthony Albanese sums up Labor’s concerns about the JobMaker hiring credit bill succinctly, asking Scott Morrison: “Why won’t the Prime Minister support Labor’s amendment to the hiring credit scheme to ensure a 37-year-old won’t get sacked for someone younger and cheaper? Why is the Prime Minister undermining job security for workers aged over 35? Isn’t the middle of a recession the very worst time to be attacking job security?”
READ MORE: Jack the Insider — God only knows what’s going on in the US
Rosie Lewis 2.27pm: Opposition delaying certainty for business: Frydenberg
Josh Fyrdenberg declared Labor was delaying certainty for businesses by refusing to support the JobMaker hiring credit in its original form.
“What we have seen in previous recessions is it has taken a long time to get people from the unemployment queue back into work, indeed in the 1990 recession, it took 10 years to get the unemployment rate back below 6 per cent from where it started before the recession,” the Treasurer said.
“But for younger people, it took a full 15 years to get the unemployment rate back to where it was before the recession.
“We understand that young people are being hit hard in this crisis. The unemployment rate today for those aged 15 to 34 is 10.2 per cent. This compares to an unemployment rate of 4.7 per cent for those aged 35.
“This whole program is designed to get people who have been on JobSeeker, who have been unemployed, and get them into work, with a minimum of 20 hours a week. And the government is providing that economic support to that employer to tip the balance in favour of a new hire.”
Rosie Lewis 2.14pm: Stop playing politcs over JobMaker, PM tells Labor
Scott Morrison has urged Labor to stop “playing politics” over the JobMaker hiring credit and support the bill, saying it will help people get back into a job in the middle of the COVID-19 recession.
Anthony Albanese asked the Prime Minister how he planned to protect jobs of existing workers under the scheme.
“It is only available for additional jobs, you cannot reduce your current workforce,” Mr Morrison said in question time.
“There is the double-barrel additionality criteria, which has the protection of both headcount from the reference date of the 30th September and the payroll of the business. Hours cannot be reduced, people cannot be let off and rehired under these arrangements.
“It is important to have these protections in place and that was what the government foreshadowed and we are ensuring that these protections are in place. There are also the protections under existing industrial relations laws and the integrity measures that are available cannot reclassify workers from contractors to employers to receive the hiring credit.
“This is an important program, it’s a very important program and we’ve built the protections in place. It is not a program for people to play politics with in this place, it’s a program for the Labor Party to get on board and support getting young people back into jobs in the middle of the COVID-19 recession.”
Angelica Snowden 2.01pm: NSW to spend $700m on digitised services
The NSW state government will invest $700 million this year to digitise services and capitalise on the “gains made during COVID”, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has confirmed.
“One of the lessons we have learned (during COVID) is the success of Service NSW and the way in which digitising services across government has made a real difference to people’s lives,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“Not only has it allowed people to get funding more directly and more quickly to people who need it during the pandemic,” she said.
“It has also allowed us to improve the way in which we deal with students in the education system, we deal with the court system and we deal with cyber security and a whole range of other issues.”
A total investment of $1.6 billion will be made to allow members of the public to “access government services from the palm of your hand”, treasurer Dominic Perrotett said.
“Rather than doing all the paperwork and all the rigomoral of the past here in NSW we want to lead the way,” Mr Perrotett said.
Education minister Sarah Mitchell said $300 million will be invested in digital infrastructure for regional and remote schools.
Attorney general Mark Speakman said the funding will allow a “single online digital portal for all users of the justice system”.
“All documents will be able to be lodged online whether there are court processes, subpoena exhibits, audio files or video files,” Mr Speakman said.
“We know that paper processes slow down the court processes,” he said.
Joseph Lam 2pm: Hong Kong, Singapore set travel bubble date
In less than two weeks Hong Kongers and Singaporeans will travel freely between each other’s respective cities under a new landmark agreement reached last month.
From November 22, Singapore and Hong Kong residents will be able to fly to and from each other’s cities without quarantining under a new travel-bubble arrangement announced on Wednesday.
The new deal utilises Singapore Airlines and Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific airlines which will operate a daily flight with a maximum capacity of 200 people.
Singapore airlines will fly passengers on Mondays, Wednesday, Fridays and Sundays. Meanwhile Cathay Pacific will fly on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, reported the South China Morning Post. From December 7, flights will increase to twice daily.
While Australians are still unable to travel overseas without an exemption, Australia and Singapore have reached an arrangement for short-term visits.
Australians wishing to enter Singapore can do so but must adhere to strict requirements. These include obtaining an Air Travel pass (ATP) between seven and 30 calendar days before arrival, applying for an exemption from Home Affairs in Australia, completing a Covid-19 test upon arrival and quarantining in a hotel for up to 48 hours while the results return.
Angela Snowden 1.38pm: Flu, other disease outbreaks expected to be more severe
More severe outbreaks of the flu and other endemic diseases could occur as a result of lengthy social isolation periods designed to stop the spread of COVID-19, US researchers say.
Social distancing, travel bans and facemasks have not only prevented the spread of COVID-19 but they have also reduced cases of seasonal influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
However new research published in the National Academy of Sciences journal has suggested people will become more susceptible to contracting the flu and RSV — which causes lower respiratory tract infections in children — and “substantial outbreaks” could occur in the US, likely in the winter of 2021 - 2022.
“Non-pharmaceutical interventions put in place to limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2 are already beginning to affect the transmission of other directly transmitted, endemic diseases,” the researchers from Princeton University said.
“Our results suggest that a buildup of susceptibility during these control periods may result in large outbreaks in the coming years,” they said.
“These outbreaks, which may reach peak numbers in the winter, could increase the burden to healthcare systems.”
The researchers estimated RSV transmission declined by at least 20 per cent in the US from late March.
Using an epidemic model, the researchers estimated RSV outbreaks could occur in the winter of 2021 - 2022. They said outbreaks of influenza may occur outside of the typical season, and possibly occur several years into the future.
The researchers said although they focussed on the US “outcomes may be more severe in Southern Hemisphere locations” because social isolation periods align with the peak season for seasonal wintertime diseases.
READ MORE: World gets a shot at normality
David Rogers 1.09pm: ASX rallies to eight-month high
Australia’s share market resumed the rally as US futures turned up again.
The S&P/ASX 200 broke Tuesday’s high at 6438.2, rising 1.6pc to a fresh 8-month high of 6442.2.
Energy, IT, Real Estate, Industrials and Financials are strongly outperforming the idex.
It comes as Nasdaq futures turn up 0.3pc after falling 0.3pc.
An afternoon surge toward the next chart resistance around 6500 points is possible as laggard investors chase performance.
FOLLOW live ASX updates at Trading Day
Jack Paynter 12.55pm: Bar, patrons fined for dancing and hugging
A Sydney bar has been slapped with a $10,000 fine after dancing and hugging patrons sparked multiple COVID safety breaches.
Odyssey Bar Restaurant in Leichhardt was hit with the coronavirus fine after New South Wales Department of Customer Service inspectors viewed CCTV footage of large groups mingling and dancing in multiple locations across the venue.
The footage, seized by Liquor & Gaming NSW, showed dozens of patrons mingling, dancing and hugging across several areas late into the night and early morning on October 17 and 18.
Liquor & Gaming Director of Compliance, Dimitri Argeres, said there was a complete disregard for social distancing which resulted in two $5000 fines being issued to the venue.
“It’s hard to fathom how staff could have failed to notice and stop things getting out of hand as patrons had in effect created multiple dancefloors,” he said.
It comes as Department of Customer Service inspectors were getting ready for a second COVID safety blitz on Wednesday night with pubs and clubs screening the second State of Origin rugby league match set to be checked for compliance.
A team of 30 inspectors detected almost 100 coronavirus breaches during a previous blitz at local hospitality businesses in Sydney’s southwest last Friday.
A total of 94 breaches were found at 32 hospitality venues in Liverpool during a one-day blitz on Friday, which resulted in more than 25 penalty notices and thousands of dollars in fines.
Mr Argeres said of the 74 hospitality venues inspected, 13 were not registered as COVID Safe, 39 did not have a current safety plan, 20 had issues with record keeping, seven were not properly adhering to social distancing, two displayed hygiene issues and 13 had no COVID-19 safety marshal. ”
Customer Service NSW said more blitzes were planned for areas in Sydney and across NSW in the coming months so that inspectors can continue enforcing the COVID-19 Public Health Orders and keep the public safe during the festive season.
All members of the public have been encouraged to report any potential COVID safety breaches on nsw.gov.au. — NCA Newswire
READ MORE: Confidence leaps as hopes turn to Christmas
Dennis Shanahan 12.48pm: Dreyfus fans ALP climate war flames
Mark Dreyfus may say he’s not going to disclose what happened in the Labor Cabinet meeting where a climate change showdown ended in Joel Fitzgibbon’s departure from the front bench but the shadow Attorney-General is not hesitating to keep the global warming war alive.
Rather than abide by his declaration that he doesn’t disclose what happens in Shadow Cabinet and help Anthony Albanese cool the climate Dreyfus has dumped on the Labor right factional leader and ridiculed his supporters
This dividing line between Labor voters, supporters and MPs over how to deal with the challenge of climate went a long way toward the ALP loss at the last election, has put the pressure on the Opposition not Scott Morrison and must be dealt with if Labor is to have any chance of winning the next election – particularly in Queensland.
READ Dennis Shanahan’s full commentary here
Rosie Lewis 12.43pm: Labor JobMaker amendments unnecessary: Tehan
Education Minister Dan Tehan said Labor’s amendments were unnecessary because the hiring credit was not available to an employer who does not increase their headcount and payroll.
“The rules will ensure the integrity of the JobMaker scheme by requiring entities to maintain sufficient records to substantiate their claim and prohibit both employers and employees from entering into arrangements for the sole or dominant purpose of obtaining the JobMaker Hiring Credit payment,” Mr Tehan told the House.
“All of the existing rights and safeguards in the Fair Work Act for employees will continue to apply, including protection from unfair dismissal and the full range of general protections.”
READ MORE: Richo — Joel exposes a lost Labor
Richard Ferguson 12.04pm: Don’t trash the Queen, Plibersek warns
Labor frontbencher Tanya Plibersek warns any attempts to trash the Queen will destroy the campaign for an Australian republic, as she rejects any theories that Buckingham Palace played any role in the dismissal of former prime minister Gough Whitlam.
Ms Plibersek – the opposition education spokeswoman who is considered a potential future Labor leader – will today launch The Truth of the Palace Letters: Deceit, Ambush and Dismissal In 1975, written by The Australian’s Paul Kelly and Troy Bramston, in Canberra.
In her speech, Ms Plibersek says the next campaign for a republic must be a positive one which embraces the fight for an Aboriginal Voice to parliament and Australia’s future in the world, and must not make the Queen a “bogey-woman”.
READ the full story here
Rosie Lewis 11.57am: Coalition, Labor in stalemate over $4bn youth wage subsidy
The Coalition and Labor are locked in a stalemate over the government’s $4bn youth wage subsidy – a signature budget measure – with the opposition insisting on an amendment that would prevent employers sacking existing workers aged over 35.
The JobMaker hiring credit bill passed the Senate on Tuesday night in an amended form, after Labor gained enough crossbench support to change the legislation so that any employer that fires an employee to obtain the subsidies would be ineligible under the scheme.
A second Labor amendment that passed with crossbench support requires greater transparency, with the Taxation Commissioner Chris Jordan forced to report each month on how many businesses and employees have received the payments, as well as the payroll for each relevant business.
The Morrison government today voted down Labor’s amendments in the House of Representatives, where it has a majority, sending the bill back to the Senate.
But Labor is adamant it will insist on the amendments in order to support the bill, creating a deadlock.
“Do not allow loop holes to exist to allow rogue employers to displace or sack their workers,” opposition employment and industry spokesman Brendan O’Connor said.
“Why would you want to have a scheme that doesn’t serve its own purpose, which is to add to the labour market, to increase employment by companies and businesses across the country?
“The only conclusion we can draw if the government does not support this amendment is they absolutely have no regard for employment security in this country.”
Mr O’Connor said Labor supported the hiring credit “in principle and in practice” because it would lead to jobs for younger Australians.
READ MORE: JobMaker laws set to bypass objections
Angelica Snowden 11.42am: Vaccine to arrive in ‘sophisticated eskies’
“Sophisticated eskies” will be used to transport and store the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine, the head of the Therapeutic Goods Administration John Skerritt says.
“They require dry ice and they actually last for 14 days and can be refilled twice,” Professor Skerritt said.
“Without the need to connect to electricity or anything like that these eskies with the two refills gives you a month-and-a-half of cold chain protection,” he said.
“With flights opening up and as borders coming down it is easier to get urgent medical products around the country.”
Professor Skerritt said the vaccine wouldn’t be released to the public until the TGA can review “all the data”.
“This is unusual in that normally you get all the data at once but because of the urgency of the situation we realised we have already got the data on what it does to rats and mice,” he said.
“But we don’t have the full set of clinical data. The CEO of Pfizer said it would be the end of November, beginning of December and AstraZeneca probably December.
“Once we get that we will go as fast as possible and while many of you will be relaxing on the beach sadly many of my staff will be looking at that data.”
Health Minister Greg Hunt said advice he had received about COVID-19 vaccines so far indicated they are safe and more effective than expected.
READ MORE: Kirby — Will vaccine trigger a rebound?
John Ferguson 11.39am: Bans on Grampians climbers loom
The Victorian government will maintain its bans on rock climbing in scores of areas in the Grampians National Park.
The Australian understands that more than 60 climbing areas will be closed in the park and climbers could face a permit system.
The government is today briefing affected groups under its draft management plan for the park, which will have a profound long term impact on the pursuit.
READ the full story here
Angelica Snowden 11.18am: NSW records fourth straight day of zero cases
No cases of locally acquired COVID-19 have been reported in NSW for the fourth day in a row.
No cases of locally acquired #COVID19 were diagnosed in NSW in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) November 11, 2020
Four cases were reported in overseas travellers in hotel quarantine, bringing the total number of cases in NSW to 4,289 since the start of the pandemic. pic.twitter.com/0kAeFOInQb
Four cases were reported in overseas travellers in hotel quarantine, with 20,586 tests reported to 8pm last night.
There have been 4289 COVID-19 cases in NSW since the start of the pandemic.
READ MORE: G&T at end of lockdown day a shot in the arm for Diageo
Angelica Snowden 11.14am: Australia on track to receive Pfizer vaccine: Hunt
Australia has secured ‘cold-chain logistics’ to distribute Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, health minister Greg Hunt has announced.
“I’m delighted to announce that the government has secured as part of its agreement with Pfizer, full cold chain logistics distribution for the Pfizer vaccine,” Mr Hunt said.
“It’s what you call an mRNA vaccine, we have 10 million units of that part of a 134.8 million unit, four vaccine strategy,” he said.
“The world has never had an mRNA vaccine and it is expected to require a cold chain of minus 70 degrees and we have secured that for Australia.”
Mr Hunt said the cold chain was “well ahead of expectations and well ahead of schedule”.
“We are on track to deliver vaccines to Austalians commencing in March of 2021,” he said.
The vaccine must be stored at minus 70 degree temperatures long term, prompting concerns about how it would be delivered and stored around the world.
The news came after Pfizer announced it’s COVID-19 candidate was 90 per cent effective.
READ MORE: NSW virus cases more than triple those detected
Anthony Piovesan 10.45am: Melbourne virus alert as three test positive
Three people who had COVID-19 and were deemed to be free of the virus have restested positive.
Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley said they were not deemed fresh cases and were not included in Wednesday’s official coronavirus numbers.
Two cases were in metropolitan Melbourne, with health authorities determining they were shedding traces of virus from their previous infections.
While a third case was a woman who arrived in South Australia from Victoria and whose case is currently under review.
“So, in an abundance of caution, both jurisdictions have decided to align their public health advice this morning,” Mr Foley told reporters on Wednesday morning.
“This means that the top of health risk potential exposure sites are at both the Melbourne Central and Melbourne Airport.”
An alert will also be issued at Adelaide Airport.
Anyone with symptoms or who visited Melbourne Central between 2-5pm on November 8 or Terminal 4 at Melbourne Airport between 12-1pm on the same day are being urged to get tested as a precaution.
Department of Health and Human Services testing commander Jeroen Weimar previously explained people could continue to shed traces of coronavirus even after the 14-day quarantine period.
“Those are not judged to be infectious,” he said.
“They present no risk to the wider community, there’s no risk of onward transmission, but they’re still shedding traces of the virus, and we’re picking this up in areas like sewage testing and, of course, sometimes even when we’re doing repeat nasal swabs, we still pick up possible traces.”
Victoria recorded its 12th straight day of zero new coronavirus cases on Wednesday.
There is just one case with an unknown source and four active cases across the state.
— NCA Newswire
READ MORE: Growers demand Pacific travel bubble to save crops
David Rogers 10.26am: ASX surges again on vaccine developments
Australia’s share market has had a very positive start again today.
The S&P/ASX 200 has surged 1.3pc to 6422.7 on broad-based gains as global markets continued to react to encouraging COVID-19 vaccine developments.
Value stocks that will benefit most from economic normalisation are strongest again with the Real Estate, Industrials, Energy and Financials sectors outperforming.
Among large cap standouts in those sectors, Dexus is up 2.5pc, Transurban is up 2.7pc, Woodside is up 2.1pc, Santos is up 2.5pc, NAB is up 2.6pc and CBA is up 1.8pc.
The consumer sectors are lagging on multiple downgrades from Macquarie, with JB Hi-Fi down 2.2pc, Super Retail down 4.2pc and Domino’s down 0.4pc.
The surprise today is the resurgence in the tech sector, with Xero up 6pc and Computershare up 4pc.
FOLLOW ASX live updates at Trading Day
Angelica Snowden 9.53am: Sydney virus infections 3.5 times greater than recorded
Less than one per cent of Sydney’s population contracted COVID-19 during the first wave of the pandemic, but there were likely at least 3.5 times as many infections a new study has revealed.
The study, published in the Medical Journal of Australia, found one in every 670 people contracted COVID-19 in Sydney, based on a population of five million people.
Where 2118 COVID cases were reported, the researchers estimated about 7450 people actually contracted the virus up to April 30.
“Our study provides robust evidence that there was limited community transmission during the first epidemic wave of COVID-19 in Sydney,” the researchers reported.
“This is undoubtedly due to the early and successful implementation of national and state-based public health measures, including rapid upscaling of capacity to test and contact trace, strict border controls and quarantining of overseas travellers, movement and mixing restrictions, and a high degree of compliance with these measures by the public,” they said.
Out of the 5339 blood samples analysed, SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies were mostly detected in Sydney’s south west and Parramatta.
READ MORE: Editorial — Power of science is set to conquer pandemic
Richard Ferguson 9.25am: Fitzgibbon ‘out of step with ALP on climate’: Dreyfus
Opposition legal affairs spokesman Mark Dreyfus has launched a spectacular public attack on rogue Labor MP Joel Fitzgibbon, saying he’s out of step with the ALP on climate change.
Mr Dreyfus and Mr Fitzgibbon had a serious row in the shadow cabinet on Monday night, which precipitated the latter’s decision to quit Anthony Albanese’s frontbench.
While he would not discuss the row, Mr Dreyfus on Wednesday said Mr Fitzgibbon only had a small number of people supporting him and suggesting Australians do not back his push for a less ambitious climate action policy.
“I accept that Joel has strongly held views on climate. I just disagree with him and a large majority of the Australian Labor Party, and I’d suggest the Australian community disagrees with him,” he told ABC Melbourne radio.
“We don’t get say no to climate change ... Joel likes to talk about overreach, it’s not overreach to take strong action on climate change.
“Joel is out of step not only with the Labor Party but he’s out of step with thinking across Australia: in the regions, the cities, the unions.
“It’s impossible for me to say to you (how many Labor MPs back Mr Fitzgibbon) other than to say it’s a small number of people.”
READ MORE: Editorial — A labour movement divided
Angelica Snowden 9.16am: ‘Anthem lyrics ignore proud indigenous culture’
Lyrics in the national anthem ignore Australia’s proud indigenous culture and should be modified, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says.
"I just feel hurt for people who don't feel the anthem includes them"
— Sunrise (@sunriseon7) November 10, 2020
NSW Premier @GladysB is calling the words of the national anthem to be changed from “we are young and free†to “we are one and free†to better acknowledge the nation's Indigenous history.'' pic.twitter.com/dXOpt8tQD3
“When you have been through what our state has been through and what our citizens have been through I feel hurt for people who don’t feel that the national anthem includes them,” Ms Berejiklian told the Channel Seven network.
“We have a very proud indigenous culture of tens of thousands of years on this continent, so to say we are young and free ignores that and I think it would be appropriate for us to acknowledge that we are all united,” she said.
Ms Berejiklian said she supported updating the lyrics to “we are one and free” instead of “we are young and free” in acknowledgment of Australia’s indigenous history.
“It’s just a word change… when I was a very young child I remember it was ‘Australian sons lets us rejoice’ and we made it ‘Australians all let us rejoice’ so I think it’s appropriate to acknowledge our indiegnous population,” she said.
“It’s very small and symbolic but I think every step matters and respect and dignity matters a lot and goes a long way.”
The Premier also acknowledged past and present service men and women, as well as First Nations people on Remembrance Day.
To mark the occasion, poppies were projected onto the Sydney Opera House.
READ MORE: Chris Kenny — Why one tiny change would advance our anthem
Agencies 9.07am: Brazil halts trials of Chinese vaccine
As the world reacts to Pfizer’s promising trials of a coronavirus vaccine, Brazil’s health regulator has called a sudden suspension of its Chinese candidate.
CoronaVac, developed by Chinese pharmaceutical firm Sinovac Biotech, after a “severe adverse incident” involving a volunteer in the study.
However, the public health center coordinating the trials in Brazil, the Butantan Institute, said there was no connection between the incident and the vaccine.
Privacy regulations prevent public health officials from disclosing details on the incident, which came as a setback for one of the most promising vaccines aiming to end the pandemic.
The decision to halt the trials has triggered a politically charged row as a top health official expressed “indignation” and far-right President Jair Bolsonaro claimed the ruling as a personal victory. — AFP
READ MORE: Vaccine just what the doctor ordered
Angelica Snowden 8.52am: Berejiklian ‘can’t do any more’ on Queensland border
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says she is putting pressure on Queensland everyday to open the border and “can’t do any more” to prosecute her case.
“I asked them to be compassionate, I asked them to be realistic,” she told the Channel Seven network.
“We have been able to be realistic ... whenever we have an outbreak of a case or two cases or a family, we have been able to deal with it in a good way,” she said.
“I can reveal that overnight we had over 20,000 people tested in NSW, and our testing rates are holding up really well and our systems are in place.”
NSW has a “robust economy” and has demonstrated a way forward amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Ms Berejiklian said.
“It’s not just about being able to set up every day and saying we have zero cases,” she said.
“NSW, on behalf of Queensland and all the other states, is welcoming home 3000 Aussies every week.
“We are doing that on behalf of the states, so all the cases we had overnight were overseas travellers, not community transmission, but we do it gladly because I thought states supported each other.”
READ MORE: Welfare lifeline ‘risking the recovery’
Cameron Stewart 8.44am: Refusal to concede an embarrassment: Biden
Joe Biden has described Donald Trump’s refusal to accept the results of the US election as an ‘embarrassment’ and says it will harm the president’s legacy.
READ the full story here
Angelica Snowden 8.36am: ‘Climate important, but not top of voters’ list’
Joel Fitzgibbon has insisted he supports meaningful action on climate change despite being accused of derailing Anthony Albanese’s plan to use Joe Biden’s US election win to put pressure on the Coalition over the issue.
“I support meaningful action on climate change...my point is that we keep overreaching and losing elections,” Mr Fitzgibbon told the ABC.
“You can have the best climate change policy in the world, but it doesn’t mean much or doesn’t achieve much if it stays in the top drawer after every election. We owe it to people to win.”
He also said climate change “slipped” down a list of priorities, with most people concerned about the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As important as it is, right now people are more concerned about whether they’re going to have an income in a month’s time, whether they’re going to be able to pay their mortgage, and whether they’re going to be able to provide for their kids,” he said.
“I wasn’t prepared to allow the cheesecloth brigade in the caucus to use Biden’s win to argue for even more ambitious climate change policy, an ambitious policy which was going to cost us another election,” he said.
Mr Fitzgibbon said he should have taken a tilt at the Labor leadership to encourage open debate about the future of the party.
“(It) might have allowed an opportunity to give people what I might describe as on the industrial side of the party, to get an opportunity to give them a voice and for me to build a mandate to give me a more powerful voice in this very challenging debate,” he said.
Speaking on Channel Seven, he did not rule out running for the leadership position.
READ MORE: Labor clash on climate policy
Rachel Baxendale 8.32am: Victoria records 12th straight day with zero cases
Victoria has recorded its 12th straight day with no new cases of coronavirus and no deaths.
Yesterday there were 0 new cases and 0 lives lost reported. There are 4 active cases, 1 with unknown source. 19,986 tests results were received – thank you, #EveryTestHelps. More: https://t.co/pcll7ySEgz #COVID19VicData #StaySafeStayOpen pic.twitter.com/QZ9jFhapdY
— VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) November 10, 2020
The latest figures come after 19,986 tests were processed in the 24 hours to Wednesday.
Just four active cases remain in Victoria, one of which was from an unknown source of infection.
READ MORE: Early vaccine ‘a $34bn boon’ to economy
Will Glasgow 8.27am: Australian coal trapped aboard ‘floating Chinese jail’
Chinese authorities are preventing an Indian vessel packed with Australian coal from leaving Chinese waters, even after Japan agreed to purchase the black-listed cargo to end a more than five- month standoff.
The Australian has confirmed the 160,000 tonnes of coking coal, which left Gladstone on May 26, was from Anglo-American’s Queensland mines.
Abdulgani Y Serang, the general secretary of the National Union of Seafarers of India, said the bulk carrier had been turned into a “floating prison”.
“Efforts to take the ship to another country or any other Chinese port is also being resisted by the Chinese with (the) arrest of the ship and seafarers onboard,” Mr Serang said in a statement.
–With Nick Evans
READ the full story here
Angelica Snowden 8.14am: Fitzgibbon won’t confirm shouting row with Albanese
Labor backbencher Joel Fitzgibbon has refused to confirm a shouting row over climate change he and Anthony Albanese had on Monday night which lead to his resignation.
Mr Fitzgibbon said he would not “confirm anything that happens in shadow cabinet” and insisted he voluntarily quit the frontbench.
“He did not ask me to quit - I went to Anthony Albanese yesterday morning and told him I think it was time to do what I told him I was going to do, probably two months ago maybe three months ago,” Mr Fitzgibbon told the ABC.
“I think it’s fair to say that Anthony and I’ve had some pretty significant dust ups in recent days, in recent weeks and recent months but there wasn’t a real connection between anything that might have happened on Monday night and what I did yesterday,” he said.
After the fight on Monday night - which Labor sources told the Australian was sparked by Mr Albanese admonishing Mr Fitzgibbon for freelancing on climate change - Mr Fitzgibbon announced he would quit the frontbench on Tuesday morning.
He said his decision was not personal but based on principle.
“I have a very very significant support in the caucus for my views on the party’s direction and my determination to make the party more electable and therefore I felt no pressure whatsoever to make that decision yesterday,” he said.
“I’ve been here almost 25 years and we’ve been in government for just six of those - that’s not good enough. We are letting our people down.”
READ MORE: Climate brawl may restart killing season
Angelica Snowden 8am: Tudge staffer lodges bullying, intimidation complaint
Acting immigration minister Alan Tudge’s former staffer has lodged a formal complaint against him, accusing the Victorian MP of workplace bullying and intimidation.
Rachelle Miller said she was “anxious and afraid” as a result of Mr Tudges actions and held the Members of Parliament Act failed to protect her, Nine newspapers have reported.
“The strong expectation and culture in Parliament was that to be a good staffer you needed to keep quiet, ignore and bury bad behaviour and protect the Liberal Party at all costs,” Ms Miller wrote in the complaint to the Department of Finance.
“There was no active promotion of a zero-tolerance culture within [ministerial staff]. In fact, I know of some staffers who lodged formal complaints about bullying and were promptly sacked by their ministers.
“Of course we were afraid to speak up. We knew that we were able to be sacked by our minister at any time, so we did not report poor behaviour.”
Ms Miller revealed her relationship with Mr Tudge in a Four Corners episode which exposed the culture of Parliament and highlighted issues women who work there face.
Breaking: Statement from Minister Alan Tudge: Tonight, matters that occurred in my personal life in 2017 were aired on the ABC’s Four Corners program. I regret my actions immensely and the hurt it caused my family. I also regret the hurt that Ms Miller has experienced.â€
— Sally Neighbour (@neighbour_s) November 9, 2020
Ms Miller did not make allegations of sexual harassment against Mr Tudge, Nine newspapers reported.
The complaint was lodged last Thursday and she said while her relationship with Mr Tudge was consensual, she said there needed to be a better system to handle accusations of workplace bullying.
“I want to highlight the unacceptable workplace behaviours, but I also want to highlight that the MOPS system that should have protected me did not,” she wrote.
READ MORE: Row over 4 Corners’ sex expose on Coalition ministers Alan Tudge, Christian Porter
Angelica Snowden 7.30am: Anthem change sparks debate across nation
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s suggestion to change the Australian national anthem has been met with mixed reactions from across the political divide.
Ms Berejiklian said she supported updating the lyrics to “we are one and free” instead of we are “young and free” in acknowledgment of Australia’s indigenous history, The Daily Telegraph reported.
Northern Territory Labor senator Malarndirri McCarthy welcomed the discussion sparked by Ms Berejiklian’s move.
“We certainly need to have a look at the anthem as a whole. I know that the premier of NSW is just talking about one line,” Senator McCarthy told Channel 9.
“Can I just say that this is the beginning of an important discussion across the country. I think it’s wonderful that the Premier is coming out and suggesting these things.”
But Queensland Nationals senator Matt Canavan said he did not support the proposed change.
“I think it unfairly seeks to tarnish our ancestors,” Senator Canavan said.
“I don’t think the writers of this anthem when they say “young” are intending any kind of offence here. We are a young nation,” he said.
“I just think it is another example of people taking offence when there was no offence intended.”
READ MORE: Chris Kenny — Why one change will be a bid difference to anthem
Angelica Snowden 7am: JobSeeker extension reflects shallow jobs market
A three-month extension to the JobSeeker payment at a reduced rate “strikes a balance”, encouraging people to get back to work and providing continued support Families and social services minister Anne Ruston says.
Senator Ruston said job creation was the key aim of Scott Morrison’s government.
“(The extended supplement) recognises that whilst the recovery is underway as the Reserve Bank Governor said last week, we also understand that the jobs market remains shallow,” Senator Ruston told Channel 9.
“What we did yesterday was made the announcement that we would extend the supplement attached to the JobSeeker payment but at the same time we want to ensure that we give Australians incentive to re-engage with the workforce,” she said.
Amid criticism the supplement would put people below the poverty line and long job queues, Senator Ruston said jobseekers should look for work in industries desperate for more workers.
“I would say to people who are trying to get a job, look, we understand that it is difficult and it is particularly difficult in some places,” she said.
“Yet in other places we are seeing employers crying out and saying the reason that they are not able to employ people is the lack of applications that they are getting to the jobs.”
The JobSeeker supplement has been extended until March.
— Australian Government (@ausgov) November 10, 2020
Both new and existing JobSeekers will be paid the Coronavirus Supplement at a rate of $150 p/fortnight from 1 Jan-31 Mar 2021 on top of their base rate of payment and other supplemental payments.https://t.co/IYkpdZZSCA pic.twitter.com/kAjzZqIieu
The senator also refused to confirm whether or not the payment would return to the base rate of $40 a day.
READ MORE: Welfare lifeline ‘risking the coronavirus recovery’
Angelica Snowden 6.30am: European restrictions tighten as virus surges
Promising results from a coronavirus vaccine trial fuelled optimism around the world, even as tighter restrictions were imposed in Europe and the Middle East to try to stem the worst pandemic in a century.
The vaccine news brought some relief from an otherwise grim picture worldwide, which included the death of veteran Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat from coronavirus complications at the age of 65.
BREAKING: Chief Palestinian negotiator and secretary general of the PLO Saeb Erekat has died this morning due to covid-19 complications at age 65.
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) November 10, 2020
Here's what you need to know about him pic.twitter.com/babai0hyMZ
Stocks in some of the industries hit hardest by travel curbs, social distancing and lockdowns rebounded on hopes that the world may return to normal, after pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech announced Monday that their vaccine candidate was 90 per cent effective in preventing COVID-19.
There are 3 critical areas where we must demonstrate success before filing for EUA of our #COVID19 vaccine
— Pfizer Inc. (@pfizer) November 9, 2020
â–¶ï¸ Evidence of efficacy in most vaccinated patients
â–¶ï¸ Evidence of safety w/ data from thousands of patients
â–¶ï¸ Manufactured consistently at the highest quality standards
EUROPE
There was also promising news from Brussels where the EU parliament and member states struck a deal to pass the bloc’s multi-annual budget, unblocking €750 billion in coronavirus recovery funds.
In Italy, virus restrictions were increased in five of the country’s 20 regions. Seven regions are now “orange” zones and four more are “red”, meaning that most shops, bars and restaurants are shut and residents’ movements are restricted.
It's a deal! @EU2020DE and @Europarl_EN reach political agreement in talks aimed at securing the EP's consent to the next 7-year #EUbudget.
— EU Council Press (@EUCouncilPress) November 10, 2020
âž¡ï¸The deal will now be submitted to member states for endorsement with the rest of the MFF and recovery package.
👉https://t.co/0YqKhi2kUK pic.twitter.com/4VKncNPhpz
Hungary, one of the hardest-hit countries in terms of deaths in proportion to the population, has also announced new measures would come into force on Wednesday.
Elsewhere on the continent, Albania imposed a night-time curfew and Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid went into self-isolation after coming into contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19.
In Greece, the government stopped supermarkets from selling “non-essential goods” in order to avoid unfair competition against smaller shops that have been forced to close following a similar move in France.
MIDDLE EAST
Lebanon has announced a fresh two-week lockdown despite a grinding economic crisis that has already battered businesses.
“We’ve reached a stage of critical danger as private and public hospitals don’t have the capacity to receive severe cases,” the country’s caretaker prime minister, Hassan Diab, said in a televised address.
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said the death of Saeb Erekat was the passing of “a brother and friend … a great loss for Palestine and our people”.
The novel coronavirus has now infected close to 51 million people worldwide, with more than 1.2 million deaths.
On Tuesday, 6,867 new deaths were recorded worldwide, with the highest daily tolls in France, Spain and the United States. — with AFP
READ MORE: Global teamwork vital in developing vaccine
Tom Dusevic 5.15am: Queue-jumpers may buy vaccine privately
Australians could skip the federal government’s distribution queue to purchase a COVID-19 vaccine, such as the frontrunning Pfizer-BioNTech candidate, which will initially only cover five million people.
The Morrison government has signed four purchase agreements, worth $3.2bn, but pharmaceutical companies will be free to make approved vaccines available for private sale.
UPDATE: We are proud to announce, along with @BioNTech_Group, that our mRNA-based #vaccine candidate has, at an interim analysis, demonstrated initial evidence of efficacy against #COVID19 in participants without prior evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
— Pfizer Inc. (@pfizer) November 9, 2020
Industry sources believe frequent travellers and those likely to be classed as lower priority for immunisation, such as the young and healthy, could be a source of profit for companies that have invested heavily in research and new production scale.
The director of Oxford University’s Health Economics Research Centre, Philip Clarke, said the first question that needed to be asked of government and “pharma” around the world is whether citizens would be able to buy the vaccine privately to get faster access.
“While this is the case with most pharmaceuticals, there are arguments for everyone being subject to the same rights of access, a little like wartime rationing,” Professor Clarke said.
Read the full story here.
Patrick Commins 5am: Early COVID-19 vaccine a $34bn gamechanger
News that five million treatments of a COVID-19 vaccine could be available in Australia early next year have raised hopes of a $34bn boost to the national economy in the 2021-22 financial year, as modelled by Treasury in its October 6 budget.
CBA head of Australian economics Gareth Aird said the availability of a vaccine was a “game-changer to the extent you have a clear pathway back to having an economy resembling what we had pre-COVID”.
Treasury’s October 6 budget forecasts assumed a “population-wide” Australian vaccination program would be “fully in place” by late 2021, and “an earlier-than-expected vaccine poses the most significant upside risk to the outlook”.
“A rollout of a vaccine from 1 July, 2021, would provide certainty for both households and businesses, helping support stronger consumption and investment,” the budget said.
Read the full story here.
Ewin Hannan 4.45am: Working from home on the wane in Australia
Employees in many industries are returning to onsite work, in a shift in attitude from July when they wanted to keep working remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
New LinkedIn Workforce Confidence Index data found 11 of the 12 surveyed industries polled had moved to onsite, or to hybrid models of work.
During June and July, almost 25 per cent of workers wanted to stay at home until they felt safer, while another quarter was tentative about returning to work.
Latest data shows retail, recreation and travel, energy and mining, and construction continued to work onsite throughout the lockdown.
Manufacturing, healthcare and education fell into the “remote now, onsite later” category, meaning they would progressively return to onsite work after lockdown.
Professional services, including media and communications, public administration, corporate services and finance, will pursue work options including a hybrid model, with some days in the office and some days at home.
Read the full story here.
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