Coronavirus Australia live news: Budget forecasts predicated on vaccine next year, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says while forecasts have changed all year, Tuesday’s budget will factor in the development of a vaccine in 2021.
- Budget forecasts based on vaccine next year
- No fall in cases for first time in 7 weeks
- $1.2bn scheme to power jobs recovery
- Andrews slams beachgoers as police strike
- Next 48 hours ‘critical for Trump
- US Senate delays votes, Christie positive
Welcome to Sunday’s rolling coverage of the latest coronavirus developments. Josh Frydenberg says while forecasts have changed all year, Tuesday’s budget will factor in the development of a vaccine in 2021. Victoria’s active case number has remained steady for the first time since mid-August, as the state records 12 new cases of COVID-19 and one death. US politics is continuing to adjust to the President’s coronavirus infection.
Ben Packham 11pm: Stage-three tax cuts irresponsible: ALP
Labor has signalled it will resist government moves to bring forward top-end income tax cuts in Tuesday’s federal budget,branding the $95bn “stage-three” cuts as irresponsible and unfair.
Opposition Treasury spokesman Jim Chalmers said the party was keeping its options open, but would not rule out opposing thecuts for higher-earners, or going to the election with a pledge to repeal them.
The budget is expected to fast-track the government’s already legislated stage-two tax cuts, due to commence in 2022, andpossibly the final stage-three cuts, which were scheduled to kick in from 2024.
“We’ve said throughout that stage three is the least affordable, it’s the least responsible, it’s the least fair, and it’sthe least likely to get a good return in the economy because higher income earners are less likely to spend in the economyand it’s that spending power that we need in our shops and in our small businesses around Australia,” Mr Chalmers told theABC’s Insiders program.
Mackenzie Scott 10.30pm: Tourists may think global but they’re acting local
Towns that have benefited from the day-tripping and overnight stays of city dwellers should not fear the introduction of internationaltravel bubbles, tourism experts say.
Country and coastal towns within a two-hour radius of capital cities were swamped by tourists following the lifting of restrictionsin May — a trend that is still going strong in light of border closures.
The long-awaited travel bubble with New Zealand and a few select states and territories, namely NSW, the Northern Territoryand ACT, was announced on Friday. While the one-way deal allows tourists from New Zealand to enter without mandatory quarantineon arrival, the decision opens the door to similar deals.
Senior lecturer of tourism at University of Technology Sydney’s Business School David Beirman said it was unlikely peoplewould be rushing to book an international holiday any time soon, with many choosing the safety of their own backyard for theforeseeable future.
FULL STORY
Kieran Geir 10pm: Come back to work call to public servants
NSW public servants who fled the CBD almost six months ago as COVID-19 swept across Sydney are being urged to return to the office in a bid to “fire up the economy” after the state recorded its ninth consecutive day of zero locally acquired coronavirus cases.
The turning point for the country’s most populous state suggests unencumbered travel between NSW and Queensland is a step closer, with NSW now a third of the way to meeting Annastacia Palaszczuk’s threshold of 28 days with no community transmission.
The milestone bolsters the case for a trans-Tasman bubble by Christmas, with Victoria the only Australian state or territory still recording locally acquired coronavirus cases.
Richard Fergusoin 9.30pm: Subsidy boost to create 100,000 new apprentices
The nation’s peak building lobby is warning more support is needed to make Scott Morrison’s hopes of a post-pandemic trainee boom a reality after the government unveiled a new wage subsidy for 100,000 apprentices.
In an extension of current wage support, the government will pay 50 per cent of the wages of any trainee taken up from Monday through to next September. The scheme will be available for any apprentice no matter the size of the business they work for.
Employment Minister Michaelia Cash said on Sunday the scheme would help young people leaving school facing a volatile jobs market.
Robyn Ironside 9pm: Whitsundays the winner in varied visitor economy
The border closures that have brought the far north Queensland city of Cairns to its knees, is having the reverse effect on the Whitsundays, 600km to the south.
While Cairns’ hotels sit empty and tourist operators struggle to stay afloat, the Whitsundays’ major drawcards of Airlie Beach, Hamilton and Hayman Islands are booming.
Restaurants along the main road of Airlie are full, accommodation booked out and boats to the islands heaving with tourists.
Although Cairns continued to see visitors from intrastate pour into the city, Tourism Tropical North Queensland CEO Mark Olsen said they were largely staying with family and friends and not taking the tours typically patronised by international tourists. Even the city’s lagoon — normally teeming with backpackers at this time of year — was unusually quiet after reopening to bathers in late June.
Helen Trinca 8.30pm: Under the doona, but still at work
COVID-19 has led to an extraordinary drop in sick leave among Australian workers with up to 35 per cent fewer calling in sick during the pandemic.
Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show that absenteeism fell by between 37 per cent in May to 19 per cent in August, compared with the same months last year. The reduction in workers reporting sick leave in part reflects loss of jobs, and employees being on forced annual leave. But the drop also appears to reflect workers swapping “doona days” for sick days — staying on the couch, working on emails, and not lodging leave; as well as the absence of flu this year.
Blue-collar workers at physical workplaces also appear to have “carried on” in the early months of the crisis, showing up at levels well above those recorded in a normal year.
The ABS figures show the reduction began in April (30 per cent) and continued through May (37 per cent), June (32 per cent); July (21 per cent) and August (19 per cent).
The data confirms the experience of those working in the field.
Matthew Westwood 8pm: The Players the thing to salvage live experience
The slings and arrows of this COVID-blighted year have forced Bell Shakespeare to cancel most of its main stage performances, but the national company has been channelling its energy into its important education programs.
The company had just opened its first production for the year, Hamlet, when the lockdown closed the door on that play and the rest of its 30th anniversary season.
Artistic director Peter Evans says he was able to “salvage the live experience” by reactivating tours by the Players company of young actors, and by making archival videos of past performances available for viewing by school groups.
The Players — including actors Will Bartolo, Angela Tracey Tran and Nicola Bowman — typically travel about seven months of the year visiting schools around the country. After the initial lockdown, the groups of three actors were able to resume some tours to schools in NSW and the ACT.
Peter Conradi 7.35pm: Putin lives in ‘bubble’ to avoid virus
A few days before Donald Trump tested positive for COVID-19, a Russian investigative website revealed the rules for anyone hoping for an audience with President Vladimir Putin: they must first spend two weeks in quarantine.
While publicly seeking, like Mr Trump, to downplay the threat posed by the virus, Mr Putin, 67, has taken a very different — and far more cautious — approach to protecting his own health.
He has reportedly spent the past six months living in a “coronavirus-free bubble” in his bunker-like residence outside Moscow, rarely venturing out.
The Kremlin announced in June that a “disinfection tunnel” had been installed at the residence through which all visitors must pass before seeing the president.
It has also emerged that Second World War veterans — some of them in their nineties — who joined Mr Putin on the podium in Red Square in June for the postponed annual victory parade had been put up by the government at a health resort for the previous fortnight.
AFP 7.10pm: Pope breaks out of lockdown
Pope Francis has made his first trip since the Vatican’s coronavirus lockdown, though it was a solitary affair for the crowd-loving Argentine due to pandemic precautions.
Francis visited the central Italian town of Assisi, the birthplace of his namesake saint, where he signed his new encyclical Fratelli tutti on the importance of fraternity and social friendship, particularly during the pandemic.
In the austere tomb of the Saint Francis of Assisi, Francis held a sombre mass for about 20 mask-wearing faithful.
AFP 6.40pm: Mecca reopens for limited ‘umrah’ pilgrimage
Mask-clad Muslims circled Islam’s holiest site along socially distanced paths on Sunday, as Saudi authorities partially resumed the year-round umrah pilgrimage amid extensive health precautions after seven-month coronavirus hiatus.
Thousands of worshippers entered the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Mecca in batches to perform the ritual of circling the sacred Kaaba, a cubic structure towards which Muslims around the world pray.
The umrah, the pilgrimage that can be undertaken at any time, usually attracts millions of Muslims from across the globe each year but it was suspended in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
It will be revived in three phases, with Saudi Hajj Minister Mohammad Benten saying last week that 6000 pilgrims per day will be allowed in the first stage to perform the umrah “meticulously and within a specified period of time”.
A raft of precautions have been adopted to ward off any outbreaks during the umrah, according to state media.
The revered Black Stone in the eastern corner of the Kaaba — which it is customary but not mandatory to touch during the pilgrimage — will be out of reach, while the Grand Mosque will be sterilised before and after each group of worshippers.
Each group of 20 or 25 pilgrims will be accompanied by a health worker and medical teams will be on the ground in case of an emergency.
Under the second stage from October 18, the number of umrah pilgrims will be increased to 15,000 per day, with a maximum of 40,000 people, including pilgrims and other worshippers, allowed to perform prayers at the mosque.
Visitors from abroad will be permitted in the third stage from November 1, when capacity will be raised to 20,000 and 60,000, respectively.
READ MORE: Covid won’t catch out Vlad the wary
Kieran Gair 6.10pm: Crewman on Fremantle ship cleared
A crew member working on a cargo ship docked at Fremantle Port has tested negative for COVID-19 after WA Health officials were forced to board the vessel following reports a person had travelled from Asia while suffering from an unexplained illness.
WA Health said medical staff boarded the Kota Legit on Saturday night to test a sick crew member for COVID-19 as a “precautionary measure” following reports some crew members had interacted with local dock workers.
In a statement, WA Health said all of the ship’s 20 crew members remain well and that none of the workers had come into contact with the Fremantle community.
“A crew member on the container ship, the Kota Legit, who was tested for COVID-19 as a precautionary measure, has returned a negative PCR test,” the statement said.
“The crew member is not ill and no other crew members onboard the ship have been reported with illness. The ship can re-commence activities and depart Fremantle to travel to its next port.”
WA Health said the crew member underwent a COVID-19 test on Saturday after officials discovered the person had been unwell a “few weeks ago” while the ship was at sea.
The container ship departed China on September 12 and stopped into Port Klang in Malaysia on September 23 before mooring at the Patrick terminal in Fremantle Port on Saturday morning.
Crew members working on international vessels that arrive in WA are not permitted to disembark their ship unless it is for “essential vessel functions.”
READ MORE: Shutting the door on one COVID fear
AFP 5.40pm: Trump improving but doctors were ‘very concerned’
Donald Trump’s health, including a fall in his blood oxygen level, had left the US President’s doctors “very concerned” but he has improved and there was never a risk he would have to hand over power, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows says.
Mr Meadows’ comments to Fox News on Sunday (AEDT) capped a day of back-and-forth in which conflicting reports about the President’s health created an opaque understanding of the Mr Trump’s actual fitness.
“He’s made unbelievable improvements from yesterday morning, when I know a number of us, the doctor and I, were very concerned,” Mr Meadows said.
Earlier in the day a source familiar with the President’s health — later named in US media as none other than Mr Meadows — had given a contradictory assessment, stating “the President’s vitals over the last 24 hours were very concerning”.
The statement seemed at odds with an assessment by White House doctors that the President was “doing very well.” Mr Meadows seemed to clarify later that comments pertaining to concerningly poor health had applied to the day prior.
“Yesterday morning, we were real concerned... he had a fever and his blood oxygen level had dropped rapidly,” Mr Meadows told Fox.
However, “there was never a consideration and never even a risk of a transition of power,” Mr Meadows said.
White House doctor Sean Conley said earlier that Mr Trump was “not yet out of the woods,” but that the medical team was “cautiously optimistic”.
Mr Meadows echoed that sentiment, stating he was “very, very optimistic, based on the current results”.
The President posted a video to Twitter, appearing relaxed in an open-collar shirt and blue suit jacket while telling viewers he would be “back soon” — but acknowledging that the crucial coming days would be “the real test.”
READ MORE: Trump speaks amid mixed signals from White House
Rachel Baxendale 5.10pm: Worst outbreaks outside aged care
Non-aged-care outbreaks with the highest numbers of active cases on Sunday include:
● 20 active cases linked to The Butcher Club outbreak involving a worker at the butcher’s shop at the Chadstone shopping centre and a household in Frankston, both in Melbourne’s southeast — up from 15 cases on Saturday (total cases: 20);
● Six active cases linked to the Springvale shared accommodation outbreak in Melbourne’s outer southeast — down from from seven active cases on Saturday (total cases: 8);
● Six active cases linked to the Electra Park Medical Centre in Ashwood, in Melbourne’s southeast. Sunday is the first day this case has been listed as an outbreak. (total cases: 6);
● Four active cases linked to The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne’s inner southeast — the same as Saturday (total cases: 12)
● Three active cases linked to the Casey community outbreak involving at least seven households in Melbourne’s outer southeast — the same as Saturday (total cases: 45);
● Three active cases linked to Western Health Sunshine in Melbourne’s west - the same as Saturday (total cases: 3).
READ MORE: Pompeo’s winding path to the Oval Office
Rachel Baxendale 5pm: Active cases linked to aged care hits 91
A total of 91 active coronavirus cases are linked to Victorian aged-care facilities as of Sunday — four fewer than on Saturday.
As of Sunday, 640 coronavirus deaths have been linked to aged care facilities in Victoria, including the single death of a man in his 80s reported in the 24 hours to Sunday.
The aged-care outbreaks with the highest numbers of active cases as of Sunday and deaths (if any) as of September 8 (the most recent date for which data is available) are:
● 29 active cases linked to Estia Keilor in Melbourne’s outer northwest — a decrease of one since Saturday (47 total). It is understood this cluster began when a resident returned from being treated for an unrelated condition at Footscray Hospital, having contracted coronavirus;
● 12 active cases linked to Edenvale Manor Keilor East, in Melbourne’s outer northwest — the same as on Saturday (23 total);
● 11 active cases linked to Opal Hobsons Bay Altona North in Melbourne’s southwest — down from 13 on Saturday (46 total).
● 10 active cases linked to Embracia Moonee Valley in Melbourne’s northwest — the same as on Saturday (80 total, 5 deaths);
● Seven active cases linked to BaptCare Wyndham Lodge Community Werribee in Melbourne’s outer southwest — the same as on Saturday (260 total, 18 deaths);
● Five active cases linked to Doutta Galla Woornack, in Sunshine, in Melbourne’s west — the same as on Saturday (60 total);
● Two active cases linked to Mercy Place Parkville in Melbourne’s inner north — the same as on Saturday (104 total, 14 deaths);
● Baptcare Brookview Community West Meadows in Melbourne’s northwest — the same as on Saturday (21 total, 1 death).
READ MORE: Pope breaks out of lockdown
Rachel Baxendale 4.50pm: Recovered cases up by 11
Of the 20,209 people who have had coronavirus in Victoria since the pandemic began, 19,102 have recovered — an increase of 11 since Saturday.
Of 241 active cases in Victoria on Sunday, 238 are people from metropolitan Melbourne, and three are from regional Victoria.
Of the total number of cases since the pandemic began, 18,815 have been in people from Melbourne, while 1192 have been in those from regional Victoria.
There have been 9641 cases in men (an increase of eight since Saturday) and 10,554 in women (an increase of four since Saturday).
The total number of cases in health workers is 3538 — the same number as on Saturday, with the number of active cases in health workers decreasing by three to 32.
There is one case linked to residential disability accommodation — in a staff member. This is the same number as on Saturday.
READ MORE: ‘Can’t limit worker movement 100pc’
Rachel Baxendale 4.40pm: Victoria’s total cases up by 12
The cumulative number of coronavirus cases in Victoria since the pandemic began has actually increased by 12 since Saturday to 20,209.
There have now been 4274 cases in Victoria where contact tracers have been unable to identify a source of infection — an increase of three since Saturday.
Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton issued a warning for people in the postcodes where the three new mystery cases had been identified to be on the lookout for symptoms and get tested.
The postcodes are:
● 3145: Caulfield East, Malvern East in Melbourne’s leafy southeastern suburbs;
● 3023: Burnside, Cairnlea, Caroline Springs, Deer Park and Ravenhall in Melbourne’s west;
● 3091: Yarrambat, on Melbourne’s north-northeastern fringes.
READ MORE: Budget forecasts predicated on vaccine next year
Rachel Baxendale 4.25pm: New locations deemed high risk
Locations recently added to the DHHS “high risk” list of places visited by positive cases include:
● Oddfellows Cafe in Kilmore, north of Melbourne, where a confirmed case ate between 7am and 10am last Wednesday, September 30, during their infectious period;
● The Sunbury, Craigieburn and Upfield Line train and 419 bus route. A case caught the train from Broadmeadows, in Melbourne’s north, switching trains at North Melbourne to St Albans, then taking the 419 bus from St Albans Station to their workplace between 1pm and 3pm on Monday, September 28, and did the same again the following day.
● Three shops in Wheelers Hill, in Melbourne’s southeast, on Sunday September 27 — namely, Coles Brandon Park between 1:30pm and 2:30pm, Aldi Brandon Park between 2:40pm and 3:00pm, and Strawberry Point fruit and vegetable shop Brandon Park between 3:05pm and 3:20pm.
● Woolworths Ashwood, in Melbourne’s southeast, where a customer shopped for an hour on Friday September 25.
READ MORE: Why Queensland’s viral poll is anyone’s race
Rachel Baxendale 4.05pm: Three new cases linked to Butcher Club
Three of Victoria’s 12 new cases on Sunday are linked to a cluster at the Butcher Club butcher’s shop in the Chadstone shopping centre in Melbourne’s southeast, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services.
Another three cases were linked to a medical centre in the neighbouring suburb of Ashwood.
Six of Sunday’s 12 new cases remain under investigation.
DHHS said the Butcher Club-Chadstone outbreak had grown to 20 cases on Sunday, all of which remain active.
There are now six cases linked to the Electra Park Medical Centre in Ashwood, all of which remain active.
The following local government areas have new coronavirus cases on Sunday:
● Monash (southeast): 4
●Borondara (east): 1
●Glen Eira (southeast): 1
●Greater Dandenong (outer southeast): 1
●Melton (outer northwest): 1
●Whitehorse (east): 1
●Wyndham (outer southwest): 1
●Yarra Ranges (outer east): 1
●Mitchell Shire (immediately north of Melbourne’s outskirts): 1
READ MORE: Who dares to predict how this pans out?
Kieran Gair 3.30pm: Ship crew member awaits test result in Fremantle
A sick crew member on a cargo ship docked at Fremantle Port is anxiously waiting for a COVID-19 test result after he developed flu-like symptoms “weeks ago” while at sea.
WA Health said medical staff boarded the Kota Legit on Saturday evening to test a sick crew member for COVID-19 as a “precautionary measure.”
The rest of the ship’s 19 crew members “remained well” and only one crew member had been tested, A Health said in a statement on Sunday.
“WA Health was made aware that one crew member aboard the Kota Legit, currently docked at Fremantle Port, had previously been unwell a few weeks ago while the ship was at sea,” WA Health said.
“The crew member is currently well but as a precautionary measure that crew member was tested for COVID-19 yesterday. The result of that test will be available soon. The rest of the crew remain well.
“Any necessary changes to the further management of the ship will be made once that test result is known. In the meantime the ship will remain at Fremantle Port with all crew remaining onboard.”
The container ship departed China on September 12 and stopped into Port Klang in Malaysia on September 23 before mooring at the Patrick terminal in Fremantle Port on Saturday morning.
In May, the virus-riddled Al Kuwait docked at Fremantle Port to pick-up livestock with 18 COVID-19 infected crew members on board.
Of the 48 crew, most were transferred into hotel quarantine to contain the spread and treat those with more severe symptoms.
Crew members working on international vessels that arrive in WA are not permitted to disembark their ship unless it is for “essential vessel functions.”
READ MORE: Rose Garden bash now a thorn in Trump’s side
Rachel Baxendale 3.05pm: Andrews ‘thrilled’ about Mikakos replacement
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says he is “thrilled” that AFL policy adviser Sheena Watt is set to be endorsed by the Labor Party to replace former health minister Jenny Mikakos, despite having backed another candidate.
The Premier declared on Friday he wanted an indigenous woman to replace Ms Mikakos, with two indigenous women, Ms Watt and Mr Andrews’s former staffer Prue Stewart, in the race.
Senior members of Mr Andrews and Ms Mikakos’ Socialist Left faction have told The Australian Socialist Left Public Officer Selection Committee members were set to back Ms Watt by 32 votes to four when Ms Stewart pulled out of the race.
One senior faction member said that amid anger within the party over Ms Mikakos’s resignation, the Premier’s endorsement had been the “kiss of death” for Ms Stewart.
When she resigned nine days ago, Ms Mikakos said she could not sit in Mr Andrews’ cabinet because there had been elements in his evidence to the hotel quarantine inquiry with which she “strongly” disagreed.
Ms Watt is set to have her preselection endorsed by the ALP national executive on Monday.
“I’m thrilled — thrilled, absolutely thrilled — to think that when the national executive deals with this process tomorrow, we will have our first Indigenous female member of Parliament in our caucus. That’s a really fantastic thing,” Mr Andrews said on Sunday, when asked whether his faction’s overwhelming support of his non-preferred candidate was a demonstration of considerable anger towards him.
Pressed over the fact that faction members had favoured another candidate, Mr Andrews said: “I wouldn’t be assuming these things. One shouldn’t believe everything that one’s told by people who seem have nothing better to do than making these sorts of calls.
“Good luck to them, seriously.
“I got involved because I felt I needed to, and I’m thrilled with the outcome.
“As a Labor government, we’ve very clearly established that when we say it we get on and do it.
“We don’t just talk about justice for Aboriginal people and a true partnership, we’ve taken the biggest steps, the biggest steps of any jurisdiction in our country, and I just thought this was an opportunity where the party needed to do exactly the same thing, actually deliver, actually live your values.
“That’s what’s happened and it’s a fantastic outcome, an absolutely fantastic outcome.”
Asked whether he was disappointed Ms Stewart missed out, Mr Andrews said: “There’s processes. Candidates put themselves forward. It was a very, very good field, and the outcome is a very good one, one I’m particularly pleased about.”
READ MORE: Shutting the door on one COVID fear
Rachel Baxendale 2.10pm: Over 100 Victorians fined on Saturday for breaches
A man and a woman paddle boarding more than 5km from home, nine people from separate households “catching up” in two cars, and four men more than 5km from home at St Kilda beach were among 104 fined by Victoria Police for breaching coronavirus restrictions on Saturday.
Police said water police had assisted the man and woman were struggling while paddle boarding in Hobsons Bay, in Melbourne’s inner southwest.
“Once the pair was safe they were found to have no lawful reason for being outside the 5km radius of their home,” police said.
In Melton, in Melbourne’s outer northwest, police said nine people were found in two cars at the end of a dead end road, telling police they were there “for a social catch up”.
“All the people had come from separate households and travelled further than 5 km from their residence,” police said.
Four men found at St Kilda Beach in Melbourne’s inner south were all more than 5km from home and told police they were “just having a day at the beach”.
The latter incident comes after hundreds of revellers were filmed breaching coronavirus restrictions, gathering together without masks on the St Kilda foreshore on Friday evening.
As of Sunday, Victoria had 241 known active cases of coronavirus, including just three in regional Victoria, with 12 new cases reported in the 24 hours to Sunday.
Under Melbourne’s current restrictions, people may only leave their houses for permitted work, exercise, essential shopping or medical care, and may not travel more than 5km other than for work or medical care.
Police issued 17 $200 fines for failing to wear a face covering in the 24 hours to Sunday, as well as 11 fines as a result of 23,876 checks conducted at vehicle checkpoints.
Police conducted 1202 spot checks on people at homes, businesses and public places in the 24 hours to Sunday, with a total of 478,689 spot checks conducted since March 21.
READ MORE: Andrews defends worker movement between quarantine hotels and aged care
Rachel Baxendale 1.36pm: Andrews defends movement between hotels, aged care
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has defended the fact that a worker was allowed to move between shifts at hotel quarantine and aged care at the height of the state‘s second wave of coronavirus by saying the government couldn’t limit worker movement “100 per cent”.
The Department of Health and Human Services confirmed to The Australian late on Friday that a worker who tested positive for coronavirus between July 27 and the end of August had caught the virus at an aged care facility while working shifts there and at the Grand Chancellor quarantine hotel.
The Andrews government announced an inquiry into hotel quarantine on June 30, after coronavirus clusters later identified as the source of all of Victoria‘s second wave of the virus were identified in staff at two hotels in late May and June.
Corrections Victoria staff replaced private security guards and the state stopped taking international arrivals in late June, but the Grand Chancellor and Brady hotels continued to be used to house vulnerable positive cases and close contacts, including many from housing commission towers, who were unable to safely isolate at home.
On August 2, Mr Andrews sent Victoria into Stage Four lockdown, shutting down entire industries to limit movement and suppress coronavirus transmission.
Asked why a government-subcontracted worker was allowed to move between hotel quarantine and aged care — now linked to 640 of the 787 deaths caused by Victoria‘s second wave of coronavirus — Mr Andrews said he was not sure whether the person had worked any shifts in aged care while infectious.
“I would need to come back to you in terms of further details about that particular case, but the key point here is … we‘re doing everything that we can to limit movement,” Mr Andrews said.
READ the full story here.
Richard Ferguson 12.29pm: Budget forecasts predicated on vaccine next year
Josh Frydenberg says the budget’s forecasts are predicated on the development of a coronavirus vaccine next year.
Treasury forecasts have changed all year as different pandemic events – such as the second Melbourne lockdown – dramatically shifted economic outcomes.
The Treasurer told Sky News that the government was working hard on securing a vaccine and it was a factor in his budget considerations.
“We have factored in those issues related to the vaccine and those will be available on budget night,” he said on Sunday.
“We have worked hard with international counterparts to secure the vaccine for Australia.
“The budget takes into account the possibility that (the development of a vaccine next year) is the case.”
READ MORE: Crunch time for Oxford’s COVID-19 vaccine
Kieran Gair 11.30am: No local cases in NSW for ninth consecutive day
NSW has recorded no local coronavirus cases for the ninth day in a row.
There were two cases detected in hotel quarantine over the latest 24-hour reporting period, taking the total number of cases in the state to 4,045.
People are again being urged to come forward for testing, even on a weekend, after fewer than 8,400 tests were processed overnight.
Although weekend test numbers usually drop, Sunday’s figure remained slightly above the state’s minimum target of 8,000 daily tests.
NSW Health said the virus is still likely circulating in Sydney after an old case was reported on Thursday in south-western Sydney following that region’s outbreak in July.
“NSW Health thanks the community for all they have done towards reducing COVID-19 numbers and continues to ask people to remain vigilant and come forward for testing immediately if symptoms like a runny nose, scratchy throat, cough or fever appear,” the statement said. “This is particularly important with school holidays and increased movement of people around the state.
NSW Health is treating 51 COVID-19 cases, including three in intensive care, none of whom are being ventilated.
About 80 per cent cases being treated by NSW Health are in non-acute, out-of-hospital care.
READ MORE: Crunch time for Oxford vaccine
Rachel Baxendale 10.42am: Cases in Victoria fail to drop for first time in 7 weeks
The number of active coronavirus cases in Victoria is the same on Sunday as it was on Saturday, at 241 – the first time the number has not fallen since August 15, more than seven weeks ago.
Of 12 new cases in the 24 hours to Sunday, six have so far been linked to known outbreaks, and six remain under investigation.
A single death reported in the 24 hours to Sunday, that of a man in his 80s who was an aged care resident, has taken Victoria’s coronavirus death toll to 806, and the number of deaths linked to aged care to 640.
There have been 11,994 tests processed in the 24 hours to Sunday, taking the total number processed since the pandemic began to 2,745,493.
Sunday’s positive test rate is 0.10 per cent, up slightly from 0.07 per cent on Saturday and 0.06 per cent on Friday, but the same as Thursday’s rate.
The number of active cases in aged care is now 91, down from 94 on Saturday. This represents 37.8 per cent of Victoria’s 241 active cases on Sunday.
There are 32 active cases in health workers on Sunday, down from 35 on Saturday.
This includes 17 aged care workers, 14 nursing staff and one medical practitioner.
Of the 12 new cases on Sunday, one is from regional Victoria, in the Mitchell Shire immediately north of Melbourne’s outskirts.
Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton confirmed this case was linked to the Butcher Club cluster at the Chadstone shopping centre in Melbourne’s southeast.
There is one active case linked to residential disability accommodation, in a staff member.
READ MORE: Rush to publish may irreversibly harm patients
Rachel Baxendale 9.52am: Daniel Andrews to speak shortly
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is due to address the media at 10:30am.
Richard Ferguson 9.36am: Chalmers holds firm on stage 3 of tax cut plan
Opposition treasury spokesman Jim Chalmers says he remains opposed to stage 3 of Scott Morrison’s tax cut plan for higher-income earners.
The Prime Minister is considering bring stage 2 and 3 of his already legislated cuts forward to boost the economic recovery.
Dr Chalmers said on Sunday that the stage 3 cuts were unaffordable and unfair, but would not rule out voting for them again if an omnibus budget tax bill included relief for lower and middle income earners.
“We’ve said really throughout that stage 3 is the least affordable, it’s the least responsible, it’s the least fair and it is the least likely to get a good return in the economy because higher-income earners are less likely to spend in the economy,” he told ABC News.
“It is that spending now that we need in our shops and in our small businesses around Australia.
“So that’s been our view throughout. It won’t surprise people to learn that that remains our view about stage 3, especially if it comes at the cost of other more important initiatives, more effective initiatives like social housing.”
READ MORE: Tax relief for small businesses to create jobs, cut red tape
Rachel Baxendale 8.55am: Victoria records 12 new cases, one death
Victoria has recorded 12 new cases of coronavirus in the 24 hours to Sunday, and one death.
The twelve new cases on Sunday follow eight cases on Saturday and seven on Friday, as well as five new cases last Monday, which represented a three and a half month low.
They also follow 15 new cases on Thursday, 13 on Wednesday, and 10 on Tuesday.
The single death brings Victoria’s coronavirus death toll to 806.
All but 19 of these deaths have occurred as a result of the state’s second wave of coronavirus cases, sparked by breaches in the Andrews government’s hotel quarantine program.
Mebourne’s 14 day daily average number of new cases is now 11.9, down from 12.0 on Saturday and 22.1 last Sunday.
Yesterday there were 12 new cases & the loss of 1 life reported. Our thoughts are with all affected. The 14 day rolling average is down from yesterday as we move toward COVID Normal. Info: https://t.co/pcll7yB2RZ #COVID19VicData #COVID19Vic pic.twitter.com/W6KvDaIDJF
— VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) October 3, 2020
This compares with a 14 day daily average of 0.2 in regional Victoria – up from 0.1 on Saturday.
As of Saturday there were just two known active cases left in regional Victoria, and 241 statewide.
There have been 13 cases with an unknown source of infection in metropolitan Melbourne in the most recent fortnight for which this statistic is available – up from 11 on Saturday.
Regional Victoria has had no unknown source cases over the same fortnight, which spans September 18 to October 1.
As of last Monday, Victoria’s 9pm to 5am curfew no longer applies, public outdoor gatherings of up to five people from up to two households are allowed, childcare has resumed for parents who are not permitted workers, and school students are set to begin a staged return to the classroom when term four resumes on October 5.
Premier Daniel Andrews announced last Sunday that the next step of easing restrictions for Melburnians will be brought forward to October 19, provided the state reaches a threshold of a 14 day daily average of fewer than five cases, with fewer than five cases with an unknown source over that fortnight.
This would see stay-at-home rules relaxed for the first time since July 7, and hospitality businesses able to reopen to up to 20 patrons indoors and 50 outdoors.
READ MORE: Victoria records 12 cases
Richard Ferguson 8.53am: Cormann calls on WA to spend amid budget surplus
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann has called on the states to do more to boost the post-pandemic economic recovery, as Western Australia gets set to deliver a budget surplus.
The Finance Minister was asked if the WA Labor government should be handing down a surplus on Sunday, given the need to spend and boost infrastructure projects.
Senator Cormann said on Sunday that he wanted all states to contribute more, including WA.
“I’m reading that the state government in Western Australia is planning to deliver a surplus budget later this week,” he told Sky News.
“I would say states around Australia, including my home state of Western Australia, could do more to support Australians, to support business, to support jobs.
“And to ensure that we pull together and maximise the strength of the economic and jobs recovery.”
READ MORE: WA goes backwards as other states open
Richard Ferguson 8.46am: $1.2bn scheme to power jobs recovery
Scott Morrison will subsidise half the wages of up to 100,000 new apprentices to kickstart the COVID-19 economic recovery.
From October 5, any business taking on a new apprentice will be eligible for a 50 per cent wage subsidy for their trainees until September next year in a $1.2bn scheme.
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann said on Sunday the scheme would be a “substantial help” to businesses and tradies across the nation.
“We want to make it as easy as possible for businesses to take on new apprentices,” he told Sky News.
“And by saying to a business that might be considering taking on an apprentice that we are prepared to take up half the cost of that apprentice – you know, for the initial 12 months period – I mean that is a substantial help, obviously, for any business that is considering doing this.”
There will be no restriction on industry, business size or location for anyone looking to apply for the apprenticeship wage subsidy.
READ MORE: NYE fireworks under a cloud
Emily Ritchie 4.45am: ‘Disappointed’ police hit the beaches ‘in force’
Victoria Police have set up beach patrols and are “out in force” this weekend to monitor social-distancing adherence after groups of people flouted coronavirus restrictions without masks at St Kilda Beach.
In a statement, Victoria Police said they were “disappointed” people had gathered in such large numbers and put people’s lives at risk.
“Victoria Police will be out in force at beaches and other popular public spaces this weekend,” the statement read.
“We will not hesitate to fine those who clearly and blatantly breach the Chief Health Officer directions.”
Some arrests were made and 82 infringement notices issued on Friday as police focused on public gatherings across metropolitan Melbourne.
In one incident, a 24-year-old male allegedly assaulted police in St Kilda. He was arrested and is expected to be charged with assault of police.
“As the weekend continues, people are reminded to follow the directions around public gatherings, which are limited to a maximum of five people from up to two households, or risk a $4957 infringement notice,” Victoria Police said.
Premier Daniel Andrews condemned the actions of the beachgoers who, footage shows, were gathered in large groups — many without masks.
“Those scenes were very disappointing,” Mr Andrews said on Saturday, saying they had risked jeopardising the good work and progress Victorians had made in suppressing the virus over six weeks of lockdown.
“Nobody has the right to break the rules, it is just not smart and it is not fair and it is not lawful,” Mr Andrews said.
“It has made a lot of people very angry. Spending time at the beach without a mask, without social distancing now will just mean that you won’t get to go to the beach for all of summer. It just doesn’t make any sense.
“My message to every single Victorian is that we are so close. Let’s all of us do everything we can to follow the rules, to play our part, to get this job done, and see this thing off to find a coronavirus normal Christmas, summer, and 2021. That is what we’re working towards. Let’s not jeopardise that.”
READ MORE: Victoria records eight new cases, three deaths
Agencies 4.30am: Next 48 hours ‘critical’ for virus-stricken Trump
Donald Trump is doing “very well” in his hospital treatment for COVID-19, his medics said, but a source with knowledge of the US president’s condition said his vital signs had been worrying, with the next 48 hours critical.
“The president’s vitals over the last 24 hours were very concerning and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care,” the source said. “We’re still not on a clear path to a full recovery.”
The White House has not commented on the assessment, but Mr Trump did managed to tweet just after 4am AEDT to thank doctors and nurses.
Doctors, Nurses and ALL at the GREAT Walter Reed Medical Center, and others from likewise incredible institutions who have joined them, are AMAZING!!!Tremendous progress has been made over the last 6 months in fighting this PLAGUE. With their help, I am feeling well!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 3, 2020
White House physician Dr Sean Conley was evasive when asked whether Mr Trump had received supplementary oxygen at any point since falling ill, only confirming that he hadn’t received any at the hospital or on Thursday — the day he had his test.
This leaves the possibility that he was on oxygen at the White House on Friday before being admitted to Walter Reed, and there were reports in US media, unconfirmed by AFP, that this was the case.
Soon after Mr Trump arrived at hospital, Dr Conley said in a memo that the president was starting a course of therapeutic drug remdesivir and had received an eight-gram dose of an experimental polyclonal antibody cocktail.
An update from President @realDonaldTrump's physician: pic.twitter.com/cTsXO4Df6b
— Kayleigh McEnany (@PressSec) October 2, 2020
Dr Conley would not put a “hard date” on Mr Trump’s discharge from hospital or disclose the president’s temperature.
READ MORE: Rose Garden cluster emerges after President’s positive test
The Wall Street Journal 4am: US Senate postpones votes, Christie positive
The US Senate Republican majority Leader Mitch McConnell has cancelled Senate votes planned for the next two weeks after three Republican senators tested positive for coronavirus, but said confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett would start as planned on October 12.
Former New Jersey Republican governor Chris Christie has tweeted that he tested positive for COVID-19. He participated in the US President’s debate prep last week. There also appeared to be a small cluster of infections from Mr Trump’s White House Rose Garden event for Judge Coney Barrett last weekend.
The Associated Press reported on Sunday that President Donald Trump on Friday was administered supplemental oxygen at the White House hours after being diagnosed with COVID-19 and before being flown to a military hospital.
A person familiar with Mr Trump’s condition confirmed that Mr Trump was given oxygen at the White House, after the president’s physician, Navy Commander Dr Sean Conley, sidestepped the question at a press briefing Saturday.
The AP also quoted “a person familiar with Mr Trump’s condition’’ as saying some of Mr Trump’s vital signs in the previous 24 hours were “very concerning.” The person, who was not authorised to speak publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity, said the next 48 hours would be critical in terms of his care.
I just received word that I am positive for COVID-19. I want to thank all of my friends and colleagues who have reached out to ask how I was feeling in the last day or two. I will be receiving medical attention today and will keep the necessary folks apprised of my condition.
— Governor Christie (@GovChristie) October 3, 2020
READ MORE: Trump’s condition improved, says doctor
The Times 3.30am: British leader to face Tory plotters over virus
The British Conservative Party conference this weekend provides an opportunity for Boris Johnson to reconnect with the Tory grassroots and his MPs, albeit via video. A survey by Conservative Home, a right-wing blog, found that fewer than one in three party members believes Mr Johnson is dealing with coronavirus well. In May the figure was 72 per cent.
The conference is being staged in a studio in Canary Wharf, East London, with Mr Johnson expected to give a “forward-looking” speech as he presents his vision of life after coronavirus.
In the meantime, Downing Street is watching the latest figures on the virus. While the number of daily infections on Friday fell from 9600 to 8400, the rate of transmission rose from 1.3 to 1.6.
In interviews on Friday, Mr Johnson emphasised the increasing rate of transmission. “There isn’t a part of the country where it hasn’t been climbing recently,” he said. “It’s a very tough balance to strike and I can see why people feel frustrated.”
FULL STORY: Boris Johnson faces pandemic revolt among Conservatives
Emily Ritchie 3am: Melbourne holding regions back from reopening
Regional Victoria will have to wait for metropolitan Melbourne to reduce its COVID-19 case numbers even further before further steps out of lockdown can be taken, according to the state’s Chief Medical Officer.
Professor Brett Sutton said on Saturday health authorities needed to make sure “regional Victoria is moving in a certain synchrony” with metropolitan Melbourne before they could open up further from October 19.
“Regional Victoria always had to wait for Melbourne … we had to control it and everything that has been achieved has been achieved because of the control in metro Melbourne and everything that regional Victoria has done right,” Professor Sutton said during the daily coronavirus press conference on Saturday.
“The answer to (when regional Victoria can take more steps) is how well is metro Melbourne doing over the next few weeks. But we are on track. I do think that we are where I expected us to be and we are tracking where the modelling suggests we should be.
“We need to make sure that whenever we open up in regional Victoria it isn’t put at risk by also allowing people to move out of metro Melbourne. So metro Melbourne really needs to get to the point where the risk is so low that you can basically allow movement across the state.”
On Saturday, the state’s 14-day rolling average of new COVID-19 cases was 12 for metro Melbourne and just 0.2 for regional Victoria.
The number of active cases in the state has also dropped below 250 for the first time since the end of June.
There are now 241 active cases in the state, a decrease of 20 since Friday, and just two of those active cases reside in regional Victoria.
The last time Victoria had active numbers this low was on June 28, when there were 233 active cases in the state.
Active COVID-19 cases peaked at 7880 on August 11.
READ MORE: Hotel staff sick of being COVID cops
Emily Ritchie 2.45am: Jacinda Ardern ‘not ready’ for Aussie tourists
New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she was “not ready” to accept Australian travellers into her country after Scott Morrison’s announced trans-Tasman travellers would be welcomed into two Australian states in a fortnight.
“From our perspective, we’re not ready,” Ms Ardern said on Saturday.
“NSW themselves say they are not confident that community transmission has gone from NSW yet. And even you see today Queensland saying that they will wait a while longer before they open up to NSW. That is a bit of an indication as to their status right now.”
Mr Morrison said on Friday travellers from New Zealand must not have been in a designated COVID-19 hotspot in the 14 days before they fly to Australia.
A hotspot is defined as having a rolling three-day average of three cases a day.
He anticipates New Zealanders will be welcomed into NSW and the Northern Territory in two weeks time.
On Saturday, the ACT joined as one of the potential destinations for the trans-Tasman travel bubble.
READ MORE: Trans-Tasman bubble to open on October 16
Youth mental health a worry for families
Concerned about a young loved one’s mental health? You’re not alone, and starting a conversation about it with them is challenging. Here’s some advice on what do.
Restaurateur charged over Nazi sign at protest
High-profile restaurateur Alan Yazbek has been revealed as the protester arrested after allegedly holding up a swastika sign at a pro-Palestine rally.