Coronavirus Australia live news: Trump’s Chief of Staff Mark Meadows tests positive to COVID-19; Tasmania steps up to receive returned travellers
Another day of record new COVID cases in the US but Victorians await news of possible further easing in restrictions.
- Trump’s Chief of Staff tests positive to COVID-19
- Tasmania to receive hundreds of returned travellers
- US officials despair as virus spirals out of control
- Victoria records zero new cases for eighth day
Donald Trump’s Chief of Staff Mark Meadows is the latest White House staffer to test positive to coronavirus, adding to the bad news for the Trump camp after Democrat frontrunner Joe Biden all but declared victory in the US presidential election.
Mr Meadows told associates earlier this week — but after Election Day — that he had contracted coronavirus, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Meanwhile, Victorians on Sunday can look forward to the expected further easing of restrictions following an eighth day of zero new infections in the state.
And in Tasmania, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced the Apple Isle will step up to receive returned overseas travellers as part of an expanded hotel quarantine program that will allow at least 450 Australians to come home for Christmas.
Here’s how Saturday unfolded:
Agencies 11.50pm: Biden urges action as US cases stay high
The US reported record new coronavirus cases for the third day in a row, as Joe Biden vowed to act against the pandemic on “day one” if he wins the presidential election in the world’s worst-hit nation.
Global infections have surged past 49 million and Europe has become the new pandemic epicentre in recent weeks with more than 300,000 deaths — nearly a quarter of the global total.
More than 127,000 new infections were reported in the US on Friday local time, the third straight day of record cases, as votes from the bitterly fought election were still being counted.
No winner has been declared but Mr Biden promised he would not waste time in addressing the pandemic if he is victorious.
“I want everyone, everyone to know on day one we’re going to put our plan to control this virus into action,” the Democrat said.
The infection figures came as President Donald Trump, who survived a bout of COVID-19 in October and has been widely criticised over his handling of the crisis, trailed his Democratic challenger in the vote count.
US cases are fast approaching 10 million, with more than 236,000 deaths, and the pandemic has hammered the world’s biggest economy, leaving millions jobless.
Mr Trump has been a vocal opponent of lockdown measures, citing their impact on the economy, and has repeatedly clashed with his own government’s experts over coronavirus policy. Unlike Mr Biden, Mr Trump held big campaign rallies ahead of the November 3 vote, insisting the US was “rounding the turn” despite the virus surges.
Senior members of his administration have contracted the virus recently with Mr Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows the latest to test positive, media said late on Friday.
AFP
READ EARLIER: Trump’s top aide tests positive
Agencies 11.40pm: Europe suffers under second wave
Greece became the latest European nation to enter lockdown on Saturday with the continent reeling from a second, relentless coronavirus wave.
Under the measures, which came into force before daybreak, Greeks can only leave home if they receive authorisation to a mobile phone request. Essential shops can stay open, including supermarkets and pharmacies.
On the first day of the second lockdown Athens woke to checks on vehicle movements and doubled fines for not wearing masks, up to 300 euros.
The capital’s main shopping thoroughfare Ermou street was quiet. But hairdressers have been allowed to stay open for two more days and they were booked out.
The measures follow the imposition of restrictions in Italy, France, Ireland and Britain, while Switzerland is also being hit hard by the virus.
Germany reported record daily figures on Saturday with 23,399 new cases and 130 deaths.
Thousands of demonstrators were expected to gather in Leipzig on Saturday to protest against mask-wearing and new curbs to halt the virus spreading across Germany.
Poland was imposing fresh measures on Saturday too, closing most shopping centres. The government is also shutting cinemas, theatres, galleries and other cultural institutions and making hotels available for business travellers only.
Governments are also exploring mass testing as a way to curb the pandemic. In England, Liverpool on Friday began the country’s first city-wide coronavirus testing program. All 500,000 residents will be offered repeat tests, even if asymptomatic, under a pilot scheme that could be rolled out nationwide if successful.
Britain on Saturday banned entry to all non-resident foreigners coming from Denmark after a mutated version of the coronavirus linked to mink farms was found in humans.
The Italian government announced new measures early Saturday to help businesses and families cope with the latest restrictions, including a national night curfew and lockdown in four regions.
Iran on Saturday announced a new record of more than 9000 new cases of COVID-19 infections in the Middle East’s worst hit country, as the government imposed new restrictions.
The virus has claimed at least 1,243,513 lives worldwide since it first emerged in China late last year, according to an AFP tally on Saturday at 10pm AEDT based on official sources.
At least 49,316,544 cases have been registered across the globe. The US remains the most affected country, with 236,099 deaths. The countries with the next-highest death tolls are Brazil with 162,015, India with 125,562, and Mexico with 94,323.
AFP
READ EARLIER: Spread may be slowing in Britain
Erin Lyons 4.45pm: Victorian restrictions set to ease on Sunday
Almost three weeks ago, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews outlined the first steps out of the state’s harsh lockdown while highlighting some of the restrictions that could be eased as part of the second and third steps.
If the next step on the road map goes ahead, from 11.59pm Sunday, Melbourne’s “ring of steel” – which has been up since July 9 and separates the city from regional Victoria – will be scrapped.
People will be free to come and go from their homes as often as they please and indoor gyms will reopen for the first time since July.
But there will be a cap on the number of people allowed in, with 10 per class or space and up to 20 for each venue.
The controversial 25km travel restriction will also be dropped.
Capacity in pubs, cafes and restaurants will be increased from 20 to 40 indoors and up to 70 outdoors, and bookings of up to 10 will be allowed.
But venues must adhere to the one person per four-squared-metres rule.
Outdoor gatherings will be limited to groups of 10.
However there’s expected to be no change to the number of people who can enter your household, which is currently two people (and dependents) from the same residential address.
The Andrews Government has remained conservative when it comes to allowing people into your home amid fears it could be a breeding ground for COVID-19.
“We must understand, all of us — the most dangerous environment for the spread of this virus is in your home,” the Premier previously said.
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Kat Lay 4.15pm: Infections high but spread may be slowing
There are early signs that Britain’s second wave of coronavirus may have started slowing in the week before lockdown was announced, according to a study tracking Britain’s outbreak.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) infection survey estimates that there were 618,700 people in England with COVID-19 in the week ending October 31. This was up from 568,100 during the week ending October 23, a rise of 9 per cent. However, cases had risen by 31 per cent, from 433,300 in the week to October 16.
The ONS estimated there were about 45,700 new cases of Covid-19 a day in the latest week, which was down from 51,900 the week before. It said: “Incidence appears to have stabilised at around 50,000 new infections per day.”
Downing Street rejected suggestions that the slowing meant a lockdown was unnecessary. Conservative MPs have argued that the tier system should have been given more time to work. Mr Johnson’s spokesman said: “As we have said, the trend of hospital admissions ar going up.”
One of the biggest NHS trusts called a halt yesterday to planned surgery amid rising cases. University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust said that all non-urgent operations at the Queen Elizabeth hospital would be postponed, as well as gynaecological procedures, such as hysterectomies, at the city’s Good Hope hospital.
The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) said that the R rate was unchanged at between 1.1 and 1.3, adding: “Although there is some evidence that the rate of growth in some parts of the country may be slowing, levels of disease are very high in these areas and significant levels of healthcare demand and mortality will persist until R is reduced to and remains well below 1 for an extended period.”
The Times
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Anne Barrowclough 3.22pm: Trump’s Chief of Staff tests positive to COVID-19
Donald Trump’s Chief of Staff Mark Meadows has tested positive to coronavirus.
Mr Meadows, 61, who has frequently been filmed refusing to wear a mask at public events during the pandemic, was confirmed to have caught the virus this afternoon (AEDT).
He was by Mr Trump’s side when the president was hospitalised with coronavirus and has been working closely with Mr Trump on how to negotiate the election results.
Mr Meadows will now have to go into quarantine, as will all those who have been in direct contact with him.
White House aides told CNN it wasn’t clear when Mr Meadows had tested positive but he had travelled with Mr Trump on Sunday and Monday.
He was also at the White House election party on Tuesday and came into close contact with members of Mr Trump’s family.
READ MORE: Desks deserted, Trump fumes as White House mood turns dark
Agencies 3pm: US teacher facing trial for threatening health official
A California college teacher with ties to the far-right Boogaloo movement has been ordered to stand trial for sending threatening letters to a health official over restrictions linked to the coronavirus pandemic.
Alan Viarengo, 55, who taught math at a community college in northern California, was arrested in August at his home in the town of Gilroy where officers seized 138 firearms, thousands of rounds of ammunition and explosive materials.
At a court hearing on Thursday, a judge in Santa Clara County ruled that he must stand trial for two felony counts of stalking and threatening a public official.
According to authorities, Viarengo over the course of several months beginning in April sent Santa Clara County Public Health Officer Dr Sara Cody 24 threatening letters.
One letter seemingly from the same sender expressed satisfaction that Cody was getting threats and said her address had been posted “everywhere.” “You will pay a heavy price for your stupidity, (expletive),” another letter said, according to The Mercury News.
Other letters said “You must go no matter how you go you stupid (expletive),” and “You are done … it’s over … say goodbye,” the paper said.
Cody is one of the nation’s most vocal officials in favor of restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic and as a result has been the target of protests as well as profane letters, emails and phone calls, police said.
Some of the letters Viarengo allegedly sent her had slogans of the Boogaloo movement, a loosely organised far-right wing extremist group known for their anti-government, anti-police and pro-gun beliefs, according to a police report.
Authorities said that detectives during their investigation also determined that Viarengo had sent a letter to the widow of a sheriff’s deputy mocking his June killing while in the line of duty.
The Boogaloo movement has been linked to the killing, according to the authorities.
Viarengo’s attorney could not be reached for comment.
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Chris Smyth 2.20pm: Vaccine campaign will admit jab may not be 100 per cent safe
A campaign to encourage people to have a COVID-19 vaccination will acknowledge that the jab is not 100 per cent safe under an honesty-first approach designed to win over waverers.
Barely half of Britons say that they will definitely be vaccinated against coronavirus, and plans being developed in government aim to acknowledge concerns to ensure the undecided are not swayed by antivax propaganda.
A Whitehall unit dedicated to promoting a Covid jab has been set up with civil servants from the Department of Health and the Cabinet Office, and the law has been changed to allow promotion of a vaccine even before it is licensed.
Twice as many people, one in seven, say they are not prepared to be vaccinated as did at the start of the pandemic. A TV and social media advertising offensive is timed for when the first vaccine is approved to win them over.
GPs and NHS staff are expected to front the marketing campaign and efforts are being made to find advocates to persuade hard-to-reach groups.
However, official messaging is expected to acknowledge that the first vaccines will not be perfect, with fears in government that people could turn against a jab if it does not immediately end the need for social distancing.
The Times
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Emily Ritchie 1.45pm: Victoria reveals mental health support plan
The Victorian government has announced a $9.8 million mental health support package for the state’s healthcare workers after a “challenging and exhausting period” for the sector.
Health Minister Martin Foley announced the package, which will include the creation of a healthcare worker wellbeing centre and funding for peer support programs, on Saturday.
“Through the course of the pandemic, healthcare workers have stood up like never before,” Minister Foley said.
“As we have seen the workload increase and stress associated with that, we’ve also seen the mental health of our frontline healthcare workers be impacted on.”
Director of Royal Melbourne Hospital’s Emergency Mark Putland said the pandemic had presented a “big” impact on the mental health of frontline health workers.
“At the arrival of the disease we had people sick, we had people isolated, the workforce suddenly disappeared around us — but we stuck together,” he said.
“It was undoubtedly challenging and exhausting — people worked long hours and put in extra effort and took care of each other. The mental health impact on all of our staff was big. From the fear of the early days to then people who got the disease and have to deal with the impact of that, to people who went into quarantine … we had no idea before people went in there what it was like to be stuck in a room for two weeks.
Dr Putland said the RMH’s emergency departments would now be desegregated – with no need for a ‘COVID-only’ section – but the hospital was well aware it may need “to step it up again at a moment’s notice”.
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Emily Ritchie 1.17pm: Tasmania to receive hundreds of returned travellers
Tasmania has committed to increasing its hotel quarantine capacity after Prime Minister Scott Morrison said more Qantas flights would be sent to collect stranded Australians from overseas.
Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein said the state, which had not been accepting returned travellers for hotel quarantine previously, would be creating 450 places.
This is in addition to the 6315 weekly quarantine spaces currently available in other states and territories.
The Tasmanian government still needs to confirm contracts with hotels, which would then allow the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Qantas to arrange flights from overseas to Hobart.
As of last month, more than 29,000 Australians had registered with DFAT as wanting to return to Australia after a cap on international arrivals created significant capacity problems.
Premier Gutwein said it was fulfilling his promise to the national cabinet for Tasmania to “do our bit” to bring home Australians stuck overseas due to the coronavirus pandemic.
He said those returning from overseas would be tested before flying and would also be tested during their quarantine stay in Tasmania before entering the community.
“We’ll work closely with public health, the Deputy State Controller, to ensure we have all the systems in place and we’ll receive ADF support to ensure we can do that safely for Tasmanians,’ Mr Gutwein said.
Appearing in Hobart on Saturday with the Premier, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced plans for 130 direct flights between Hobart and New Zealand to resume next year.
“The comeback in Australia is absolutely underway, but that didn’t happen by accident. That’s why you have to think of the next challenge,” Mr Morrison said.
Mr Gutwein said he expected the NZ flights to be up and running by the end of January, or at least some time in the first quarter of 2021.
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Emily Ritchie 12.55pm: Queensland records zero new cases
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced the state has recorded no new COVID-19 cases for the third consecutive day.
As of Saturday there are now just eight active cases in the state that are being treated by QLD Health.
There have been 1177 total confirmed coronavirus cases in Queensland, including six who have died since the pandemic started.
Saturday November 7 – coronavirus cases in Queensland:
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) November 6, 2020
• 0 new confirmed cases
• 8 active cases
• 1,177 total confirmed cases
• 1,263,289 tests conducted
Sadly, six Queenslanders with COVID-19 have died. 1,163 patients have recovered.#covid19 pic.twitter.com/NRPUiH35D4
Queensland has not recorded new cases since Wednesday when two infections were confirmed. Both cases were acquired overseas and detected in hotel quarantine.
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Charlie Mitchell 12.10pm: US officials despair as new cases jump
The coronavirus pandemic is escalating rapidly in the United States, with deaths and hospital admissions spiralling and new daily infections at record levels.
There were 121,888 new cases, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, up from 102,831 the previous day. The figures are slightly higher than those provided by the World Health Organisation due to differing collation methods.
In the past week, America has confirmed more than 650,000 cases, more than Germany’s entire total since the onset of the pandemic, and this has forced state governors to plead with citizens to take the virus more seriously. Daily deaths reached 1,210 on Thursday, bringing the total death toll in America to 235,347.
This is not America’s first fast rise in cases but the spread of the pandemic is of growing concern. While a more deadly first wave battered the sunbelt and northeastern states, the latest surge has left no region untouched. Two dozen states have recorded their largest rises in new infections, from Nebraska to New England and the Pacific northwest to the Great Plains.
In June, Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading infectious disease expert, told a Senate committee that daily cases would rise above 100,000 if efforts at containment failed and social distancing guidelines were ignored.
Against the backdrop of a bitter election, which has led to millions of Americans queueing at polling stations and attending rallies, the pandemic has taken a back seat. Election exit polls revealed voters were more concerned about the economy than the virus, perhaps helping President Trump to exceed polling expectations.
According to the Associated Press, 93 per cent of US counties with the highest rate of new infections voted for Mr Trump.
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Charles Bremner 11.35am: France’s light lockdown causes confusion
Oil for cooking is essential but the sale of essential oils is banned. Their statuses reflect the farcical side of a week-old second lockdown that scarcely resembles the harsh first round in the spring.
Stumbling by President Macron’s government has compounded confusion over “le confinement, saison 2”, in which schools and public services remain open and much of the workforce troops to the office under pressure from the boss.
Officials got into a tangle over orders on the sale of “essential” and “non-essential” items after a rebellion by shopkeepers and booksellers, angry that hypermarkets and chain stores could still sell everything while they had to close.
Ministers then banned the big retailers from making various sales, starting a scramble to rope off aisles.
Police officers, who have orders to impose euros 135 fines on everyone breaching the lockdown, are struggling to check the self-signed and timed permits that everyone is obliged to carry outside the house.
Unlike the two-month spring lockdown when Paris and other cities resembled ghost towns, the streets are full of people. Traffic in central Paris is four times higher than in the spring. Valerie Pecresse, president of the Paris region, complained: “On the buses, trains and metros there are three times more people than in the previous lockdown.”
The government has given way to demands from sixth-form teachers who threatened to go on strike because crowding breached health rules. Half their pupils may now stay home and attend remote classes.
Mr Macron was reported last night (Friday) to be considering a fiercer lockdown for over-65s after warnings that hospitals will be overwhelmed within a month. He is being told, however, that the constitution forbids targeted isolation.
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Emily Ritchie 11.08am: NSW records one new case
NSW has recorded one new case of locally transmitted COVID-19 on Saturday, with four new cases acquired overseas and detected in hotel quarantine.
The locally acquired case is linked to the Moss Vale outbreak and is a household contact of a previously confirmed case.
Health authorities have initiated contact tracing and said the investigation into the source of the infection continues.
NSW Health said it was now treating 65 people for coronavirus across the state, with one patient requiring ventilation in intensive care.
“Ninety-five per cent of cases being treated by NSW Health are in non-acute, out-of-hospital care,” NSW Health said in a statement on Saturday.
It urged people with “even the mildest of symptoms” to get tested.
“The process of becoming infected and infecting others often occurs silently, invisibly, and inadvertently,” NSW Health said.
“It is evident that the virus has an ability to readily spread from person to person. Some who are infected with the virus may not be aware that they have the infection, where symptoms are mild or not present at all. It is most important to step forward for testing if there is any concern at all that you may have been exposed or may have symptoms.”
NSW Health warned the virus may continue to circulate in the community during the upcoming holiday period.
NSW has reported one new case of locally transmitted #COVID19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) November 7, 2020
Four cases were also reported in overseas travellers in hotel quarantine, bringing the total number of cases in NSW to 4,270. pic.twitter.com/MQP8IOcpQl
“It is important we all continue to take advantage of outdoor venues and maintain the COVID-safe practices we have become used to, such as physical distancing, wearing a mask in places where you can’t distance from others, and practising good hand hygiene,” the health department said.
The news of one new locally transmitted case came as NSW authorities confirmed they had inspected 85 venues around Liverpool this week after an outbreak prompted concern about COVID-19 safety protocols in the area.
Inspectors, spurred by the Jasmins Lebanese Restaurant outbreak, found that 39 venues did not have current COVID-safety plans and 20 venues had deficient record-keeping.
Thirteen venues did not have a COVID-19 safety marshall, seven showed a lack of social distancing, two showed lack of hygiene and 13 were not registered as COVID-safe.
Liquor and Gaming said it would be issuing more than 30 fines across the restaurants, cafes, pubs and clubs visited.
Among those are two venues – The Kulcha House and Al Barakeh Charcoal Chicken – that did not have coronavirus safety plans and will be issued $5000 fines.
Others will be issued $1000 fines for not maintaining sign-in records.
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John Lethlean 10.30am: Dining institution cooks up Melbourne renaissance
Slowly, but surely, Melbourne’s storied restaurant strip of Lygon Street in Carlton is morphing from a caricature of Little Italy into something much closer to the real deal.
And if you need any proof, the imminent arrival of one of the city’s best — and best-known — Italian restaurateurs, Ronnie Di Stasio, will almost certainly give the strip’s modern renaissance a serious boost.
Di Stasio has just picked up the keys to a space he intends to turn into a pizzeria, his latest business venture at the heart of what has been known for more than a century as Melbourne’s Italian strip.
In reality, Lygon Street came to reflect a slightly cliched vision of Italian-ness over the past 30 years. But that is changing, and Di Stasio wants to be a part of the evolution.
He plans to have Pizzeria Di Stasio open by March, and his landlords are the Valmorbida family, one of Melbourne’s most influential Italian dynasties in media and commerce, who spent a fortune redeveloping their King & Godfree Lygon Street site, creating a multi-tiered Milanese-style food and wine emporium that reopened in 2019.
Read the full story here.
Emily Ritchie 9.50am: Victoria records eighth day of zero new cases
For the eighth day in a row, Victoria has recorded no new cases and no new deaths from COVID-19.
On Saturday, Melbourne’s rolling 14-day case average dropped to 0.9, with regional Victoria recording no cases over the last two weeks. There were two mystery cases reported between October 22 and November 4, both in metro Melbourne.
16,914 tests today. Keep it up #melbourneaustralia https://t.co/Wbs0gj6A6N
— Chief Health ðŸ©fficer, Victoria (@VictorianCHO) November 6, 2020
The state is preparing to welcome another round of eased restrictions this weekend, including unrestricted travel between metro and regional areas.
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Yoni Bashan 9.40am: $100 restaurant vouchers to revive hospitality?
Gladys Berejiklian has cautiously confirmed the NSW budget could include $100 restaurant vouchers as her government attempts to revive the hospitality sector.
Details of the announcement were leaked to The Australian on Thursday, with the scheme estimated to cost $500m.
The proposal has yet to be put to cabinet but is understood to have been approved by the government’s expenditure review committee.
On Friday, the NSW Premier said the budget, to be handed down on November 17, would generally seek to alleviate financial pressures imposed by COVID-19. “I’m not in a position to confirm all those wonderful things our Treasurer may or may not be announcing,” she told 2GB, adding that the budget was still being finalised.
“If we did go down that path … it would be a positive thing,” Ms Berejiklian said.
Read the full story here.
Sarah Elks 9.15am: Premier hints at Christmas reopening
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says the state could reopen to Victoria by Christmas after “very encouraging” COVID-19 results, but is continuing her row with NSW counterpart Gladys Berejiklian and standing firm on a monthly review of border bans.
Emboldened by her decisive election victory, Ms Palaszczuk said she would only review her border rules — which currently lock out greater Sydney and Victioria — at the end of each month, and only lift the bans if advised to by state Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young.
Ms Palaszczuk refused calls to consider the borders more frequently than at the end of each month. “That’s what we’ve decided to do, and it gives people certainty,” she said.
Read the full story here.
Agencies 8.45am: Italy begins month-long lockdown
Italy’s northern regions have begun a month-long lockdown and the country is braced for a new curfew, as the government tries to stem a surge in coronavirus cases despite signs of growing unrest.
The latest decree signed by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte divides Italy into three zones according to the level of risk, with a lockdown ordered for prosperous Lombardy, fellow northern regions Piedmont and Val d’Aosta, as well as one southern region, Calabria.
The normally bustling centre of Lombardy’s capital Milan was subdued on Friday, with those still circulating under grey skies heading to or from work or shopping for essentials, as allowed under the new rules.
“A lot of people see this as an unfair decision and in fact, it’s a little bit the case,” said Suzy Porcu, 55, a Milan resident. “If you need to have a lockdown it should be for everyone.” “In either case, we haven’t learned anything from what we went through in March.” Italy was the first European country to be hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic in March, and the government imposed a more than two-month quarantine that battered its already struggling economy.
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Remy Varga 8.20am: Failed quarantine ‘cost $195m’
A sweeping overhaul of Victoria’s bungled coronavirus quarantine scheme that would force some returned travellers to be fitted with monitoring devices and to self-isolate at home, while hotels would be guarded by police, has been recommended to the Andrews government.
Seeking to address the deficiencies that contributed to the state’s disastrous second wave, the Coate inquiry has revealed the scheme’s cost has ballooned out to $195m, and its proposal for a dedicated salaried workforce at each quarantine facility is set to add to the wages bill,
Repudiating the state government’s approach of “shared accountability” by ministers and bureaucrats, the inquiry proposes that one cabinet-approved department and minister be accountable for the program, which would be overseen by a new quarantine governing body.
Read the full story here.
Tom Dusevic 7:55am: Get ready for big chill in wages
More Australian workers will have their pay cut or wages frozen as companies squeeze operating costs, leaving a trail of income stagnation and wasted capacity as the nation emerges from the COVID-19 recession.
According to the Reserve Bank’s business liaison program, 30 per cent of surveyed companies have a wage freeze in place, with a further 25 per cent reporting they will be implementing a pause in the coming year.
The pandemic’s big chill on earnings is expected to be deeper and longer. With many high-paid workers taking a pay cut, salary reviews suspended and significant slack in the economy, the RBA said wage growth would be weak for years, with sub-2 per cent pay deals the likely new normal.
The last time 55 per cent of firms were reporting wage freezes was in September 2009, in the wake of the global financial crisis. A year ago, only 18 per cent of companies were telling the central bank they had instituted a pay freeze or were planning one.
“Substantial spare capacity, including high underemployment, is likely to keep wages growth and inflation low for a considerable period,” the RBA said in its quarterly statement on monetary policy, issued on Friday. The bank expects annual growth in the wage price index to slump to 1 per cent by mid-2021, and remain below 2 per cent over the next few years.
“Many firms have responded to the effects of the pandemic by freezing wages, and in some cases by imposing temporary wage cuts for some, mostly senior, staff. “Some planned wage increases have been deferred or reduced, including as a result of decisions by the Fair Work Commission and some government employers.”
Josh Frydenberg told The Weekend Australian that “the government will continue to do all that is necessary to create jobs and drive Australia’s economic recovery”.
The Treasurer said the government was providing unprecedented support to households and businesses, including the $101bn JobKeeper program and bringing forward of personal income tax cuts in last month’s budget.
John Ferguson 7:35am: Regional tourism convinced it has cabin fever cure
It’s one thing to find a vaccine for COVID-19, quite another to inoculate against lockdown-induced cabin fever.
Months after some of the most stringent coronavirus restrictions in the world, millions of Melburnians are finally on the cusp of liberation. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews will on Sunday announce a further easing of restrictions that are expected to provide a timetable for the end of 25km border controls that have stopped the flow of traffic into the regions.
The dull roar that Damien Cerantonio can hear as he walks along Anglesea’s main beach is the work of the Bass Strait as its waves crash into Point Roadknight, but the locals could be forgiven for mistaking the sound for the distant revving of cars as millions of people prepare to flee the southern capital.
“We’re crying out for Melburnians,” the Business and Tourism Anglesea Association president said.
Since March the town of 2500, which marks the start of the Great Ocean Road, has witnessed an influx of city people who have made Anglesea their principal place of residence.
This has provided extra autumn, winter and spring revenue, but the impact of long-running virus restrictions on businesses like hotels and cafes has been profound.
“I’d have to say, overall, the town and the community is certainly excited” about the easing of restrictions, he said.
Mr Cerantonio owns the Great Ocean Road Resort, one of the bigger tourism businesses in the area, and, like many, the restrictions have hit hard, even though Melbourne has been the worst affected.
Read the full story here.
Helen Trinca 6am: How co-working could survive Covid
Co-working got a bad rap during the pandemic but the sector is pushing back, arguing that its mode of shared spaces will work well for corporates forced to offer more flexible work arrangements as employees get back to the office.
Traditionally co-working spaces have been for individual contractors or freelancers but some in the sector see potential to expand their services to design and manage the communal spaces that are likely to become more common as companies move to hybrid workforces.
With some corporates keen to reduce their real estate, landlords could consider providing co-working spaces for tenants to access when needed for meetings or creative work. Other companies will choose to outsource the management of their common space to a co-working company, especially if they have concerns about maintaining COVID-19 rules.
Sheree McIntyre, country head of co-working provider JustCo Australia, says the company will offer to take on the management of co-working spaces from landlords and other building operators who may not be confident of managing the spaces.
She tells The Deal: “Everyone has realised the need for flexibility and agility.
“There are a lot of different dynamics. Is there going to be another pandemic, a situation where people will be in a tight spot, with a long lease? (Then) there’s the desire for people to stay home and avoid the commute; the importance of sanitation and employers not wanting the worry of ensuring that their workplaces are COVID-safe.”
McIntyre believes about 35 per cent of commercial office space will be dedicated to co-working by 2030, with companies already getting rid of some of their space or converting desk areas to space for collaboration and connection. Overall, there could be a permanent shrinkage of CBD office space of between 10- 25 per cent, she says.
Even before COVID, there had been estimates that at least 20 per cent of corporate space would in future be required as flexible space, with companies gradually reducing formal desk space and building more communal areas.
Read the full story here.
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South Australian man’s head missing in murder case
CCTV of a former reality TV star in the hours after she allegedly murdered her partner has emerged, as police reveal grisly new allegations surrounding the case.
Former Greens candidate undergoes surgery after protest arrest
Hannah Thomas has come away with graphic injuries after an unauthorised pro-Palestine protest descended into chaos.
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