Coronavirus Australia live news: Report slams lack of pandemic plan for elderly
Royal commission criticises absence of federal preparedness for COVID-19 for aged care residents, calls for funding so those in quarantine can receive visitors.
- Report slams absence of pandemic plan for elderly
- NZ travel bubble deals within days
- We can’t have a militant union response: PM
- NSW has three new cases
- Aus Post to hire 4000
- 15 cases, 2 deaths in Vic
Welcome to our rolling coverage of the continuing coronavirus pandemic. The aged care royal commission has slammed the lack of federal preparedness for a pandemic for aged care residents. Scott Morrison is preparing to announce deals with state governments to kickstart the trans-Tasman “travel bubble” says he will forge a new industrial relations framework with the unions and business, despite tensions at Sydney ports and fights within the government’s working groups. Australia’s smaller capital cities experienced a significant bump in residential housing prices last month. Victoria has recorded two deaths and 15 new cases today as NSW records three.
Stephen Lunn 9.45pm: Safe visits for elderly would be fine result
The Morrison government and senior federal bureaucrats have felt ambushed by the aged-care royal commission over COVID-19.
In August they could barely believe what counsel assisting the commission Peter Rozen was saying.
Rozen accused the government of having no specific COVID-19 plan in place for aged care. He said it was a healthcare plan being passed off as an aged-care plan.
And he said the government had displayed “a degree of self-congratulation and even hubris” in the lead-up to Victoria’s COVID-19 second wave that resulted in the deaths of 630 aged-care residents.
Lessons from the initial outbreak in two NSW homes in March and April were not heeded, Rozen said.
Paige Taylor 9.15pm: Pandemic’s ‘lasting benefit’ to economy
West Australian Premier Mark McGowan has boasted that the pandemic has brought lasting economic benefits to his state, while saying that if WA brought down its interstate borders, “all we will do is we will lose jobs”.
Mr McGowan insisted on Thursday that his government maintained WA’s hard border on health advice, but in an outburst that has riled the state’s Chamber of Commerce he said that there was no economic benefit in opening up.
“The benefit to opening to the Northern Territory or South Australia — for Western Australia — is not there. There is no benefit,” Mr McGowan said.
“Far more West Australians will go there on holidays than people from SA and NT come here on holidays All we will do is we will lose jobs.“
Western Australia‘s border remains closed to most but restrictions will ease slightly from Monday, when people from Victoria who are granted permission to enter WA will be able to quarantine at a house instead of under guard at a hotel at a cost of $2512.
Mr McGowan said that he would continue to resist calls to open up faster.
Matthew Denholm 8.45pm: Naval engineers vie for a ferry good deal
Thirty years after Australia last built a large steel passenger ship, shipbuilders are predicting a new boom from a surprise move by Tasmania to locally source replacement Bass Strait ferries.
Shipbuilders told The Australian the Tasmanian decision — made after the intervention of Scott Morrison — could be the catalyst for a return to large civil ship construction, alongside a pipeline of military vessels.
Incat chairman Robert Clifford said large aluminium ships built in Tasmania “will have an increased market attraction after trade is returned to ferries after COVID”.
“We are already seeing a recovery of English Channel services,” he added.
Perth-based Austal, however, is pitching traditional steel ships, with the hulls built in The Philippines because of the lack of suitable shipyards in Australia and the rest in Tasmania.
Austal says its build could be a catalyst for the development of a capacity to again build large steel hulls in Australia for civil as well as military vessels.
Rachel Baxendale 8.15pm: New cluster tied to butcher’s and household
A new coronavirus cluster has emerged in Melbourne’s southeastern suburbs linked to a butcher’s shop at the Chadstone shopping centre and a household in Frankston, as stubborn chains of infection linked to essential workers and aged-care facilities see the fall in Victoria’s new daily case numbers plateau.
There were 15 new cases of coronavirus in Victoria in the 24 hours to Thursday — seeing the state’s seven-day average increase from 12 on Tuesday and 11.7 on Wednesday to 12.1 on Thursday.
The 15 cases were also only a fraction lower than Melbourne’s 14 day daily average of 15.6 for Thursday.
AFP 7.45pm: Millions on the move as China eyes holiday bounce
Hundreds of millions in China hustled to enjoy their first major national holiday since the country beat its coronavirus outbreak, filling airports and train stations on Thursday.
The Golden Week holiday marks the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 and sees an astonishing annual movement of people trying to get home or take holidays.
But this year has added significance, with the crowds filling the concourses pointing to a country rebounding from the outbreak and parading the freedom to travel as a contrast to the rolling lockdowns hitting much of the world.
“Normally, we would take a family holiday abroad... but this year we opted for a staycation instead,” said Niu Honglin from Shanghai.
Niu booked rooms in a boutique hotel near Shanghai Disneyland but quickly encountered the problem of millions of extra tourists hunting fun at home.
“My daughter had to wait in line for nearly three hours to get on a ride,” she said.
Domestic travel has sprung back to life and given the economy a boost after the virus shuttered businesses and scared away tourists following its emergence in Wuhan late last year.
READ MORE: NZ travel bubble deals within days
Chris Smyth 7.20pm: UK second wave is out of control
British health experts have admitted that the coronavirus is out of control as case numbers and hospital admissions rise despite a slew of new restrictions on social gatherings.
“Things are definitely heading in the wrong direction,” British Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance told a government briefing on Thursday (AEST), as a further 7108 cases and 71 deaths were reported.
As England Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty warned hospitalisations and intensive care admissions were rising, Sir Patrick added: “We don’t have this under control at the moment.”
More than 42,000 people have died from COVID-19 in Britain, the worst toll in Europe, despite a nationwide stay-at-home order imposed in late March.
Will Pavia 6.50pm: Unwanted pregnancies to top 7m
The UN has warned of a boom in unintended pregnancies during the coronavirus pandemic as millions of women are cut off from family planning services.
Evidence that women have lost access to contraceptives has emerged in field reports and studies in Europe, Asia and the Americas, according to the UN Population Fund.
In April, the agency predicted seven million unwanted pregnancies and initial studies have suggested that its forecast was accurate.
Rachel Baxendale 6.22pm: Quarantine workers replaced with DJCS staff, Victoria Police
Victoria’s Department of Justice and Community Safety has confirmed staff from cleaning and catering company Spotless were on Wednesday replaced by DJCS staff and Victoria Police, but provided no explanation for why this occurred.
The intervention followed media inquiries regarding the concerns of a health worker involved in the program, who warned Nine Newspapers she feared the practices of Spotless staff could lead to further outbreaks which could trigger a third wave of coronavirus in Victoria.
It also followed The Australian’s confirmation on Tuesday that nine staff members working at the Brady and Grand Chancellor had been infected since late July, including a staff member from each of the Department of Health and Human Services and Victoria Police, two Alfred Health staff members, and five Spotless workers.
Late on Thursday, a DJCS spokeswoman confirmed residents at the Brady had been “safely reaccommodated in a planned move under strict infection control processes on Monday and Tuesday,” which has seen them moved to the Novotel South Wharf.
“The move comes amid ongoing 24/7 construction work on the Metro Tunnel project near the hotel site, which was impacting residents and limiting access to the hotel by Victoria Police and other health service providers,” the spokeswoman said.
“During the reset of the health hotels under the management of Department of Justice and Community Safety (DJCS), Spotless staff carried out additional non-clinical support duties, which have now been taken over by DJCS staff and Victoria Police.
“These duties included grocery, care package and identification checks and floor monitoring roles which involved reporting any incidents to Victoria Police to action as the security provider.
“Floor monitors wore full PPE and were trained in PPE use and infection control with oversight from DJCS and Alfred Health.
“Victoria Police have had a 24/7 hour presence at health hotels since Friday 17 July, including a presence at Novotel South Wharf since it became operational on Monday, 28 September, and now also undertake all floor monitoring responsibilities at the health hotel.”
READ MORE: Andrews downplays replacement of quarantine workers with police
Rachel Baxendale 6.10pm: 135 active Victorian cases linked to aged care
There are 135 active cases of coronavirus linked to Victorian aged care facilities as of Thursday - 12 fewer than on Wednesday - despite three of Thursday’s new cases being linked to aged care.
As of Thursday there have been 634 coronavirus deaths linked to aged care facilities in Victoria, including both deaths reported in the 24 hours to Thursday.
The 10 aged care outbreaks with the highest numbers of active cases as of Thursday and deaths if any as of September 8 (the most recent date for which data is available) are:
- 32 active cases linked to Estia Keilor in Melbourne’s outer northwest - down from 33 on Wednesday (46 total). It is understood this cluster began when a resident returned from being treated for an unrelated condition at Footscray Hospital, having contracted coronavirus;
- 19 active cases linked to Embracia Moonee Valley in Melbourne’s northwest - the same as Wednesday (80 total, 5 deaths);
- 15 active cases linked to Opal Hobsons Bay Altona North in Melbourne’s southwest - down from 21 on Wednesday (46 total - an increase of two since Wednesday).
- 14 active cases linked to Edenvale Manor Keilor East, in Melbourne’s outer northwest - the same as Wednesday (23 total);
- 10 active cases linked to BaptCare Wyndham Lodge Community Werribee in Melbourne’s outer southwest - down from 12 on Wednesday (260 total, 18 deaths);
- Seven active cases linked to Doutta Galla Woornack, in Sunshine, in Melbourne’s west - the same as Wednesday (60 total);
- Seven active cases linked to Mercy Place Parkville in Melborune’s inner north - the same as Wednesday (104 total, 14 deaths);
- Four active cases linked to Churches of Christ Care Arcadia in Essendon, in Melbourne’s northwest - the same as Wednesday (22 total, one death);
- Four active cases linked to Twin Parks in Reservoir, in Melbourne’s north - the same as Wednesday (127 total, 20 deaths);
- Three active cases linked to Epping Gardens in Epping, in Melbourne’s north - the same as Wednesday (220 total, 35 deaths);
Non-aged care outbreaks with the highest numbers of active cases on Wednesday include:
Eight 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. (total cases: 8);
Six active cases linked to the Casey community outbreak involving at least seven households in Melbourne’s outer southeast - down from eight active cases on Wednesday (total cases: 45);
Four active cases are currently linked to the Springvale shared accommodation outbreak in Melbourne’s outer southeast - down from five active cases on Wednesday (total cases: 5);
Three active cases linked to Footscray Hospital in Melbourne’s inner west - the same as Wednesday (total cases: 20);
Three active cases linked to The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne’s inner southeast - down from four active cases on Wednesday (total cases: 11)
READ MORE: Nikki Savva — Andrews knows he can’t survive a third wave
Rachel Baxendale 5.45pm: 4273 cases in Victoria unable to be traced
There have now been 4273 cases in Victoria since the pandemic began where contact tracers have been unable to identify a source of infection - an increase of one case since Wednesday.
Of 20,183 people who have had coronavirus in Victoria since the pandemic began, 19,034 have recovered - an increase of 28 since Wednesday.
Of 289 active cases in Victoria on Thursday, 286 are in people from metropolitan Melbourne, while three are in people from regional Victoria.
Of the total number of cases since the pandemic began, 18,791 have been in people from Melbourne, while 1192 have been in those from regional Victoria.
There have been 9623 cases in men (an increase of five since Wednesday) and 10,546 in women (an increase of nine since Wednesday).
The total number of cases in health workers has increased by two since Tuesday, to 3544, although the number of active cases in health workers decreased by one to 45.
There is one case linked to residential disability accommodation - in a staff member. This is the same number as on Wednesday.
READ MORE: Working from home ‘hurting productivity’
Rachel Baxendale 5.38pm: Four new cases linked to Chadstone butcher
Four of Victoria’s 15 new coronavirus cases on Thursday have been linked to a butcher at the Chadstone shopping centre in Melbourne’s southeast, while another three have been linked to aged care facilities and the remaining eight are under investigation.
A total of eight cases, including two of Wednesday’s new cases have now been linked to the Chadstone cluster which Deputy Chief Health Officer Allen Cheng said was linked to a household in Frankston in Melbourne’s outer southeast, and The Butcher Club store in Chadstone shopping centre.
The Department of Health and Human Services says a staff member who has since tested positive for the virus worked at The Butcher Club from 6am to 6pm from Wednesday to Saturday last week inclusive.
Nearby public toilets at what is Melbourne’s largest shopping centre have also been listed as a “high risk” location, as has the Coles supermarket at Chadstone, where a customer who has since tested positive attended for about 15 minutes on Sunday.
Also added to the list on Thursday are Chadstone Aldi, after a customer shopped there for an hour between 8 and 9am on September 19, almost a fortnight ago, and Chadstone Woolworths, for the same time period.
Chemist Warehouse in Toorak Rd, Burwood, also in the southeastern suburbs, has also been added to the list on Thursday after a customer visited on September 20 at about 4pm, as have Hedgley Dene Gardens in Malvern East after a person who walked there for an hour between 10:30 and 11:30am on Sunday tested positive for the virus.
Of Thursday’s three cases linked to aged care facilities:
- Bupa Edithvale, in Melbourne’s outer southeast. DHHS has not mentioned this cluster since September 8, when it had been linked to 82 cases and 17 deaths;
- TLC Noble Manor in Noble Park, also in Melbourne’s outer southeast. DHHS has never previously mentioned cases at this facility;
- Opal Hobsons Bay in Altona North in Melbourne’s inner southwest. There are 15 active cases currently linked to this facility (46 total);
The following Melbourne local government areas have new coronavirus cases on Thursday:
- Casey (outer southeast): 5
- Greater Dandenong (outer southeast): 2
- Maribyrnong (west): 2
- Monash (southeast): 2
- Boroondara (east): 1
- Glen Eira (southeast): 1
- Wyndham (outer southwest): 1
- Yarra (inner northeast): 1
READ MORE: NZ travel bubble deals within days
Stephen Lunn 4.45pm: Aged care report slams absence of pandemic plan
The aged care royal commission has called on the government to fund extra staff to ensure nursing home residents locked up in COVID quarantine can receive visitors.
And the commission says Medicare funding should also be provided for mental health services and allied health in aged care during the pandemic to prevent further deterioration.
In a special report to parliament, the commission levelled criticism at the federal government for not having a COVID-19 plan specifically for aged care during the pandemic, and proposed it establish a permanent national aged care advisory body and publish a national aged care plan.
The commission held a separate session in August on COVID-19, during which counsel assisting accused the government of “hubris” over its handling of aged care during the crisis, which has so far claimed the lives of more than 670 people in aged care.
In a subsequent submission, the government flatly rejected that allegation and said government officials had worked extremely hard from the early days of the pandemic to protect those in care.
But the commission’s special report found there was confusion among providers about who was in charge.
“Confused and inconsistent messaging from providers, the Australian Government, and State and Territory Governments emerged as themes in the submissions we have received on COVID-19,” the commission’s special report said.
“All too often, providers, care recipients and their families, and health workers did not have an answer to the critical question: who is in charge? At a time of crisis, such as this pandemic, clear leadership, direction and lines of communication are essential.”
Rachel Baxendale 4.20pm: Andrews downplays fresh quarantine staff stand-downs
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has sought to downplay revelations that hotel quarantine floor monitors from cleaning and catering company Spotless were stood down mid-shift and replaced with police on Wednesday amid infection control concerns, claiming the overhauled program is “changing and evolving”.
Victoria ceased receiving international arrivals in late June, as it emerged that a second wave of coronavirus cases now linked to at least 781 deaths, more than 18,000 infections and a crippling three month lockdown had been sparked by infection control breaches at two of the Andrews government’s quarantine hotels.
However, the Grand Chancellor and Brady Hotels in Melbourne’s CBD have more recently been set up as quarantine hotels to house vulnerable, largely coronavirus-positive people who cannot isolate at home, under the management of the Department of Justice and Community Safety, with assistance from Alfred Health, Corrections Victoria, Victoria Police and Spotless.
The Grand Chancellor ceased being used as a quarantine hotel on September 14 and the Brady was replaced by the Novotel South Wharf on Tuesday.
Late on Wednesday a DJCS spokeswoman confirmed that Spotless staff at the Novotel “health hotel” had been replaced mid-shift by Victoria Police members.
The intervention followed Nine Newspapers drawing the state government’s attention to the concerns of a health worker involved in the program, who warned The Age she feared the practices of Spotless staff could lead to further outbreaks which could trigger a third wave of coronavirus in Victoria.
It also followed The Australian’s confirmation on Tuesday that nine staff members working at the Brady and Grand Chancellor had been infected since late July, including a staff member from each of the Department of Health and Human Services and Victoria Police, two Alfred Health staff members, and five Spotless workers.
Asked on Thursday why the Spotless workers had been stood down mid-shift, Mr Andrews said the Spotless staff were not security guards, referring to a statement by Alfred Health, despite the fact that the scheme is managed by DJCS.
In the statement, Alfred Health said: “Alfred Health’s current role is to deliver clinical services, infection prevention and control expertise, as well as pathogen cleaning.”
“Spotless, a long-term contract partner to Alfred Health for non-clinical services, has supported the health service in the mandatory quarantine program,” the statement said.
“They have provided specialised cleaning and, until Wednesday 30 September, customer service and floor monitor roles.
“Spotless staff were not employed in security roles in hotel quarantine. As part of their induction process, Spotless staff undertake extensive PPE training prior to commencement of duties.
“There have been no outbreaks of COVID-19 at hotels where Alfred Health has been involved, and we thank our staff who are working tirelessly in these changed environments to protect the community.”
Mr Andrews sought to justify the involvement of Spotless workers, saying he did not “think anyone expects members of Victoria Police to be cleaning rooms.”
Asked why Victoria Police had replaced Spotless workers mid-shift, Mr Andrew said: “As I understand it, there are a series of different points at which the program is changing and evolving and I couldn‘t, for instance, as I stand here now say to you that that is the last change.
Mr Andrews was unable to say why the Brady had been replaced by the Novotel.
Of the nine hotel quarantine staff infected, a DJCS spokeswoman said one of the staff members had likely acquired the virus through an aged-care facility, another through public housing, and a third via a cluster among Victoria Police, with at least seven of the cases “assessed as most likely occurring from community transmission”.
The spokeswoman said five of the nine had contact with known household cases, while the final case “was considered to be likely community transmission in a hotspot”.
On Wednesday, the hotel quarantine inquiry confirmed it would be “making further enquiries regarding the operation of the Brady and Grand Chancellor Hotels” in light of reporting by The Australian and other outlets regarding the staff cases.
READ MORE: Nine staff infected at two Melb hotels
Rosie Lewis 4.05pm: NZ ‘travel bubble’ deals within days
Scott Morrison is preparing to announce deals with state governments to kickstart the trans-Tasman “travel bubble”, with Sydney and Adelaide set to be the first airports receiving New Zealanders who will not have to undergo a fortnight of hotel quarantine.
Government sources said an announcement was expected before next week’s budget after the Prime Minister and his Kiwi counterpart Jacinda Ardern discussed plans as recently as Tuesday.
The Morrison government will need to reach agreement with each state about how the travel bubble will work and is talking up NSW and South Australia being the first cab off the rank because their borders are completely open.
“I hope very soon to see New Zealanders coming and holidaying in Australia,” Mr Morrison told the National Press Club in Canberra.
“I can’t tell you Australians will be able to holiday in New Zealand, but that’s their problem. I’m happy for Kiwi tourists to come here and spend money in NSW and South Australia. They’re very, very welcome.”
READ the full story here
Remy Varga 2.05pm: ‘No evidence’ Andrews curfew alone keeps cases down
The senior health bureaucrat who extended Melbourne’s now revoked curfew says there is no evidence the measure alone keeps coronavirus numbers down, a court has heard.
But senior medical adviser for the Department of Health and Human Services Michelle Giles told the Supreme Court on Thursday that the curfew was just one measure in a package of restrictions that reduced coronavirus transmission.
“What I say is the curfew is part of a package of directions that aim at reducing movement and interactions between people and there is evidence that reduces transmissions,” she said.
When asked by Marcus Clarke, who is representing cafe owner and Liberal Party member Michelle Loielo, if there was evidence on the curfew in isolation reducing transmission, she said there was not.
Associate Professor Giles signed off on the curfew extension when filling in as deputy Public Health Commander but said she wasn’t involved in drafting or discussions around the continued restrictions.
“I am part of the public health unit but I was in role of deputy public health commander for four days … I was not a part of that or those discussions,” she said.
Professor Giles denied she signed off on the restrictions on behalf of Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, or because she felt obligated to follow the state government’s road map.
She said she disagreed with Mr Andrews comments that the curfew was introduced as an enforcement measure to assist Victoria Police after being taken to several of the Premier’s public comments on the contentious measure.
“I didn’t consider myself duty bound, I actually considered the curfew in relation to public health,” she said. “I don’t agree with those comments, particularly the law enforcement one.”
When asked if it was a “coincidence” the road map aligned with when she signed the public health directives, Professor Giles said: “The road map was informed by public health advice so I don’t think it’s coincidental,” she said.
“The priority is to protect Victorians and reduce the risk of Covid, so I’m not surprised there’s some alliance with that [road map].”
The curfew was introduced on August 2 as a COVID-19 prevention measure and extended by Professor Giles from September 14, when it went from 8pm to 5am to 9pm to 5am.
In Ms Loielo‘s second affidavit, released on Thursday, the widowed mother-of-three said she felt “a sense of dread and anxiety” whenever Mr Andrews fronted the media.
“Every time I see the Premier, Daniel Andrews on the television and every time I hear the Premier speak, I feel a sense of dread and anxiety,” she said.
“I feel this way because I am insecure about whether he is going to reimpose the curfew, simply because he has the power to do so.”
The cases continues.
READ MORE: Golf thrives in the age of Covid
Richard Ferguson 1.48pm: Morrison flags new IR framework with unions
Scott Morrison says he will forge a new industrial relations framework with the unions and business, despite tensions at Sydney ports and fights within the government’s working groups.
Government ministers have blasted the blockage of ports like Port Botany by the MUA and there have been divisions within the business community over the level of ground given to the ACTU in the discussions on a new framework being led by Industrial Relations Minister Christian Porter.
The Prime Minister told The National Press Club on Wednesday that a deal can still be struck on a new IR system, but militant action cannot continue in the midst of a pandemic.
“There have been a few disagreements along the way, not to be – not unexpected. But at the same time, people have remained at the table,” he said.
“And the Attorney-General and I have been very grateful for that, as has the Treasurer. And we have finished that round of the process, and that is being distilled by the Attorney-General, as Minister for Industrial Relations, and he is now fashioning a plan that will come forward to the Cabinet.
“We can’t have the rather militant response and approach that we’re currently seeing out there in Port Botany … My hope is that is an outlier, that that is an aberration, that that is not a position that is more broadly shared among those in the industrial relations area.”
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Michael McKenna 1.18pm: Adani royalties agreement a done deal
The Palaszczuk government has signed the long-stalled royalties agreement with Adani over its controversial coal mine project in central Queensland.
Only days out from the beginning of the state election campaign, the Indian conglomerate and treasurer Cameron Dick have struck a deal over the $2 billion mine, expected to go into production next year.
Sources said the new royalties deal was negotiated in haste over the past few weeks amid concerns it would become an issue ahead of the October 31 election with Labor under threat in a number of marginal seats in regional Queensland.
READ the Michael McKenna’s exclusive story here
Tom Whipple 1.05pm: Blame the ancestors for coronavirus
This year could have gone very differently if some of our ancestors had not been quite so oversexed 60,000 years ago.
Common genes that double the risk of severe COVID-19 came to us because of interbreeding with Neanderthals, scientists have said. These genes can be found in about one in six ethnic Europeans and one in two South Asians. They occur at the highest frequency in Bangladesh, where they are present in almost two thirds of the population.
The Times
READ the full story here
Paige Taylor 12.43pm: Other states just want WA money: McGowan
West Australian Premier Mark McGowan says calls for his government to open its borders to the rest of Australia are self-interested and a grab for WA residents’ high incomes.
“The benefit to opening to the Northern Territory or South Australia — for Western Australia — is not there. There is no benefit,” Mr McGowan said.
“Far more West Australians will go there on holidays than people from SA and NT come here on holidays
“All we will do is we will lose jobs.”
Western Australia’s border remains closed to most until October 5, when current restrictions are expected to be eased. Exemptions will still be necessary, and those allowed in will still be required to quarantine.
“The other states want us to open the border so that WA tourists will flood east not so that people from the east will come here,” Mr McGowan said.
“They are only saying all this for very self interested reasons because we have higher incomes, we have people that are more used to travelling and therefore we will have more tourists go from WA to the east. That is why they are saying this. They are not advocating it for any other reason that they want to see WA incomes spent in Sydney or Brisbane or wherever it might be.
“Our view is let’s just be cautious, let’s keep the virus out and when the health advice says we can bring the border down we will.”
WA has not recorded a case of coronavirus in the community for 175 days.
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RICHARD Ferguson 12.30pm: WATCH LIVE: Scott Morrison delivers pre-Budget speech
Scott Morrison is delivering his speech at the Press Club in Canberra. Watch in the video above.
David Ross 12.24pm: Victorians want to return to indoor dining: survey
A slim majority of Victorians are in favour of returning indoor dining to pubs, clubs, hotels and cafes, as the state heads towards a limited reopening of the hospitality sector built around outdoor dining.
The support for a return to indoor dining comes as a large jump on past research conducted by Roy Morgan, up 19 per cent on the same survey three weeks ago to 56 per cent.
The survey points to a shifting in attitudes across the states as well as a slipping in Daniel Andrew’s approval ratings, which are still strongly in the positive with 61 per cent of those surveyed approving of him. The survey also signals a majority of Victorians may be tiring of the social distancing measures put in place to clamp down on the spread of COVID-19 in the state.
Support for ending the 5km travel ban has risen to 61 per cent, up from 50 per cent three weeks ago.
Almost two in three Melbourne residents support lifting the travel bans, but rural Victorians continue to support it, with an almost two in three opposition.
The Roy Morgan data shows supports of the Liberals and Nationals were most strongly in favour of lifting bans on visiting families, with 57 per cent in favour, closely followed by the Greens at 56 per cent.
However, supporters of the ALP continue to oppose the restoration of family visits with only 42 per cent supporting lifting the restriction.
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Anthony Piovesan 12.19pm: Big threat to Melbourne’s freedom
Health authorities are scrambling to stop an outbreak from spiralling out of control across Melbourne’s southeastern suburbs.
While announcing 15 new virus cases and two more deaths on Thursday, deputy chief health officer Allen Cheng said a “situation in Frankston” had emerged, traced back to infected workers at Chadstone Shopping Centre.
Prof Cheng said there had been eight infected people who had worked in the fresh food section of the popular shopping centre, causing the whole precinct to be added to the health department’s COVID-19 hotspot list.
“At Frankston there is an outbreak that involves a household that is being supported to isolate,” he told reporters on Thursday morning.
“I think it is about eight or nine people in the household. One of the members works at Chadstone, and I don’t know off the top of my head how many cases, but I think a lot of them have had infection and are being supported to isolate, and we thank them for their co-operation.”
Prof Cheng said the cases in the household had contributed to the state’s daily virus tallies across the past two days and assured staff at Chadstone had been contact traced.
“The staff have been contact traced and cleaning has occurred, so it is perfectly safe to go back into Chadstone at this time,” he said.
“There has been a case that has worked there from 23rd to 28th September, so any people that have been into that area over that time, if they have the slightest symptoms, if you could please come forward to be tested.” — NCA Newswire
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Nicola Berkovic 11.34am: Hotel inquiry barrister joins list of new silks
Counsel-assisting Victoria’s hotel quarantine inquiry Ben Ihle has laid out a litany of failings by public service chiefs that contributed to a second-wave virus outbreak in his state.
But the Melbourne-based barrister has just been recognised for his own expertise on the job — becoming one of 18 barristers to be appointed to the prestigious ranks of senior counsel on Thursday.
READ the full story and FULL LIST of Victoria’s new silks here
Rachel Baxendale 11.29am: Mystery cases persist in Victoria
Eight of Victoria’s 15 new coronavirus cases remain under investigation on Thursday, while seven have been linked to known outbreaks.
There are now 289 active cases statewide — a decrease of 16 active cases since Wednesday, and the first time the state has had fewer than 300 active cases since June 29.
One previously reported case has been reclassified, meaning the cumulative number of cases since the pandemic began has risen by 14 since Wednesday.
Two deaths reported in the 24 hours to Thursday have taken Victoria’s coronavirus death toll to 800.
The latest deaths include those of a woman in her 70s and a woman in her 90s, both of which have been linked to aged care.
Victoria’s coronavirus death toll in aged care is now 634.
Thursday’s cumulative increase of 14 cases has actually seen the state’s seven day average increase since Wednesday, from 9.9 to 11.1.
As of Thursday, there are 38 people in Victorian hospitals with coronavirus, including six in intensive care, of whom three are on ventilators.
This compares with 44 people in hospital on Wednesday, including six in intensive care, of whom three were on ventilators.
There were 14,709 tests processed in the 24 hours to Thursday, bringing the total number of tests processed in Victoria since the pandemic began to 2,709,688.
Victoria’s positive test rate for Thursday is 0.10 per cent, up very slightly on 0.07 per cent on both Monday and Wednesday, which was the lowest positive test rate since June.
There are 135 active cases linked to aged care as of Thursday, down from 147 on Wednesday.
This represents 46.7 per cent of the total 289 active cases statewide.
There are 45 active cases in health workers, including aged care and disability workers, down from 46 on Wednesday.
The number of cases in regional Victoria is just three — the same as on Wednesday.
There is one case linked to residential disability accommodation Thursday — the same number as on Wednesday.
This case is a staff member.
READ MORE: Working from home ‘hurting productivity’
Remy Varga 11.24am: Senior bureaucrat called to curfew legal challenge
A legal bid to declare Victorian government’s curfew unlawful will proceed after the restriction was revoked, with a senior health bureaucrat to be called as witness.
On Thursday, Justice Timothy Ginnane said it was best the matter proceed to a single trial to “avoid the possibility of fragmentation of proceedings”.
The bid was launched by Mornington Peninsula cafe owner and Liberal Party member Michelle Loielo before Victorian Premier Andrews revoked the curfew on Sunday – the day before the matter was due to appear.
In Ms Loielo’s second affidavit, released on Thursday, the widowed mother-of-three said she felt “a sense of dread and anxiety” whenever Mr Andrews fronted the media.
“Every time I see the Premier, Daniel Andrews on the television and every time I hear the Premier speak, I feel a sense of dread and anxiety,” she said.
“I feel this way because I am insecure about whether he is going to reimpose the curfew, simply because he has the power to do so.”
Justice Ginnane said further senior health bureaucrat Michelle Giles may be called as witness to give evidence on why she chose to extend Melbourne’s curfew.
The curfew was introduced on August 2 as a COVID-19 prevention measure and extended by Professor Giles from September 14, when it went from 8pm to 5am to 9pm to 5am.
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Rachel Baxendale 11.18am: PlayStation purchase beyond the 5km limit
A maskless man trying to buy a PlayStation controller more than 5km from his home and two blokes who said they were going to a mate’s place for a haircut were among 80 fined by Victoria Police for breaching coronavirus restrictions on Wednesday.
Police said the man was found “waiting outside an electronics store in Maribyrnong (in Melbourne’s west), wanting to buy a PS4 controller.”
“The man was more than 5km from home and was not wearing a mask,” police said.
Another two men were found in Boroondara, in Melbourne’s inner east, “more than 5km from their homes, without a permitted reason.”
“They explained they were going to their friend’s house to have a haircut,” police said.
As of Wednesday, the state had 305 known active cases of coronavirus, including just three in regional Victoria, with 15 new cases reported in the 24 hours to Thursday.
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 seven $200 fines for failing to wear a face covering in the 24 hours to Thursday, as well as 14 fines as a result of 23,006 checks conducted at vehicle checkpoints.
Police conducted 1748 spot checks on people at homes, businesses and public places in the 24 hours to Thursday, with a total of 472,363 spot checks conducted since March 21.
READ MORE: Google shows off 5G phones
Erin Lyons 11.08am: Three new cases of COVID recorded in NSW
There have been three new cases of coronavirus diagnosed in New South Wales up to 8pm on Wednesday.
Two are in hotel quarantine and a third is locally acquired with no known link.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the local case is a man in his 50s from Sydney’s south west who is an old case but was added to Thursday’s numbers.
“The epidemiological and laboratory investigations indicate the infection likely occurred two months ago,” NSW Health said in a statement.
Ms Berejiklian said while we’ve had another day of no community transmission residents “should not assume this zero number is going to continue,” she said.
“We know the disease is lurking in the community so I don’t want anyone to be surprised if tomorrow or the day after we get cases of community transmission.”
This marks the sixth day in a row NSW has recorded no cases of community transmission.
More info here: https://t.co/RNrJ2kmENR
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) October 1, 2020
The new figures come after Health Minister Brad Hazzard revealed NSW residents would need to wait a little longer before reopening the Victorian border.
“I certainly would want to see a more stable situation in Victoria before we move forward,” he said.
”It’s so hard. If we move to further ease restrictions, and then have to go backwards (that is) not something that community would want.”
But Mr Hazzard had a different view when it came to the Queensland border.
“There is no question in my mind that politics is playing too great a part in the decision making on the Queensland border with NSW,” he said. — NCA Newswires
READ MORE: Inquiry to look into hotel staff
Anne Barrowclough 10.52am: Sparks as NZ leaders clash in ‘pub quiz’
It wasn’t quite the cage fight of the Trump-Biden debate, but sparks certainly flew when Jacinda Ardern and Judith Collins went head to head in a debate the NZ Prime Minister later described as “a pop quiz.”
READ the full story here
Rachel Baxendale 10.46am: Andrews to address media at 11.15am
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is due to address the media at 11:15am.
He will be joined by Minister for Disability, Ageing, Carers and Child Protection, Luke Donnellan.
The press conference comes amid questions over how much has been learnt regarding the mistakes in hotel quarantine that led to Victoria’s deadly second wave of coronavirus, after Spotless floor monitors were removed from the overhauled system mid-shift on Wednesday and replaced with police amid concerns over infection control.
The events followed The Australian revealing earlier this week that nine workers in the revamped system have been infected with coronavirus since late July.
READ MORE: Victoria faces costly credit rating
Sarah Elks 10.36am: Queensland reveals possible border reopening timetable
The earliest Queensland’s border could reopen to all of New South Wales is 1am on November 1, Deputy Premier Steven Miles has confirmed.
Queensland’s criteria for reopening its borders is 28 days without an “unlinked case” in another state, Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said.
For NSW to hit the 28-day milestone, the earliest that could happen would be October 22.
That would then trigger discussions between health authorities, government and police about the border potentially reopening.
Mr Miles said those discussions and decisions would still happen, even though the government would be in caretaker mode, ahead of the October 31 state election. Mr Miles said Opposition leader Deb Frecklington would continue to be offered briefings with the Chief Health Officer whenever she wanted them.
“We’ll continue to make them as we have been based on the health advice, we continue to be the government right through to election day,” he said.
Usually, the government begins the discussions about the borders on the 22nd of each month, and then border restrictions are eased at 1am on the first day of the new month, he said.
Mr Miles said if NSW hit the 28 days of no unlinked cases, the earliest the border could hypothetically reopen would be 1am November 1.
READ MORE: Regional recovery — first rain, then gas
Jack Paynter 10.31am: Brighton ‘Karen’ ditches Victoria
Social media sensation Karen from Brighton has said adios to Victoria and is making the move north in her latest gibe at Premier Daniel Andrews’ continuing lockdown.
One of the latest in a number of high-profile and wealthy Victorians to make the dash north to escape the state’s crippling coronavirus restrictions, the woman dubbed Karen for Brighton will become Karen from Queensland.
Jodi Grollo, who shot to fame when she complained about walking the same streets of Brighton, told her Instagram followers through a hilarious song that she was moving to Queensland after a mandatory two-week stay in a Northern Territory quarantine facility.
And she said the move would probably be permanent. — NCA Newswire
READ the full story here
David Ross 10.21am: ‘We can’t put all our eggs in the bamboo basket’
Manufacturing peak body Australian Industry Group head Innes Willox has welcomed the government’s announcements to support the Australian manufacturing sector.
“They have picked six priority areas but that’s not to the exclusion of everything else and nor should it be seen that way, but these are six areas where we do have competitive advantage or real strengths either through natural resources or skill,” Mr Willox told ABC News.
“The COVID pandemic has really made everyone sort of rethink the role of industry in Australia’s economy. There’s been many story, many, sort of, obituaries written for manufacturing and industry and they have proven to be wrong.”
Mr Willox said going forward Australia needed to focus on innovation and development of key sectors of the economy.
‘This package alone is very important at setting benchmarks for us as a country but we now need to develop the tax base, the skills base, the energy base, all of these to turn what this vision into a reality,” he said.
“We really need to develop our skills base … over time and we need to look to become technology leaders and innovation leader and the word ‘innovation’ needs to be back on the agenda.
“We need to be innovative. We can’t just, sort of, limp along. We need to have a strategy which puts innovation at its core and new technologies and making Australia a leader in the areas where we think that we can be.”
Mr Willox said the plan was not about returning Australia to “the glory days”.
“I don’t think we should be aiming for that, we need to do what we do well and be world-leading and world-class,” he said.
He said the plan would go to diversifying Australia’s economy away from China, an issue that had been highlighted after materials and products ran short after the early lockdowns in Wuhan and many parts of China at the beginning of the pandemic.
“We can’t put all our eggs in the bamboo basket,” he said.
“China is still going to be an important trading partner for us, but businesses more and more are looking to diversify risk and that’s not just away from China, but it’s just a general concept to find new markets, new sources of material and to diversify.”
READ MORE: FBI gives us inside running on China
Sarah Elks 10.16am: Sewage points to North Queensland virus puzzle
A fever clinic will be set up again at the Queensland tourist town of Airlie Beach, after another sewage test found “positive virus” in regional north Queensland.
Health Minister and Deputy Premier Steven Miles said there had been a positive COVID-19 test result in the sewage at Cannonvale, in the Whitsunday region north of Airlie Beach.
Mr Miles said it could be related to the positive sewage test result authorities saw in the area last month.
“But as a precaution and to ensure we maintain high testing rates there, the fever clinic in Airlie Beach will be set up once again,” he said.
Mr Miles said the Australian Defence Force was no longer providing soldiers to man Queensland’s borders, but the troops were continuing to help with hotel quarantine.
READ MORE: Cruisers infected others on flight
Mackenzie Scott 10.00am: Big cities weigh on housing market
Australia’s smaller capital cities experienced a significant bump in residential housing prices last month from confidence gained through virus control and lessen social and economic restrictions.
Property prices rose in all capital cities except Sydney and Melbourne through the month of September, according to housing researcher CoreLogic’s latest monthly index.
Brisbane prices were up 0.5 per cent, outpaced by Adelaide (up 0.8 per cent). Hobart and Canberra each rose by 0.4 per cent while Perth prices increased 0.2 per cent. Darwin continued its pattern of renewed strength, up 1.6 per cent for the month, and reported the strongest growth for the third quarter of 2020 of any capital (up 2.3 per cent).
Sydney and Melbourne housing markets still felt the impact of the circulating virus, down 0.3 per cent and 0.9 per cent respectively. Given the two cities make up approximately 40 per cent of the country’s housing market by number of properties, they effectively pushed the national price result down for a fifth straight month, dipping 0.1 per cent over September.
CoreLogic’s head of research Tim Lawless said that while the roll back of economic stimulus and the looming “fiscal cliff” may be of some concern moving forward, the housing market is still in a good place to continue its recovery.
“The headwinds are very clear,” Mr Lawless said.
“We are expecting that as we see home loan deferrals either expiring or resulting in urgent listings coming into the market, there could be some downward pressure. You‘ve also got the wind back of fiscal stimulus.
“But I‘ve got a strong suspicion that the tailwinds might be stronger. It sounds like the RBA is seriously contemplating pushing the cash rate even lower (and) we’re expecting to see some big announcements around additional spending from the federal government in the budget. announcement. If it actually gets enacted from March next year, we’ll probably see credit becoming a little bit more freely flowing.
“I think all those factors together are probably going to outweigh the headwinds and continue to see the housing market move along a gradual recovery path”
Treechangers and seachangers kept regional prices pushing higher, up 0.4 per cent for the month, a contrast to the 0.2 per cent fall across the combined capitals.
Affordability in the smaller capitals relative to Sydney and Melbourne and strong first homebuyer activity helped activity in the lower and middle of the market. The bottom quarter of the combined capital cities was up 0.4 per cent over the three months to September.
It is in stark contrast with the top end of properties, which fell 2.6 per cent over the same period. Mr Lawless did note the change could be partially linked to the strong momentum of growth that had been building prior to the pandemic.
Prices have also been insulated by the low number of available properties on the market. New listings were down 22 per cent nationally year-on-year and sat 25 per below the five year average. But the data shows demand is still driving sales, with the number of transactions over the September quarter up 2.8 per cent on last year.
READ MORE: Women overtake men on JobSeeker
Sarah Elks 9.54am: Queensland records another day of zero cases
Queensland has recorded another day of zero new COVID-19 cases, with the number of active cases dropping to just four across the state.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk — still in Cairns as part of a pre-election campaign state tour – said the state’s total remained at 1157.
Ms Palaszczuk says Queensland’s border ban is backed by the federal committee of chief health officers, and hoped it would be taken to national cabinet.
Ms Palaszczuk said Queensland’s health advice was that there needed to be no community transmission in NSW and VIC for 28 days before reopening Queensland’s borders to those states.
She said the position was endorsed by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee, but “unfortunately” it hadn’t been taken to national cabinet.
Ms Palaszczuk said restrictions were easing from today in Queensland, including more people to be allowed in theme parks and zoos, outdoor beer gardens and cafes, and sporting events.
From today, people living in more NSW postcodes will be allowed to cross the Queensland border, even though there are hiccups with the border exemption website.
Asked how she rated her chances at the October 31 Queensland election, Ms Palaszczuk said: “it’s going to be a very tough election battle”.
“I’m focused on one thing, keeping Queenslanders safe and getting people secure jobs,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
“That’s what I’ve been doing every single day and that’s what I’ll continue to do.
READ MORE: Tourism bounty to conserve the Reef
ROBERT Gottliebsen 9.48am: Could co-ops work for manufacturing?
What remains of the local manufacturing industry consists of smaller enterprises. Networking could give them a leg up.
READ Robert Gottliebsen’s full story here
Robyn Ironside 9.32am: Airport boss backs review of restrictions
Sydney Airport CEO Geoff Culbert has thrown his support behind a federal government review of regulations that “restrict the way the airport operates”.
The review of Sydney’s demand management system is flagged in an issues paper to be released on Thursday by Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack.
Demand management at the airport is handled in a number of ways including the 11pm to 6am curfew, an 80-runway movements an hour cap and a slot management system, allocating time windows to airlines for takeoffs and landings.
Mr Culbert said the airport noted the government’s intent to review Sydney
Airport’s demand management regime, and many of the regulations that underpin it.
“Many of the regulations that restrict the way the airport operates are decades old and no longer fit for purpose – regulation should never be ‘set and forget’,” Mr Culbert said.
“This is doubly important as Australia seeks to build back better following the COVID-19 crisis.”
He said the terms of reference for the review were yet to be released and it was therefore “premature to speculate about specific areas of regulation that will be
examined”.
“But our view is the 11pm to 6am curfew plays an important role in protecting the quality of life of our local community,” said Mr Culbert.
“However, there are many layers of red-tape that prevent the airport playing a bigger role in Australia’s post-COVID economic recovery and restrict the benefits the airport could deliver in terms of jobs and economic growth in local and regional communities.
“Changing some regulations, like how the airport’s landing slots are managed and the hourly movement cap, would realise the airport’s potential as a jobs and economic growth engine, and wouldn’t involve any change to the curfew or any more flights than are currently allowed.”
He said the COVID crisis would deliver changes in the international fleet that would land at Sydney Airport in future, with the retirement of Boeing 747s ushering in a new era of quieter, lighter, more fuel efficient next-generation aircraft.
“We look forward to everyone having their say about Sydney Airport’s demand management regime, and ideas for changes that would help create jobs and economic growth across the tourism, trade, aviation, transport, infrastructure and retail sectors.”
READ MORE: PM rules out Sydney airport curfew change
Melissa Yeo 9.20am: Hrdlicka’s limo a stretch too far
On Sunday, former Jetstar chief executive Jayne Hrdlicka stepped off her flight at Brisbane airport … and straight into a waiting stretch limousine. You couldn’t make it up.
Hrdlicka, after two weeks in quarantine, will head to Virgin Australia’s new HQ in Southbank, where she is expected to join the airline’s new board after its takeover by private equiteers Bain Capital.
Virgin staff have already been on high alert that their new owners, assisted by their former employee Hrdlicka, are set on making big changes. After all, 3000 jobs are already gone as part of the administration process at the hands of Deloitte’s Vaughan Strawbridge.
Virgin chief executive Paul Scurrah says he cannot guarantee more won’t go as border restrictions keep air travel to a minimum.
READ MORE in Margin Call here
David Ross 8.48am: Australia Post to hire 4000 for Christmas crush
Australia Post will hire 4000 people as part of efforts by the postal service to cope with expected Christmas demand on the back of the COVID-19 hit.
The jobs splurge follows a huge surge in recent months across the postal network that saw an 85 per cent growth in parcel volumes in August, the busiest month in the system ever.
Parcel postal volumes in Victoria were up 170 per cent in August due to the lockdown.
Auspost will hire nearly 2900 Christmas casuals across its transport and delivery services, while another 300 customer contact centre staff will be hired in Brisbane and several regional areas.
The postal service is also planning to hire about 900 roles in other areas of the business to assist with customer service in the peak period.
“In managing all the necessary COVID-safe requirements, including a reduced workforce in our Melbourne facilities during the recent Stage 4 restrictions, our people have gone over and above to provide critical services for businesses and their customers and delivered for over 8.1 million households who have shopped online between March and August alone,” Auspost executive general manager people & culture Sue Davies said.
“This is a record-breaking recruitment drive for what we expect to be a Christmas unlike any we’ve had before in Australia Post’s history.”
READ MORE: AMP to cut jobs by ‘up to 20pc’
Rachel Baxendale 8.41am: Victoria records 15 cases, two deaths
Victoria has recorded 15 new cases of coronavirus in the 24 hours to Thursday, and two deaths.
Yesterday there were 15 new cases & the loss of 2 lives reported. Our thoughts are with all affected. The 14 day rolling average & number of cases with unknown source are down from yesterday as we move toward COVID Normal. Info: https://t.co/pcll7ySEgz #COVID19Vic pic.twitter.com/vGIdXUtYab
— VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) September 30, 2020
The 15 cases are only very slightly lower than Melbourne’s 14-day daily average of 15.3 cases, indicating the sharp fall in new cases of recent weeks is plateauing amid stubborn clusters in aged care and among essential workers.
They follow 13 new cases on Wednesday, 10 on Tuesday, a more than three and a half month low of five on Monday, and 16 on Sunday.
The two deaths bring Victoria’s coronavirus death toll to 800.
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.
Melbourne’s 14 day daily average number of new cases is now 15.6, down from 16.4 on Wednesday and 26.7 last Thursday.
This compares with a 14 day daily average of 0.3 in regional Victoria – the same as on Wednesday.
As of Wednesday there were just three known active cases left in regional Victoria, and 305 statewide.
There have been 19 cases with an unknown source of infection in metropolitan Melbourne in the most recent fortnight for which this statistic is available – down from 21 on Wednesday.
Regional Victoria has had no unknown source cases over the same fortnight, which spans September 15 to September 28.
As of 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 on 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.
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David Ross 8.29am: ‘Stop bickering and protect aged care residents’
Monash University associate director with the centre of research excellence in patient safety Professor Joseph Ibrahim has said the federal government needed to stop bickering with the states over effective protection for those in aged care.
“There is clearly no point having a regulator which is ineffective,” Professor Ibrahim told Seven’s Sunrise.
The inquiry into aged care was not properly examining the recent failings in the system that had seen so many die, he said.
“We need a judicial inquiry much the same way Daniel Andrews has called an inquiry into the hotel quarantine in Victoria,” he said,
“We haven’t seen all the lessons learned and the inquiry into what has gone wrong has not been sufficiently detailed.”
READ MORE: Summer of risk for food retailers
Cameron Stewart 8.21am: Trump, Biden brawl again after debate
A day after the brawling debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, both candidates continued their attacks with Mr Biden describing the president as a “national embarrassment” and Mr Trump accusing him of being a prisoner of the left.
READ the full story here
David Ross 8.12am: No cut to Sydney airport curfew: Morrison
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has ruled out cutting the curfew at Sydney airport which sees no flights between 11pm and 6am, but said no curfew would apply at the new airport at Badgerys Creek.
The remarks come as the government reviews a proposal around Sydney airport’s flight caps.
“The government has always had a clear view on the curfew and the cap that’s why we’re building Western Sydney Airport,” Mr Morrison said, speaking to Ben Fordham on 2GB this morning.
“The view will come back that the cap and the curfew (at Sydney airport) has been a consistent part of government policy for many years.”
READ the full story here
Jack Paynter 8.03am: Hotel security guards replaced by police
Private security guards have been stood down and replaced by police at Melbourne’s remaining quarantine hotels.
The security guards employed by Spotless were subcontracted as floor monitors to check and report potential breaches to police at the Novotel in Southbank.
A Department of Justice and Community Safety spokeswoman confirmed to NCA NewsWire the Spotless staff were pulled from the “health hotel” site on Tuesday and replaced by police.
The move to replace them with police came after the state government was alerted to a healthcare worker’s concerns that showed similar failings to the first quarantine program that rapidly spread to cause Victoria’s second coronavirus wave, The Age reported.
The Justice Department said the Spotless roles were always envisaged to be temporary and police already had a 24-hour presence at the sites for resident supervision.
Spotless were also engaged in other customer service roles at the quarantine hotels, including grocery bag and identification checks. Department of Justice and Community Safety staff will now complete those tasks.
The spokeswoman said measures were underway to increase training and infection control standards for the remaining Spotless cleaning staff.
On Tuesday the state government confirmed nine staff working at two quarantine hotels in Melbourne had been infected with coronavirus since July, when the program was overhauled and largely shut down.
Victoria’s program hasn’t taken any new arrivals since an inquiry was announced in June, but some hotels had been providing quarantine for vulnerable community members who cannot safely isolate at home.
The Justice Department now operates a “health hotel” at the Novotel for positive cases or close contacts and a quarantine hotel at the Park Royal for people at risk of testing positive and required to self-isolate.
These hotels have still accepted overseas arrivals since June – less than 100 – who had travelled to Victoria with an exemption, such as health workers, after arriving in other states and maritime workers required to isolate.
The Grand Chancellor’s involvement in the program ceased last month and the remaining guests at the Brady Hotel were transferred to the Novotel on Monday and Tuesday.
The program has been run by the Department of Justice and Community Safety and Alfred Health since it was overhauled.
Of the nine infected staff since July, five were from Spotless, two were from Alfred Health, one was from Department of Health and Human Services and another was a Victoria Police officer, The Australian reported.
On Tuesday chief health officer Brett Sutton said he didn’t believe they were infected at the hotels but the situation will be examined by Victoria’s hotel quarantine inquiry. — NCA Newswire
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Staff writers 7.50am: ‘The buck stops with Andrews’: Somyurek
Disgraced former ALP powerbroker Adem Somyurek has penned a scathing op-ed attacking Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews over the “biggest public policy disaster in Australian history”.
Writing for the Herald Sun, Mr Somyurek – who was sacked in mid-June after being accused of branch stacking and making derogatory comments about fellow politicians and party members – argued that “the buck stops with him” over the botched hotel quarantine scheme.
Mr Somyurek claims Mr Andrews was a “key operator” in Labor’s southeastern Socialist Left faction and that he was “rewarded for his service” by rising through the ranks and eventually becoming premier.
“The fact that Victoria has suffered the worst public policy disaster in Australian history, and still no one knows who made key decisions that caused the disaster, will affirm that backroom political operators should not be put in party leadership ever again,” Mr Somyurek writes.
READ MORE: Savva — Cautious Andrews knows he can’t survive a third wave
David Ross 7.27am: Queensland border bubble expands 100km south
The Queensland border bubble has been boosted, pushing another 100km south into NSW capturing residents of the Byron Shire, Ballina, Lismore, Richmond Valley, Glen Innes and several other areas.
Queensland Gold Coast police chief superintendent Mark Wheeler said he expected additional numbers of cross-border travellers and delays on the back of the boosted border zone.
“We will see some line-ups that will extend probably hundreds of metres down the road. At the moment we are seeing some delays up to about 30 minutes and that is understandable,” he said, speaking on Nine’s Today.
“That is our 15th iteration of border restriction changes. So the public have gotten used to it.
“We constantly monitor and change our practices to make sure that we get people through as efficiently as possible.
“This is about stopping COVID-19 coming into Queensland. It’s important to remember that Victoria is a hotspot and NSW is a hotspot as well. They’re both COVID-19 hot spots.’
The move south puts another 150,000 NSW residents inside the Sunshine State’s border zone, but movement will still be constrained by the border pass system.
Anyone looking to cross the Queensland border would be required to hold an X-pass which can be applied for online.
Queensland residents are also now free to travel to northern NSW inside the bubble.
The move comes as NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian continues to demand the Queensland border restrictions be removed entirely.
READ MORE: Ardern waiting for Australian borders to open
David Ross 7.17am: Leading vaccine trial shows ‘robust’ immune response
Results from a clinical trial of a leading coronavirus vaccine from Pfizer/BioNTech have shown it stimulates a “robust” immune response in those administered the vaccine.
The trial saw 60 volunteers in April and May given two doses of the vaccine, with results showing their bodies produced the antibodies and T-cells that could fight the virus.
Australia is not currently a customer of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.
The results come as health authorities in Chile have approved the start of clinical trials of vaccines from China’s Sinovac and the Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical companies.
While in the United State’s Moderna has announced its vaccine, another leading candidate, would not be ready in time for the US election despite president Donald Trump’s assurances.
Moderna’s CEO Stéphane Bancel indicated she did not expect the vaccine could be distributed fully until spring 2021.
The hope of an effective and widely distributed vaccine is being held out by many countries as the means by which normal can be restored and further deaths avoided.
Both China and Russia have started testing and distributing vaccines however questions have been raised of their efficacy and safety.
More than 1.01m people have now died as a result of contracting COVID-19 and 33.79m infected since the start of the pandemic.
But recent developments suggest some countries are under-reporting viral cases in a bid to minimise the perceived impact of their outbreaks.
Turkey’s health Minister, Fahrettin Koca, in a weekly news conference reported the country now considered the numbers of COVID-19 patients who were symptomatic was more important than those who were infected and did not show symptoms in the country’s case reporting.
Reported cases of COVID-19 in Turkey have been declining in recent days and are tracking at less than half the first wave peak despite many lockdowns in Turkey being relaxed in recent months.
More than 318,663 Turks have tested positive for COVID-19 and 8,195 have died since the start of the pandemic.
Outbreaks in many countries are known to be constrained by the lack of testing capacity and in some cases deliberately under-reported by national governments.
Iran, since the earliest days of the pandemic, has been criticised for hiding the magnitude of its viral outbreak.
Widely considered to be one of the worst affected countries by COVID-19, Iran has only reported 457,219 cases and 26,169 deaths.
Despite this Iran appears now to be experiencing a rapid run-up of new cases towards a third wave of infections across the country.
READ MORE: Covid myths give Indonesians ‘invincibility’
David Ross 7.04am: 20,000 email addresses leaked in DFAT blunder
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has scrambled to fix the mess it created after almost 20,000 people had their emails leaked by an official who failed to hide all addresses by using the BCC function.
DFAT attempted to recall the message sent on Wednesday, before issuing a letter of apology to the thousands of Australians affected.
The failure comes as tens of thousands of Australians remain stranded overseas limited by a dearth of quarantine hotel accommodation and capacity on returning flights.
READ MORE: BHP urges big business-led rally
Natasha Robinson 4.50am: Hydroxychloroquine hope: scientists back new trial
Scientists administering hydroxychloroquine to hundreds of health workers in Victoria and NSW say they still believe the controversial drug may prevent people contracting coronavirus and have vowed to continue their investigations.
Hydroxychloroquine became notorious when US President Donald Trump suggested it was a miracle drug and that he was taking it as a preventive. Months later, The Lancet published a study that claimed COVID-19 patients taking hydroxychloroquine were dying at higher rates and experiencing higher rates of cardiac toxicity. The esteemed scientific journal was forced to retract the study after it emerged it was based on dodgy data.
But scientists at the Walter & Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne say the drug may still play a role in preventing people contracting SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, with scientific studies not yet ruling out the efficacy of the drug as a prophylactic.
“The evidence that shows that the drug doesn’t particularly help with treatment really never deterred us because we always thought that … if the drug did have a role in preventing people from getting COVID-19, it has to be even before they were exposed to SARS-CoV-2,” Professor Marc Pelligrini, the co-lead investigator of the COVID-SHIELD study, said.
Read the full story here.
Geoff Chambers 4.45am: Morrison to pour $1.5bn into manufacturing recovery
Scott Morrison will pour $1.5bn into revitalising Australian manufacturing through the COVID-19 economic recovery and unveil a strategy to boost large-scale production, develop new products and expand access to global markets.
The Prime Minister will use a major pre-budget speech to announce a $1.3bn Modern Manufacturing Initiative that will see the government leverage co-investment across six priority areas where Australia is deemed to have competitive advantages.
Manufacturers in the resource technology, food and beverage, medical products, recycling and clean energy, defence and space fields stand to benefit under the new framework, with the sectors picked based on World Bank and OECD analysis.
The government will also sit down with industry leaders to sketch out, by next April, detailed and specific “road maps” for each sector spanning two, five and 10 years in a bid to maximise success.
Read the full story, by Geoff Chambers and Joe Kelly, here.
Olivia Caisley 4.30am: Two in three aged-care staff lack PPE training
Just one in three aged-care workers has done the federal government’s personal protection training module, despite the sector facing the highest death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The numbers constitute a small increase since The Australian revealed in July that just one in five aged-care workers had completed the same training on the eve of the Victorian spike.
So far across Australia, 670 people have died in aged-care settings, with 633 of them in Victoria.
“The Department of Health has acknowledged, including in the aged-care royal commission, that the sector is under general financial pressure, that there are instances of poor quality care and system leadership and inconsistencies in staff training and leadership,” Department of Health secretary Brendan Murphy said.
Of 366,000 aged-care workers in Australia, 117,919 had completed the PPE training module as at August 14, according to Department of Health information provided to the parliamentary committee.
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