Coronavirus Australia Live News: ‘Gone by Christmas’ - Scott Morrison’s border vow
Scott Morrison wants to see the end of state restrictions, as the government’s multiple war of words with premiers dominated question time.
- Jim’s Mowing founder to launch class action
- Spell out end to Vic lodckown: Treasurer
- ‘Victorians 60pc of JobKeeper recipients’
- Lockdown triggers emissions crash
Welcome to our rolling coverage of the continuing coronavirus pandemic.
Scott Morrison says he wants most coronavirus state restrictions gone by Christmas, as the government’s multiple war of words with premiers dominated question time.
Daniel Andrews will lay out Victoria’s roadmap out of Stage 4 lockdown on Sunday as the state records 41 deaths and 73 new cases. NSW has recorded 10 new cases.
Alice Workman 10.45pm: All Melburnians? No, not any more
Where does Richard Colbeck sit on the political strife scale?
Olivia Caisley 10.15pm: No checks on almost 200 homecare providers
More than 180 home care providers had never been assessed against quality standards on the eve of the coronavirus pandemic
David Penberthy, Paul Garvey 9.45pm: Universal childcare can thrive
Every Australian child should be guaranteed access to childcare under a universal model similar to Medicare.
Adam Creighton 9.15pm: COVID-19 panic is unnecessary
The panic is unnecessary: studies show we have all overreacted to the threat posed by COVID-19.
AFP 8.45pm: Italy plunges into recession
Italy posted a record economic contraction on Monday as household spending and investment crashed during the country’s coronavirus lockdown, driving the eurozone’s third-largest economy deep into recession.
The country’s gross domestic product fell by 12.8 per cent in the second quarter compared to the previous quarter and by 17.7 per cent versus the same period last year, national statistics agency Istat said.
“The full estimate of the quarterly economic figures confirm the exceptional extent of the drop in GDP in the second quarter, due to the economic effects of the health emergency and the containment measures adopted,” Istat said.
The contraction was even worse than predicted in July, when Istat estimated a second-quarter drop of 12.4 per cent.
A recession is commonly defined as two consecutive periods of a quarter-on-quarter drop in GDP.
Italy’s economy shrunk 5.4 per cent in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, household spending fell by 11.3 per cent compared to the first quarter, while exports plummeted 26.4 percent, the agency said.
Italy, the first European country to be hit full force by the coronavirus outbreak, went into total lockdown in early March as COVID-19 tightened its grip on the country.
The peninsula is set to suffer its worst recession since World War II this year, with experts estimating GDP to plummet between 8.0 to 14 per cent.
READ MORE: Clive Palmer: WA’s recklessness will prove very costly
Philippa Hawker 8.15pm: The cinema strikes back
Prepare for a ‘hole’ in next year’s slate but for now — the response to Tenet gives the film industry reason for ‘hope’.
AFP 7.45pm: WFP warns 2.2m more Syrians risk hunger
Around 2.2 million Syrians risk joining the fast swelling ranks of the hungry and poor in war-torn Syria, the World Food Program warned on Monday.
“Without urgent help 2.2 million more could slip further into hunger and poverty,” WFP said on Twitter.
The UN agency said in May that a record 9.3 million people in Syria were food insecure, as spiralling prices and the novel coronavirus pandemic compound the damage of the country’s nine-year war.
That figure had leapt from 7.9 million six months earlier.
Most of Syria’s population lives in poverty, according to the UN, and food prices have doubled over the past year.
The conflict has killed more than 380,000 people and displaced millions more from their homes since it started in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.
READ MORE: Banksy overboard with rescue boat
Samantha Bailey 7.15pm: Cafes, gyms, highlight Covid divide
Victoria’s lockdown is depressing consumer spending across Australia, but some businesses in NSW are defying the gloom.
Rhys Blakely 6.50pm: Mask rebels are ‘narcissistic sociopaths’
People who show signs of narcissism, Machiavellianism and psychopathy are also more likely to trivialise COVID-19 risks.
Maria Martinez 6.20pm: Turkey’s economy shrinks 9.9pc
The Turkish economy contracted sharply in the second quarter on the year amid the coronavirus pandemic, official data showed on Monday.
Turkey’s economy shrank 9.9 per cent in the second quarter compared with the same period the previous year on a seasonal and calendar adjusted basis, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute.
The figure compares with a non-seasonally adjusted forecast of a 12.3 per cent contraction in gross domestic product, according to FactSet.
The breakdown of the data showed consumer spending declined 8.6 per cent on the year in the second quarter. Government spending decreased 0.8 per cent and capital formation fell 6.1 per cent.
Imports of goods and services fell 6.3 per cent in the second quarter compared with the same quarter of the previous year, and exports of goods and services decreased 35.3 per cent, the statistics office said.
Dow Jones
READ MORE: Jim’s Mowing set to sue over lockdowns
Billy Kenber 5.50pm: Britain’s next winter wave could kill 85,000
A leaked government report says 85,000 excess deaths in a second wave of the coronavirus is a “reasonable worst-case scenario” for Britain.
The potential for tens of thousands of further deaths was laid out in a report prepared for the Sage scientific advisory group in late July.
The document, which was first obtained by BBC’s Newsnight, set out a “scenario, not a prediction” in which schools were reopened but other lockdown restrictions were reimposed for several months from November.
The model suggested that between July and next March there would be 81,000 excess deaths in England and Wales, with a further 2600 in Scotland and 1900 in Northern Ireland.
There have been 41,499 deaths in Britain in which COVID-19 was mentioned on the death certificate, with 334,467 cases confirmed by testing.
The Times
READ MORE: Silent epidemic stalks continent
AFP 5.20pm: Thousands arrested over coronavirus crimes in China
Nearly 5800 people suspected of killing health workers, selling defective medical equipment and lying about their travel history have been arrested in China for epidemic-related crimes since January, the state prosecutor’s office said.
One case involved a shopper who beat to death another customer who reminded him to wear a mask in a supermarket.
Other cases included a person who deliberately mowed down medical workers with a car, and another was arrested for stabbing a health inspector with a dagger when monitoring temperatures.
Some have also been accused of embezzling money collected from fundraisers to help coronavirus patients, selling defective medical equipment and lying about their travel history or health condition.
“From January to July, 5797 people were arrested and 6755 were prosecuted,” the Supreme People’s Procuratorate said in a statement Thursday.
China has largely brought the spread of the novel coronavirus under control — since it first emerged in the central city of Wuhan in December -—with strict lockdowns, aggressive contact tracing and close monitoring of neighbourhoods.
The country has also deployed a range of smartphone apps to track the whereabouts of people to quickly identify possible cases.
Wearing a mask is mandatory in supermarkets, cinemas or on public transport, and many choose to wear one while outdoors as well, as a safeguard against the virus.
READ MORE: ‘Dandrews’ jacket sales soar
Agencies 4.50pm: Mass rally at German parliament criticised
German leaders have condemned the “unacceptable” attempt by protesters to storm the Reichstag parliament building during a mass rally against coronavirus restrictions.
Some of the protesters carried the flag of the former German Reich which was used until the end of WWI.
“Flags from the Reich and far-right profanity in front of the German parliament are an unacceptable attack on the heart of our democracy,” President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Instagram. “We will never accept this.”
Police said some 38,000 people, double the number expected, had gathered in Berlin on Saturday to protest restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus, such as the wearing of masks and social distancing.
Around 2000 protesters gathered again not far from the Reichstag on Sunday although police said they were quickly dispersed after police carried out “several identity checks”.
— AFP
READ MORE: Test for powerful new legislation
The Times 4.40pm: Rampant pandemic takes hold in India
India has set a grim record as it registered nearly 80,000 new coronavirus cases in 24 hours, the world’s highest single-day total. Read more here
Will Swanton 4.30pm: Pop! US Open bubble bursts in New York
Frenchman Benoit Paire, called Benny Pear by Australian Open fans every year, has burst the US Open bubble by testing positive to COVID-19. Read more here
John Stensholt 4pm: Economy ‘dire for 12 to 18 months’
Pub baron Bruce Mathieson has seen it all in more than four decades in the hotel industry, and has no doubt COVID-19 is the worst economic situation he has experienced. Read more here
Richard Ferguson 3.32pm: ‘Gone by Christmas’: PM vows to solve borders
Scott Morrison says he wants most coronavirus state restrictions gone by Christmas, as the government’s multiple war of words with premiers dominated question time.
Just hours after Josh Frydenberg demanded Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews release a roadmap out of recovery, the Prime Minister told the House of Representatives his focus was getting the economy running after the Victorian second wave disrupted it.
“What we need to do is continue to focus on the road back .... The restrictions in the arrangements we have today are not things we want to see by Christmas,” Mr Morrison said.
“What we want to know is what is going to happen when we get to know just September 1, but October 1, and November 1, and December 1 and January 1, because our economy needs to continue on the road back.
“And we need to continue to work together to ensure that we can open up the economy, safely, just as we were doing in May and June.”
Anthony Albanese’s only question not related to the aged care crisis hit out at the war of words between premiers and federal government ministers.
“Why is the Prime Minister spending his time fighting with state premiers instead of fixing an economy that is in crisis and an economy that is in recession for the first time in 30 years?” Mr Albanese asked.
Ministers over the past couple of weeks have also raised the heat of their demands state premiers remove their internal borders to allow regional communities and trade to thrive again.
Mr Morrison said he was not arguing about the states’ constitutional responsibilities, but he does want a national approach to the economic recovery.
“In relation to borders, there is no dispute about those powers. But it is also the point that what we want to be able to achieve together is the road back,” he told the House.
“The road back for our economy to ensure that we can see the jobs continue to come back to our economy, whether it is in New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, Tasmania or anywhere else,
“We cannot retreat, we must always go forward when it comes to battling this virus, and that is what the Commonwealth government is doing in partnership with the states and territories.”
READ MORE: Why I’m bitter about Victoria
Jade Gailberger 3.12pm: Colbeck: I haven’t considered my resignation
Embattled Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck has dismissed Opposition calls for his resignation, saying he hasn’t considered it.
Senator Colbeck was forced to apologise last week for not knowing the number of aged care deaths and “missteps” in the handling of coronavirus in nursing homes.
In his first appearance since the statement, Senator Colbeck was on Monday grilled by journalists during a $563.4 million announcement for aged care coronavirus measures.
“No, I haven’t considered my resignation,” Senator Colbeck said.
“I do believe I still have the confidence of the Prime Minister.
“I should have had the data in front of me when I required it – that is not an indication of the work that I‘m doing more broadly in the portfolio.”
Senator Colbeck said the funding announcement demonstrated the work he was doing to ensure that Australian aged care residents got the support they needed through the COVID-19 pandemic.
But the Federal government does not know how many aged care workers are still working at multiple facilities.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison again came under fire over the handling of the aged care crisis in Question Time.
Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese asked why Senator Colbeck still had his job.
“Because under this aged care minister, $1.5 billion of additional support has been put into the aged care sector during the COVID-19 crisis,” Mr Morrison said.
“When additional resources are required to address the significant challenges in aged care sector, the minister has consistently brought forward submissions for additional support to be provided right across the board in aged care sector.” —NCA Newswire
READ MORE: Media Diary — ‘Dandrews’ jacket sales soar
Anthony Piovesan 3.00pm: Jim’s Mowing founder to sue for millions
Jim’s Mowing founder Jim Penman says his Victorian contractors financially affected by Melbourne’s strict second lockdown could sue the State Government for $7 million.
Mr Penman told NCA NewsWire about 615 contractors across the state were losing about $3000 a week since the Premier’s controversial workplace restrictions prevented cleaners and gardeners from working.
“We have repeatedly asked the Premier for hard evidence that what my company does contributes in any way to the spread of coronavirus and we have received nothing, just that his decision is based on health advice from experts, but that’s not hard evidence,” he said.
“Council workers are doing the same job, and in groups, yet my company and contractors are being prevented from earning a living – there is absolutely a legitimate claim for compensation here.
“I’m not happy taxpayers will have to pay once we proceed legally, but my workers are being denied a chance to work, earn a living, pay taxes and contribute to the economy as a result of this lunacy – it’s basically $7 million bank-carded out of the Victorian economy.”
The lawn-mowing magnate said he had offered to pay for “top legal advice”, which he would then hand down to his hundreds of contractors who were seeking financial compensation.
“I used to support Daniel Andrews and what he was doing,” Mr Penman said.
“I would get on Facebook live each week and encourage people to wear masks, to download the COVIDSafe app as I am apart of a franchise and had the avenue to do that. But this stupidity has gone on long enough.”
Last week Mr Penman wrote a letter to every Victoria crossbench politician as parliament votes on Tuesday on the Premier’s controversial Bill to extend Victoria’s state of emergency by another 12 months.
“You are our only hope,” he wrote.
“People’s lives are destroyed and the great state of Victoria plunged into a ruin that will take decades to heal. You represent the will of the people and are custodians of the Victorian parliament and this state’s laws. I am urging you to stand up for us.
“Tens of thousands of Victorians have the right to fair compensation under the Public Health and Welling Being Act 2008 because they have been thrown out of work for no good reason. If refused, they have the right to appeal to VCAT. It is vital that no changes are made to this Act to prevent people getting what they deserve. This is not welfare for millionaires. I personally will not make a cent out of it. It is justice for vulnerable people who have no voice. It is the essence of democracy.” —NCA Newswire
READ MORE: Albrechtsen — Prospect of a class-action quandary for ALP mates
Nicholas Bariyo 2.49pm: Blindspot masks silent pandemic
A lack of testing capacity, limited access to data and secretive governments across Africa have made it appear as if many of the world’s most impoverished economies have avoided the worst effects of a disease that has killed at least 845,000 people worldwide. But the plight of many of sub-Saharan Africa’s one billion people is effectively invisible to global authorities trying to gauge the severity of the pandemic.
The paucity of data — combined with reports from several nations of spikes in deaths from respiratory illnesses — is raising fears that a silent epidemic could be raging in parts of the continent. Official coronavirus cases in sub-Saharan Africa have doubled in the past month to more than one million, but the official death rate — at 20,000 — remains significantly lower than those of less-populous Europe and the US, according to World Health Organisation data.
READ the full story here
Samantha Bailey 2.43pm: Cafes, gyms highlight Covid divide
Consumer spending remains depressed as coronavirus restrictions continue to weigh and as Victoria remains under strict lockdown.
Overall spending in Australia is down 5 per cent on normal levels, according to a new weekly spending report released by illion and AlphaBeta, part of Accenture.
For the week to August 23, NSW was on the same downward spending trajectory as Victoria in early August, with the lowest spending since early June.
But according to the latest figures, spending in NSW has recovered slightly, but still remains 3 per cent below pre-COVID levels. Cafe spending in NSW has lifted to be 18 per cent above normal, pre-COVID, levels, while cafe spending in Victoria was at the other end of the spectrum, down 42 per cent compared to normal levels.
Meanwhile online retail spending was up 21 per cent in Victoria but down 14 per cent in NSW.
READ the full story here
Andrew McMillen 1.29pm: ‘Be kind, mask up’: Gaga dominates VMAs
Art imitated life at the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards when two of the biggest stars of American pop music took to the stage to perform a high-energy choreographed dance routine while wearing face masks.
READ the full story here
Richard Ferguson 1.24pm: $563m extra to support aged care sector through crisis
The Morrison government will spend a further $563m to support the aged care sector through the COVID-19 crisis, including extra money to stop aged care workers moving from home to home.
Health Minister Greg Hunt has outlined the $25m continuation of a COVID supplement to aged care providers and $92.1m to support workers work on one aged care site only.
Mr Hunt has also announced an extension of a retention payment for workers, and $71.4m in further money for home care.
“All of these things come together with a very simple goal. To save lives and protect lives within our aged care facilities and across Australia,” Mr Hunt said in Canberra.
“We’re seeing in Victoria an agonising loss. So this will help Victoria continue to fight that.
“It will help us continue to fight that and to protect our older Australians with every fibre, every cyber of our being.”
READ MORE: Calls for Medicare levy hike to fund aged care
Patrick Commins 1.20pm: 17pc of Victorians have a job but no work
Close to 870,000 Victorians – around 17 per cent of the state’s adult population – reported they had a job but were working zero hours in mid-August, according to a newly released ABS household survey.
READ the full story here
Glenda Korporaal 12.52pm: China launches new probe into Australian wine
China’s Ministry of Commerce has launched a new anti-subsidy investigation into Australia’s $1 billion wine export trade.
The investigation, announced on Monday on the Ministry’s website, follows an anti-dumping inquiry launched two weeks ago by the Ministry into Australian wine sales into China.
Australia is the biggest supplier of foreign wine to China, a market worth some $1.1 billion over the past year.
While the investigation announced two weeks ago is looking at the question of Australian wine being dumped in the Chinese market, the second one throws a detailed spotlight on the range of subsidies available to the wine industry in Australia.
READ the full story here
REBECCA URBAN 12.40pm: Month lag for hotel update on disinfection
Victorian hotels involved in quarantining returned travellers were provided with updated advice on cleaning and infection control in mid-June — more than a month after the first coronavirus cluster emerged at the Rydges Hotel — an inquiry into the troubled program has heard.
Department of Jobs and Precincts employee Unni Menon told the inquiry on Monday that the Department of Health and Human Services “only provided clarity and detail with regards to required cleaning and disinfection procedures” in mid-June.
Mr Menon, who was seconded from his role as executive director of aviation strategy and services to work on the hotel quarantine program from March 22 to June 30, said he sent the advice to all contracted hotels personally on June 17.
“DHHS were keen to ensure that all the hotels actually received a copy of this and we were told that they are to comply with it,” he said.
“The cover note email from myself to all the hotels clearly indicated that … they have an obligation to comply.
“We subsequently got a response from all hotels [in regards to ] having read it, understood it,” he said.
Counsel-assisting the inquiry, Anthony Neal, asked Mr Menon whether, prior to the document, had cleaning proceeded satisfactorily according to the contract or whether something changed.
“Not to my knowledge,” he replied.
“To my knowledge … there was a contractual obligation on the part of the supplier to ensure that they met whatever the nationally accepted standard for COVID-19.”
The missive, dated June 16, was sent the same day it emerged that a security contractor at the Stamford Plaza Hotel had contracted COVID-19.
The inquiry has previously heard that a member of a family of four quarantined at the Rydges Hotel developed symptoms of the virus on May 9. All family members subsequently tested positive. By May 25, three other people who worked at the hotel and showed symptoms and by June 18, a further 17 people connected to the hotel had tested positive.
Mr Menon told the inquiry that under contractual arrangements, each hotel had to ensure they met any national standards pertaining to COVID-19. He said it was up to each hotel to educate itself as to the latest health standards.
A contract tendered to the inquiry shows that “suppliers” -- the hotels -- had a responsibility for ensuring all staff and contractors had adequate training in security, workplace health and safety and risk management and were provided with personal protective equipment “in accordance with the public health standards, including but not limited to in relation to COVID -19”.
The inquiry before Justice Jennifer Coate continues.
READ MORE: Mitchell — Destroyer premiers shielded from responsibility
Stephen Lunn 12.24pm: I don’t want to be the Christmas Grinch: Andrews
Dan Andrews is determined not to be Victoria’s Christmas Grinch.
The Victorian Premier said he wanted Christmas to be “as normal as possible”, but that wouldn’t happen if he opened up the state too quickly from its current Stage 4 restrictions regime.
“We had a different Mother’s Day. No one was happy about that,” he said. “We’re going to have a different Father’s Day (on Sunday).
“I want to make sure we have a Christmas Day as close to possible as normal,” Mr Andrews said.
“If we (remove restrictions) too quick, if we do this chasing something that might be popular for a few weeks, if we forget its a pandemic and think its a popularity contest, then Christmas won’t look normal at all.
“It will be a very, very different Christmas Day.
“If we open up too quick then we will lose control of this. The numbers will explode,” Mr Andrews said.
READ MORE: Crown hotel site reimagined as office tower
Richard Ferguson 12.21pm: Labor MP self-isolating after developing symptoms
Labor MP Julie Owens is self-isolating in Canberra after developing COVID-19 symptoms, andhas been tested for the virus.
The MP for Parramatta is the second MP so far in this sitting fortnight to test for coronavirus, following opposition environment spokeswoman Terri Butler’s negative test last week.
Runny nose!! So out of an abundance of caution I’ve had the COVID test ( my third one now) and am out of Parliament House and self isolating until the results come through. Stay safe out there.
— Julie Owens (@JulieOwensMP) August 31, 2020
“Runny nose!! So out of an abundance of caution I’ve had the COVID test ( my third one now) and am out of Parliament House and self isolating until the results come through,” Ms Owens tweeted.
“Stay safe out there.”
Parliament has been under strict social distancing rules this week with the public banned from entering andthe wearing of face masks strongly encouraged.
READ MORE: ‘Our beef is clean and we can prove it’
Patrick Commins 12.18pm: Stimulus sparks 15% surge in company profits
Company operating profits surged 15 per cent over the June quarter amid plunging sales as government COVID-19 stimulus poured into corporate coffers and shielded businesses’ bottom lines through the national lockdown.
Sales of goods and services in the manufacturing sector dropped 8.6 per cent over the three months against the prior quarter, while wholesale trade sales fell 6.7 per cent, according to seasonally adjusted data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
READ the full story here
Stephen Lunn 12.05pm: Victoria toll just 8 in last 24 hours
There have been 565 deaths in Victoria due to COVID-19 to date, with an additional 41 deaths reported on Monday.
Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said just eight of the 41 new deaths were actually from the previous 24 hours, with the other 33 being the result of a reconciliation between state and federal numbers for people who have died in aged care settings.
“These are deaths that have occurred over several weeks,” Professor Sutton said.
“Of course, all of those deaths have been known to the facility, known to the families of those residents, but it is heartbreaking to see a number of that magnitude,” he said.
“It is reflection of just how vulnerable those populations are and why we need to be mindful of the danger of this virus, especially in aged care settings.”
Mr Andrews said 453 Victorians remain in hospital, 21 of them in intensive care.
There are 4338 cases with an unknown source, he said.
“There are some 2620 active cases across the state. The number continues to fall which is pleasing.
“And in terms of aged care outbreaks … there are 1225 active cases,” Mr Andrews said.
READ MORE: Hundreds of Aussies to lose UK visas
Stephen Lunn 11.50am: Andrews to outline Victoria’s roadmap out of lockdown
Dan Andrews will lay out Victoria’s roadmap out of Stage 4 lockdown on Sunday.
The Victorian Premier said another week’s data on COVID numbers was needed before he could update his state on the next stage of opening up the state.
“Next Sunday, September 6, we will announce the roadmap to ease the restrictions we have all been living under,” Mr Andrews said.
“It is too early today to settle that roadmap. Another week’s data is critically important to make sure that the strategy continues to work.
There were 73 new cases in Victoria announced on Monday, and 41 deaths.
Just eight of the deaths occurred in the last 24 hours, and the remainder were a reconciliation of aged care deaths between state and commonwealth reporting.
Mr Andrews said he couldn’t rule out Stage 4 lockdown continuing beyond September 13 in Victoria.
Any roadmap out of Stage 4 would have four key principles, he said.
“Firstly we have to ensure that physical distancing, including following density requirements, making sure staff work from home wherever possible, (and) limiting the total number of staff and customers in any enclosed area,” he said.
Other principles included continuing to wear face masks at all times in the workplace and personal protective equipment where appropriate, workplace hygiene, and isolating staff who have tested or are showing symptoms of the virus.
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Dennis Shanahan 11.31am: John Howard released from hospital
Former Prime Minister John Howard has been released from hospital and is recovering at his Sydney home after an emergency appendix operation at Sydney’s Royal North Shore Public Hospital last Monday.
Mr Howard, 81, returned home on the weekend and is resting.
“I’m doing well and will be up and walking again soon,” Mr Howard told The Australian.
Mr Howard said he wanted to thank the doctors and nurses at the Royal North Shore public hospital who cared for him so well.
He was taken to hospital last week after feeling pain and was diagnosed with acute appendicitis. Mr Howard was admitted to hospital several ago when he had a stent inserted after experiencing chest pain.
READ MORE: ‘Prioritise home care over nursing homes’
Imogen Reid 11.11am: NSW records 10 new virus cases despite CBD cluster
Ten new cases of COVID-19 were diagnosed in NSW in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases in the state to 3861.
Of the new cases, six are returned travellers in hotel quarantine and the remainder were locally acquired and linked to a known case or cluster.
All four locally acquired cases are associated with the CBD cluster, two of which are household contacts and further two that have been identified as a close contact of previously reported cases.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said NSW is “holding its own” in its battle against the virus but reiterated the importance of maintaining high levels of testing.
“Normally August and September is the peak time for the flu but because we’re hand sanitising and keeping our distances those numbers haven’t materialised but that means if you do have a symptom you should assume it’s COVID and not the flu,” she said.
NSW Health has issued a number of fresh COVID-19 alerts for multiple locations after they were visited by positive cases.
Anyone who attended the following venues is considered a casual contact and must monitor for symptoms and get tested immediately if they develop:
- Woolworths Balmain, 276 Darling St Balmain – Thursday 27 August, 10-11am
- Chemist Warehouse Balmain, 293 Darling St Balmain – Friday 28 August, 2-2.30pm
- Sushi Rio, 345 Victoria Ave Chatswood – Thursday 27 August, 5.45-7.30pm
- Coles, St Ives Shopping Centre – Friday 28 August, 1-2pm
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the health advice on face masks can not be stronger and has urged NSW residents to wear one while travelling on public transport, but has again stopped short of making them compulsory.
Ms Berejiklian said the state’s response to the pandemic was dependent on what was occurring within the community, taking into account the overall risks and the general public’s behaviour.
“You have to look at the overall picture. When you adjust policy you have to do it across the board,” she said.
“We have to assess the risk overall, assess people’s behaviour and even when you do make things mandatory, as we have seen, people don’t comply, only a small percentage but it only takes a few not to comply.”
Ms Berejiklian said if the health advice changes on the matter the state government will not hesitate to act, but reminded residents that they are at the greatest risk of contracting the virus from someone they know.
“You need to put it in perspective which stage we are at in the pandemic and the number of cases and how they are spreading and the greatest risk is getting the virus is someone you know well. A household contact or someone you are socialising with,” she said.
“The random contraction is the least risk, it is a risk but it is a greater risk to get the virus from a household contact or somebody you are socialising with.”
Father’s Day reprieve for aged care
NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said she hopes aged care restrictions will be reviewed and potentially lifted in NSW ahead of Father’s Day on Sunday.
“We are urging anyone with symptoms to come forward for testing but if this reassuring picture continues we will update the aged care advice last in the week ahead of Father’s Day and may be able to ease restrictions on aged care,” she said.
READ MORE: Mask use urged for public transport
Staff writers 11.04am: One in 10 Victorian cases still waiting contact trace visit
One in 10 Victorians confirmed to have coronavirus over the past week were not contact traced within 24 hours of returning a positive result.
Data obtained by the Herald Sun revealed while there had been improvements in the state’s virus response, Victoria was still failing against nationally agreed standards.
It also showed last week 10 Victorians who were close contacts of a confirmed COVID-19 case were not told within 48 hours.
More than 1000 locally acquired cases were under investigation last week. While that was deemed still too high by national standards, it was down significantly from 1811 the week before.
Ten per cent of confirmed COVID-19 positive patients in Victoria were still waiting for a contact tracing interview 24 hours after diagnosis last week, despite significant assistance from the ADF and other states.
READ MORE: Viral charter flights hit record heights
Ben Packham 10.51am: Huawei dumps Canberra Raiders sponsorship
Chinese telco Huawei says its role as major sponsor of the Canberra Raiders NRL team will end this season due to “the continued negative business environment” it faces in Australia.
READ the full story here
Remy Varga 10.44am: ‘No good coffee in the area’: Woman fined for breach
A Melbourne woman has been fined after she breached the 5km home limit because there was “no good coffee in her area”.
Victoria Police have issued 195 penalties in the last-24-hours including 21 for failing to wear a mask and 60 for curfew breaches.
Among the latest examples are four people of different addresses travelling in the same car to visit a friend in Newcomb and three people who went to a Bendigo address to see friends.
As well, a woman was caught driving in the Bayside area further than 5km from her home.
“She stated she was not aware of the 5km restriction and was getting a coffee as there was ‘no good coffee in her area’,” a Victoria Police spokeswoman said.
READ MORE: Mask Karens ‘narcissistic sociopaths’
Stephen Lunn 10.13am: Victoria records 41 deaths, 73 new cases
Victoria has recorded a disturbing 41 deaths from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, far higher than the previous daily record of 25.
But the number of new cases has fallen to 73, the lowest since July 3.
#COVID19VicData for 31 Aug 2020. There were 73 new cases and sadly 41 deaths. Today's deaths total includes 22 people who died in the weeks leading up to 27 August and were reported to DHHS by aged care facilities yesterday. More info will be available later this morning. pic.twitter.com/yDzeMKzYqE
— VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) August 31, 2020
Only 19 of the deaths actually died in the last 24 hours, with the other 22 deaths having occurred earlier but only reported today.
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Sarah Elks 10.04am: $2.2bn losses loom for Queensland’s tropical north
The far north Queensland tourism industry will lose more than $2.2bn by the end of the year, due to the closure of international and state borders.
Tourism Tropical North Queensland chief executive officer Mark Olsen said the region was losing more than $7m a day.
He said overseas visitors provided Cairns and surrounds with 30 per cent of its usual visitor market, with NSW and VIC visitors a further 40 per cent.
Mr Olsen said 25,000 jobs in the region were supported by tourism, which was struggling in the age of COVID-19.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s cabinet is visiting Cairns, had has announced cash for tourism businesses this morning. Mr Olsen said the funding would be a start.
READ MORE: Kohler — Australia’s looming default cliff
Richard Ferguson 9.54am: Melbourne lockdown won’t lift on deadline
Deputy chief medical officer Nick Coatsworth says he cannot see Melbourne’s stage four lockdowns ending by its September 13 deadline, as coronavirus cases are still too high.
Despite a significant reduction in cases since the lockdowns began, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has said cases are too high to even provide a roadmap out of lockdown.
Dr Coatsworth said on Monday that cases in Victoria will need to be a lot lower to ease restrictions, and he cannot foresee that kind of decrease by September 13.
“It’s hard to see that happening,” he told the Nine Network.
“I have to be honest ... with the people of Victoria. I think that we’re going to have to see the numbers down where they’re controllable.
“That is the numbers that you are seeing in NSW and Queensland at the moment. You can see the effort that it takes to control numbers between about five and 10 per day.
“I think we need to see what happens to the numbers. I think the numbers need to be a lot - a lot less than they are now.”
READ MORE: Push for widened testing of pupils
Imogen Reid 9.33am: Barilaro outlines ag worker border proposal
NSW Nationals leader and Deputy Premier John Barilaro has outlined a proposal to remove restrictions on agricultural workers crossing the NSW-Victoria border.
The national agricultural code will be sent to the nation’s agriculture ministers and the national cabinet this week, with Mr Barilaro and Agriculture Minister Adam Marshall warning the loss of a bumper season if workers can not cross the border.
“For us, our position is what we would like to see in place in relation to what we call an agriculture workers code, a code that allows us to in one way make sure it is as seamless as possible in relation to making a workforce available,” Mr Barilaro said.
“Our position is quite strong… If agriculture isn’t classified as an essential service today, then guess what we’ve lost our way as a nation and as Australians.
“The opportunity to move freight and produce, food and fibre is limited. Why wouldn’t our agriculture sector be classified as an essential service, including the workforce that is required.”
Mr Barilaro said the code would be similar to that used by the freight industry, focusing on the movement of workers, providing PPE and allowing exemption to border restrictions.
Mr Barilaro also added it was clear the national cabinet did not have the same “influence or power” over the state premiers as it did at the start of the pandemic.
“That’s why it will be a test for the national cabinet,” he said.
“If we fail this Friday in relation to a code for a workforce for the agricultural sector, we can also hang our heads in shame because what we will be doing is sending down regional and rural New South Wales a path of destruction and despair off the back of drought, bushfires and a COVID pandemic.”
READ MORE: Simson — Identify priorities to speed recovery
Sarah Elks 9.30am: Palaszczuk to create border exemption unit
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has ordered the creation of a new border exemption unit to deal with “distressing” cases of northern NSW patients denied medical care in Queensland.
Ms Palaszczuk firmly said she would not be moved on the state’s border closures, but said she recognised some families were experiencing a “very emotional time” at being unable to access their specialist doctors.
She highlighted the case, reported in The Australian, of a young boy unable to meet with his specialist doctors after having a transplant.
Tweed Heads teenager Sean Rice, who survived a double-lung transplant, missed a potentially life-saving check-up in Brisbane because of Queensland’s border closure.
Health Minister Steven Miles said there was a small number of people whose exemptions had either been denied or not processed quickly enough, and the new unit - in the Chief Health Officer’s department - would deal with the applications.
It would be led by nurses, doctors and social workers, he said, and would be set up by the end of the week.
Ms Palaszczuk said she understood it was a “very difficult time...and a very emotional time”.
“(We will) set up a unit where they can deal with these specialist appointments in a coordinated manner...it is a very distressing time for families,” she said.
Queensland has recorded one new case overnight, a close contact of someone from the Corrective Services Training Academy.
In the past 24 hours, over 6800 tests were conducted.
Ms Palaszczuk said she would not waver on her decision to keep the state’s borders closed.
“Queensland will continue to have our borders closed to keep Queenslnders safe, I’m not going to be moved on this, so the federal government can throw whoever they want at that...fundamentally the health of Queenslanders is my number one concern,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
One new COVID-19 case in QLD overnight, now 27 active cases. Health Minister and Deputy Premier @StevenJMiles says the south-east cluster appears to be "under control" at this time #qldpol #covid19
— Sarah Elks (@sarahelks) August 30, 2020
Mr Miles said the “vast bulk” of medical exemptions had been approved, and the number of cases “complained about” was a small proportion of those approved.
“We’ve said we want to do better, we’ve been discussing how we might be able to do that, how we make sure we have clinicians…providing advice more quickly to the chief health officer when that’s required, and that’s what we’re putting in place,” Mr Miles said.
He said he would accept if other states decided to close their borders to Queensland, given the south-east Queensland cluster, but he said it appeared to be “under control” currently.
There are 27 active cases in the state.
Ms Palaszczuk said she had not seen any documents or a written proposal from the Prime Minister about how a hot spot system – to replace border closures – would work.
“I’ll look at the papers, but I’ll not be changing my position on keeping Queenslanders safe,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
“I’ve not seen any papers, or any evidence, about how a hotspot system would work.”
The Premier foreshadowed a fiery discussion at National Cabinet on Friday over the border issue.
Ms Palaszczuk referred to the recent Federal Court decision, for Clive Palmer’s case against Western Australia, that said “states can rely on medical advice to keep their borders closed, and that’s exactly what we’ll continue to do”.
READ MORE: Restrictions fail to clear the air
Richard Ferguson 8.35am: ‘Spell out roadmap to lift Victorian restrictions’
Josh Frydenberg is demanding Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews lay out a roadmap out of Melbourne’s stage four lockdowns and detail the level of new COVID cases-per-day his state can handle.
Even with coronavirus cases-per-day now nearing double digits, Mr Andrews said on Sunday that cases were still too high to provide even a roadmap to lifting restrictions.
But the Treasurer said on Monday the economic and mental health damage was too immense not to have a plan to lift the lockdowns, pointing to new Treasury data which shows household spending growth has plunged 30 per cent in recent weeks and that $12.25bn had been paid to Victorian Job-Keeper recipients.
“Victorians are looking elsewhere across the country and saying - why not us? Yet, we don’t hear about a definite plan,” he told ABC News.
“Yet, the Premier has not provided a road map out. Now, if these statistics from the Australian
treasury are not enough to bring forward an economic plan from Daniel Andrews to take Victorian out of stage 4 restrictions - I don’t know what will.
“What we need to hear from Daniel Andrews is - what is the appropriate level of new cases in Victoria for him to open up stage 4 restrictions? It’s only two weeks to go.”
READ MORE: Cruel border bans bad medicine
Imogen Reid 8.28am: Queensland to enforce gathering restrictions
New restrictions on public gatherings will be enforced in parts of Queensland today after the state recorded four new cases on Sunday.
From 8.00am today, gatherings in private homes and public places in the Western Downs, South Burnett, Cherbourg, Toowoomba, Goondiwindi, and Southern Downs council areas will be capped at 10 people.
The Brisbane, Ipswich, Redland, Moreton Bay, Logan, Gold Coast, Lockyer Valley, Scenic Rim and Somerset areas already have the same restrictions, while the rest of Queensland has a limit of 30 people at gatherings.
READ MORE: State of urgency as cluster fans out
ROBERT GOTTLIEBSEN 8.26am: Cabinet manslaughter charges three steps closer
While all the public attention was on lockdowns, last week the state of Victoria took three significant and deliberate steps towards the prosecution of members of its cabinet for industrial manslaughter – a crime that carries a maximum penalty of $16.5m and/or 25 years in jail.
READ Robert Gottliebsen’s full column here
Imogen Reid 8.17am: India tops list of most infectious countries
Twenty-five million people have tested positive for COVID-19 globally, as India records its highest daily spike with 78,761 cases confirmed in the past 24 hours.
India is carrying out more than a million tests a day and has the fastest-growing daily coronavirus infections of any country in the world.
Coronavirus infections in the United States are approaching 6 million as a number of the state’s daily case numbers continue to rise.
Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota have reported record increases in new cases, while nationally, new cases, deaths and hospitalisation rates have been declining.
The UK recorded 1715 confirmed cases on Sunday, the highest number since June.
According to government data, one person had died within 28 days of testing positive to the disease. There have now been 57,200 deaths registered in the UK where COVID-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.
Experts in Indonesia have found a more infectious mutation of coronavirus, which the World Health Organisation said was identified in February and has been spreading in Europe and the Americas.
Indonesia reported 2858 new infections on Sunday, taking the country’s total number of cases to 172,053 with 7343 deaths.
READ MORE: Vaccine jab by Christmas, experts say
Anne Barrowclough 8.00am: Auckland leaves lockdown after 18 days
New Zealand resrictions eased overnight, with Auckland leaving level 3 lockdown a nd moving to level ‘2.5’restrictions, with the rest of the country remaining on level 2.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern thanked Auckland residents for their patience during the two and a half week lockdown, but warned the government would raise levels again “if we need to”.
“For Auckland, you are at a form of level two that I am going to call level 2.5,” Ms Ardern said.
“It is designed to keep us on track with our elimination strategy at level two in the scenario we now have, but it will only work if people follow the guidance, I understand it is easy to become complacent.”
The level three lockdown was lifted at 11.59pm local time (9.59pm AEST).
Under level two, social gatherings are restricted to 10 people.
“I cannot express how important that is,” Ms Ardern said.
“If we want to stop the spread, we need to stop socialising for some time”.
READ MORE: ‘101 opportunities to get infected’
Imogen Reid 7.35am: ‘More Victorians on JobKeeper than all other states’
Josh Frydenberg has said the federal government was “working through their options” to ensure JobKeeper is extended after warning that more Victorians will be on the payment scheme than every other state combined.
The Treasurer said 60 per cent of the JobKeeper payment’s recipients are Victorian residents.
“What we have before the Parliament right now is an important piece of legislation to extend the JobKeeper payments but particularly to ensure that there is industrial relations and workplace flexibility that goes alongside Jobkeeper,” the Treasurer said.
“It’s important that that legislation passes this week because we know from JobKeeper recipients, namely the business who are supporting their employees, that those flexible arrangements have been critical for them to keep their doors open.”
Mr Frydenberg said he is expecting to see the largest single quarterly fall in GDP Australia has ever seen when the national accounts come out on Wednesday, due to the demand and supply shock of COVID-19.
READ MORE: JobKeeper safety net ‘will cost jobs’
Staff writers 7.35am: 30,000 Victorians on unemployment benefits since June
Treasury analysis shows almost 30,000 Victorians had started receiving unemployment benefits since the end of June — more than half of whom joined the unemployment queue over the past two weeks alone.
The analysis reveals the brunt of the economic hit caused by the second wave has been felt by Melburnians, with the regions avoiding some of the pain, the Herald Sun reports.
Josh Frydenberg on Sunday launched a scathing attack on Daniel Andrews’ handling of the coronavirus and his failure to release an economic recovery plan. The Treasurer slammed the Premier for a “litany of failures” that had a “devastating impact”.
The wages of almost a million Victorians are already being supplemented through the federal government’s JobKeeper wage subsidy. Treasury estimates that by December about 60 per cent of the scheme’s 2.24 million recipients will be in Victoria.
READ the full story here.
Imogen Reid 7.25am: Frydenberg calls on states to ‘step up’ for communities
Josh Frydenberg has called on state governments to spend more to support Australia’s economic recovery during the COVID-19 crisis.
The Treasurer told Sky news the “unequivocal” message from the Governor of the Reserve Bank was for the states to boost aggregate demand and to “step up” to help their communities.
“Let me put it into perspective for you,” Mr Frydenberg said.
“We at the commonwealth have committed $314 billion dollars, that’s around 15.8 per cent of GDP. In contrast, the states have contributed some $48 billion or around 2.4 per cent.
“They need to spend more and they know it. Whether it’s on infrastructure projects, whether it’s assisting local government or whether it’s on land tax relief, they need to step up here and support their communities, just like the Federal Government is.”
READ MORE: Melbourne wanes while Sydney gains
Imogen Reid 7.00am: Sydney cluster spreads to eastern suburbs, north shore
NSW Health has issued a number of fresh COVID-19 alerts for multiple locations across Sydney’s city after they were visited by positive cases.
Passengers on the X39 bus that left Pitt Street opposite Australia Square at 6.08pm on 20 August and arrived at Clovelly Road, Carrington Road at Randwick at 6.40pm are considered close contacts of a positive COVID case.
Health officials have directed anyone who travelled on the same bus trip to immediately self-isolate until midnight on 3 September and to get tested.
“A previously reported case associated with the August CBD cluster took this bus,” NSW Health said.
“The person reported wearing a mask on the bus. A second passenger was confirmed as having COVID on Friday.”
Both cases live and work in the same areas and disembarked at the same spot. NSW Health is investigating the source of the second person’s infection.
Health authorities are contacting all registered Opal card users who were on the bus. They said one of around 11 passengers who took the bus was not registered.
A shopping centre in Sydney’s lower North Shore notified customers on Sunday after an infected customer visited a sushi restaurant on Thursday last week.
Anyone who visited Sushi Rio at Chatswood Chase Sydney on August 27 between 5.45-7.30pm is urged to monitor their symptoms.
Anyone who attended Highfield Caringbah pub in Sydney’s south for more than two hours on 22 August from 6pm to 8.30pm is considered a close contact of a previously reported case and must isolate immediately for 14 days and seek testing.
NSW Health has advised other patrons who were at the venue for less than two hours to monitor for symptoms as they are now considered casual contacts.
People who used the weights room at Fitness First Randwick on 23 August at 3.30pm to 4.15pm are considered close contacts of a previously reported case and have been directed by health officials to immediately isolate for 14 days.
Reddam Early Learning Centre at Lindfield has been closed for cleaning after a staff member tested positive for coronavirus.
“The staff member is a household contact of a previously reported case associated with the August CBD cluster, and will be counted in tomorrow’s figures,” NSW Health said.
The case worked three days on 25 to 27 August while unknowingly infectious.
Members and other patrons of Randwick Golf Club are on high alert after the venue was visited by a positive case.
Anyone who attended the Club on 25 August between 11.50am and 12.20pm are considered casual contacts of a previously reported case and have been advised to monitor for symptoms.
Passengers on these public transport services are considered casual contacts of cases and should get tested and self-isolate should they develop COVID-19 symptoms:
READ MORE: States shielded from border responsibility
Geoff Chambers 6.00am: Coronavirus lockdown triggers emissions crash
Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions have fallen to their lowest levels since 1998, with COVID-19 restrictions decreasing carbon dioxide levels by 10 million tonnes between April and June.
The pandemic-fuelled economic slowdown, which has dramatically impacted the transport and aviation sectors, drove a 17.9 per cent drop in emissions from the consumption of liquid fuels in the June quarter.
The emissions plunge also coincided with the July 1 start-date of the Paris Agreement Target accounting period, with the Morrison government aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 26-28 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030.
The National Greenhouse Gas Inventory update, released by Energy Minister Angus Taylor on Monday, will show in the year to March emissions fell 1.4 per cent to 528.7m tonnes, which is 14.3 per cent below 2005 levels.
Excluding emissions generated by exports, emissions have fallen 32 per cent on 2005 levels.
Mr Taylor — who announced in June that Australia had beat its Kyoto-era targets by up to 430 million tonnes — said the unsustainable restrictions on Australians’ livelihoods and freedom to travel had “substantially reduced emissions”. “With the impacts of COVID-19 restrictions being felt across the economy, emissions have reduced as expected,” Mr Taylor said.
READ the full story here
Richard Ferguson 5.30am: Battle over JobKeeper to dominate Senate sitting
Josh Frydenberg says his JobKeeper extension plans are prioritising saving jobs over maintaining levels of pay, setting up a battle over wage subsidies in the Senate this week.
Anthony Albanese’s upper house team will push amendments to ensure that an extension on flexible workplace rules for businesses coming off JobKeeper — but still considered distressed — will not see JobKeeper workers paid less than the minimum wage.
The JobKeeper debate is likely to dominate the last parliamentary week before the October budget, with the government’s proposed veto over state and local government deals with foreign states, a major overhaul of environmental regulations and higher education student fee reforms set to face the house and Senate.
The Treasurer on Sunday said he opposed the Labor amendments, saying they would force employers no longer on JobKeeper to pay people at full hours, despite not having the capacity to, and that would lead to businesses going under.
“It’s not about ensuring the worker is getting exactly the same pay that they were previously — it’s about ensuring they maintain their job,” he told Sky News.
“Ultimately, Labor’s proposal could cost jobs. If you were to force an employer to pay someone, even if there was not the work for them, ultimately that could lead to more sackings.”
READ the full story here.
Graham Lloyd 1.20am: Economic standstill fails to clear air
The slump in air travel, stand down of industry and restrictions on personal movements because of the COVID-19 pandemic have failed to stop the rise of atmospheric carbon dioxide levels or led to big improvements in air quality in Australia’s major centres.
Carbon dioxide levels are still rising at the southern hemisphere’s main measuring station at Cape Grim on the northwest tip of Tasmania.
Scientists say any long-term change in CO2 levels caused by the pandemic will be hidden in the “noise” of natural variability. It is the same story in the northern hemisphere, despite a collapse in economic activity estimated to have cost almost $US4 trillion in lost trade, ended 147 million full-time jobs and caused the biggest drop in greenhouse gas emissions.
Climate scientists say carbon dioxide emissions in 2020 will be the same as in 2006 and that to meet targets set by the Paris Agreement, the same cuts caused by the pandemic must be repeated every year for 30 years.
READ the full story here.
Matthew Denholm 1.10am: Fishers caught in energy giant’s net
Two valuable industries are on a collision course over the riches of a vast area of Bass Strait, with high stakes for the nation regardless of which side prevails.
Two oil and gas companies plan to conduct seismic testing – blasting with powerful airguns – across a combined 7300sq km east and west of King Island, to aid the search for gas reserves.
Determined to stop them – at least until the implications on fish stocks are fully assessed – are high-value fisheries on both sides of the strait; scallop, rock lobster and giant crab.
Armed with scientific evidence and bitter past experience, all pointing to devastating impacts, fishermen fear the seismic tests, for 50 to 60 days next year, will wipe out resource for generations.
Energy companies ConocoPhillips and Beach Energy play down the impacts, talk up the need for new gas reserves and are consulting ahead of seeking regulatory approval.
Fishing groups, believing the regulatory process is stacked against them, are gearing up for a fight. “The consequences for us are dramatic and drastic if this goes all wrong,” said Julian Harrington, chief executive of the Tasmanian Seafood Industry Council.
Fishing industries believe the testing – involving powerful blasts of air shot from ships, creating acoustic wavelets – can kill or harm a variety of species.
READ the full story here.
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