PoliticsNow: ‘Afghan lives matter’: China’s outcry widens
China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman has asked whether Australia believes the murder of innocent civilians is justified, urging Scott Morrison to ‘bring the culprits to justice’.
- NSW goes 23 days without local transmission
- Victoria records new Covid death
- Fauci lauds Australia’s virus measures
- ‘Promising signs’ of economic recovery
Welcome to our live coverage of politics around the nation as Australia responds to the continuing coronavirus pandemic.
Scott Morrison is demanding China apologise over its spreading of a fake image showing an Australian soldier holding a knife to an Afghan girl’s throat, saying Beijing should be ashamed.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has announced a major shakeup of the state’s quarantine system, creating a new coronavirus specific HQ, amid a significant reconfiguration of the health department. Trade Minister Simon Birmingham says the off-ramp of “dialogue and discussion” remains open to China if they want to avoid a World Trade Organisation fight over barley tariffs as Barnaby Joyce defends the Prime Minister’s handling of the dispute.
Joseph Lam 9:30pm: Aged-care, hospital restrictions lifted in QLD
Visitor restrictions in aged-care homes and hospitals will no longer be limited to two people in a further easing of coronavirus restrictions in Queensland.
VISITOR LIMITS: From 1am tomorrow, visitor restrictions will lift and normal visitor rules will apply to aged care facilities and hospitals.
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) November 30, 2020
If you’re sick, stay home and immediately arrange a COVID-19 test. #covid19 pic.twitter.com/Ege6G2hri1
In effect from 1am Tuesday, visitor numbers will be left up to the discretion of aged-care facilities and visitors who have not had a flu vaccination will be again allowed to visit as the influenza seaon has finished.
Service providers including hairdressers, mental health providers and legal advisors will be allowed to enter aged-care homes under the new rules as will children under the age of 16.
Aged-care residents will be allowed to leave their facility to exercise, attend private gatherings of up to 50 people, attend funerals and visit other aged-care facilities.
Coronavirus (#COVID19) case update 30/11.
— Queensland Health (@qldhealthnews) November 30, 2020
Detailed information about COVID-19 cases in Queensland can be found here: https://t.co/kapyXpSIAP pic.twitter.com/UHCT6BMMhF
Read more: Aged-care and Covid-19: a special report
Richard Ferguson 9.15pm: Plea for help to get students back
Australia’s COVID-ravaged international education sector will use a major meeting with six cabinet ministers in Canberra this week to push for more support and a rejuvenated campaign to entice foreign students to sign up to Australian universities.
A group of 64 Charles Darwin University students — the first to arrive since the pandemic began — are likely to be the only group to enter the country until next year as Scott Morrison prioritises the return of Australians.
The National Council for International Education, chaired by Education Minister Dan Tehan, will convene on Thursday for the first time since the crisis began and experts will hand a report to the Prime Minister on the state of the $40bn-a-year industry in the wake of the pandemic.
Wayne Smith 8.30pm: Overseas Covid dramas may stop rugby exodus
Rugby Australia has passed on a near 30 per cent reduction in revenue to the Super Rugby franchises but is relying on private equity to make up some of the shortfall while taking a realistic view that the traditional markets that tend to plunder Australian players are still Covid-hit.
RA chief executive Rob Clarke told The Australian on Monday that the 30 per cent reduction was in line with RA’s own projections of a 30 per cent cut in expected revenue next year.
“We have been consistent in that and trying to share the pain legitimately. We would have preferred not to do but we all have had to face the reality of that,” Clarke said. “We have now taken $40 million out of the cost base of Rugby Australia so we will be entering 2021 with $40 million less in our cost line.
We have reduced our staff by 45 per cent and we have had a 40 per cent reduction in overall expenses.”
Squad sizes and player salaries will hinge on ongoing collective bargaining negotiations taking place with the Rugby Union Players Association but at least these — at least according to Clarke — are proceeding on a fairly harmonious basis.
Geoff Chambers 7.50pm: China tariff a threat to 6000 wine jobs
Australia’s threat to launch action against China through the World Trade Organisation over its strategic assault on key export industries could occur within months, as winemakers warn up to 6000 jobs are at risk from new tariffs imposed by Beijing.
The Australian understands if the federal government proceeds with WTO action, it would be used as a test case over Beijing’s spurious complaints over the dumping of wine, barley and other exports.
The WTO is typically used to force countries into mediating direct outcomes, with the federal government recently dropping action against Canada after a deal was struck to lift restrictions on Australian wine exports.
There are currently no official WTO disputes lodged by Canberra and Beijing against each other despite China’s threats targeting Australian products, including wine, barley, beef, timber and coal.
Under best case scenarios, WTO dispute settlement matters can take up to 18 months to be resolved. The wine dispute with Canada took 2½ years to resolve.
Trade Minister Simon Birmingham on Monday said they would use “all avenues available to defend the integrity of Australian producers”, arguing the government would like to resolve the trade dispute faster than WTO processes normally allow.
Joseph Kelly 7pm: Campbell backtracks on citations
Chief of the Defence Force Angus Campbell has backtracked on a declaration that 3000 soldiers would lose their meritorious unit citations, saying “no decisions have yet been made” in relation to the Brereton war crimes inquiry’s 140 recommendations.
General Campbell said Defence was developing a “comprehensive implementation plan” to put in place the recommendations, including in relation to “honours and awards including citations”.
“On 19 November 2020, I released the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force’s Afghanistan Inquiry report and spoke publicly about its findings and recommendations,” he said on Monday.
“Defence is developing a comprehensive implementation plan to action the Inspector-General’s recommendations.
“No decisions have yet been made with regard to the appropriate options and approaches to implement the more than 140 recommendations, as the complexity and sensitivity of the issues outlined in the report will take extensive and considered deliberation.
“Any further action in response to the Inspector-General’s recommendations will be considered as part of the implementation plan, which is being developed with the oversight of the Minister for Defence and the independent Afghanistan Inquiry Implementation Oversight Panel.”
However, on November 19 General Campbell said he would “write to the Governor-General requesting he revoke the Meritorious Unit Citation for Special Operations Task Groups who served in Afghanistan between 2007 and 2013.”
The change in position from General Campbell followed Scott Morrison’s statement earlier on Monday that no decisions had been made on whether to strip meritorious unit citations from 3000 special forces veterans.
“And were decisions to be made on that, that would only be following a further process and that is where that matter rests right now,” the Prime Minister said.
General Campbell said the implementation plan would address “key issues of public interest such as accountability, referrals to the Government-established Office of the Special Investigator, compensation, honours and awards including citations, ethical development of the force and command, and control of the Australian Defence Force in coalition operations, will all be addressed through the implementation plan.”
“Transparency is key to this process and I intend to speak publicly again, once the initial implementation plan is developed and first considered by Defence leadership and presented to Government for consideration and input.”
READ MORE: SAS leaders on hit list
Joseph Kelly 6.50pm: ‘Afghan lives matter’: China outcry widens
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying has declared “Afghan lives matter” and asked whether the Australian government believes the murder of innocent civilians is justified, urging Scott Morrison to “bring the culprits to justice”.
Responding to the Prime Minister’s call for Beijing to take down a fake image of an Australian soldier slitting the throat of a young child — posted on Twitter on Monday by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian — Ms Hua said some Australian soldiers had committed serious crimes in the conflict that were “appalling and shocking”.
She called on Australia to “offer an official apology to the Afghan people and make the solemn pledge that they will never repeat such crimes”.
She hit back at Mr Morrison for saying that the Chinese government should be “totally ashamed” of itself for putting the fake image on Twitter.
“They said the Chinese government should feel ashamed. It is Australian soldiers who committed such cruel crimes. Shouldn’t the Australian government feel ashamed? Shouldn’t they feel ashamed for their soldiers killing innocent Afghan civilians?”
She added: “Afghan lives matter. The Australian government should bring the culprits to justice.”
Ms Hua also referred to an unsubstantiated claim reported by sociologist Samantha Crompvoets in an initial report for Defence that Australian soldiers had slit the throats of two 14-year-old boys.
Henry Zeffman 6.45pm: Fears of 4000 deaths a day as US cases double
Coronavirus cases in America have doubled in a month to a record four million and it is feared that Thanksgiving travel could soon bring the number of people dying each day to 4000.
The number of recorded infections in November surpassed four million at the weekend. There were 1.9 million cases in October.
The steep rise, seen in every corner of the country, is expected to accelerate in the coming days as the effect of Americans travelling for Thanksgiving, which was on Thursday, begins to bite.
Joseph Lam 6pm: Latest national toll
Australia has recorded 27,893 coronavirus cases since January 22. Of those, 25,397 people have recovered and 907 died.
In the past 24 hours, 23,034 tests picked up 11 new cases, bringing the national total of active cases to 68.
Eight locally acquired cases of the virus emerged in the past week, as well as 64 overseas-acquired cases. A total of 22 people were admitted to hospital with the coronavirus.
This daily infographic provides a quick view of the current coronavirus (#COVID19) situation in Australia. https://t.co/5vGz9m7zsK pic.twitter.com/sFXkcaK1lR
— Australian Government Department of Health (@healthgovau) November 30, 2020
READ MORE: People with disability ‘forgotten’ in early COVID response
AFP 5.15pm: First foreign students arrive in Darwin
International students have arrived in Australia for the first time since the country shut its borders to curb coronavirus in March, with a charter flight touching down in Darwin on Monday.
Australian universities have been leaking cash due to the country’s indefinite border closure, which has locked out foreign students who keep the billion-dollar sector afloat.
A plane chartered by Charles Darwin University carrying 63 international students arrived in the northern city as part of a pilot program aimed at kickstarting the higher education industry.
The students — from mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, Vietnam and Indonesia — travelled to Singapore to catch the flight and will now spend 14 days in a government quarantine facility.
The mix of new and continuing students are enrolled across a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses including law, nursing and engineering.
In a statement, CDU said it was “an important first step in the recovery of the international education sector in Australia”.
Education is listed as Australia’s fourth-largest export — behind iron ore, coal and natural gas — with more than 500,000 international students enrolled last year, bringing about $37bn into the economy.
Universities — which as public institutions were omitted from a government coronavirus wage subsidy scheme — have been shedding thousands of jobs.
Similar proposals by universities in Canberra and Adelaide were previously scrapped, as the government came under pressure to reserve places in quarantine facilities for Australians stranded overseas.
Policies limiting the number of returnees have left more than 35,000 Australian citizens stuck abroad, despite government promises to bring them home by Christmas.
Many international students also remain stuck in Australia, and some are relying on charities for food handouts after they were excluded from support packages.
READ MORE: Has McGowan gone too far?
Joseph Lam 4.40pm: Warning for shisha smokers
Smoking shisha can increase the threat of contracting COVID-19 and worsen the symptoms, according to a new video by the NSW Multicultural Health Communication Service.
The video, released in partnership with the Shisha No Thanks project, outlines risks involved with the use of hookah, a stemmed instrument used to heat and vaporise tobacco before it is inhaled.
NSW MHCS claims the use of shared mouthpieces, shared hoses and the water in hookah instruments can lead to an increased risk of COVID-19 infection.
Smoking shisha also has a detrimental effect on the body.
“It reduces the lung’s ability to take in oxygen, making it harder to breathe”.
READ MORE: Australia leads on Covid: Fauci
Richard Ferguson 4.25pm: Chinese media dismisses call for apology
A leading Chinese propaganda outlet has called Scott Morrison’s demand for an apology from Beijing’s Foreign Ministry over an offensive tweet “ridiculous and shameless”.
The Prime Minister on Monday demanded China and Twitter remove a post from Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, which includes a doctored photo of an Australian soldier holding a knife to an Afghan girl’s throat.
It is a popular cartoon that condemns the Australian Special Forces ’s brutal murder of 39 Afghan civilians. On what ground does Morrison feel angry over the use of this cartoon by the spokesperson of Chinese FM? It’s ridiculous and shameless that he demanded China to apologize. pic.twitter.com/QkBSXyf1uY
— Hu Xijin 胡锡进 (@HuXijin_GT) November 30, 2020
Global Times editor in chief Hu Xijin tweeted that China should not apologise for sharing what he called a “popular political cartoon”.
“It is a popular cartoon that condemns the Australian Special Forces ’s brutal murder of 39 Afghan civilians,” Mr Hu tweeted.
“On what ground does Morrison feel angry over the use of this cartoon by the spokesperson of Chinese FM? It’s ridiculous and shameless that he demanded China to apologise.”
The Global Times is Beijing’s primary online English-language propaganda outfit.
READ MORE: Beijing oversteps the line with Twitter diplomacy
Heidi Han 3.51pm: Fake image the work of Chinese ‘wolf warrior’ artist
Reporting on Scott Morrison’s request for apology, Chinese state media the Global Times revealed that the fake image posted by Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian was a work of a computer graphics artist in China.
“I heard Mr Morrison has a lot of issues with my image? “The artist with user name” wuheqilin” posted on Chinese social media Weibo in mandarin.
The patriotic artist described himself as a “ Wolf-Warrior painter”, which echos China’s increasingly aggressive “wolf-warrior diplomacy”.
In a previous post, the popular political artist with over 570k followers on Weibo cheered his artwork being tweeted by Mr Zhao.
“Mr Zhao mighty! ! Slash it! ! Break it for me! “ He posted a screenshot of Mr Zhao’s tweet, which is now hidden by twitter following the backlash.
The term “Wolf Warrior” was coined from a Rambo-style patriotic Chinese action film, Wolf Warrior 2, and recently has been used to describe an aggressive style of diplomacy purported to be adopted by Chinese diplomats.
Adeshola Ore 3.25pm: Albanese: PM ‘personally responsible’ for Robodebt
Anthony Albanese has accused Scott Morrison of being “personally responsible” for the botched illegal Robodebt scheme in a fiery question time.
Labor used question time today in the House of Representatives to criticise the government’s program which left 430,000 welfare recipients wrongly accused of misreporting income. The Morrison government has agreed to a $1.2bn settlement for the victims of the scheme.
The opposition leader said Scott Morrison was “personally responsible for the design of the illegal robodebt scheme” which he said led to the suicide and self-harm of vulnerable people.
Government Services Minister Stuart Robert told the House of Representatives that the federal government “did not invent income averaging.”
“In terms of the customers that we are refunding to, it is important the house understands there are about 3300 deceased customers whose estates are entitled to a refund under the program and from August this year, the agency has been working with estates of those customers to process refunds.”
“Conflating that with issue of harm and with suicide, I suggest is not something that we should be walking into quickly.”
READ MORE: Why Robodebt failure is PM’s problem
Greg Brown 3.12pm: MP wounded in Afghanistan ‘disgusted’ at China post
Liberal National MP Phillip Thompson says the Chinese government should be “ashamed of their disgusting post”.
The Herbert MP, who was wounded representing the Australian Defence Force in Afghanistan, said Diggers “do not deserve this slander from China”.
“The Chinese government have used a disgusting falsified image of an Australian soldier threatening a child with a knife,” Mr Thompson said.
“I have never seen such a terrible image and slur targeting our defence force from anyone let alone another country.
“The Chinese government should be ashamed of themselves.”
READ MORE: Oriel — Muting free speech a dark cloud over the West
Adeshola Ore 3.02pm: Emergency chief to have say on $150m disaster spending
Agriculture Minister David Littleproud says Australia’s director-general of Emergency Management Australia will dictate how to spend the remaining $150 million of Australia’s natural disaster fund.
The federal government’s $4 billion emergency response fund was set up at the end of last year, including an allocated $200 million to respond to natural disasters like bushfires.
“That is the responsible thing to do. That is, in fact, the legislation that you the opposition voted for,” Mr Littleproud told the House of Representatives on Monday.
He said Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council was working to boost the number of aircrafts.
“It should be about the fact that we let the professionals make that determination,” he said.
“We will now work with the states to ensure that we work through that recommendation together because they are the ones with the expertise which determine whether you need a large aerial tanker, whether you need small-winged aircraft.”
READ MORE: Bushfire ravages home as heat hits
Paul Garvey 2.52pm: Hondros jumps fence to join Kirkup team
The new leader of WA’s Liberal opposition has poached award-winning journalist Nathan Hondros to be his chief of staff.
The appointment, understood to have been finalised on Monday morning, will see Mr Hondros leave his role covering WA politics for Nine’s WA Today website less than four months before the state election.
The 33-year-old Zak Kirkup was elected the new leader of the Liberal Party on Tuesday, following the resignation of Liza Harvey.
READ the full story here
Dennis Shanahan 2.44pm: PM’s virtual presence has less impact than Banquo’s ghost
The grand Parliamentary technological quest has failed.
The virtual presence of Scott Morrison in question time isn’t even that.
While the image of the Prime Minister beams down from the far back corner of the House of Representatives chamber he may as well not be there.
Tests on sound may have been taken before but not without even the merest chatter of the chamber which makes it almost impossible to hear his answers to questions.
Morrison’s virtual presence because of Covid-19 isolation in the Lodge has less impact than Banquo’s ghost at dinner.
Ironically it was Morrison who resisted calls to have a technological parliament on the grounds of technical failure earlier this year as the pandemic set it.
Monday’s first question time with only the image of the Prime Minister actually justified his earlier decision. It’s not a good question time for the Coalition when those listening long for a question to Michael McCormack.
READ MORE: Shanahan — Beijing oversteps the line with Twitter diplomacy
Sarah Elks 2.39pm: Queensland won’t reopen to Adelaide for another week
Queensland will not reopen its borders to Adelaide for at least another week, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has revealed.
“We want to make sure everything is perfectly safe,” she said, but reiterated her “aspiration” that everyone be able to travel freely for Christmas.
Queensland had zero new positive COVID-19 diagnoses overnight, and has 13 active cases.
The state’s borders reopen to greater Sydney and Victoria from Tuesday.
Other restrictions will also be lifted. Private gatherings outside in places like parks will be increased from 50 to 100 people, and Ms Palaszczuk people would also be able to stand close to each other for a short period of time for social and school photographs.
Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said she wanted to have another week to examine the situation in South Australia, before deciding whether Queensland should reopen to people from greater Adelaide.
“We’ve reviewed the situation in SA, and it looks good...they still are continuing to have cases and areas of concern,” Dr Young said.
More to come.
READ MORE: PVO — Has McGowan gone too far?
Richard Ferguson 2.24pm: We all stand as a nation in condemning post: Albanese
Anthony Albanese has condemned a senior Chinese official’s posting of a false photo depicting an Australian soldier holding a knife to an Afghan girl’s throat, saying Australia stood together against it.
Scott Morrison has demanded Twitter take Chinese Foriegn Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian’s tweet be taken down and China apologise for his behaviour.
The Opposition Leader said on Monday that he backed the Prime Minister’s comments.
“It is gratuitous, it is inflammatory,” he told the House of Representatives.
“We all stand as a nation in condemning it.”
Richard Ferguson 2.05pm: ‘No decisions’ on SAS citations
Scott Morrison says no decisions have been made to strip all Australian SAS soldiers who served in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2015 of their meritorious unit citations for the alleged war crimes of 19 defence personnel.
The Brereton war crimes inquiry has called on all SAS soldiers in the period of alleged war crimes to lose their unit citations, and a review of medals given to commanders at the time.
The Prime Minister on Monday said that the actions of a few should not reflect on all servicemen.
“No decisions have been made. And if decisions were to be made on that, it would be following a further process,” he said.
“The best thing we can do is ensure that there is a fair process.
“Those processes are there for a reason. They’re there to protect people and to uphold the integrity of the Australian Defence Force.
“The actions of a few - whether in command or those on the ground - do not reflect on the many thousands of others who serve today and have served before.”
READ MORE: SAS leaders on hit list
Adeshola Ore 2.00pm: Lambie blasts Defence chief over bravery medals
Independent senator Jacqui Lambie has criticised Chief of Defence Angus Campbell over his calls to strip bravery medals from special forces soldiers in response to alleged war crimes.
The Australian has reported that General Campbell is working through a list of dozens of senior officers who led special forces soldiers to determine which commanders should be held accountable.
“If General Campbell has not felt the bitch-slap from all those millions of Australians out there, he needs to pull his head out of his arse,’’ Senator Lambie said in Canberra on Monday.
“It’s heartbreaking stuff. But one recommendation I can’t support is stripping the whole of Special Operations Task Group 66 of the Meritorious Unit Citation,’’ she said
Max Maddison 1.54pm: SA goes another day without new Covid cases
South Australia has recorded no new cases of COVID-19 for the second straight day.
While the Parafield cluster, first announced on November 15, remains on 33 cases, the state remained on high alert after a quarantine patient who later tested positive visited several retail stores while potentially infectious.
SA Health has urged anyone who visited the following hotspots at these times to get tested immediately. Around 4200 tests were conducted on Sunday.
• Big W Brickworks, South Rd, Torrensville - Sunday 22 November 12.15pm to 12.50pm
• Flinders University Sturt Campus, Bedford Park - 13 November to 28 November
• Foodland, The Parade, Norwood - Sunday 22 November 1.20pm to 2.00pm
• Kmart, Anzac Hwy, Kurralta Park - Sunday 22 November 2.45pm to 3.10pm
Richard Ferguson 1.50pm: PM shoots down China, Russia attacks on Diggers
Scott Morrison has shot down China and Russia’s attacks against Australian soldiers in light of the Brereton war crimes inquiry, saying the report shows how liberal democracies deal with war crimes.
Both China and Russia’s Foreign Ministry said they were shocked by the Brereton report on Monday, with China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian posting a fake offensive image of an Australian soldier holding a knife to an Afghan girl’s throat.
The Prime Minister — who has demanded the post be taken down and an apology from China — said on Monday that the Brereton inquiry was a credit to Australians who have served in uniform.
“Australia’s transparent and honest way of dealing with this issue is a credit to this nation, and it is a credit to all those who served this nation in uniform,” he said in Canberra.
“That is what a free, liberal democratic country does. Few countries around the world I suppose would deal with this in the way that we have.
“I’m proud of their service. The alleged actions of a few do not define the actions of a great many.”
Richard Ferguson 1.25pm: China should be ashamed of fake war crime photo: PM
Scott Morrison is demanding China apologise over its spreading of a fake image showing an Australian soldier holding a knife to an Afghan girl’s throat, saying Beijing should be ashamed.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian — a regular critic of Australian foreign policy — said on Twitter he was shocked by allegations Australian soldiers were linked to 39 unlawful killings of Afghan nationals during the War in Afghanistan.
Mr Zhao tweeted a fake, provocative, photo of an Australian soldier holding a knife to a child’s throat on top of the Afghan flag.
The Prime Minister said Mr Zhao’s fake photo was repugnant, and he has asked both the Chinese government and Twitter to remove it.
“The Chinese government should be totally ashamed of this post,” he said.
“You don’t engage disinformation, and the ugliness that we see in this post on the Chinese government Twitter account today.”
Mr Morrison said he was confident Twitter would take down the top Chinese Foreign Ministry official’s fake photo slur against Australian soldiers, despite its past reluctance to discipline governments.
Twitter has in the past added warnings to government officials’ tweets — like outgoing US president Donald Trump — but its general policy is to not take government-sanctioned posts down.
The Prime Minister said he hoped Twitter would take a different approach to Mr Zhao on decency grounds.
“It’s an absolute falsehood, it’s an absolute falsehood and an offensive slur,” he said in Canberra.
“I would think in the interests of decency, they would take it down.”
READ MORE: China uses fake photo to attack Australia
Adeshola Ore 1.13pm: Soldiers shouldn’t shoulder blame for ‘tiny minority’
Opposition industrial relations spokesman Tony Burke says Australian soldiers should not be denigrated for the alleged war crimes committed by a “tiny minority” of defence personnel.
On Monday morning, China’s Foreign Ministry attacked Australia over the revelations of the Brereton war crimes inquiry and tweeted an offensive fake photo.
Mr Burke said Australia had been upfront about the inquiry process into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan.
“We must not allow Australian soldiers who have put their lives at risk, some who have lost their lives, to in any way, be denigrated and allow the actions of a tiny minority be a way of tarnishing people,” he said in Canberra on Monday.
In response to the photo tweeted by China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Mr Burke said Australians should have full confidence in the country’s defence force.
READ MORE: PVO — Punishing the innocent is a disgrace
Stephen Lunn 1.03pm: Disabled ‘forgotten’ in early Covid response
The high levels of stress and anxiety felt by people with disability in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic were “immeasurably heightened” by a feeling they had been forgotten by governments, the Disability Royal Commission has found.
The commission also said it was a “serious failure” that no government department or agency, including the health department, made any significant effort to consult with people with a disability in the pandemic’s first few months.
This failure led to a lack of policy to address the specific needs of people with disability in COVID-19, its new report to government tabled in parliament on Monday found.
The commission’s report summarises the experiences of people with disability during COVID-19 and offers 22 recommendations to better protect those with living with disability during a pandemic.
READ the full story here
Lachlan Moffet Gray 12.44pm: Early release of super withdrawals reach $35.3bn
A total of $35.3bn has been withdrawn under the COVID-19 early release of super scheme, making the government’s draw down target of $36bn by December 31, when the scheme ends.
$146m was paid out over the most recent week to 20,000 fund members, one of the lowest weekly amounts on record.
The average payment made since the inception of the scheme is $7650. The maximum amount allowed to be withdrawn is $10,000.
READ MORE: ‘Early super access must end’
Robyn Ironside 12.32pm: 2000 more jobs to go at Qantas
Qantas will no longer employ groundhandling crews after confirming it will outsource 2000 jobs to other companies to save more than $100m a year.
The move will take the number of jobs lost across the Qantas Group as a result of the COVID crisis to about 8500, reducing the total workforce to just over 20,000.
The airline first flagged the outsourcing proposal for baggage handlers, cleaners, bus drivers and other ground crew, after announcing a $2.7bn pre-tax loss for the 2020 financial year and forecasting another significant loss in 2021.
READ the full story here
Richard Ferguson 12.20pm: China tweets fake photo in war crimes inquiry attack
China’s Foreign Ministry has attacked Australia over the revelations of the Bereton war crimes inquiry, tweeting out an offensive fake photo.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian — a regular critic of Australian foreign policy — said he was shocked by allegations Australian soldiers were linked to 39 unlawful killings of Afghan nationals during the War in Afghanistan.
Mr Zhao tweeted a fake, provocative, photo of an Australian soldier holding a knife to a child’s throat on top of the Afghan flag.
“Shocked by murder of Afghan civilians & prisoners by Australian soldiers,” Mr Zhao tweeted.
“We strongly condemn such acts, &call for holding them accountable.”
READ MORE: Leaders punish too many Diggers for the sins of the few
Max Maddison 11.45am: Andrews unveils tough new quarantine plan
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has announced a major shakeup of the state’s quarantine system, creating a new coronavirus specific HQ, amid a significant reconfiguration of the health department.
Speaking at a press conference, Mr Andrews said with international flights resuming on December 7, the quarantine program had been “reset under a specific and dedicated administrative office” named COVID-19 Quarantine Victoria.
Mr Andrews said current corrections commissioner Emma Cassar would lead the new program.
“Emma (Cassar) will be the Commissioner of that specific single purpose vehicle, one administrative entity, that has no other responsibility that Hotel quarantine,” Mr Andrews said.
“... she will be supported with a new structure where there will be a Deputy Chief Health Officer with no other purpose than public health response, infection and control within Hotel quarantine Victoria, the police will be in charge of all those security functions.”
Mr Andrews said the changes, including making one minister accountable and responsible for the whole program, were the result of the board of inquiry. He also announced that no private security guards would be involved in the system, while he would be leaning on Australian Defence Force personnel support to help run the quarantine system.
In addition, Mr Andrews announced the Victorian department of health and human services would split. From February 1, the department of health would include health, ageing and mental health, while a new department, DFFH, would cover families, fairness and housing.
“We know that there are many lessons that have to be learned in relation to hotel quarantine, and we have learned those lessons, from Victoria and experiences in Adelaide, and experiences in Sydney,” he said.
“Breaches of hotel quarantine are not unique to Victoria, we have to be focused on the best system, the stronger system, to keep Victorians safe to protect this precious thing that we have built.”
READ MORE: Kohler — Pandemic sharpens war over role of the state
Max Maddison 11.11am: NSW records 23 days without community transmission
NSW has recorded 23 days without community transmission, but amid a drop-off in testing rates, health officials have urged people to remain vigilant.
NSW recorded no new cases of locally acquired #COVID19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) November 30, 2020
Nine cases were reported in overseas travellers. This brings the total number of cases in NSW to 4,388 since the start of the pandemic. pic.twitter.com/rdQgJbATSz
While nine new cases were recorded, the entirety of those were from travellers in hotel quarantine returning from overseas, NSW Health announced. There were 75 active cases across the state.
“With a drop in testing numbers over the weekend, NSW Health is again asking everyone to continue to come forward for testing if they have even the mildest symptom that could signal COVID 19,” NSW Health deputy chief health officer Dr Jeremy McAnulty said on Monday morning
“While NSW has had 23 days without a locally acquired case of COVID , there may still be transmission among people who have unrecgonised infections with mild or no symptoms.”
Only 6,106 tests were recorded in the 24 hours until 8pm last night, compared to 10,256 in the previous period.
READ MORE: One in five Covid research papers corrected
Lachlan Moffet Gray 10.40am: ASX rockets, seeks to make history
The local sharemarket has rocketed up on opening by up 40 points, or 0.58 per cent, to 6640.699 points as the ASX looks determined to make November the best performing month in the market’s history.
Last week the ASX 200 rose by 0.9 per cent after a strong first half of the week before faltering slightly and closing at 6601.1 points - barely maintaining a four week winning streak, but still up 11.36 per cent for November.
It’s the best monthly return for the ASX200 in its history and comes close to the record-breaking 13.2 per cent gain seen by the sharemarket at large in March 1988.
Leading the charge this morning was the tech index, up two per cent, followed by the healthcare index up 0.99 per cent.
FOLLOW live ASX updates on Trading Day
Max Maddison 10.33am: 13 face charges over NZ White Island tragedy
Charges have been filed against 13 parties involved in New Zealand’s Whakaari/White Island tragedy, with the majority facing a maximum fine of NZ$1.5m (A$1.43).
An investigation by WorkSafe, NZ’s workplace health and safety regulator, found 10 parties had broken the Health and Safety at Work Act. Each was facing a fine of up to $1.5m, 1news reports.
On December 9, 2019, the volcano on Whakaari/White Island erupted, killing 22 people and seriously injuring another 22. The deaths included 13 Australian tourists.
An additional three individuals, charged as directors or individuals, were found to have inadequately ensured the company met its health and safety obligations, and are facing a maximum fine of NZ$300,000 ($A285,503).
The accused will appear in Auckland District Court on December 15.
READ MORE: Cater — Media ‘diversity’ alive but not at all well in NZ
Rachel Baxendale 10.28am: Victoria finally introduces QR code
The Andrews government has finally introduced an official COVID-safe QR Code check-in system, more than two months after NSW and the ACT.
When Victorian shops reopened in October following a three-and-a-half month lockdown, Premier Daniel Andrews was unable to name a date for the introduction of a QR code system, citing the issue of compatibility with the existing IT platform for coronavirus contact tracing.
NSW and the ACT established systems in September, allowing users to scan their contact details using a smartphone app as they visit shops, restaurants and gyms.
Thousands of businesses in Victoria have introduced their own QR Code system, but no centralised government system has existed until now.
READ the full story here
Adeshola Ore 10.10am: Kathmandu chief’s public service role revealed
Former Kathmandu chief executive Xavier Simonet will take the helm at the Australian Trade and Investment Commission.
Trade and Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham said Mr Simonet’s appointment as chief executive of the agency comes at a critical time for helping businesses maintain global supply chains and diversify export markets.
“As our key agency for promoting Australian trade, investment and education to the world, and developing tourism policy, Austrade’s role in providing advice and support to Australian businesses has never been more important, as they continue to face enormous challenges,” Senator Birmingham said in a statement.
“Mr Simonet will bring proven and strong leadership to Austrade, as it plays its part in helping Australian businesses to navigate through and bounce back from this significant period of economic and trade uncertainty.
Mr Simonet has resigned from Kathmandu after more than five years in the role, during which he expanded the company with acquisitions of Rip Curl and Oboz brands.
Adeshola Ore 9.43am: Emissions ‘will keep falling without carbon tax’
Energy Minister Angus Taylor says Australia’s carbon emissions can continue to fall without a carbon tax.
The federal government’s latest emissions update shows Australia is ahead of its carbon emissions target by 459m tonne. The country’s carbon emissions fell by 3 per cent in the 12 months to the end of June.
“We’ve got rid of the carbon tax and we’re smashing our targets,’’ Mr Taylor told Sky News today. “We’re doing it through technology, not taxation.
“You can see through these numbers we’re doing extremely well independent of the pandemic.”
READ MORE: Fire alert as heatwave worsens
Lachlan Moffet Gray 9.30am: TransGrid gets $125m Clean Energy boost
TransGrid Services has received a $125m debt facility from the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, part owner Spark Infrastructure has announced.
The money will be used to increase the amount of electricity TransGrid can provide to the national electricity market as part of a project that will see the Snowy Hydro 2.0 scheme connected to the national network.
READ MORE: Solar to outshine wind in Texas
Lachlan Moffet Gray 9.24am: What Christopher Pyne did next
Former Defence Minister Christopher Pyne has been appointed a non-executive director of listed ballistic armour producer Xtek.
Mr Pyne, who is also the current chairman of Pyne and Partners and Principal of lobbyist GC Advisory said he was looking forward to helping the company grow its footprint.
“XTEK is on the verge of significant growth as it continues to develop and commercialise its IP globally, building on its domestic distribution networks and capabilities,” he said.
“I look forward to contributing to this next stage of growth and being part of this market leading Company.”
XTEK Chairman Uwe Boettcher said Mr Pyne’s defence industry knowledge would help the company “commercialise its proprietary technologies globally, as well as further strengthen its domestic capabilities.”
XTEK has a market cap of $43.57m and last traded at $0.62 cents a share.
READ MORE: Kathmandu CEO quits for public service
Max Maddison 9.19am: SA quarantine break ‘a misunderstanding’
Australian Medical Association vice president Chris Moy has defended the South Australian man who visited several shops while infectious with COVID-19, labelling the incident a “misunderstanding”.
The Steven Marshall-led state was on high-alert after the man in his 30s left quarantine after testing negative and proceeded to go shopping, before later developing symptoms. But Dr Moy said the man had done the right thing initially.
“My understanding is that this individual was what you call a casual contact, a lower risk contact of a positive case,” Dr Moy told Nine’s Today Show on Monday morning.
“He was sent a message to quarantine for 14 days. He had a negative test, which gave some level of assurance. He misunderstood and went out shopping when the lockdown ended. There was a misunderstanding — because later he came positive, developed symptoms.”
With health officials still uncertain about the number of people who might have interacted with the man during his shopping spree, Dr Moy said he was “reasonably worried” about an outbreak, despite saying it was “likely” the man didn’t have symptoms on the day.
“We thought we had it in the can last week but it shows that the lesson is one person can make the difference,” he said.
READ MORE: Infected man breaches quarantine in SA
Adeshola Ore 8.57am: Warning despite plunge in JobKeeper numbers
Opposition treasury spokesman Jim Chalmers has warned the country’s economic recovery will “feel like a recession for too many Australians” despite more than two million people coming off JobKeeper in the past month.
The latest Treasury figures revealed 450,000 fewer businesses and around two million fewer employees qualified for JobKeeper in October than in September, leaving 1.5 million workers still relying on it.
“I don’t think what we’re seeing today is some kind of policy triumph from the government when you consider the easing of restrictions that happened around Australia and when the government tightened the eligibility for the payment itself,” Mr Chalmers said in Canberra on Monday.
“What really matters is how Australians are faring and whether they can provide for their loved ones.”
READ MORE: ‘Promising signs’ of economic recovery
Adeshola Ore 8.52am: Australia ‘transparent’ on Afghan war crimes
Finance Minister Simon Birmingham has defended Australia’s handling of allegations of war crimes in Afghanistan.
ABC News reported Russia’s Foreign Ministry lashed out at Australia’s ability to hold servicemen accountable for the alleged crimes and said the country’s credibility was tarnished on the international stage.
Senator Birmingham said Australia had shown “accountability and transparency” through undertaking the Brereton war crimes inquiry. The report revealed special forces allegedly murdered 39 Afghan civilians and prisoners.
“We can take in pride in the work of our servicemen and women,” he told the ABC on Monday.
“Unlike other countries who may sweep these things under the carpet we undertook a thorough investigation. We’re applying remedies to address it.”
READ MORE: SAS leaders on top brass hit list
Richard Ferguson 8.47am: Victoria losing triple A rating ‘devastating’
Josh Frydenberg says Victoria losing its triple A credit rating would be a “devastating consequence” of the state’s second wave of coronavirus.
Credit ratings agencies say Victoria’s public finances are “dire”, with one warning the country’s second-largest state could be stripped of its AAA rating within weeks — the first downgrade of an Australian government in seven years.
The Treasurer said on Monday Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews’ state budget response to the economic crisis was his decision, but the consequences of the second lockdown were becoming clear.
“They’re not decisions for the government, they are decisions for the independent credit rating agencies,” Mr Frydenberg told Sky News.
“But every state will respond to their own economic circumstances with the budget that they see fit.
“Certainly what we’re seeing in Victoria is those economic consequences from the devastating second wave.”
READ MORE: Morrison on a high as border bans ease
Rachel Baxendale 8.44am: Victoria records another virus death
Victoria’s coronavirus death toll has risen by one to 820, after a person previously cleared as having recovered from the virus dies from complications.
Reported yesterday were 5,030 test results, 0 new cases, 0 active cases. Sadly, we have to report today that a previously cleared COVID-19 case has died from complications relating to their original diagnosis. https://t.co/pcll7yB2RZ #COVID19Vic #StaySafeStayOpen pic.twitter.com/2gmdA2GQ9G
— VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) November 29, 2020
All but 19 of the deaths occurred as a result of the state’s second wave of coronavirus, sparked by breaches in the Andrews government’s hotel quarantine program.
The latest death comes despite Victoria achieving 31 days with no new known cases of coronavirus, after 5030 tests were processed in the 24 hours to Monday.
The case was a woman in her 70s who was part of a small group of cases diagnosed in late July. She was cleared as an active case in late Sept. In line w/ the national case definition, this is a COVID-related death as no recovery occurred from time of infection. Our condolences.
— VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) November 29, 2020
“The case was a woman in her 70s who was part of a small group of cases diagnosed in late July. She was cleared as an active case in late Sept. In line with the national case definition, this is a COVID-related death as no recovery occurred from time of infection. Our condolences,” Victoria’s Department of Health & Human Services said in a tweet.
READ MORE: Victoria in ‘dire’ state, rating at risk
Max Maddison 8.20am: Overseas tourists ‘back at end of next year’
Finance Minister Simon Birmingham has warned tourism operators will be “waiting a while” before international travellers return to our shores, saying he hopes visits can return by the end of next year.
With travellers from New Zealand allowed into Australia but required to quarantine when they returned, Mr Birmingham said it wasn’t feasible to expect them to come for short holidays currently, while tempering expectations about when international visitors will be allowed back into the country.
“The news around vaccines is encouraging but it’s going to take a while. We are not going to see vaccines distributed in a way across the world that gets people back by the first and second quarter next year,” Mr Birmingham told Nine’s Today show.
“I am hoping to see international visitation as we love through next year and by the end of it. In the meantime, we need Australians to get out there and holiday like you would have done overseas.”
Despite conceding any results would likely take years, Mr Birmingham also defended the decision to take China to the World Trade Organisation, saying the government wanted to “hold them to account”.
“It will take a long time. We acknowledge that but it is still worth using those international
processes to get the outcome. Secondly, look, businesses choose where they trade but what we are committed to do with Australian business is helping them to access other markets,” he said.
READ MORE: Covid spurs merger mania
Richard Ferguson 8.00am: ‘China can take off-ramp in WTO fight’
Trade Minister Simon Birmingham says the off-ramp of “dialogue and discussion” remains open to China if they want to avoid a World Trade Organisation fight over barley tariffs.
The federal government opened the door this week to making a formal complaint to the WTO over the communist superpower’s decision early this year to target Australia barley farmers — among the first of many anti-Australian trade actions Beijing has launched in the past year.
Senator Birmingham said on Monday that dialogue was still the preferred option, even if a WTO challenge against China is ignited.
“We actually had a WTO case against Canada over the last couple of years. We challenged Canada. It also revolved around getting market access.
“We didn’t get to the point of a final WTO ruling. Countries came to the table and worked it out.
“That is the ideal situation we would like to repeat with China. Even if we ignite those formal WTO challenges there is always an off-ramp, always a pathway, and that’s called dialogue and discussion.”
READ MORE: PM vows to fight the grapes of wrath
Richard Ferguson 7.20am: Cabinet reshuffle on cards to cover Cormann
Scott Morrison is working towards a ministerial reshuffle by the end of this year’s last sitting fortnight of parliament.
Josh Frydenberg on Monday said the Prime Minister was working to fill the cabinet hole left by former finance minister Mathias Cormann, who is campaigning to lead the OECD in Paris.
“Certainly these are decisions for the Prime Minister to take,” the Treasurer told the Nine Network.
“And obviously Mathias Cormann has gone off to campaign for the OECD role which will be wonderful for Australia if he is successful in getting it.
“That has created a change in the finance portfolio. Simon Birmingham is doing well.
“(The reshuffle) is a matter for the Prime Minister and I will leave that to him.”
READ MORE: ‘I won’t be back’ — Mathias Cormann leaves politics
Max Maddison 7.15am: China ‘really doesn’t care’ about WTO appeal
Barnaby Joyce says China “really doesn’t care” if Australia takes them to the World Trade Organisation, but has defended Scott Morrison’s handling of the dispute, saying you have to “stand behind your belief structure”.
With wine producers the latest exporters to be hit with a hefty tariff by Beijing, the Prime Minister has said he will take his concerns to the WTO next year.
However, Mr Joyce said China could “play lip service” to the trade organisation when it suited them.
“You can take them to The Hague and the United Nations, you could take them to the angels and saints, but China really doesn’t care. This is the reality, the real politics we work in,” Mr Joyce told Seven’s Sunrise.
“You say the wrong thing about China, now they are big enough and they put aside all the agreements and say, actually, forget about the WTO returns, the only thing you have to worry about is our germs.”
However, outspoken Labor member Joel Fitzbibbon derided Mr Morrison’s handling of the trade dispute, labelling it a “dog whistle”
“Scott Morrison ran out and harvested domestic rates in Australia with wilful disregard for the impact it would have on our relationship with our largest trading partner … Scott Morrison did not have to damage this relationship,” Mr Fitzgibbon said.
“It was a mismanagement of that important relationship and now we are all paying the price and the only way to fix this properly is to somehow mend the relationship but it seems the government is completely incapable of doing that.”
READ MORE: China blitz on exports strikes winemakers
Richard Ferguson 7am: ‘Bumpy’ road ahead as nation rises from pandemic
Josh Frydenberg has warned the economic road out of the coronavirus pandemic will remain “bumpy”, despite more than two million Australians coming off JobKeeper in the last month.
Treasury figures revealed 450,000 fewer businesses and around two million fewer employees qualified for JobKeeper in October than in September, leaving 1.5 million workers still relying on it.
The Treasurer on Monday said JobKeeper will stick to its March deadline despite the improving economic figures.
“The road ahead will still be hard and will be bumpy. It will be long,” Mr Frydenberg told Sky News.
“There’s a lot of damage that has been done, not just to the national economy but to the global economy.
“That’s why the JobKeeper program will remain in place till March and that’s why in this year’s budget, we put in so many a private sector-led recovery.”
READ MORE: Figures reveal ‘promising signs’ of economic recovery
Max Maddison 6.50am: Appeal to WTO on China ‘will take time’
Nationals Deputy Leader David Littleproud has defended the decision to take China to the World Trade Organisation, saying the country can’t “just can’t cut and run from what you signed up to”.
After Australian wine exporters were whacked with a 200 per cent trade tariff last week, Mr Littleproud said the call to take the dispute with China to the intergovernmental trade organisation was correct, but stressed it would take “three, four years” to deliver a result.
“We’re a fair trading nation, we’re a rules-based trading nation. We have to live by those rules. That’s what we signed up to. You just can’t cut and run from what you signed up to. That’s what we will hold anyone that doesn’t treat us fairly to account,” Mr Littleproud told Nine’s Today Show.
“The mechanism we do that through is the WTO. We’re working with the grains industry as we speak around that. We will see what happens over the coming eight or nine days with wine with respect to whether we need to escalate that to the WTO. But we also need to appreciate that takes time.”
"The World Trade Organisation is pretty much a toothless tiger because it is at the mercy of what the member states dictate and China's a very powerful member state." @SarrahLeM on the Morrison government taking our trade dispute with China to the World Trade Organisation.#9Today pic.twitter.com/cQJyRiHJxk
— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) November 29, 2020
READ MORE: Birmingham stops short of calling China’s trade actions ‘coercion’
Max Maddison 6.30am: US braces for post-Thanksgiving virus surge
The US recorded more than 150,000 new infections overnight as the country continues to grapple with a third wave of infections.
While the seven-day average of confirmed cases has plateaued, the number of positive cases continued to hover at dizzying levels. Health officials are bracing themselves for a post-Thanksgiving spike in coronavirus infections, using media appearances to urge travellers to get tested.
Siri, what's the right Thanksgiving special for 2020?
— GBH News (@GBHNews) November 25, 2020
Siri: "A Very Fauci Thanksgiving."
GBH News' @KirkCarapezza spoke Dr. Anthony Fauci -- who gave some Thanksgiving advice to college students and talked about his own family's Thanksgiving plans. pic.twitter.com/JdM359f7zI
The country has reported 13,244,417 cases, and 266,047 deaths since January 22, including 4 million in November alone.
New cases in Turkey also continued to rocket, as the country surpassed a record death toll for a seventh consecutive day. On Sunday, health authorities announced 185 fatalities had been reported in the past 24 hours, with44,000 new cases were recorded.
In the United Kingdom, new cases continued to steadily decline, but daily recorded cases remained slightly over 15,000.
READ MORE: Boris Johnson retreats, facing revolt over lockdown
David Penberthy 4.55am: Fauci says ‘Australia the model to manage virus’
Anthony Fauci has applauded Australia’s use of lockdowns to combat the coronavirus and lamented the fact his home country failed to take the same approach, fearing the worst is yet to come in the United States.
But he says he is buoyed by the success of vaccine trials and believes an effective coronavirus vaccine will be available from April.
Speaking to The Australian and radio station FIVEaa, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease and White House Coronavirus Task Force member said he had “no doubt Australia is the model” in managing the pandemic.
“What Australia has done is the proof of the pudding,” he said. “When you uniformly implement public health measures, be that full lockdown or partial lockdown, you can turn off the surges. That worked.
“In the US, we are in a difficult situation because of the reluctance of substantial proportions of the population not to fully implement the mitigation methods.”
“Close the bars and keep the schools open,†Dr. Anthony Fauci says, adding that while there is no solution that is “one size fits all,†the “best way to ensure the safety of the children in school is to get the community level of the spread low.†https://t.co/th9oAKhHYa pic.twitter.com/pDuTdQ0Vfp
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) November 29, 2020
Read the full story here.
Patrick Commins 4.30am: Figures reveal ‘promising signs’ of economic recovery
More than two million Australians stopped receiving JobKeeper payments in October amid a resurgent economy and tighter eligibility rules.
The second phase of the wage subsidy scheme reassessed firms’ profitability from September 27 and introduced a two-tiered payment for full-time and part-time workers, leading to a near halving in the number of businesses applying for the program.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said “the lower-than-forecast take-up of the JobKeeper payment extension in October is further evidence that Australia’s recovery from this once-in-a-century pandemic is well under way”.
Treasury figures revealed 450,000 fewer businesses and around two million fewer employees qualified for JobKeeper in October than in September, leaving 1.5 million workers still relying on it.
Bumper jobs growth in October — as revealed in official employment statistics — suggests improving conditions rather than failing or retrenching firms drove the massive fall in JobKeeper recipients.
Read the full story here.
Gerard Cockburn 4.15am: Reliance on China cut post-Covid: survey
A large majority of firms across the Asia-Pacific region are actively looking to reduce their supply-chain reliance on China, a Westpac report has found.
The latest Asia-Pacific CEO survey conducted by the bank’s institutional arm found a number of large corporations in the region had or are planning to bring manufacturing back to domestic operations in order to minimise sourcing risks.
Australian Q3 GDP, a preview. Activity lifts from low as covid restrictions eased. Real GDP: f/c 3.0%qtr, -3.9%yr Domestic demand: f/c 3.4%qtr, -4.2%yr. https://t.co/fhMCZ9ttpi
— Westpac Economics (@WestpacMacro) November 27, 2020
Surveying 113 chief executives, the report found two-thirds of firms experienced significant supply disruptions during the coronavirus pandemic, and more than half have decided to manufacture onshore.
The reduction in supply risk coincides with a dramatic breakdown in trade relations between Australia and China, which has hit major exporters within sectors such as agriculture and resources.
Read the full story here.
Jill Rowbotham 4am: One in five Covid research papers corrected
One in five pieces of COVID-19 research published in the first five months of the year had to be corrected in the top medical journals in which they appeared, almost three times the usual number.
The median time between submission and publication dropped from 139 to 23 days and was likely the cause of the high rate of corrections, according to University of Queensland researcher Michael Reade, the lead author of the new study published on Monday in the Medical Journal of Australia.
Professor Reade’s team compared a random sample of publications in the NEJM, JAMA, The Lancet, the British Medical Journal and Annals of Internal Medicine between January 1 and May 31 in 2019 against COVID-19 research in the same journals for the same period in 2020 to determine what evidence existed for the growing disquiet about the quality of scientific papers dealing with the pandemic.
Read the full story here.
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