Coronavirus Australia live news: Beijing locks down part of city amid fear of new outbreak
The outbreak – more than 50 days after the last local case in the city of 20 million people – forced a swift reaction in China.
- Second wave fears rock Beijing
- New school closure in Sydney
- Another record spike hits India
- ‘Exercising’ protesters change tactics
- Howard, Abbott busts defaced
- PM hits back at Beijing
Welcome to live coverage of the continuing coronavirus crisis. Parts of Beijing have been locked down after a new outbreak hit the city. Protesters have defied social distancing requirements to gather in capital cities across the country again this weekend, while busts of former PMs John Howard and Tony Abbott have been defaced. And Prime Minister Scott Morrison has effectively pointed the finger at Beijing for deteriorating bilateral relations between the two nations.
Agencies 12.55am: Nationalists, anti-racists clash in UK
Anti-racism protesters have rallied around Britain, with scuffles breaking out in London where counter-demonstrators also came out to protect monuments targeted for their links to colonial history, AAP reports.
Statues of historical figures including Winston Churchill — Britain’s World War II leader whom protesters call a xenophobe — were boarded up to try and minimise trouble.
In Trafalgar Square, police separated two groups of about 100 people each, one chanting “Black Lives Matter”, the other racial slurs.
Some groups jostled, tossed bottles and cans and set off fireworks as riot police lined up.
Demonstrations have been taking place around the world over the death of African American George Floyd in Minneapolis after a white policeman knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
In Britain, debate is raging over monuments to those involved in the country’s imperialist past, especially after the statue of slave trader Edward Colston was torn down and thrown into the harbour of Bristol port last weekend. Police said on Saturday that some people were bringing weapons to the London rallies.
They imposed route restrictions on both groups and said rallies must end by 5pm.
READ MORE: Threat to Churchill statue ‘shameful’
Agencies 12.35am: Fears of a second coronavirus wave rock Beijing
The Chinese capital has locked down 11 residential communities near a wholesale food market to try to stem a new outbreak of COVID-19, AP reports.
Beijing officials said Saturday that 45 workers at the Xinfadi market tested positive for the coronavirus, though they showed no symptoms. That was in addition to seven earlier cases of people with symptoms, including six who had visited or worked at the market. Forty environmental samples taken at the market also tested positive, city officials said. The Beijing News newspaper said in a social media post that Communist Party members and volunteers were being organised to shop for food and other daily necessities for the affected residents. The city, which had not had a locally transmitted infection in more 50 days, reversed some recent moves to relax coronavirus restrictions.
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Agencies 11.55pm: Kiwis get a taste of big crowds at the footy
New Zealand on Saturday became one of the first nations in the world to welcome hordes of fans back into a packed sports stadium, thanks to the country’s remarkable success in eliminating the coronavirus, AP reports.
As countries try to reopen after lockdowns, the evening rugby match marked a milestone of sorts, and its importance wasn’t lost on fans.
After instituting a strict lockdown in March, New Zealand has not reported any new cases of the coronavirus for more than three weeks, and says all those who contracted the disease have now recovered.
Earlier in the week, the country removed just about every remaining virus restriction, with the notable exception of keeping the border closed.
That meant there were no masks or social distancing required when more than 20,000 fans poured into the Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin to watch the Highlanders play the Chiefs, who had travelled from Hamilton.
The match swung back and forth and the crowd got a laugh and a break from the mounting tension when a streaker wearing nothing but shoes braved the frigid winter weather and burst across the field. Then, with two minutes left on the clock, the home team kicked a go-ahead drop goal.
As the final hooter sounded and the Highlanders kicked out the ball to win 28-27, the fans screamed and hugged. The players slapped each other on their backs and embraced.
All thoughts of social distancing were long gone.
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Agencies 11pm: Queen marks her birthday with military ceremony
Queen Elizabeth II has marked her official birthday by viewing a socially-distanced military ceremony at Windsor Castle, after coronavirus forced the cancellation of Trooping the Colour, AAP reports.
It was the Queen’s first official public appearance since the country went into lockdown in late March.
The 94-year-old monarch watched a series of drills by the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards in the castle’s quadrangle, instead of the Trooping the Colour event through central London that traditionally marks the occasion. The Queen, who has been living with her 99-year-old husband Prince Philip at the castle west of London, has issued a number of rallying messages to the nation in the past three months, including televised addresses that have been a rarity during her 68-year reign.
But she had not been seen in public until Saturday, when dressed in a jade coat and wearing a diamond Welsh Guards brooch, she observed soldiers adhering to the two-metre social distancing rule, and listened to music performed by a Band of the Household Division.
READ MORE: Tyranny of distance invites chaos
Agencies 10pm: India records another record spike in cases
India reported more than 11,000 new coronavirus infections on Saturday, another single-day high for the country, as it passed the grim milestone of 300,000 cases.
The Health Ministry reported 11,458 new cases, driving the toll to 308,993, the fourth-highest in the world. It also reported 386 deaths, raising the number of fatalities to 8884.
India’s caseload has jumped by about 100,000 in a week, coinciding with the reopening of shopping malls, houses of worship and restaurants. The government had imposed a nationwide lockdown in late March.
In New Delhi, the capital, most public hospitals are full, and crematoriums and graveyards are struggling to manage a rash of bodies.
New Delhi’s government has projected that cases in the capital area alone could expand to more than half a million by late July, and is considering taking over luxury hotels and stadiums to convert into field hospitals.
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Agencies 9pm: Another Sydney school forced to close down
Another Sydney school employee has been confirmed to have COVID-19, with all students considered close contacts and directed to self-isolate, AAP reports.
A statement from the NSW education department on Saturday night revealed Laguna Street Public School in southern Sydney will stop on-site learning until June 24 following the positive test result.
“The school has commenced contact tracing and upon advice from NSW Health all students at the school have been deemed as a close contact and should commence self-isolating,” the department’s statement said.
“The staff member has had contact with most students at the school during the period they may have been infectious.”
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Agencies 8pm: France orders shops, restaurants to close
Police have ordered the closure of newly reopened restaurants and shops along the route of a march in Paris Saturday against police brutality and racism, fearing possible violence, AP reports.
The march between the Place de la Republique in eastern Paris and the city’s main opera house is expected to be the biggest of several demonstrations Saturday inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement in the U.S. The Paris police chief ordered merchants and city officials to clear sidewalks along the route of anything that could be set on fire or used by troublemakers against police. Any gatherings of more than 10 people remain banned in France because of virus containment measures.
The Paris march was organised by supporters of Adama Traore, a French black man who died in police custody in 2016 in circumstances that remain unclear despite four years of back-and-forth autopsies. They’re demanding “justice for Adama and all victims of police.” France has seen several similar demonstrations in the wake of George Floyd’s death in the U.S. They’ve been overwhelmingly peaceful, though some have seen scattered clashes between police and protesters.
Protests are also expected Saturday in Marseilles, Lyon and other French cities.
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Agencies 6.50pm: WA protest draws double the crowd expected
Thousands of people have defied politicians and braved the rain to protest against Aboriginal deaths in custody at Perth’s Black Lives Matter rally, AAP reports.
The event at Langley Park attracted a crowd of at least double the 8000 organisers had expected despite a torrential downpour midway through the rally. Police said there were no incidents to report from the protest which included a march through the city.
Organisers ignored the pleas of West Australian Premier Mark McGowan and Aboriginal Affairs Minister Ben Wyatt to delay the protest until after the coronavirus pandemic was over.
But social distancing requests were largely adhered to, while most attendees wore face masks, and hand sanitiser was made available.
Police Commissioner Chris Dawson had earlier ruled out shutting down the protest but warned any violence would be met with “strong policing”. Organisers worked with the local council on how best to ensure social distancing was maintained, while anyone who was immunocompromised or suffered from respiratory, cardiac or other chronic illness was urged to stay home. Carly Lane, the indigenous wife of health minister and deputy premier Roger Cook, was among the attendees despite the government urging people not to go.
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Agencies 6pm: Teacher revealed as new NSW coronavirus case
NSW Health is investigating a locally acquired case of COVID-19 – a man in his 20s – as four new infections were confirmed throughout the state. It brings an end to the state’s two-week streak of having no recorded community- transmitted infections.
“It is understood this case did not attend any recent mass gathering, including protests,” NSW Health said in a statement.
Other newly confirmed cases include a teacher from Sydney’s eastern suburbs, who was already revealed on Friday to have tested positive for the coronavirus. The case caused Rose Bay Public School to be closed on Friday, but authorities are investigating whether it is an older infection.
“The date of infection is still to be determined and this case may be an older infection,” NSW Health said. “The source of infection is also being investigated. As a precaution, all close contacts of this case are being identified and advised of the need to isolate and monitor for symptoms.”
It follows two days of record testing in the state, with 14,127 tests carried out in the latest 24-hour reporting period.
There have been 3119 cases of coronavirus in NSW with 47 people currently being treated. None are in intensive care.
READ MORE: Labor mired in protest dilemma
Agencies 5.30pm: Hundreds of demonstrators block Brisbane hotel
About 300 protesters have blockaded a Brisbane hotel, accusing the government of seeking to silence detained asylum-seekers by moving them, AAP reports.
Saturday balcony protest (#Day73) during rally for #refugees outside the Kangaroo Point detention centre #APOD in Brisbane by supporters calling for their release after more than seven years of Australian "processing". #auspol #Manus #Nauru 3/8 pic.twitter.com/PE1kPTZUfG
— Stefan Armbruster (@StefArmbruster) June 13, 2020
Supporters of about 120 detainees on Saturday briefly surged past security into the hotel compound in a failed bid to unite one of the asylum-seekers with his wife and child.
The protesters pulled back on request of one of the detained men, who said their actions could lead to the asylum-seekers being punished.
Supporters of the asylum seekers have vowed to continue preventing authorities from accessing the Kangaroo Point Central Hotel.
Protesters are demanding the government cease transferring the asylum-seekers and return people who’ve already been moved.
The organisers are also demanding the men be granted freedom of movement.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk previously warned people not to attend the rally due to coronavirus fears.
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Agencies 5pm: Melbourne GP among eight new cases in Victoria
A Victorian GP is one of the state’s new coronavirus, the state government has confirmed.
Eight new coronavirus cases were confirmed, with six of those in quarantine, the health department said on Saturday.
The male GP is asymptomatic and caught the potentially deadly virus from a close contact, who also showed no symptoms.
He worked at three clinics in the state including Croyden, Lilydale and Coburg, according to the department.
Another recently diagnosed coronavirus case was a close contact of a Rydges worker.
Today the government announced it would fund $9.8 million to help homeless Victorians stay in emergency hotel accommodation.
“This additional funding will ensure Victorians experiencing homelessness continue to receive the support and housing they need to stay safe during and long after coronavirus,” he said on Saturday.
Nine extra planning workers will be temporarily deployed to work in areas of high demand.
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Agencies 4.30pm: McCormack’s ‘common sense’ plea to demonstrators
Deputy Prime Minster Michael McCormack has had one last stab at trying to deter people from attending another series of protests across the country, fearing it could spark a second wave of the coronavirus.
“These people who want to go into protest, they ought to think long and hard about their actions,” he said in Tumut, NSW, where he was on the Eden-Monaro by- election campaign trail with his Nationals candidate Trevor Hicks on Saturday.
“The courts say no. The chief medical officer, Professor Brendan Murphy, says no. Common sense would dictate to them that they should be staying at home.” His plea came as another five COVID-19 cases were reported in two states. Prof Murphy has repeatedly urged people not to take to the streets after thousands turned out across the country last weekend for Black Lives Matter rallies, saying such events “really are dangerous”.
Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese agreed, saying people shouldn’t protest in the current climate and should follow the health advice.
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Emily Ritchie 3.55pm: Thousands turn out for Perth demonstration
Heavy rain has failed to dampen the spirits of those attending a Black Lives Matter protest in Perth, with thousands of people braving the wet weather to demand an end to systemic racism.
The event, at Langley Park, was declared illegal due to coronavirus restrictions in Western Australia limiting mass gatherings outside to 300 people.
Event organisers applied for an exemption but it was denied by the City of Perth council as it breached state emergency directions.
Despite this, thousands of people descended on the park, with organisers assuring the crowd they had done “everything in their power to make the event as safe as possible”.
Volunteers handed out face masks and hand sanitiser to gathering protesters, as well as setting up sanitiser stations and signs encouraging social distancing.
Teams of police kept watch at the edge of the protest.
The event started at midday (AWST) with a traditional smoking ceremony, when over 1000 people had already gathered at the park – including psychedelic band Tame Impala’s leading man Kevin Parker – congregating around the main stage to listen to speeches.
Dumbartung Aboriginal Corporation director Robert Eggington told the crowd he was at the rally in honour of his son, Bob, who died ten years ago.
“My people, my people, my Aboriginal people. We know what we’re fighting for, [my wife and I] lost our son ten years ago, we lost our son through the continued brutality, marginalisation, racism and what this society had poisoned him with, the white man’s poison,” he said.
Okay this is the #BlackLivesMatter protest in Perth, Australia. Right now. pic.twitter.com/iSzqKuSnG9
— Joshua Potash (@JoshuaPotash) June 13, 2020
“This rally is in honour of my son, Bob.”
Mr Eggington has led chants including, “Power to the people”, and “Always was, always will be Aboriginal land”, and has called for Australia’s flag to be changed.
The event continued for about an hour before heavy rain caused some protesters to leave. But hundreds have remained, braving the weather to fight for their cause.
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Agencies 3.12pm: Small turnout at cancelled Adelaide rally
A small number of South Australians have defied coronavirus restrictions by attending a Black Lives Matter rally despite the protest being cancelled after an exemption for the event was denied.
Police officers, mounted on horses, watched over Victoria Square in Adelaide’s CBD on a wet Saturday as about 30 protesters chanted while holding signs and wearing masks.
There was no indication that anyone was warned or fined as a result of their behaviour.
Gina, 20, says she was not intimidated by authorities but had been expecting a larger turnout.
“Civil unrest is what sparks change,” she said.
“We have to continue to fight even if they say you can’t.
“We’re taking all the precautions; wearing masks and having hand sanitiser.” Kalli Samaras, 25, who protested in last weekend’s rally, said work commitments stopped her from attending, not the event’s cancellation or the possibility of being penalised.
Under South Australia’s directions, those who breach COVID-19 restrictions will receive a $1000 fine.
“I hope people attended (because) the experience was really empowering and emotional,” Ms Samaras said.
“We need to support these causes and educate as many people as we can about these issues.
READ MORE: Geoffrey Blainey — No point ignoring indigenous facts and history
Agencies 3pm: Protesters spread across eight locations in Melbourne
Protesters are meeting across eight Melbourne locations to call for freedom for refugees stuck in indefinite detention.
At a hotel in the northern suburb of Preston, Mantra Bell City, where some refugees have been held for at least seven months, up to about 30 protesters are standing outside.
Asylum seekers who were transported from Manus Island for medical treatment can be seen peering out of hotel windows to watch the rally.
"They want to forget we are here and they want you to forget about us too"- Kurdish refugee "Moz" speaks over the phone to protest attendees from a hotel room inside the Mantra in Preston. @theage #Melbourne pic.twitter.com/mHJMiF4M9T
— Rachael Dexter (@rachael_dexter) June 13, 2020
A former refugee from Sri Lanka has told the rally in a speech that detention centres and hotels housing asylum seekers are “basically prisons designed to inflict pain on people whose only crime is to seek asylum”.
The protesters have unfurled a banner off the side of a house facing the hotel which reads: “Free the hostages from Mantra Hotel, they are not criminals”.
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Emily Ritchie 2.30pm: Sydney protesters try new tactic to avoid fines
Illegal protesters voicing their opposition to refugee detention have avoided prosecution by walking in groups of 20 around Sydney’s CBD.
About 60 people defied coronavirus public health orders to gather at Town Hall for the unauthorised protest, amid a strong police presence.
The protest was organised by the Refugee Action Coalition against the detention of “hundreds of refugees” from Manus Island and Nauru in centres and hotels in Melbourne and Brisbane.
Organisers encouraged the group to walk around the block in groups of no more than 20 so their protest could not be prosecuted by COVID-19 health orders.
In a post to the event Facebook page before the protest, organisers said there had been an “obscene scaremongering campaign” against protests from the government and authorities.
Their advice was for protesters to maintain social distancing, keep in groups of no more than 20, adhere to police “move on” orders and not argue if they were issued with fines.
A small group of protesters gathered outside Sydney’s Town Hall, holding signs including “Close Manus, Close Nauru, Welcome Refugees” and “Detention is an infection”.
Six mounted police were positioned near the entrance to Town Hall train station, with another 10, wearing face masks, standing guard on the Town Hall steps.
The protest was much smaller, and had far fewer police present, than a Black Lives Matter protest on Friday night.
About 300 people attended the largely peaceful protest, which was overwhelmed by over 600 police officers.
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Agencies 1.55pm: Abbott, Howard busts defaced in Victoria
Bronze busts of former Australian prime ministers Tony Abbott and John Howard have been sprayed with red paint at Ballarat.
The statues along the Prime Minister’s Ave in the Botanical Gardens were defaced with paint on Saturday morning, Victoria Police said. The bust stands were also daubed with offensive symbols between midnight and 2.15am, a spokesman confirmed.
“Our City does not condone any form of graffiti or vandalism on its public assets, regardless of people’s beliefs or rising public sentiment, and I am certain our residents will be equally as disgusted by these actions,” City of Ballarat chief executive Janet Dore said.
The statues have since been covered and fenced off, according to a statement. A conservator will assess the damage on Monday.
The police are investigating the vandalism.
READ MORE: WA landmark dedicated to ‘evil king’ to be renamed
Emily Ritchie 1.15pm: NSW cop ‘didn’t know it was white power symbol’
NSW Police have said an officer filmed making the OK ‘white power’ symbol at last night’s Black Lives Matter protest in Sydney was not aware of its meaning.
An officer was filmed walking down Pitt Street during the peaceful yet unauthorised protest making the ‘OK’, thumb-to-pointer finger gesture.
The gesture has become a white supremacy symbol standing for white power. Although the hand gesture also means “okay” or “all is well” universally, it has in recent years been hijacked to become a symbol of the far right.
NSW Police issued a statement on Saturday saying the officer “did not intentionally make a gesture that could be deemed offensive”.
Photo from earlier tonight @nswpolice throwing white power to the camera. pic.twitter.com/xfpwwns4ll
— enoch (@enochmailangi) June 12, 2020
“The officer indicated he was responding to a group of women about the night being ‘okay’ and used a hand symbol as he was wearing a face mask,” the statement read.
“He did not know the gesture had any other meaning.”
The statement said that NSW Police were working to “foster a strong and cohesive partnership with Aboriginal communities and other groups and do not appreciate irresponsible, inflammatory commentary in that space”.
This is the second time in a year that an Australian police officer has been captured making the symbol, after a similar instance in Melbourne in November 2019 during Extinction Rebellion climate protests.
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Emily Ritchie 12.12pm: Huge turnout for Darwin BLM protest
Protesters in Darwin have peacefully marched around the CBD before returning to Civic Park to listen to speeches from local elders and young people.
Between 700 and 1000 people have gathered, a significant number for the territory’s capital, which typically only garners about 200 people for protests.
Smoking ceremony before the #BLM march in Darwin. An Indigenous elder we spoke to was extremely proud and emotional at the huge turnout - the amount of young people and support from all walks of life. @9NewsDarwin @9NewsAUS pic.twitter.com/NlifvcmeWE
— Zarisha Bradley (@ZarishaBradley9) June 13, 2020
Speakers have acknowledged the injustice of George Floyd’s death in the US, and drawn parallels between racism in the US and Australia.
Organisers have been encouraging social distancing and handing out hand sanitiser.
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Emily Ritchie 11.35am: Protesters converge on Darwin for rally
Hundreds of people have gathered in Darwin’s Civic Park to protest high rates of indigenous incarceration and deaths in custody in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement on Saturday morning, with demonstrators due to march through the city as the day progresses.
Organisers logged a COVID-19 safety plan with the Northern Territory government, which is required for events with more than 500 attendees. They are expecting a turn out of about 1000 protesters.
Darwin #BlackLivesMatter protest organisers Mililma May and Sharma Alley are expecting around 1000 people to gather at Darwin’s Civic Park this morning. The protest has been given the green light by the NT’s Chief Health Officer. @abcdarwin @abcnews pic.twitter.com/975G1eXLqm
— Melissa Mackay (@_melissamackay) June 12, 2020
Public health officers are attending the rally, putting up signs about social distancing in the park as people gather.
People who are unwell have been urged to stay home despite the territory having no active cases of the coronavirus.
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Emily Ritchie 11.20am: NSW records four more new infections
There have been four new cases of COVID-19 diagnosed in NSW in the 24 hours from 8pm Thursday to 8pm Friday.
Of the four new cases, two are returned travellers in hotel quarantine.
The third is a man in his twenties who is believed to have acquired the virus locally. All of his close contacts have been contacted and his case is under investigation. The man did not attend any recent mass gatherings, including protests.
The fourth case is the now-confirmed case related to the Rose Bay Public School, which caused the closure of the school on Friday.
The school’s principal Gai O’Neill confirmed in an email to parents on Friday night that a “provider at the school’s before and after school care service” had tested positive. Ms O’Neill urged all students who attended the out-of-hours care program from June 2-9 should remain home in self-quarantine. She confirmed the school would remain non-operational on Monday so the school could conduct contact tracing and thorough cleaning.
The date and source of the Rose Bay infection is still to be determined and NSW Health think it could be an older infection.
As a precaution, all close contacts of this case are being identified and advised of the need to isolate and monitor for symptoms.
Over the 24 hour testing period there were 14,127 tests carried out, compared with 15,220 in the previous 24 hours.
More than 620,000 COVID-19 tests have been carried out in NSW. 50 people have died in NSW, with 2763 people recovering from the virus.
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Matthew Denholm 11am: Australia’s overseas travel ban extended
The ban on Australians travelling overseas has been quietly extended for a further three months, to September 17, but exemptions will be made should nations be deemed safe.
Australia’s ban on international departures was due to run for three months from March 18 to June 17, but was extended without fanfare on May 15 for a further three months.
This means Australians cannot travel overseas before September 17, although a Health Department spokesman said this would not prevent proposed travel “bubbles” with New Zealand or other nations that have COVID-19 under control.
Read the full story here.
Agencies 10.30am: New cases in Queensland, NSW
One person has tested positive to the coronavirus in Queensland overnight.
It brings the total number of active COVID-19 cases in the state to five, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said via Facebook on Saturday. The new case follows the diagnosis of the disease on Friday in a two-year-old boy who had recently returned from overseas.
Meanwhile, NSW’s two-week streak of no new locally-acquired COVID-19 appears over after Rose Bay Public School was closed on Friday while NSW Health investigated a possible case in a staff member.
“Further testing confirmed this is a case of COVID-19,” the department said in the evening.
“However, it should be stressed that the date of infection is still to be determined and this case may be an older infection.”
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John Ferguson 9.30am: Social media use fuelling mental crisis
A dramatic surge in social media use during the pandemic is fuelling the nation’s mental health crisis, increasing calls for Facebook and Twitter to deal with false and misleading information.
Medical experts are confronting a growing number of people falling ill after relentlessly trawling social media for answers on the COVID-19 virus and the economic and social fallout.
The Morrison government has said it will hold the social media giants to account for false and misleading medical information posing risks to the community.
As many as 16 million Australians were active on Facebook in April, with the numbers climbing during the pandemic. Twitter says daily use climbed 24 per cent globally in the first quarter of this year.
Meanwhile, the internet has been swamped with wrong and misleading claims on the coronavirus that have included falsehoods that the 5G network was a transmitter of COVID-19 and that billionaire businessman Bill Gates was behind the pandemic.
Read the full story here.
Agencies 8.55am: Police warn against Sydney protests
Police have warned they will be out in force if protesters proceed with a prohibited rally in Sydney’s CBD amid the coronavirus pandemic. The NSW Supreme Court earlier this week prohibited the “Free the refugees” protest scheduled for Saturday afternoon on the basis the health risks “outweigh the rights of public assembly and free speech”.
But Refugee Action Coalition organiser James Supple said they were still planning to hold the rally following Justice Michael Walton’s ruling on Thursday.
He urged attendees to observe social distancing measures and health guidelines. Assistant Commissioner Mick Willing has warned police would be “out in force” to ensure compliance with the court ruling. It comes after more than 600 officers flooded the CBD on Friday night as about 300 people protested against Aboriginal deaths in custody.
“I again issue the same advice to anyone who thinks that they can come into the city and engage in an unauthorised public gathering: Do not do it,” Mr Willing told reporters.
“We will have sufficient resources … and will take whatever action we need to take to ensure that the COVID health order is applied by and that the community is kept safe.”
NSW Police top brass have warned attendees can be moved on, potentially arrested or fined $1000.
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Tessa Akerman 8.30am: Melbourne rally to go ahead despite fines
Protests against the detention of refugees will go ahead in Melbourne on Saturday despite three organisers being fined over the Black Lives Matter rally and one protester testing positive to COVID-19.
The Refugee Action Coalition plans to have groups of 20 people at eight locations across Melbourne, including outside the Mantra Bell City Hotel in Preston, where medivac detainees are held, and the offices of Immigration Minister Alan Tudge.
Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos said it was “incredibly inherently risky” for thousands of people to come together and the government had made that clear before the Black Lives Matter protest. She said while most protesters wore face masks, it didn’t mitigate the risk of infection. Ms Mikakos said the RAC’s plans to break up the protesters into smaller groups was a more responsible way forward, but was still critical of the public action.
“It’s incredibly irresponsible to be having a protest at this time,” she said. “There’s still a pandemic in place … there are many ways to make your political views known.”
Read the full story here.
Agencies 8am: Long term mask protection ‘dubious’
Air quality experts say face masks are unlikely to protect people from the effects of bushfire smoke when they are worn over a long period, an inquiry has heard.
Centre for Air Pollution, Energy and Health Research chief investigator Guy Marks says P2 face masks need to be tight-fitting and replaced often because they lose their effectiveness once moist.
“The likelihood that you can protect yourself from fine particles by a well-applied face mask for a long period of time is not that likely,” he told the NSW parliamentary inquiry into air quality on Friday. “People are more likely to be protected by staying in an indoor environment.”
He said the effectiveness of face masks was still being investigated by the centre.
Read the full story here.
Stephen Lunn 7am: Nursing home complaints surge during lockdown
Complaints about nursing homes surged to “unprecedented” levels in the past three months, propelled by families upset about being denied access to loved ones during the COVID-19 outbreak, the nation’s aged-care regulator says.
And the leading advocacy group for older people, the Council on the Ageing, has ramped up pressure on nursing homes that continue to flout a national industry code on visits, prioritising face-to-face time between residents and loved ones, saying it will start to name and shame them.
Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner Janet Anderson said there was a 16 per cent spike in nursing home complaints year-on-year across March, April and May. “We have experienced an unprecedented volume of complaints overall,” Ms Anderson told The Weekend Australian. “And of the key themes coming through, No 1 by a long margin was the (COVID) visitor restrictions.
Read the full story here.
Agencies 6.30am: Mothers with coronavirus can still breastfeed: WHO
A mother should breastfeed her newborn baby even if she has a suspected or confirmed case of the coronavirus, the World Health Organisation says.
“Based on the available evidence, WHO’s advice is that the benefits of breastfeeding outweigh any potential risks of transmission of COVID-19,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press briefing overnight (AEST).
"WHO has detailed information in our clinical guidance about how to breastfeed safely"-@DrTedros #COVID19 https://t.co/lqI2SPZXj9
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) June 12, 2020
“Mothers with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 should be encouraged to initiate and continue breastfeeding and not be separated from their infants, unless the mother is too unwell.”
Mr Tedros noted that evidence suggests children are at lower risk for catching the coronavirus than adults but are at high risk of coming down with diseases and other conditions that breastfeeding helps prevent.
#Selfcare is particularly useful during #COVID19 when many people find it hard to access their normal health care services and medications, including for sexual and reproductive health https://t.co/n9eCfjB4EJ pic.twitter.com/otxBMMiSbf
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) June 12, 2020
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Ben Packham 5.45am: PM points to Beijing for deteriorating relations
Scott Morrison says Australia has “done nothing to injure” the nation’s partnership with China, effectively pointing the finger at Beijing for the deterioration in the bilateral relationship.
The statement came as Foreign Minister Marise Payne accused Beijing of peddling “disinformation” in warnings to Chinese students and tourists to reconsider their travel to Australia because of alleged racist attacks.
Australia and China signed a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement in 2014 reflecting the economic relationship between the countries.
But Chinese government ministers have refused for months to speak to their Australian counterparts, while the Prime Minister has been unable to secure a meeting with President Xi Jinping since November 2018.
“Australia has done nothing to injure (the partnership),” Mr Morrison said on Friday. “What Australia will always do is act in our national interests, in accordance with our values. And when it comes to our record of multiculturalism, of freedom of religion, of liberty, treating everybody equally — I’m happy to stack Australia’s record up all around the world.”
#Australia has become a loyal attack dog of the #US against #China. With bilateral ties in a downward spiral, it would be delusional to think trade won't be affected. Here is a GT probe into what's at stake for Canberra: https://t.co/RB2HMJNcsQ pic.twitter.com/ImBu43yefY
— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) May 15, 2020
Read the full story here.
Agencies 5.15am: London monuments boarded up ahead of protests
Authorities in London boarded up monuments including a war memorial and a statue of wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill in anticipation of rival demonstrations by anti-racism and far-right protesters, as the city’s mayor urged protesters to stay home because of the coronavirus pandemic.
This photo shames Britain.
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) June 12, 2020
The fact Sir Winston Churchill’s statue has had to be boarded up to stop people vandalising it is disgraceful.
He saved our country from the Nazis - and THIS is how we repay him? Appalling. 👇 pic.twitter.com/keXi9RPaYn
Monuments have become major focuses of contention in demonstrations against racism and police violence after the May 25 death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee to his neck.
A statue of slave trader Edward Colston was hauled from its plinth by protesters in the English port city of Bristol on Sunday and dumped in the harbour.
Several other statues have been defaced during mass protests around the country, including Churchill’s, which was daubed with the words “was a racist.”
Police now fear far-right groups plan to seek confrontation with anti-racism protesters under the guise of protecting statues.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who cites Churchill as a personal hero, said it was “absurd and shameful” that his statue was “at risk of attack by violent protesters.”
Churchill, who was Britain’s prime minister during World War II and again during 1951-55, is revered by many in the UK as the man who led the country to victory against Nazi Germany. But he was also a staunch defender of the British Empire and expressed racist views.
In a series of tweets, Mr Johnson said that Churchill “sometimes expressed opinions that were and are unacceptable to us today, but he was a hero, and he fully deserves his memorial.”
The only responsible course of action is to stay away from these protests. 8/8
— Boris Johnson #StayAlert (@BorisJohnson) June 12, 2020
He said tearing down statues would be to “censor our past” and “lie about our history.” Mr Johnson also claimed that anti-racism demonstrations had been “hijacked” by “a growing minority” of extremists who wanted to cause violence.
In Sydney last night, NSW police circled the Captain Cook statue in Hyde Park over concerns illegal protesters would attempt to topple it like many other colonial statues worldwide in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement.
At least 200 protesters defied coronavirus public health orders to attend an unauthorised protest against indigenous deaths in custody and high levels of indigenous incarceration.
The protest, originally planned to be held at the Town Hall, had its location changed to Hyde Park half an hour before the event in a last-ditch effort to evade authorities. A heavy police presence converged on the locations, far outnumbering the protesters, but the event was largely peaceful — the groups clashing only with words.
READ MORE: Chris Kenny — The great dividing rage of the left
Tim Dodd 5am: Australia set to welcome return of international students
Hundreds of international students will arrive in the country on charter flights within weeks as the nation’s embattled universities race to revive their teetering finances.
COVID-19 restrictions and the closure of borders has brought the lucrative international student market to a halt and left Australia’s higher education sector facing an $18bn budget hole over the next four years. The University of Melbourne was the latest to warn hundreds of jobs could be axed.
The bid by universities to revive their international student operations came as Scott Morrison announced moves to get spectators back into sporting venues and state borders reopened.
South Australia announced it would reopen its borders on July 20 and Queensland is expected to remove bans on entry on July 10.
Read the full story, by Tim Dodd and Luke Slattery, here.
Additional reporting: Matthew Denholm, Agencies
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Nat MP backs Canavan as leader who can call ‘bulls—t’ on Paris Agreement
Llew O’Brien has flagged his vote for Matt Canavan over David Littleproud, saying the Paris Agreement targets were ‘not in Australia’s interest’.
Labor triumphs in Bullwinkel
Bullwinkel was notionally Labor-held but both sides had privately expected it to fall to the Liberals, given it took in areas directly impacted by the Albanese government’s ban on live sheep exports.
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