Coronavirus Australia live news: ‘Sidelined’ Brett Sutton warned of hotel quarantine risks
As an explosive email reveals health chiefs demanded ‘urgent’ review of quaratine scheme, Victoria’s CHO says he wasn’t consulted on the use of private security guards for it.
- Explosive email demanded urgent quarantine review
- Sidelined’ Sutton warned of hotel quarantine risk
- NSW records 10 new cases
- Victoria has 42 new cases, 8 deaths
- Thousands of cases possibly undetected
- Virus from lab: Virologist who fled China
Welcome to The Australian’s rolling coverage of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
An explosive email reveals health chiefs demanded ‘urgent’ review of quaratine scheme as Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton requested an urgent review of the hotel quarantine program after he was sidelined by bureaucrats from overseeing the state’s response to the pandemic, an inquiry has heard.
Up to 2000 extra Australians will be allowed back into the country each week, Deputy PM Michael McCormack has announced. Victoria records 42 new cases, NSW 10.
Courtney Walsh 10.00pm: What will the summer of tennis look like?
The post COVID-19 Australian summer of tennis could be extended beyond a month with additional tournaments played around the country as officials look to offer global stars greater opportunities.
Tennis Australia chief executive Craig Tiley said should the coronavirus position across the country be safe enough, some tournaments could also feature larger draws than usual.
Joe Kelly 9.00pm: Public servant quits, slams ‘police state’
An economist with the Victorian Department of Finance and Treasury has resigned so he can call out Labor Premier Dan Andrews’ handling of the pandemic and the “police state” imposed on Melbourne residents.
Sanjeev Sabhlok, who resigned last week, has condemned the policies implemented by Mr Andrews and warned they will unfairly punish the poorest communities in Victoria while holding back business investment, skilled migration, education and tourism.
In an opinion piece written for the Australian Financial Review, Mr Sabhlok accuses Mr Andrews of being heavy handed in his response to the virus and likens it to the use of a “sledgehammer to kill a swarm of flies”.
Tessa Akerman 8.10pm: Dan’s great wall of Melbourne goes up
There’s neither cement nor razor wire, but Daniel Andrews has built his very own wall around 5.2 million Melburnians.
From Thursday, Victoria Police will operate new checkpoints around the city to catch residents heading for a country escape and slap them with a $4957 fine, covered under a new offence created for the difference in COVID-19 restrictions between the regions and city.
Even if Melburnians pull off a great escape and get to their holiday houses, regional police will use number-plate recognition technology and patrols to catch them bunkered down in towns and villages, monitoring national parks, caravan parks, boat ramps, pubs, clubs and restaurants
Patrick Commins 7.34pm: OECD gloomy on post-Covid economic rebound
The OECD has slashed its forecast for Australian GDP growth in 2021, saying shutdowns associated with Victoria’s second wave of COVID-19 will drive a much weaker than expected rebound.
In its latest economic outlook, the OECD upgraded its growth forecast for Australia in 2020, saying real GDP would contract by 4.1 per cent, or by 0.9 per cent less than it forecast in June.
The international body sharply downgraded Australia’s projected growth for 2021, saying it now expected real GDP to grow by 2.5 per cent, versus a previous estimate of 4.1 per cent.
Rachel Baxendale 6.40pm: Coalition motion to lift curfew passes on voices
A Coalition motion to immediately lift the Andrews government’s curfew on Melburnians has passed on voices in the upper house of Victorian parliament.
But the vote is largely symbolic, given Labor holds 55 of 88 lower house seats.
In the upper house Labor holds 17 seats, the Coalition 11, and the crossbench 12.
The vote comes after Premier Daniel Andrews last week refused to say who originally pushed for Melbourne’s curfew, which currently runs from 9pm to 5am, after his Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton and police chief Shane Patton distanced themselves from the decision.
Human rights and civil liberties groups including Liberty Victoria and human rights commissioner turned Liberal MP Tim Wilson have suggested the curfew may be illegal, given it appears not to have been imposed on the basis of health advice.
Labor did not even call for a division over the motion late on Wednesday, after it became clear the majority of crossbenchers would support it.
The upper house also voted to call for unreleased documents relating to the curfew to be tabled in parliament by Friday.
Coalition upper house leader David Davis said the Victorian community “knows the Chief Health Officer and the Chief Commissioner of Police have disowned Andrews’ curfew.”
“Andrews has also not explained where the curfew came from and whose ideas it was. It’s time he came clean,” Mr Davis said.
“Labor’s curfew is not based on health evidence nor on a request from the police.
“It appears to have been dreamed up by Daniel Andrews in his bunker at 1 Treasury Place. He’s out of touch.
“It’s a cruel and unhelpful infringement of liberties, likely to cause congestion at facilities like supermarkets and petrol stations as people cluster in the lead up to the curfew chop.
“The motion directs the government to bring to the upper house chamber all the documents on which Andrews based his decision to slap a curfew on Melbournians.
“Upper House MPs today made clear they do not support Andrews’ curfew.”
READ MORE: Jack the Insider — Premier’s self-serving lockdowns ignore human toll
Remy Varga 5.56pm: Electronic monitoring in secret Vic quarantine plan
Victoria’s public health team had a secret plan to force returned travellers to isolate at home that included electronic monitoring of compliance, inquiry hears.
Former deputy Chief Health Officer Annaliese van Diemen saod the plan was eventually shelved in favour of hotel quarantine.
She said she along with Chief Health officer Brett Sutton and the public health team considered enforcing home detention, which she said was within her powers.
“There were discussions and even options put forward regarding potential hybrid models or complete home quarantine or complete hotel quarantine models,” she said.
When Mr Ihle asked if there would be documentation of the discussions, including discussions on possible electronic monitoring of returned travellers, Dr van Diemen said yes.
READ MORE: Andrews sticks to ADF story despite email trail
Rachel Baxendale 5.55pm: Regional Victorians allowed to travel through Melbourne
Regional Victorians are permitted to travel through Melbourne to get to other parts of regional Victoria, despite the city remaining locked down under coronavirus restrictions, Premier Daniel Andrews’s office has clarified.
The Premier was earlier unable to say whether it would be legal to travel from one part of regional Victoria to another via Melbourne.
“I’m not sure whether we’ve got to the bottom of that,” Mr Andrews said.
“Logic tells me one answer but I will get the actual answer, which I’m sure will accord with logic and common sense, but I’ll do it with the exactly the right words so no-one gets confused.”
Later on Wednesday, his office clarified that “travelling through metropolitan Melbourne to another regional destination is allowed.”
However, people are only allowed to stop within metropolitan Melbourne to shop for food and essential goods or services, to provide care, for compassionate reasons or to seek medical treatment, or for permitted work or study.
Mr Andrews’s office also clarified that caravan parks and camping grounds in regional Victoria with shared facilities can re-open from 11.59pm on Wednesday night, but group bookings will be restricted to members of a single household, intimate partners, or members of a household and members of a single other nominated household, as part of “household bubble” arrangements.
Only regional Victorian residents are permitted to stay in regional Victorian caravan parks and camping grounds.
Mr Andrews’s office said final preparations were being undertaken to reopen national parks, with more information to be made available “shortly”.
READ MORE: Sloan — Resist the tyranny of experts
Rachel Baxendale 5.35pm: Moreland the site of highest new Victorian cases
Moreland in Melbourne’s north has recorded the highest number of new coronavirus cases in Victoria on Wednesday, despite not being home to any clusters made public in the Department of Health and Human Services daily press release.
There were seven new cases in Moreland in the 24 hours to Wednesday, with six in the inner southwestern Melbourne LGA of Hobson’s Bay, which similarly is not home to any known clusters, although it is near the Footscray Hospital, linked to seven active cases.
Casey, in Melbourne’s outer southeast, had four new cases but a net decrease of five active cases due to recoveries.
This adds to 24 new cases in Casey over the previous three days, as DHHS appeals to people in that area to get tested.
Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said earlier this week he had personally spoken to members of multicultural communities in Casey in an attempt to boost engagement and cooperation.
Banyule, in Melbourne’s leafy northeast, had seven new cases on Wednesday, despite having had only three active cases on Tuesday, bringing its total to seven.
Hume in Melbourne’s outer north, Moonee Valley in the northwest, and Colac-Otway in southwest regional Victoria each had three new cases.
Wyndham in Melbourne’s outer southwest and Brimbank in the outer west remain the only local government areas with more than 100 cases, having peaked at more than 900 and more than 800 respectively in August, but numbers continue to decrease in both these LGAs.
Wyndham had a net decrease of 11 active cases, including one previously notified case which was reclassified, while Brimbank had a net decrease of four, despite one new case.
Colac-Otway continues to have by far the highest number of active cases in regional Victoria with 20, down two since Tuesday, despite three new cases.
The town is home to clusters of 13 active cases linked to local business Bulla Dairy, and seven active cases linked to Wydinia Kindergarten.
There are seven active cases in Latrobe, centred on Morwell in Gippsland in eastern regional Victoria, where there were no recoveries, deaths or new cases in the 24 hours to Wednesday.
Greater Geelong, southwest of Melbourne, has only three active cases - a net decrease of one since Tuesday despite one new case.
Rachel Baxendale 5.15pm: Victoria by the numbers: Active cases now 991
There are now 18,153 people who have recovered after testing positive for coronavirus in Victoria — an increase of 74 since Tuesday.
Of the 991 active cases in Victoria — down from a peak of 7880 active cases on August 11 — 948 are in residents of Melbourne, 37 are in people from regional Victoria, four are in people from interstate, and two are in people from unknown locations or under investigation.
Of the total 19,943 cases, 18,563 have been in people from metropolitan Melbourne, while 1201 have been in those from regional Victoria.
There have been 9507 cases in men and 10,422 in women.
The total number of cases in health workers increased by 11 to 3455 on Wednesday, despite the number of active cases falling by six to 152.
There are 497 active cases of coronavirus linked to Victorian aged care facilities - 17 fewer than on Tuesday, and the first time the number of cases linked to aged care has been below 500 since July 24.
As of Wednesday there have been 581 coronavirus deaths linked to aged care facilities in Victoria, including all of the eight deaths reported in the 24 hours to Wednesday.
The 10 aged care outbreaks with the highest cumulative total numbers of cases as of
Wednesday and deaths as of September 8 (the most recent date for which data is available) are:
—251 cases and 18 deaths linked to BaptCare Wyndham Lodge Community in Werribee, in Melbourne’s outer southwest (an increase of two since Tuesday);
— 219 cases and 35 deaths linked to Epping Gardens Aged Care in Epping, in Melbourne’s north;
— 213 cases and 44 deaths linked to St Basil’s Homes for the Aged in Fawkner, in Melbourne’s north;
— 166 cases and 17 deaths linked to Estia Aged Care Facility in Ardeer, in Melbourne’s west;
— 139 cases and 20 deaths linked to Kirkbrae Presbyterian Homes in Kilsyth, in Melbourne’s outer east;
—130 cases and 11 deaths linked to BlueCross Ruckers Hill Aged Care Facility in Northcote, in Melbourne’s inner north (an increase of one since Tuesday);
— 127 cases and 20 deaths linked to Twin Parks Aged Care in Reservoir, in Melbourne’s north;
— 124 cases and eight deaths linked to Cumberland Manor Aged Care Facility in Sunshine North, in Melbourne’s west;
— 120 cases and 17 deaths linked to Japara Goonawarra Aged Care Facility in Sunbury, in Melbourne’s outer northwest;
— 119 cases and 10 deaths linked to Estia Aged Care Facility in Heidelberg, in Melbourne’s northeast.
There are six active cases linked to residential disability accommodation, down from 10 on Tuesday.
This includes two cases in residents and four in staff, down from four in residents and six in staff on Tuesday.
Non-aged care outbreaks with the highest numbers of active cases include:
— 12 active cases linked to Footscray Hospital in Melbourne’s inner west, up from seven on Tuesday (total cases: 13);
—10 active cases linked to Bulla Dairy Foods in Colac in southwest regional Victoria, down from 13 on Tuesday (total cases: 20);
— Nine active cases linked to Vawdrey Australia Truck Manufacturer in Dandenong South in Melbourne’s outer southeast, down from eight on Tuesday (total cases: 64);
— Eight active cases linked to Wydinia Kindergarten in Colac, up from seven on Tuesday (total cases: 16);
Five active cases linked to Dandenong Police Station, down from six on Tuesday (total cases: 15).
READ MORE: Andrews sticks to ADF story despite email trail
Rachel Baxendale 4.40pm: Mikakos pledges more detail on cases, tracing
Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos says she is “absolutely committed” to making more information about Victoria’s coronavirus cases public as the state’s caseload comes down, despite stark differences between her department’s public reporting of cases and that of NSW.
NSW Health sends out a press release at 11am sharp every day, detailing each new case in terms of the cluster to which it is linkes, and any locations that may pose a transmission risk for the public.
In contrast, there is no specific time set for the daily issuing of Victoria’s Department of Health and Human Services coronavirus press release, which is generally sent out any time between 1.30pm and 4.30pm daily.
Crucially in recent days, when Victoria’s daily case numbers have been in the 30s and 40s, more than a dozen of the day’s cases have been listed as “under investigation”, with no links to known clusters yet established.
This number was in the hundreds at the height of Victoria’s second wave.
There is also no breakdown of the clusters to which the day’s cases which have been linked to known outbreaks are linked.
On Wednesday, 29 of Victoria’s 42 new cases of coronavirus have been linked to known outbreaks, while 13 remain under investigation.
Asked why Victoria cannot follow the example of its interstate counterpart and offer more detail regarding each day’s cases, particularly given Melburnians’ dependence on declining case numbers for any future freedom under the Andrews government’s reopening roadmap, Ms Mikakos said: “I’m absolutely committed to making sure we provide as much information as possible to the community.”
“We have been putting more and more data, including details of localised outbreaks on the DHHS website and if there’s more information we can put in the Chief Health Officer’s media release, I’m very happy to have a look at that,” she said.
“Of course, as the numbers come down, there will be more focus on localised outbreaks.”
Ms Mikakos cited a focus in recent days on the local government area of Casey, in Melbourne’s outer southeast, where there have been 28 new coronavirus cases in the past four days.
DHHS this morning sent a text message to 37,872 people in the Narre Warren and Hallam areas in Casey, encouraging them to get tested for the virus.
The department reclassifies previously reported cases on a daily basis, due to duplication.
On Wednesday Victoria’s total number of coronavirus cases since the pandemic began increased by 32 to 19,943, despite 42 new cases being reported, due to the reclassification of 10 previously duplicated cases.
Asked why this had been happening on a daily basis for months, Ms Mikakos said: “A lot of those cases are, in fact, duplicates on closer examination because they come through overnight from the labs, and then there’s a process of going through, sifting through the data.”
“I’ve asked for us to go back and have a look at that. It may have something to do with aged care cases being notified to us from a nursing home,” Ms Mikakos said.
“That’s the hypothesis that was put to me this morning, but we’re having a closer look at that, as to whether that is, in fact, the case.
“As the numbers come down, of course, everyone is going to focus on the rolling 14-day average very closely.
“I just want to reassure you and those watching that if there is a reclassification, that it is, in fact, the corrected number that’s used for the rolling average. If duplicates come off, that does not impact on the 14-day rolling average.”
The issue with duplicate cases comes after more than 100 cases have been added to Victoria’s coronavirus death toll, in many cases weeks after the deaths actually occurred, due to what state and federal authorities and nursing homes have described as a “reconciliation” of data.
Of Victoria’s eight deaths reported on Wednesday, six occurred prior to Tuesday.
Remy Varga 4.35pm: ‘No one individual’ responsible for failures: van Diemen
Former deputy chief health officer Annaliese van Diemen says she “don’t believe any one individual” is responsible for the failures of the hotel quarantine program that unleashed Victoria’s coronavirus second wave, inquiry hears.
Dr van Diemen, who signed the hotel quarantine detention orders, said the second wave was the result of a “large number of small actions”.
“I don’t believe any one individual is responsible for what occurred,” she said.
Dr van Diemen said she “did not have enough operational understanding” between the various agencies involved in the program.
Dr Van Diemen said she briefed Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy on the infection control breaches related to a security guard.
She said the breach was discovered after a hotel quarantine worker was tested as a close contact of someone not working in the hotel quarantine program.
“It came to our attention because the person had been identified as a close contact of another case unrelated to the hotels... and was tested as a result,” she said.
She said contact tracers undertook further investigation as a result of the discovery.
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Rachel Baxendale 3.40pm: $5000 if you breach Melbourne’s ‘ring of steel’
Victorian Premier Daniel Anrews said he had worked “very closely” with Victoria Police on enforcement measures to impose a “ring of steel” around Melbourne ahead of police announcing a $4957 fine on Wednesday for any Melburnian caught in regional Victoria without a valid reason.
“Whether you want to call it a ring of steel or a border or whatever the term, the key aim is very simple” only those who have to go to regional Victoria and have a lawful reason to go to regional Victoria can go to regional Victoria,” Mr Andrews said.
“The feedback I get from very small country towns to big regional centres is they’d love to have visitors but they love being virus-free a lot more.
“There’ll be a time for travel. There’ll be a time for tourism to get back on its feet, that is Melbourne out into the regions and vice versa. That is not now.
Mr Andrews said some checkpoints on arterial roads out of Melbourne would be there as long as Melbourne’s lockdown lasts, with a “very high percentage” of cars stopped.
“So it’s almost certain that if you think you’re going to break these rules, a) you’ll be in a queue for a fair while, and, b) you will get asked to demonstrate why you’re travelling to regional Victoria, and if you don’t have a lawful reason, you will be fined,” Mr Andrews said.
“We’ve got to be inflexible on this. We have to be really determined and focused, and my message to every single regional Victorian is we’re going to do everything we possibly can to make sure that the virus is not travelling into regional Victoria from people who have no lawful reason to be in regional Victoria.”
Mr Andrews said he had also been in discussions with the Australian Hotels Association to ensure hospitality businesses in regional Victoria would not be serving customers from Melbourne.
“People will need to establish that they have a lawful reason to be able to access those premises, those businesses that are open,” the Premier said.
“If you’re not from regional Victoria, then you should not be at the pub, and that compliance will be very, very important when it comes to, it’s not just police, it’s not just health department, ADF and all the others, it is also individual businesses playing their part.”
Mr Andrews said there would be further clarification added to the Department of Health and Human Services website about what constitutes a lawful reason to travel to regional Victoria.
The Premier was unable to say whether it would be legal to travel from one part of regional Victoria to another via Melbourne.
“That’s a very good question. I’m not sure whether we’ve got to the bottom of that,” Mr Andrews said.
“Logic tells me one answer but I will get the actual answer, which I’m sure will accord with logic and common sense, but I’ll do it with the exactly the right words so no-one gets confused.”
READ MORE: Premier’s self-serving lockdowns ignore human toll
Remy Varga 3.30pm: Explosive email demanded quarantine review
Victoria’s hotel quarantine inquiry has seen the exposive email in which Victoria’s health chiefs demanded an immediate ‘urgent review governance’ of the hotel quarantine program.
In a clear sign health ofiicials had growing concerns about ‘conisderable risks’ of the program and how it was being run, the email demanded the review “be conducted this afternoon, with new and clear arrangments to be established by 8pm this evening”.
It asked the “arrrangments” provide a number of assurances and clarifications, including “a direct line of accountability” to the DCHO, “as the role that is legally responsible for this detention regime”.
The email evidence was shown this afternoon as former Victorian Deputy Chief Health officer Annaliese van Diemen echoed Chief Health Officer Prof Brett Sutton’s concerns in earlier evidence, where it was revealed an email sent on behalf of Professor Sutton and then deputy CHO Annaliese van Diemen by Public Health Commander Finn Romanes on April 8, flagged serious issues with the program due to a lack of input from public health experts.
Dr Romanes sent the email to the state controller running the COVID-19 pandemic response.
This afternoon, Ms van Diemen told the Melbourne hotel quaratinee inquiry she endorsed Dr Finn Romanes recommendations, which included she be directly accountable for the hotel quarantine program.
Mr Romanes highlighted a series of governance issues and recommended that “a direct line of accountability to the Deputy Chief Health Officer of all sectors of the response, as the role that is legally responsible for this detention regime.
Under cross examination by counsel assisting Ben Ihle on Wednesday, Ms van Diemen endorsed the recommendation as she was the person signing off on the hotel quarantine detention orders.
Ms van Diemen says she also endorsed the letter of Dr Romanes, which included a suggestion that she oversee the hotel quarantine program.
“We were all acutely aware of supporting the need for quarantine [and] also aware we were detaining people and inherent risks in that that we needed to be very cognisant of,” she said.
Dr van Diemen said she sat next to Mr Romanes when he was formulating his views on how the hotel quarantine program was run.
Dr van Diemen said the decision to sign off on the hotel quarantine detention order weighed heavily on her mind.
She told the inquiry she took comfort in the presence of the onsite authorised officers, with her orders seeing around 20,000 people detained over the lifetime of the program.
“I was aware there were also daily medical checks and a multiple of other checks on people [guests],” she said.
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Rachel Baxendale 3.00pm: ‘My focus is elsewhere’: Andrews on China deal inquiry
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has refused to say whether he would appear at a Senate Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee inquiry into the Morrison government’s new Foreign Relations Bill, which would allow the commonwealth to overturn agreements struck with foreign powers by states and territories.
The committee has written to all premiers and chief ministers seeking submissions, with chair and Liberal senator Eric Abetz on Tuesday saying he hoped Mr Andrews — who recently reiterated his support for Victoria’s participation in China’s controversial Belt and Road Initiative — would agree to appear.
Asked for his response on Wednesday, Mr Andrews said: “As to a submission, I’m not sure if we’d make a judgment that we’ve got something to offer there. We would always reserve the right through our normal processes to put a submission in.”
“As far as the second part of your question, I just have to say, with the greatest of respect to the Senate and the chairman of that committee, my focus is elsewhere and I reckon Victorians would be, would expect nothing different,” Mr Andrews said.
Asked whether he was saying he would refuse an invitation to appear at a Senate inquiry, Mr Andrews said: “I don’t think I came anywhere near saying that.”
“What I said was my focus is elsewhere. It might be news to, again, with the greatest of respect to that esteemed chamber, the Australian Senate, but there’s a global pandemic on and I’m pretty focused on getting these numbers down,” Mr Andrews said.
READ MORE: Andrews asked to explain China deal
Elise Shaw 2.43pm: Three indicators point to promise
CommSec chief economist Craig James gives us three indicators and says there are three encouraging stories: New home sales have soared over the past three months under the influence of the HomeBuilder scheme. Used vehicle prices have soared in response to higher demand and lower stock levels. Home prices continue to hold up, supported by bank lending and low interest rates.
“Up to May, Sydney and Melbourne home prices led the way higher alongside Hobart. Now Sydney and Melbourne prices are correcting and it’s the turn of Brisbane and Adelaide to drive national home prices higher. While the jobless rate has risen, interest rates are at generational lows and banks continue to lend,” James says.
The surprise packet is the used vehicle market. “Most car owners expect to see the value of their vehicles eroding over time. But in the COVID-19 era, prices for second-hand vehicles are rising. Aussies are more cautious about using public transport. As a result, people are holding on to their vehicles and more people are looking to purchase an extra vehicle. So demand is up, supply is down and prices are up. Overlaid is the fact that global vehicle production has fallen in the past six months, supporting both new and used vehicle prices. Super-low interest rates are also keeping car financing costs down.
Data analytics firm, Datium Insights, provides a weekly report on the used vehicle market. In the week to September 14, used vehicle prices rose by 3.4pc after lifting 1.6pc in the previous week.
In August, used vehicle prices were up 25pc over the year according to the Datium Insights - Moody’s Analytics Used Vehicle Price Index.
The authors of the report noted: “Demand for wholesale used vehicles was robust last month. The Datium Insights - Moody’s Analytics Used Vehicle Price Index increased 25pc on a year-ago basis in August. This is the highest rate for a series that goes back to 1999. Car prices rose 22.9pc while truck prices increased 32.1pc. Vehicle retention value, measured as price/MSRP, rose 25.2pc compared with the same month last year, with the car component increasing 21.6pc and the truck component increasing 29.4pc.”
In the latest week SUV (+3.6pc) and Light Commercials (+3.4pc) drove increases in used vehicle prices.
Datium Insights reports that the supply of vehicles fell 4.1pc over the week to September 14 and that “stock remains considerably low”.
“Investors have a raft of relatively new indicators to watch to get a sense of how individual sectors and companies are faring, as well as the broader economy,” says James. “The Reserve Bank, governments and both regional and major banks are playing key roles in supporting economic recovery. However, there is still some way to go.”
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Tessa Akerman 2.12pm: Melburnians risk $5000 fine for breaking city limit
Melburnians thinking of heading to the regions when lockdown eases at midnight will run the risk of a $4957 fine.
A new offence has been created for the easing of restrictions and people heading for a holiday outside of Melbourne will be fined for failing to comply with the requirements to remain in a restricted area.
Deputy Commissioner, Regional Operations Rick Nugent said Victoria Police’s role in policing the health directions had led to a lot of commentary about Victoria being a police state and police actions.
“They’re doing it to help keep the community safe,” he said.
He said the police’s role in limiting the pandemic included catching and fining people who were “deliberately, blatantly breaching the restrictions”.
Mr Nugent said there will be more checkpoints put in place to stop city dwellers heading out of their bubble for camping and fishing and local police would help stop Melburnians intent on an illicit getaway.
He urged owners of campgrounds and accommodation venues to turn away guests from the city, even though they were hurting financially.
“[It] might assist with your business... but you’re putting people at risk,” he said.
Mr Nugent said everyone had “restriction fatigue” but said the restrictions could only be lifted by following the directions of the Chief Health Officer and limiting the spread of the virus.
Mr Nugent said checkpoints were currently operating with about a 15 minute delay for motorists but that may change.
“The aim is to check every car,” he said.
“There will be a longer delay.”
He also said the checkpoint to the Mornington Peninsula would be operating in shifts, not 24/7, however police were “really asking” people to stay in metropolitan Melbourne unless they had to leave.
“We want to check as many vehicles as we can possibly check,” he said.
READ MORE: Tiny towns ride a new tourist wave
OLIVIA CAISLEY 2.08pm: National Cabinet ‘dysfunctional on travellers’
Labor leader Anthony Albanese has slammed the Commonwealth for passing the buck on the issue of international arrivals as he lashed the National Cabinet as dysfunctional.
Mr Albanese on Wednesday said it wasn’t the states’ responsibility to deal with the issue of assisting Australians that are stranded overseas to return home.
“How absurd is it that the Deputy Prime Minister says he is writing a letter about the 25,000 Australians who are stranded overseas, who can’t get home and the national government is responsible for?” Mr Albanese said. “This isn’t the responsibility of the state. It is the responsibility of the national government and what it requires is national leadership and not the Deputy Prime Minister writing a letter.”
Mr Albanese said it was increasingly clear that National Cabinet was becoming dysfunctional and that Scott Morrison was in danger of being an “observer rather than a participant” because he “didn’t have control over anything.”
“We are a vast continent,” Mr Albanese said. “If we cannot provide accommodation and space for many more people than we are now, then it’s because the federal government is not being fair dinkum about finding those solutions.”
READ MORE: Aged care — Even Costello ‘had trouble’ with paperwork
Rachel Baxendale 1.57pm: Andrews stands by his statement on ADF help
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says he stands by a statement he made to a state parliament Public Accounts and Estimates Committee hearing last month, despite an email exchange tendered in evidence to the hotel inquiry on Tuesday appearing to contradict his version of events.
Mr Andrews told the committee in August: “I think it is fundamentally incorrect to assert that there was hundreds of ADF staff on offer and somehow someone said no. That’s not, in my judgment, accurate.”
But in an April 8 email, which had the subject line “Assistance re hotel stay security”, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet Secretary Phil Gaetjens told the head of Mr Andrews’s department Chris Eccles that the commonwealth would be willing to assist Victoria with ADF troops in hotel quarantine if the state reconsidered its operating model.
“On the question of assistance with security, I am advised the only deal with NSW was in-kind provision of ADF personnel,” Mr Gaetjens wrote.
“I am sure the commonwealth would be willing to assist Victoria if you wanted to reconsider your operating model.”
Mr Eccles replied: “Thanks Phil.”
Asked whether he stood by his statement to the parliamentary committee, Mr Andrews, who is due to appear at the hotel quarantine inquiry next Wednesday, said: “Yes, I do. My statements have been accurate and I will be assisting the inquiry next week.”
Asked how his statement could be accurate, given it appears to be at odds with the email exchange between the two top bureaucrats, Mr Andrews said: “All can I say is the statements I’ve made are accurate.”
“I stand by those statements and I’ll be providing evidence, I’ll be assisting the inquiry next week, and it’s just not appropriate for me to be running debates back and forth,” Mr Andrews said.
“You’re perfectly fine to ask the question, but there is a live process going on, and it’s not one that I’m distant from. I’ll in fact be part of that process next week.”
READ the full story here
Jared Lynch 1.49pm: Casino bosses get bonuses as staff get JobKeeper
Casino group Star Entertainment has paid its top executives $1.4m in bonuses after it put its hand out for $130m in taxpayer cash to fund the wages of almost 7000 staff it stood down in April.
The company opted to pay out its short-term incentive (STI) payments in the form of deferred equity this year to “preserve cash” during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chief executive Matt Bekier received $829,872 in deferred equity on top of his $1.56m base salary, taking his total remuneration to $2.36m. Three other executives shared in the remainder of the $1.4m in bonuses.
READ the full story here
Rachel Baxendale 1.33pm: Shoe-buying man fined for breaching restrictions
A man from Endeavour Hills in the southeastern Melbourne coronavirus hotspot of Casey who said he had travelled more than 30km to the inner southeastern suburb of Prahran “to buy shoes”, is among 96 people fined by Victoria Police in the 24 hours to Wednesday for breaching coronavirus restrictions.
Six men were also fined $1652 each for going for a walk together in the Stonnington area, in Melbourne’s inner southeast, breaching the rule which limits outdoor gatherings to two people.
Victoria Police said multiple others had been fined after leaving home during the 9pm to 5am curfew to buy food or cigarettes from convenience stores.
There were 13 $200 fines issued to people for failing to wear a face covering, and 39 $1652 fines issued for curfew breaches.
Another 30 fines were issued as a result of 24,556 checks on vehicles at checkpoints.
Police conducted 3950 spot checks on people at homes, businesses and public places in the 24 hours to Wednesday, with a total of 435,853 spot checks conducted since 21 March.
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ROSIE LEWIS 1.26pm: States resisting McCormack offer of hotel capacity
Some states are resisting Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack’s demand to lift their hotel quarantine capacity, with Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan declaring the surprise request went against “the spirit of the national cabinet”.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said NSW could manage the extra load but only if the other states agreed to increase their numbers.
Under Mr McCormack’s proposal, which was detailed in a letter sent to the premiers and chief ministers on Wednesday, the weekly cap for NSW, Queensland and Western Australia would increase by 500 in each state.
South Australia’s weekly cap would lift by 360.
“I would’ve thought these things should be discussed at national cabinet (on Friday) rather than a letter being released to the press prior to it being brought to the attention of relative premiers,” Mr McGowan said.
“The best way of dealing with this is to actually have the conversation rather than release the letter before such time we even see it. This is not in keeping with the spirit of the national cabinet.”
Mr McGowan cautioned that boosting hotel quarantine capacity “run the risks of security making mistakes” and introducing failures into the system, like what occurred in Victoria.
While he was willing to work with the commonwealth on a solution, he said the Victorian hotel quarantine debacle had been “catastrophic” and that was why it had to be managed carefully.
“There are commonwealth facilities out there, defence bases, immigration facilities that could be used for two weeks quarantine for people returning from overseas. I’d urge the commonwealth to have a look at those facilities as a measure that can deal with any of the more extreme pressures we’re currently going through,” Mr McGowan said.
Ms Berejiklian said her police commissioner had told her the state could accept more Australians returning from overseas.
“I’ve agreed on the basis that the other states double what they’re currently taking, so that would mean Queensland and WA would have to go from around 500 a week to 1000 a week. It would still only be about 1/3 of what NSW is doing but it certainly means they’d be sharing the load more,” she said.
“If other states agree to up their numbers, we will then also of course accommodate that. I think 500 (extra people) spread across the week is manageable for NSW. We don’t want to see any Australians undertaking unnecessary heartache.”
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszcuk echoed Anthony Albanese in urging the Morrison government to use the RAAF VIP jets but said she was “more than happy to look at taking more Australians” where there was capacity to do so.
Ms Palaszcuk’s spokesman said she believed the Morrison government should pull out all stops to bring stranded Australians home and she had several options for hotel quarantine she wanted to discuss on Friday.
The spokesman stressed it was vital hotel quarantine was adequately supervised.
“We will do whatever we can, but the federal government has resources as well,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
“The states have had to do the heavy lifting. (The commonwealth) they’ve assisted with quarantine with ADF, and I appreciate that, but there’s a lot of resources that are needed, especially with our police. Every time we put a new hotel up, there’s extra police that are needed to look at those hotels as well.”
South Australian Premier Steven Marshall announced on Wednesday that SA would increase its hotel quarantine capacity to 800, of which 600 would be for international arrivals.
NSW has a weekly hotel quarantine cap of 2450, compared to Queensland’s cap of 500 and WA’s cap of 525. — With Sarah Elks
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Rachel Baxendale 1.18pm: Elective surgery to resume in Victoria
Elective surgery is set to resume in regional Victoria from Thursday, and in metropolitan Melbourne from the end of September.
However, surgery will not return to 100 per cent capacity in any part of Victoria until the state has had at least a fortnight with no new coronavirus cases, on or after November 23.
Premier Daniel Andrews and Health Minister Jenny Mikakos announced on Wednesday that elective surgery would resume in regional Victoria at 75 per cent of usual capacity from Thursday, increasing to 85 per cent from September 28.
As of Wednesday, there are only 37 known active cases of coronavirus in Victoria. It is not known how many of these people, if any, are currently in hospital.
Hospitals in metropolitan Melbourne will begin to ramp up to 75 per cent of usual elective surgery levels from September 28, when the city is set for a slight easing of restrictions enabling outdoor gatherings of up to five people from two households.
Under the Andrews government’s reopening roadmap, elective surgery in Melbourne will then increase to 85 per cent of normal on or after October 26, if Victoria sees a fortnight with average daily cases of fewer than five, and no cases with an unknown source of transmission.
All Victorian hospitals are set to move to 100 per cent of usual elective surgery activity only if and when Victoria reaches the “last step” of the Andrews government’s reopening roadmap, with at least a fortnight of no new coronavirus cases, on or after November 23.
“This plan will allow for around approximately 18,750 additional elective surgeries across our private and public hospitals in October and an extra 10,500 surgeries in November,” Ms Mikakos said.
“We will also reinstate the elective surgery blitz as soon as it is safe to do so to catch up on the backlog to make sure we get as many patients into theatres as possible.
“Specialist clinic consultations will increase in line with elective surgery activity and telehealth will continue to be utilised where possible to reduce face-to-face consultations.”
From September 28, dental services in Melbourne will be able to resume non-urgent procedures such as routine examinations, temporary fillings, simple extractions, preventive procedures like fluoride varnish and hand scaling, and dentures and orthodontic treatments. AHPRA-registered allied health professionals will be able to see patients for face-to-face services for a broader range of treatments than just preventing hospital admission, such as for pain management or to prevent a deterioration in functional independence.
From October 26, provided the case threshold is met, most dental and allied health services will be able to recommence full service with a “COVID-safe” plan, with some limitations still in place on group therapy for allied health.
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Remy Varga 12.56pm: ‘Sidelined’ Sutton warned of hotel risks
Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton requested an urgent review of the hotel quarantine program after he was sidelined by bureaucrats from overseeing the state’s response to the pandemic, an inquiry has heard.
Professor Sutton further told the inquiry today that he did not know private security was going to be used until after the outbreaks occurred, telling then Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy in June the causal guards were the “wrong cohort”.
An email sent on behalf of Professor Sutton and then deputy CHO Annaliese van Diemen by Public Health Commander Finn Romanes on April 8, flagged serious issues with the program due to a lack of input from public health experts.
“There appears to be a lack of a unified plan for this program, and there is considerable that the lead roles have not had an opportunity to be satisfied there is a policy and set of processes to manage the healthcare and welfare of detainees, for whom the program is accountable.”
Professor Sutton told the inquiry he supported Dr Finn Romanes in sending the email, saying he supported the public health commander in calling out issues that “required urgent review”.
“Absolutely, Dr Romanes was acting on behalf of me in highlighting concerns that he had,” he said.
Professor Sutton further told the inquiry that no one asked for his opinion on using private security and said he saw the risks of using highly casualised workers as they were incentivised to work while potentially infectious.
“In retrospect, there are a number of vulnerabilities in respect to transmission risk because of that workforce,” he said.
Infection control breaches at the hotel quarantine program are believed to have led to the state’s devastating second wave.
Annaliese van Diemen says she also endorsed the letter of Dr Romanes, which included a suggestion that she oversee the hotel quarantine program.
“We were all acutely aware of supporting the need for quarantine [and] also aware we were detaining people and inherent risks in that that we needed to be very cognisant of,” she said.
Dr van Diemen said she sat next to Mr Romanes when he was formulating his views on how the hotel quarantine program was run.
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Paul Garvey 12.48pm: WA Premier ‘surprised’ at flight cap increase
Western Australian premier Mark McGowan has slammed deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack, accusing him of breaching the spirit of the national cabinet by publicly calling for the states to increase their intake of Australians returning from overseas.
In comments that will set the scene for a tense meeting of the national cabinet this Friday, Mr McGowan also accused the Commonwealth of trying to “palm off” its quarantine and customs responsibilities to the states.
Mr McCormack told reporters on Wednesday morning that he had written to the nation’s premiers, telling them that he wanted to increase the number of people returning home to Australia from 4000 to 6000 per week.
The comments caught Mr McGowan by surprise, who said he was unaware of Mr McCormack’s letter.
“I would have thought these things should be discussed at national cabinet, rather than a letter being released to the press before being brought to the attention of the relevant premiers,” Mr McGowan said.
“I think the best way of dealing with this is to actually have the conversation, rather than write and release the letter before such time as we even see it. This is not in keeping with the spirit of the national cabinet.”
WA currently limits the number of overseas arrivals into the state to 525 a week. There are around 1,900 people in quarantine in Perth hotels, with hundreds of people from Victoria also required to spend two weeks in isolation upon entry to the state.
The WA government is pushing for the Commonwealth to house any additional arrivals in either defence bases or detention centres such as Christmas Island or Yongah Hill near Northam in rural WA.
Mr McGowan said there were “scores” of defence bases around Australia that could be used to quarantine returning Australians, while army, navy and airforce personnel at those bases could also manage security.
He nominated Irwin Barracks, in the Perth suburb of Karrakatta, and HMAS Stirling naval base at Garden Island off Perth - where he lived for three years during his time in the navy - as two potential options.
“There is spare capacity in these defence bases. It’s not an unreasonable idea for the Commonwealth to actually take responsibility for quarantine and customs, which is actually under the constitution a commonwealth responsibility,” he said.
“We are obviously picking up the slack, but we are saying to the Commonwealth work with us, don’t palm it all off to the states. Work with us on resolving these matters in a cooperative way.”
Mr McGowan said he was concerned a substantial increase in arrival numbers into WA could overwhelm the state’s systems and increase the risk of a Victoria-style coronavirus outbreak.
“The problem with doing more hotel quarantining is you run the risks of security making mistakes. You run the risk of there being failures in the system. That’s why you’ve got to deal with that issue very carefully,” he said.
“We saw the failures in the system in Victoria and it was catastrophic for that state.”
Lachlan Moffet Gray 12.34pm: Super fund returns defy pandemic
Super funds are defying the broader economic malaise, posting positive growth in August to continue the rebound from the pandemic crash.
A new report from Chant West, which measures the comparative growth of differently classed super assets, shows that the median growth-orientated fund returned 1.7 per cent over August, bringing the total return for the 2021 financial year to 2.7 per cent.
It means that the median growth fund has recovered 9.5 per cent of the 12 per cent that was lost in February and March when the coronavirus crisis spooked markets and sent the ASX 200 crashing to a yearly low of 4546 points.
Most Australians are invested in a growth-oriented fund, which have a 61-80 per cent exposure to growth assets.
READ the full story here
Robyn Ironside 12.16pm: Qantas slammed over HQ ‘auction’
Australia’s states have been warned against throwing taxpayers’ money at Qantas to attract the airline’s headquarters, with a senior federal government minister describing the tactic as “corporate welfare-seeking”.
Qantas revealed on Tuesday it had written to state and territory leaders, inviting them to lodge an expression of interest for the airline’s HQ which has been in Sydney since 1938.
About 5000 people are employed at the Mascot office building, and another 1000 at the Jetstar HQ in Melbourne, with a “co-location” of the two airlines among the options being considered.
But Federal Tourism and Trade Minister Simon Birmingham told ABC Adelaide radio, the tactic being used by Qantas to create a bidding war between the states was a “pretty blatant attempt to extract taxpayer dollars”.
“I’d have to urge caution from the states. This bidding war won’t create one extra job in Australia. It just shuffles jobs around Australia,” said Senator Birmingham.
“Our focus federally is how we save jobs across the country and try to start to grow those numbers again.”
READ the full story here
REBECCA URBAN 12.10pm: National Cabinet, health committee divided over hotels
Australia’s key health decision-making body neither endorsed nor unanimously agreed with a plan to direct returning overseas travellers into hotel quarantine, an inquiry has heard.
The suggestion that the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee and the National Cabinet were divided over the plan has emerged in the witness statement of Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton, who gave evidence at the inquiry on Wednesday morning.
“As discussed prior to National Cabinet’s announcement on 26 March 2020, the AHPPC did not endorse the idea of quarantining travellers at hotels (or other designated facilities),” Dr Sutton wrote in his statement.
“Following the National Cabinet’s announcement of these requirements, the committee met to consider a national response to COVID-19, but did not agree or resolve to advise returning travellers to undertake a 14-day quarantine at a designated faculty.”
Asked to expand on the AHPPC’s view, Dr Sutton cited that he was unable to speak about the specifics due to “cabinet in confidence”.
He said prior to the Prime Minister’s announcement he was personally unaware that the decision had been made.
However, asked on his own personal view, he said he “was supportive of National Cabinet recommendation that all returning passengers should be in hotel quarantine”.
He said he was aware that not all members of the AHPPC, which is comprised of all state and territory chief health officers, shared a consensus view on the issue.
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Remy Varga 12.05pm: Infected guest transmitted Covid to driver
A guest unaware they were coronavirus positive transmitted the virus to driver who picked them up from the Stamford Plaza after they completed the mandatory 14-day detention period at the hotel, which is one of two linked to Victoria’s second wave, an inquiry has heard.
On Wednesday, Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton admitted it was risky to let hotel quarantine guests leave detention after the 14-day period and that potentially infectious returned travellers were allowed back into the community.
It came after Professor Sutton said he was aware of the case of the coronavirus positive guest who infected the driver under cross examination by counsel assisting Ben Ihle.
Mr Ihle said genomic testing linked the origins of the positive case back to the source of the infection at the Stamford.
Mr Ihle asked: “Are you also aware that that person left hotel quarantine unaware they were Covid positive, actually transmitted to the person who drove them aware from hotel quarantine?
Professor Sutton replied “That’s correct.”
READ the full story here
Erin Lyons 11.53am: Ill-fitting protective gear sounds alarm
The debate around mask wearing has been a hot topic since the pandemic began and now researchers claim they don’t always fit our frontline workers properly, particularly women or those of Asian decent, putting them at risk of catching the potentially deadly disease.
Now academics are calling for more formal fit-testing procedures.
Researchers at the University of Western Australia and Perth Children’s Hospital argue hospitals lack the time and financial resources to ensure every worker has a mask that fits properly.
Co-author professor Britta von Ungern-Sternberg said this would allow unfiltered air can be drawn inside the mask.
The ‘fit-pass’ rate for women is just 85 per cent compared to 95 per cent for men while masks fit 90 per cent of caucasian workers properly but that figure drops to 84 per cent for people of Asian descent, and even lower at 60 per cent for Asian females.
The shape and size of the respirator in relation to the wearer’s facial anthropomorphic dimensions are major factors in terms of quality of fit, researchers said.
However, the study has its limits. Females and Asians were under-represented, academics confessed.
But they said the most important takeaway is triggering discussion about the difference between fit-checking (when a wearer checks their own mask) and fit-testing (a standardised testing measure).
The authors said fit testing should form part of official hospital occupational health and safety programs.
According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), filtering facepiece respirators require a fit-test to ensure proper protection.
But despite international guidelines, fit-testing is not adopted in many countries including in Australia.
Some companies do offer fit testing at a hefty price which authors said is similar to in-person mandatory training.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted deficiencies of some healthcare facilities to protect their HCWs in line with national and international recommendations and the requirement for formal fit-testing programs appears to be particularly important,” study authors said.
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Mackenzie Scott 11.40am: Homes stimulus ‘has done its job’
The federal government’s HomeBuilder stimulus has helped bolster land sales over the past quarter and will keep the building industry active beyond the next 12 months, says the Housing Industry Association.
READ the full story here
David Ross 11.12am: NSW records 10 new virus cases
Ten new cases of COVID-19 have been picked up in NSW, with one case now excluded from the official tally after further investigations. This takes the NSW total to 3996.
Six of the new cases were overseas travellers in hotel quarantine, but four were locally acquired and have been linked to known cases or clusters.
One new case is a close contact of a case linked to the CBD club which took hold initially at the Tattersalls Club.
The new case had completed 14 days self-isolation prior to becoming symptomatic and had previously tested negative. Contact tracing is underway.
Three new cases have been linked to a staff member themselves linked to the Concord emergency department COVID-cluster. These include:
A student at Blue Mountains Grammar School who attended school while infectious late last week.
10 new cases of #COVID19 were diagnosed in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) September 16, 2020
Of the ten new cases:
- 6 are returned overseas travellers in hotel quarantine
- 4 are locally acquired and linked to a known case or cluster pic.twitter.com/dGtnCFl5KS
A household contact of the above case who did not attend school while infectious.
A close contact of the above student who is not at school.
Blue Mountains Grammar School senior schools has now moved to online learning until after the school holidays in response to the outbreak.
Two of the cases above visited the Springwood Sports Club, 83 Macquarie Road, Springwood, on 12 September between 1pm to 2pm.
These cases also visited Lawson oval, Lawson on 13 September from 10.30am to 12.45pm.
NSW Health is also advising that a previously reported case attended Anytime Fitness, Casula on Friday 11 September from 10.15am to 12pm.
Anyone who attended these venues at these times is considered a casual contact and must monitor for symptoms and get tested immediately if they develop. After testing, they must remain in isolation until a negative test result is received.
NSW Health is now determining which people who attended the above venues are close contacts of the cases.
One case reported today attended the Hunters Hill Bowling Club on Tuesday 8th September from 6.50pm to 9pm. NSW Health will now contact all patrons who were at the venue at this time to review their exposure and identify any close contacts.
Close contacts must immediately isolate and get tested for COVID-19 and remain in isolation for a full 14 days after their contact, even if the test result is negative.
One of the cases reported today attended the JB HIFI Penrith Plaza on Sunday 13 September from 4pm to 4.30pm.
Anyone who was at the venue at this time should be alert for symptoms and immediately get tested if any develop or have developed since this exposure, and stay isolated until a negative test result is received.
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Rachel Baxendale 11.01am: Victorian case numbers near 20,000
Victoria’s 42 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday take the state’s number of cases since the pandemic began to 19,943.
The eight deaths in the 24 hours to Wednesday take Victoria’s death toll from the virus to 737.
These deaths include those of four women and two men in their 80s, and two men in their 90s.
All eight are linked to aged care, bringing the total number of coronavirus deaths linked to aged care in Victoria to 581.
As of Wednesday, there are 107 people in Victorian hospitals with coronavirus, including 11 in intensive care, of whom six are on ventilators.
This compares with 118 in hospital on Tuesday, including 11 in intensive care, of whom seven were on ventilators.
There were 14,374 coronavirus tests processed in Victoria in the 24 hours to Wednesday, bringing the total processed since the pandemic began to 2,520,897.
The 14,374 tests represent a significant increase on 8,803 tests processed in the 24 hours to Tuesday, but compare with 19,566 tests processed in NSW in the 24 hours to Wednesday.
Wednesday’s positive test rate is 0.29 per cent — down from an eight day high on Tuesday of 0.48 per cent, and well down on the record of 3.73 per cent on August 2.
The number of active coronavirus cases has fallen below 1000 for the first time since July 9, reaching 991 on Wednesday — down from a peak on August 11 of 7880.
There are 49 fewer active cases statewide on Wednesday than there were on Tuesday.
The number of active cases in regional Victoria is 37 — down from 42 on Tuesday.
There are 152 active cases in health workers on Wednesday, down from 158 on Tuesday.
The number of cases where contact tracers have been unable to identify a source of infection is 4278 - four fewer than Tuesday.
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Robyn Ironside 10.47am: Flight cap lifted to 6000 for stranded Aussies
Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack has announced an increase in the number of Australians allowed to return home from 4000 a week to 6000.
He said New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia would each be asked to take an extra 500 returning travellers a week.
South Australia would be asked to accept an additional 360 and Mr McCormack said he also wanted to know how many travellers Tasmania, the Northern Territory and the ACT could handle.
Victoria would remain exempt due to its ongoing COVID crisis.
“We want more Australians to come home and every capital city airport has the capacity to do just that,” Mr McCormack said.
He encouraged Queensland to consider allowing some of those travellers to return and quarantine on the Gold Coast and in Cairns.
“There are plenty of empty hotel rooms in these capital cities and I want them filled with returning Australians,”
State premiers and chief ministers had been written to today, in an effort to increase the numbers of returning travellers.
An estimated 30,000 Australians currently overseas had registered their interest in returning home.
“It’s been a very difficult situation for some trying to get home and we acknowledge that,” said Mr McCormack.
The Federal Government in August reduced the number of incoming flights to 4000 passengers a week in a bid to ease pressure on state and territory quarantine facilities until October 24.
NSW is taking on the brunt of the arrivals at 350 passengers a day, while Perth is accepting 525 a week.
Brisbane and Adelaide have a 500 passenger a week limit.
“We will increase the number of Australians coming into Sydney by 500,” Mr McCormack said.
“As well 500 more will be coming into Queensland and I urge and encourage Annastacia Palaszczuk to look at the Gold Coast and Cairns.
“Likewise WA is increasing its capacity by 500. SA about 360.”
South Australian Premier Steven Marshall told ABC RN on Wednesday he would be willing to raise this to 800 a week.
Hobart is not taking any international arrivals, and the suspension of international flights into Melbourne will continue.
Opposition leader Anthony Albanese this week put pressure on the government to use its RAAF and private planes to repatriate stranded Australians. - With NCA Newswire
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Sarah Elks 10.24am: Palaszczuk dodges questions on borders, pollster
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says spending $528,000 of taxpayers’ money on polling voter sentiment about COVID-19 restrictions will not help Labor in the election and people should take a “cold shower” because all states commissioned research.
Asked whether the polling company asked Queenslanders about border closures, Ms Palaszczuk did not answer directly, and said the pollster asked “numerous questions across the spectrum”.
Ms Palaszczuk said every state and federal government commissioned research on coronavirus sentiment, after revelations the Department of Premier and Cabinet commissioned Ipsos twice to do COVID-19 polling and market research for the government, ahead of the October 31 election.
“Every state does that, for example, when people were in lockdown, we asked people how they were feeling, and because people were going through a really tough time, we put more money (into mental health),” Ms Palaszczuk said.
She said the pollster asked people, for example, how they’d feel about signing into restaurants, which had not been done before.
“This sentiment (testing) is done across Australia, it’s done by every state, and it’s done by the federal government,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
Asked whether it would help Labor in the October 31 election: “No it won’t, because it’s about how people are responding to the economic recovery”.
Asked whether the pollster asked Queenslanders about border closures, Ms Palaszczuk did not answer the question.
“Ipsos, is my understanding, has asked numerous questions across the spectrum on a whole range of issues,” she said.
“Everyone needs to have a cold shower when it comes to this, because every other state is asking a whole range of questions.
On a separate issue, Ms Palaszczuk said she told Deputy Prime Minister Malcolm McCormack Queensland could potentially accept more Australians returning from overseas into hotel quarantine in the state.
“I don’t want families to be separated by very, very long distances,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
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Rebecca Urban 10.18am: Victorian primary school kids to go back to class early
Primary school students in regional Victoria will be permitted back in classrooms earlier than expected, following an easing of coronavirus restrictions.
The announcement on Tuesday that stay-at-home-restrictions would be lifted this week has paved the way for the return to school.
In a message posted to Facebook, Education Minister James Merlino said primary schools would return to face-to-face teaching in the first week of term four. Previously, the government’s roadmap for easing restrictions advised the second week of term.
However, secondary school students will have to wait until October 12 to return to allow the VCE General Achievement Test to proceed in week one.
Schools have been advised to ensure students taking the test are spaced out across the campus to “reduce the potential risk of transmission of COVID-19 within the examination centre”.
“It is a significant step forward for regional communities,” Mr Merlino said.
“I want to thank all of schools’ staff, parents and carers, and our students for the work everyone has done during this challenging period.”
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David Ross 9.13am: Cruise ships still greatest source of infection outside of Australia
Data from NSW Health shows cruise ships continue to account for the greatest source of COVID-19 cases contracted outside of Australia.
Of the 2107 COVID-cases acquired overseas on Sunday 28 per cent could be traced directly to cruise ship passengers.
Arrivals from the United States accounted for 14 per cent of all internationally contracted infections.
The United States boasts the greatest number of COVID-19 infections in the world.
Arrivals from the United Kingdom accounted for 12 per cent of infections.
Pakistan came in fourth, accounting for 5 per cent of infections.
Together these three countries and the cruise ship cases account for 59 per cent of COVID-19 cases contracted overseas.
NSW Health said arrivals from more than 90 other countries account for the remaining 41 per cent of infections contracted overseas.
Since 28 March, people returning from overseas have been required to isolate in hotel quarantine.
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Rachel Baxendale 10.06am: Andrews, Mikakos to address media at 10.45am
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is due to address the media alongside his Health Minister Jenny Mikakos at 10.45am.
It is expected that the pair will make an announcement about the return of elective surgery in regional Victoria, where coronavirus restrictions are being relaxed from 11:59pm on Wednesday.
The press conference also comes after the hotel quarantine inquiry yesterday heard that Scott Morrison’s most senior bureaucrat offered the Victorian government troops to help with hotel quarantine security more than a month before an infection control breach in the program sparked the state’s deadly coronavirus second wave.
The revelation — in an email released on Tuesday by the hotel quarantine inquiry — directly contradicts Mr Andrews’s repeated claims that Australian Defence Force members were not offered.
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Sarah Elks 9.55am: Queensland Deputy Premier defends $528k spend on pollsters
Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles has defended the government’s $528,000 spend on pollsters to gauge voters sentiment about the state’s COVID-19 restrictions.
Speaking in Mackay, Mr Miles said the Ipsos spend helped the government know whether its messaging about COVID-19, including about social distancing, was working.
“Government departments are constantly researching how they can best communicate with the public, and it’s been incredibly important…that we have clear, consistent messaging, particularly about social distancing,” he said.
Mr Miles said the government messaging had required people to change the “practices, the actions of our entire society”.
“(The research) helps us to inform those messages, how we can best get those messages out to the public, and that messaging has been incredibly effective, it’s what’s allowed us to keep our COVID (numbers down),” Mr Miles said.
The Australian revealed this morning the government spending on the Ipsos market research, commissioned by the Department of Premier and Cabinet.
Mr Miles lifted restrictions on the Gold Coast and Darling Downs, including a ban on visitors to aged care centres, extra PPE in hospitals, and fewer people being allowed at gatherings.
Those restrictions have been lifted after a sufficient period without new cases in those regions, Mr Miles said.
On South Australia’s decision to open its borders to the ACT, Mr Miles said Queensland would continue to “consider the situation in other states”.
He said it had been 65 days since the ACT had recorded a COVID-19 case, a fact that would be taken into consideration at the end of the month when Queensland reviewed its borders.
“The ACT is complicated because of the fact it is surrounded by NSW,” Mr Miles said.
He attacked Liberal National Party Opposition leader Deb Frecklington for launching a policy aimed at developing COVID-Safe plans for people to attend funerals, saying she would direct the Chief Health Officer to ignore the best health practice, against the law.
Mr Miles said it was clear that if Ms Frecklington became Premier, she wouldn’t take the health advice, and would make decisions “largely based on what Scott Morrison tells her to do”.
“The fact she chose to announce that policy on the day of a very important state funeral (of former Labor deputy leader Tim Mulherin) is disgusting and she should have a look at herself,” Mr Miles said.
“(If Ms Frecklington were Premier) she would make risky, reckless decisions to direct the Chief Health Officer – something she doesn’t have the legal power to do.”
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Robyn Ironside 9.31am: Deputy PM to provide update on international flight caps
Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack will deliver an update on international flight caps on Wednesday after weeks of pressure from airlines and Australians stuck overseas to allow more people to come home.
Currently no more than 4000 people a week are permitted to arrive in the country and go into mandatory hotel quarantine for a fortnight in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.
The caps have seen airlines limit seats to only first class travellers paying as much as $15,000 for a fare.
In the first week of September 140 flights from overseas landed in Australia with the capacity to carry 30,000 people.
But the caps meant only 4000 seats were filled despite 23,000 Australians registering their interest with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to return home.
Last week Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker questioned why the government was not filling three, four and five-star hotels with returning travellers based on what they were willing to pay for quarantine.
And on Tuesday Melbourne Airport CEO Lyell Strambi said it was time to allow overseas arrivals to again quarantine in the city, under the supervision of the Department of Corrections.
Board of Airline Representatives of Australia executive director Barry Abrams said it was obviously frustrating for Australians stranded overseas and international airlines, that such a situation continued to prevail.
“It cannot be expected that international airlines continue indefinitely with such flights on a commercial basis,” said Mr Abrams.
Mr Al Baker said if cargo loads fell, it could become uneconomical to operate flights into Australia.
Since April, Qatar Airways has been the largest operator of flights into Australia, following the withdrawal from international services by Qantas and Jetstar.
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Sarah Elks 9.26am: Queensland records third day in a row with zero cases
Queensland has recorded a third zero-day in a row, with just one new case of COVID-19 in the past four days.
Health Minister and Deputy Premier Steven Miles, in Mackay today, said there were four cases in the last five days, all of which were in hotel quarantine.
“We are getting on top of those clusters, particularly in the south side of Brisbane and the Ipswich area, it’s very very good work,” Mr Miles said.
He said NSW and VIC continued to “make progress” but sadly more people lost their lives in Victoria in the past 24 hours than had died in Queensland in total.
Eight people died in VIC in the past day, QLD has had six deaths overall due to coronavirus.
More to come.
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Samantha Bailey 9.18am: Court rules in favour of insurer on coronavirus policy
The High Court of England and Wales has ruled in favour of insurance company QBE on two of three coronavirus policy wordings.
In a statement to the market this morning, QBE said was considering options to appeal a third decision, where the court ruled in favour of the insureds.
The insurer said that based on the claims affected by the UK Financial Conduct Authority test case, it estimates its UK business interruption claims exposure is around $170m before recoveries under its catastrophe reinsurance protections.
The UK Financial Conduct Authority undertook a test case to resolve issues around the interpretation of business interruption policy wordings, looking at whether they responded to COVID-19 and related government mandated nationwide lockdowns.
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Rachel Baxendale 9.12am: Victoria’s DHHS corrects itself on case numbers
The Victorian Department of Health and Human Services has reissued its daily case number tweet to correct an error.
Previously DHHS said metropolitan Melbourne had 82 cases in the most recent fortnight for which statistics are available where contact tracers had been unable to identify a source of infection.
In fact this number is 81.
#COVID19VicData UPDATED: We have reissued today's data as there are 81 cases with unknown source in Metro Melbourne, not 82, as earlier tweeted. Yesterday there were 42 new cases reported and 8 lives lost. Info: https://t.co/eTputEZdhs pic.twitter.com/buI8b9yv7J
— VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) September 15, 2020
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Rosie Lewis 9.02am: ‘Give students HECS discount for backpacker work’
University students would be offered a HECS discount for picking fruit under a new plan backed by Coalition, Labor and Greens MPs, as they urge Scott Morrison to urgently introduce a “have a gap year at home” campaign to encourage young Australians into the regions.
Federal parliament’s joint standing committee on migration’s interim report, tabled on Tuesday, also recommended people on JobSeeker be allowed to take on low paid agricultural work and conditions on backpackers’ visas be overhauled so they can stay in the country longer.
International students should also be offered an additional year or two in Australia after their studies if they undertake work in critical industries outside the capital cities.
Farmers estimate they need “thousands” of extra workers to pick Australia’s fruit and vegetables and carry out other agricultural jobs as the state and international border closures exacerbate labour shortages.
The shortage is set to increase the cost of food at supermarkets.
READ the full story here
Rachel Baxendale 8.51am: Victoria records 42 new cases, eight deaths
Victoria has recorded 42 new cases of coronavirus and eight deaths in the 24 hours to Wednesday.
#COVID19VicData: Yesterday there were 42 new cases reported and 8 lives lost. The 14 day rolling average & number of cases with unknown source are important as we move through the steps toward COVID Normal. Info: https://t.co/eTputEZdhs pic.twitter.com/8XyoyMdb7I
— VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) September 15, 2020
Mebourne’s 14-day daily average number of new cases has fallen below 50 for the first time since the first time since early July, and is now at 49.6, down from 52.9 on Tuesday.
This compares with a 14-day daily average of 3.5 in regional Victoria, down from 3.6 on Tuesday.
There have been 81 cases with an unknown source of infection in metropolitan Melbourne in the most recent fortnight for which this statistic is available, and one in regional Victoria.
This fortnight spans from August 31 to September 13.
It is understood the regional Victorian unknown source case was reported on September 1.
The prerequisite for reopening of regional Victoria, set to occur from 11:59pm on Wednesday night, is a 14-day daily average of fewer than five cases, with no cases with an unknown source over that fortnight, meaning regional Victorians are still on track to be released from stay-at-home restrictions from Thursday, with hospitality businesses set to reopen.
In order for Melbourne to move to its next step of relaxing coronavirus restrictions by September 28, the 14-day daily average needs to reach 30-50.
This would enable public outdoor gatherings of up to five people from up to two households, the resumption of childcare, and a staged return to the classroom for Prep to Grade Two and VCE students.
For the third step, which would see Melburnians released from a stay-at-home lockdown and a curfew by October 26, the statewide 14-day daily average needs to fall below five cases, with no cases with an unknown source over that fortnight.
Wednesday’s eight deaths follow no deaths reported in the 24 hours to Tuesday, and bring Victoria’s death toll from the virus to 737.
All but 19 of these deaths have occurred as a result of Victoria’s second wave of the virus, linked to breaches in the Andrews government’s hotel quarantine program.
Wednesday’s 42 new cases of COVID-19 follow 42 cases reported in the 24 hours to Tuesday - up from Monday’s two and a half month low of 35, and slightly higher than the seven day average of 41.6 - indicating the previously sharp fall in Victoria’s daily case numbers is plateauing.
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David Ross 8.40am: Albanese calls on PM to help stranded Aussies
Labor leader Anthony Albanese has once again called on the federal government to make use of its private air-fleet to return Australians trapped overseas by arrival quotas.
He said prime minister Scott Morrison’s suggestion quarantine arrangements were a responsibility for the states was shirking his responsibilities as national leader.
“It’s the Commonwealth’s responsibility to look after our national borders, but it’s also the Commonwealth’s responsibility on quarantine,” he said.
“What we’ve had through this so-called national Cabinet, that isn’t national and no longer looks anything like a Cabinet, is the Prime Minister handing off these core responsibilities to the states and then being critical of the states.”
“It seems to me that the only thing that’s lacking here is national leadership.”
He said the government should listen to suggestions it could reopen facilities outside Darwin that could house as many as 3000 returnees.
“It was used earlier on. Christmas Island was used earlier on. There are a whole range of Commonwealth facilities in addition to hotel space that Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory have all said they’re prepared to do more with some support from the Commonwealth,” he said.
“The Commonwealth does have a responsibility to Australian citizens and at the moment, they have just thrown their hands up in the air and they’re saying,’It is too hard.’”
Mr Albanese also criticised the government’s widely announced gas plan yesterday, saying it did not amount to a framework for investment.
“We wrote to the Prime Minister in June offering to sit down and work out that framework, not to agree on targets, but you could agree on a framework, be it a NEG or a clean energy target, that would drive that investment,” he said.
“That’s what industry is crying out for.”
READ MORE: Push to bring stranded Aussies home
David Ross 8.27am: SA to boost quarantine quota by 300 places
South Australia will look to boost its quarantine arrangements, adding almost 300 places, Premier Stephen Marshall has revealed.
The South A ustralian government had written to the Commonwealth inquiring about boosting its quarantine arrangements which can currently hold 500 returnees, the Premier told ABC Radio National this morning.
“The full 500 hasn’t been utilised for the international return, we want to play our part,” Mr Marshall said.
The announcement comes amid concerns in recent days about the difficulties facing many Australians living abroad who are trying to secure a place to return to Australia.
South Australia yesterday reopened its borders and removed quarantine requirements for residents of the ACT.
The Premier defended continued restrictions on residents of Victoria and NSW, noting the state was concerned about continued community transmission.
“We are being cautious,” he said.
“We know that we can’t eliminate this disease in South Australia. You’ve got to get the balance right.”
“You will get increased economic activity from opening our borders.”
READ MORE: Lockdown ‘the lesser of two evils’
Erin Lyons 8.11am: New blood test hints at thousands of undetected cases
Tens of thousands of coronavirus cases may have gone undetected in Australia, according to a federal government-funded study.
Researchers from the Australian National University have developed a new test which can detect previous COVID-19 infection in a patient’s blood.
The ANU study suggests for every 3000 healthy Australians, eight had likely been unknowingly infected with the virus. No one in the study had previously returned a positive test.
Academics said new “highly sensitive test” measures the antibodies that follow previous infection with SARS-CoV-2 - better known as COVID-19.
The study was conducted just before Melbourne’s second wave of outbreaks.
“Our best estimate is around 0.28 per cent of Australians (one in 350) had been infected with SARS-CoV-2 by that time,” Associate Professor Ian Cockburn said.
“This suggests that instead of 11,000 cases we know about from nasal swab testing, about 70,000 people had been exposed overall.”
Prof Cockburn explained when a person is infected with COVID-19, the immune system produces antibodies. The test measures those antibodies to determine if someone has previously been exposed.
Researchers said the test will help authorities get a better grasp of the spread of the illness – and can help demonstrate whether or not herd immunity exists.
Director of The John Curtin School of Medical Research, Professor Graham Mann added that the test will be useful to survey spread within the community, particularly among people who may be asymptomatic.
“It is another weapon in our armoury to combat further waves of the virus,” he said.
There has been close to 27,000 positive cases in Australia since the pandemic began, majority of those were diagnosed during Victoria’s second wave.
READ MORE: Victoria’s pandemic targets ‘unrealistic’
Staff writers 8.02am: Virologist who fled China says virus likely came from lab
A Chinese virologist who fled her home country after studying the early outbreak of COVID-19 has published a new report that says the novel coronavirus likely originated in a laboratory.
Doctor Li-Meng Yan, a scientist who studied some of the available data on COVID-19 has published her claims on Zenodo, an open access digital platform, news.com.au reports.
In her report she writes that she believes COVID-19 could have been “conveniently created” within a lab setting over a period of just six months, and “SARS-CoV-2 shows biological characteristics that are inconsistent with a naturally occurring, zoonotic virus”.
Early reports of the origin of the coronavirus, or “spillover event”, were that the virus jumped from animal to human within a wet market in the Chinese city of Wuhan sometime in late 2019.
“The natural origin theory, although widely accepted, lacks substantial support,” Dr Yan writes in the report.
“The alternative theory that the virus may have come from a research laboratory is, however, strictly censored on peer-reviewed scientific journals. Nonetheless, SARS-CoV-2 shows biological characteristics that are inconsistent with a naturally occurring, zoonotic virus.”
Dr Yan says reports that the virus originated in a wet market in Wuhan are a “smoke screen.’’
Dr Yan’s paper, ‘Unusual Features of the SARS-CoV-2 Genome Suggesting Sophisticated Laboratory Modification Rather Than Natural Evolution and Delineation of Its Probable Synthetic Route’, is co-authored by three other doctors.
Dr Yan had been working at Hong Kong University’s public health laboratory sciences division, a World Health Organisation infectious diseases research centre, when her boss was asked to investigate the outbreak in Wuhan.
Dr Yan claimed her and her team’s scientific findings were suppressed, and they were told only to report cases linked to the Huanan seafood market. After becoming fearful of her safety, she fled China on a flight bound for Los Angeles in late April.
Other scientists have disputed Dr Yan’s claim, including a report from Live Science in March, which definitively claimed “SARS-CoV-2 is not a laboratory construct or a purposefully manipulated virus”.
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David Ross 7.34am: Victoria ‘should lock down for two more weeks’
Melbourne University epidemiologist Tony Blakely has warned it may be better to stay in lockdown another two weeks to stamp down the virus in Victoria to end restrictions sooner.
Prof Blakely said the daily case count in Victoria was looking good with “numbers coming down nicely” but there should be no rush out of lockdown even if Melbourne got to below-50 cases a day before September 28.
“What’s more, numbers in aged and healthcare are coming down very well. Infection control is working and we are tracking very well. We should be less than 50 within a couple of days,” he told Seven’s Sunrise this morning.
“It might be better to aim at staying in the lockdown for another two weeks and then bring the next date forward.”
Prof Blakely said Australia was interesting in choosing to try eliminate or highly suppress the coronavirus, unlike the UK.
“Once you are down it’s probably just as easy to hold it down,” he said.
“You just have to keep the number the same over time and you do it with less of a burden.”
READ MORE: Limits apply, but regions free at last
David Ross 7.05am: World still at start of pandemic: WHO
A World Health Organization special envoy has warned the world is still at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic and the viral outbreak was only “getting nastier”.
Dr David Nabarro, speaking to the UK’s foreign affairs committee told MPs the outbreak was “much worse than any of the science fiction about pandemics”
“This is really serious - we’re not even in the middle of it yet. We’re still at the beginning of it,” he said.
“And we’re beginning to see what damage it’s going to cause the world. And it’s getting nastier as we go into this particular phase in Europe of watching the thing come back again.
“It’s a terrible situation, a health issue has got so out of control it’s knocking the world into, not just a recession, but a huge economic contraction which would probably double the number of poor people, double the number of malnourished, lead to hundreds of millions of small businesses going bankrupt.”
Global cases now stand at 29.39m and 930,700 deaths according to John Hopkins tracking data.
The growth of the cases in South America is moving fast, with Peru, Colombia, and Argentina now recording concerning rises in case numbers and deaths.
The growth of COVID-19 cases in the United States has flattened out to a stubbornly high level midway between the peaks of the first and second waves in the country after 34,000 new cases were diagnosed on Tuesday.
Several countries have reimposed restrictions in recent days to clamp down on the spread of the virus.
Greece will reimpose restrictions in Athens after several days of rising cases.
Nightclubs will be closed for the next two week,s while cinemas and theatres will only be open to those wearing masks.
COVID-19 cases in the Netherlands have hit a daily record.
Sweden continues to record low daily Covid-19 cases, recording its lowest growth since March after weeks of declining infections.
The Netherlands has hit a new daily record of new coronavirus cases as infections surge in a second wave across the country.
The country reported 1,379 new infections on Tuesday but the Dutch government has yet to reimpose lockdowns beyond those already in place which have limited public gatherings to six people and contact tracing at restaurants.
Ireland’s parliament will continue uninterrupted after a possible coronavirus scare saw the cabinet isolated after health minister Stephen Donnely fell ill. Mr Donnelly has since tested negative to coronavirus.
The pandemic us yet to hit Ireland with a second wave, with daily cases tracking well below their April peak.
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Michael McKenna 7.00am: AFL Grand Final one week, vote the next
The Palaszczuk government pushed the AFL to hold the grand final in Brisbane on the Saturday before it faces voters at the October 31 state election.
In a commercial-in-confidence deal, believed to involve a cash incentive for the AFL, the state Labor government committed to also spending millions of dollars on promoting the final, including “dressing” Brisbane and the Gold Coast with football banners, lights and flags.
The October 24 AFL premiership game at the Gabba not only will break with tradition in being held outside Melbourne, but will also be the first night grand final in the league’s 123-year history.
It has been seen by Labor insiders as a major electoral coup for Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, with the excitement around the historic event expected to give the party a boost in the last week of the campaign.
“Queensland can provide contingencies for the AFL for hosting the grand final on both the 17th and the 24th of October, with Queensland’s preference being the 24th of October,’’ according to the government’s written submission last month to the AFL, obtained by The Australian.
It gave no written reason for its preferred date.
READ the full story here
Staff writers 6.50am: Queensland considers lowering NSW border bar
Queensland is reportedly considering easing the requirements to open the border with NSW by halving the required number of days with no transmission from 28 to 14.
Tourism Queensland CEO Daniel Gschwind said the Queensland Government “has suggested they are considering a 14 day rule,” Nine newspapers report.
“The 28 day rule of no untraced community transmission, we are hoping our Chief Health Officer will revisit this,” he said.
“We believe such a high bar is going to be very hard to achieve, it is almost aiming for elimination which appears to be a far off objective.”
NSW last achieved 14 days of no community transmission in June.
On Tuesday, NSW recorded seven new cases with authorities unable to trace the source of one of those cases
READ MORE: AFL Grand Final one week, let’s vote the next
Remy Varga 6.00am: PM’s troops offer to Andrews
Scott Morrison’s most senior bureaucrat offered the Victorian government troops to help with hotel quarantine security more than a month before an infection control breach in the program sparked the state’s deadly coronavirus second wave.
The revelation — in an email released on Tuesday by the hotel quarantine inquiry — contradicts Premier Daniel Andrews’ repeated claims that Australian Defence Force members were not offered.
The email making the ADF offer was sent by Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet secretary Phil Gaetjens to the Premier’s top public servant, Chris Eccles, on April 8, more than a month before hotel quarantine breaches sparked the second wave that plunged Melbourne into lockdown, devastated the economy and cost more than 700 lives.
The Gaetjens email has cast doubt on Mr Andrews’ testimony to a Parliamentary Accounts and Estimates Committee hearing in August, when he said: “I think it is fundamentally incorrect to assert that there was hundreds of ADF staff on offer and somehow someone said no. That’s not, in my judgment, accurate.”
In the email, which had the subject line “Assistance re hotel stay security”, Mr Gaetjens told Mr Eccles the commonwealth would be willing to assist Victoria if the state reconsidered its operating model.
“On the question of assistance with security, I am advised the only deal with NSW was in-kind provision of ADF personnel,” Mr Gaetjens wrote.
“I am sure the commonwealth would be willing to assist Victoria if you wanted to reconsider your operating model.”
Mr Eccles replied: “Thanks Phil.”
READ the full story here
Rosie Lewis 5.45am: Push to bring stranded Aussies home
Thousands of Australians stranded overseas could be brought home via a dedicated quarantine facility outside Darwin under a plan being pushed by the Northern Territory government, amid a national cabinet impasse over hotel quarantine capacity.
West Australian Premier Mark McGowan also urged the Morrison government to use defence bases and detention centres for international arrivals, while Anthony Albanese said the RAAF’s VIP fleet should be brought in to help nearly 20,000 Australians who want to come home.
That suggestion was slammed by the Coalition as a “Labor stunt” that “wouldn’t even address the real problem”.
“There are plenty of empty seats on planes landing in Australia,” Trade and Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham said.
“The major constraint on arrivals are state caps on quarantine rooms … How does Labor propose increasing properly supervised quarantine capacity instead?”
NT Chief Minister Michael Gunner has approached national cabinet about using the 3500-bed Howard Springs facility — presently reserved for domestic travellers — for international arrivals.
Territory sources said the Morrison government would likely need to direct airlines to fly to Darwin and help with staff and funding to make the scheme work.
READ the full story here
Rachel Baxendale 5.30am: Limits, but they’re free at last
More than 1.4 million regional Victorians will be released from stay-at-home coronavirus restrictions from 11.59pm on Wednesday, with hospitality businesses able to open to up to 10 eat-in patrons, after the threshold set under the Andrews government’s road map was reached.
The news comes after more than six weeks of restrictions, during which regional Victorians were only permitted to leave their homes for work, exercise, essential shopping and medical care, despite some regional local government areas never having recorded a case of coronavirus, and others having been free of the virus for months.
The comparative freedom for regional Victorians came with a bolstering of police monitoring of the border between metropolitan Melbourne and the rest of the state, as Melburnians face at least another 5½ weeks of stay-at-home restrictions and a curfew.
The announcement, described as “massive” by Premier Daniel Andrews, came as Victoria recorded its first coronavirus fatality-free day since July 13, with 42 new cases in the 24 hours to Tuesday.
Under the government’s reopening road map, regional Victoria needed to have a 14-day daily average of fewer than five cases, with no cases with an unknown source in the past fortnight.
As of Tuesday, Victoria’s 14-day daily average was 3.6 cases, with the last case with an unknown source recorded on September 1.
READ the full story here
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