Coronavirus Australia live news: Victorian ‘reinfection’ among few in world
Authorities are investigating after a Melbourne resident tested positive to the virus in July and once again this week.
Welcome to our rolling coverage of our recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
A Victorian is believed to have become one of the world’s very few cases of a coronavirus reinfection. Premier Daniel Andrews has apologised for making “the wrong” decision regarding a plan to have the Cox Plate go ahead with a crowd on Saturday. Victoria records three new cases and no deaths. NSW has two new locally transmitted cases.
Joe Kelly 9.30pm: Retail slips back after pandemic bump
Retail turnover fell 1.5 per cent from August to September, with food and household goods recording falls after a sustained period of elevated sales during the pandemic.
Every state and territory except the Northern Territory recorded falls in turnover, with NSW, Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia leading the month-on-month declines. Victoria, beset by extended business shutdowns as a result of the second wave of COVID-19, recorded only a slight fall in September. However, this followed a decline of 12.6 per cent in August when Melbourne was slapped with stage-four restrictions and regional Victoria faced stage-three restrictions.
Victoria is the only state where retail turnover remains below the levels recorded in September last year. In year-on-year terms, the data released on Wednesday by the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed that turnover rose 5.2 per cent in September compared with September last year.
David Ross 9pm: Alert over Bathurst 1000 car race
Sewage tests from the Bathurst 1000 have turned up traces of COVID-19, with NSW calling for anyone who attended the motor race last weekend with symptoms to come forward for testing.
The tests of wastewater from Bathurst were taken over the weekend and could indicate a current or prior infection of someone who attended or worked at the race, or visited or lives in Bathurst.
Authorities are reviewing lists of everyone who attended or worked at Mount Panorama Raceway.
READ MORE: As West reels, Asia keeps coronavirus at bay
David Ross 8.20pm: Mystery infection in southeast Sydney
NSW Health is urging people to come forward for testing after a mystery case of COVID-19 surfaced in southeast Sydney last Thursday.
Several venues have been identified as areas of possible exposure to infection.
Anyone who visited the following venues should be aware of the symptoms of COVID-19 and come forward for testing if they have even the mildest of symptoms.
Souths’ Juniors Club, Anzac Parade Kingsford, in the poker machine room or the high roller room at any time between Saturday, September 26, and Saturday, October 2.
Century 21 Dixon Real Estate, Anzac Parade Kingsford, at any time between September 26 and Friday, October 9.
The Shed Cafe in Royal Randwick Shopping Centre on Saturday, October 3, between 3pm and 5pm.
The warning comes after days of low COVID-19 testing, with the coronavirus likely to be circulating undetected in Sydney’s southeast and southwest.
READ MORE: Racing towards 50 million cases
AFP 7.50pm: UK inflation rises as virus meal scheme ends
British inflation rose to 0.5 per cent in September, official data showed on Wednesday, as the UK government ended a meals discount scheme boosting the restaurant sector battered by the coronavirus pandemic.
The annual inflation rate, as measured by the UK’s Consumer Prices Index, increased from a near five-year low of 0.2 per cent in August.
The ONS said that along with transport costs, “restaurant and cafe prices, following the end of the Eat Out to Help Out scheme, made the largest upward contributions” to inflation in September.
The “Eat Out to Help Out” incentive in August saw the UK government subsidising the cost of a cafe, restaurant or pub meal.
Britons enjoyed more than 100 million meals under the discount scheme, according to recent data,.
Some analysts have also argued that the measure may have fuelled cases of coronavirus.
Britain has suffered Europe’s worst death toll from coronavirus, with nearly 44,000 deaths.
READ MORE: Sweden a land of biological brawling
Margherita Stancati, Dasl Yoon 7.20pm: As West reels, Asia keeps Covid at bay
The world, in effect, is split: While Asian countries, which moved swiftly to contain their outbreaks early on, persisted in their fight against the virus, growing pandemic fatigue in the US and Europe has led to relaxed attitudes about social distancing that are complicating efforts to control a resurgence.
As cases rise, Western governments are struggling with testing shortages and contact tracing is becoming ineffective. Many in the West are pinning their hopes on a vaccine for life to return to normal.
Asia, on the other hand, has managed to suppress the virus largely without the nationwide lockdowns that crippled Western economies in the northern spring. Governments there have put in place aggressive contact-tracing efforts, quarantine programs to isolate those infected and strict international-travel requirements. Cultural differences, consistent messaging and experience with outbreaks of SARS and MERS have led to more widespread acceptance of practices such as wearing face masks and, in some places, more intrusive government intervention.
Rebecca Urban 6.47pm: Islamic school closes over infected student
An Islamic school has been caught up in a coronavirus outbreak in Melbourne’s northern suburbs, with a primary student testing positive to the virus.
East Preston Islamic School closed as a precaution on Tuesday afternoon, after learning that a student who was required to isolate due to having a family member who had tested positive to COVID-19 had attended class for two days this week.
The student, a boy in Year 5,was tested on Tuesday evening and it came back positive on Wednesday.
Principal Ekrem Ozyurek said the situation was “unfortunate” given that students had only been back at school for a little over a week.
Charlie Peel 6.30pm: Greens’ royalty hike unites Trad, LNP
Jackie Trad has given a spirited defence of the mining industry to rubbish a Greens policy proposing a tripling of coal and gas royalties.
Taking part in a Sky News debate against her rivals for the seat of South Brisbane — the Greens’ Amy MacMahon and the Liberal National Party’s Clem Grehan — the former deputy premier and treasurer, who has previously told coalminers to re-skill, said the industry was the backbone of the state economy.
Jade Gailberger 6.20pm: Clive Palmer’s border fight could cost taxpayers
Taxpayers will continue to remain in the dark over the cost of the Commonwealth’s intervention in Clive Palmer’s WA border challenge.
The Commonwealth stepped in to support the mining magnate after the West Australian government rejected his border exemption application in May.
Mr Palmer is arguing the decision to refuse his exemption was unconstitutional and made on political grounds.
It later withdrew from the High Court challenge launched by Mr Palmer but the government could still be asked to pay for some the state’s fees.
Greg Brown 5.25pm: Labor MP Husic speaks of leadership ambitions
Labor MP Ed Husic says his Islamic faith would have to be “overcome” if his colleagues were to consider him a future party leader as he vents his frustration about being on the backbench.
Mr Husic, who voluntarily vacated a frontbench position for Kristina Keneally after the 2019 election, said he would be the “darkest of dark horses” in the next contest for Labor leader.
When asked if it would interest him, Mr Husic said it would be a “profound honour” to lead the party.
“But to be blunt with you I would have a few factors I would have to overcome to even be considered for leadership,” Mr Husic told Sky News.
“To be honest, if I could be as blunt as I can to you, being someone of my faith, of the Muslim faith and Australia thinking you might have somewhat of a leadership position for the Islamic faith in that type of role is something a lot of people would need some time to think about.
“I think Australia has evolved and I think the 21st century has opened up a lot of opportunities to people. There would be some people who just wouldn’t consider it. There would be others who would genuinely want to see how it would work.
“I wouldn’t rule out that people could see that happening but in my case it would have to be something people talked long about before it was even considered. That is just the reality.”
Mr Husic said criticisms of Anthony Albanese’s leadership were a “tough call” because “pandemics have changed the focus and politics just gravitates towards the government”.
Mr Husic said being on the backbench was frustrating and he hoped it was only short term. He said if a frontbench vacancy opened up in the NSW Right he would “love to have the chance to be considered.”
READ MORE: Sweden: land of biological brawling and Covid contrariness
Rebecca Urban 5.11pm: Melbourne school closed after positive virus case
A student at an independent school in Preston, in Melbourne’s north, has tested positive for coronavirus, forcing the school to close for cleaning.
The Australian understands that the student was a close conduct of an individual who had tested positive and attended the campus before later testing positive.
The Department of Health and Human Services is working closely with the school community to ascertain who might have come into contact with the student. It is understood that some families have been offered to be relocated to hotels for quarantining.
The closure comes at a devastating time for the school community, which was looking to welcoming Years 8 to 10s back on campus next week.
According to the education department website no public schools are currently closed due to COVID-19 cases.
READ MORE: Sutton’s explosive email kept secret
Lilly Vitorovich 4.40pm: TV programming gets supercharged
Seven Network is looking to reclaim its television ratings crown from Nine next year with a bumper line-up of shows. Read more here
Blake Antrobus 4.25pm: New court date for border fraud accused
One of the women accused of being at the centre of a coronavirus cluster in Queensland is yet to enter a plea for allegedly lying on her border declaration form.
Haja Umu Timbo, 21, was not present when her matter was briefly mentioned at Brisbane Magistrates Court on Wednesday.
She and her co-accused, Diana Lasu and Olivia Muranga, were charged with fraud and providing false or misleading documents after travelling to Queensland from Melbourne at the height of Victoria’s new coronavirus wave.
Timbo’s defence lawyer, Jaimee Jessop, asked for an adjournment to allow police to respond to the defence submissions.
Outside of court, she did not comment on whether Ms Timbo had entered a plea or if she would fight the charges.
Timbo will return to court on November 18.
Lasu and Muranga’s matters will be mentioned in court next Wednesday.
READ MORE: Pilots fight longer flights
Emily Cosenza 4.10pm: Stowaway arrested after sneaking into SA
A Victorian man has been arrested in South Australia after allegedly stowing away on a freight train to cross the border.
A rail supervisor found the man after the train arrived in Adelaide about 6.15am on Wednesday and alerted police.
The man, 41, was quickly arrested by patrols and charged with breaching COVID-19 directions.
He allegedly boarded the train last night in Dimboola, Victoria.
SA Police say the man submitted a Cross Border Travel Registration form but did not wait to find out if his entry was approved.
He was refused bail and is expected to appear in court later on Wednesday.
READ MORE: Victorians are being taken for a ride
Jack the Insider 3.41pm: Sweden: Land of biological brawling
Sweden was hailed as a shining light of Covid policy response without lockdowns until it wasn’t. Then it was again, but it isn’t now.
It’s as perplexing as flipping through a set of Ikea instructions to assemble your own Large Hadron Collider.
In the end, the (Allen) key word is ‘recommend’.
READ Jack the Insider’s full commentary here
Anthony Piovesan 3.26pm: Victorian’s ‘reinfection’ among very few in world
A Victorian is believed to have become one of the world’s very few cases of a coronavirus reinfection.
The Melbourne resident tested positive in July and tested positive to virus again this week.
Authorities are investigating if it is a case of reinfection or the person is still shedding the virus from a previous infection.
Premier Daniel Andrews said at this stage they were treating it as a case of reinfection as a matter of caution.
“We have spoken a little bit about an expert panel to sit and look at all the detail of these complex cases and I can confirm that they have reviewed this particular case and concluded there wasn‘t enough evidence to say that the positive test presented viral shedding,” Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters on Wednesday.
“There have been very few reported cases of reinfection around the world. It is also a case that persistent shedding over a long period of time can be a feature of this virus.
“This is understandably frustrating for everyone involved, whether this is in fact a positive case or not, but we do take a very cautious approach, and I think that is the best way to go. In fact the only way.”
Victoria recorded three new coronavirus cases and no further deaths in the past 24 hours.
READ MORE: Putin has become tangled in his own web
Richard Ferguson 3.12pm: McCormack denies discussing land deals with Maguire
Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack has denied ever discussing land deals with disgraced ex-NSW MP Daryl Maguire.
Mr McCormack’s federal seat of Riverina sits within Mr Maguires’ old state seat of Wagga Wagga.
It was revealed last week that Mr Maguire’s former staffer Sarah Vasey is now working in Mr McCormack’s office, after she told ICAC she deleted material at the former NSW MP’s request.
The people u meet at Wagga Airport: w State mates Daryl Maguire & @JohnBarilaroMP who's in town for voc skills visit pic.twitter.com/OCLITz6v52
— Michael McCormack (@M_McCormackMP) June 7, 2016
When asked if he ever discussed land acquisitions with Mr Maguire in question time, the Nationals leader told parliament: “N-O.”
Mr McCormack said he and Mr Maguire had discussed transport projects in his electorate.
Anthony Albanese focused on the lack of action on a national ICAC for most of question time, asking why the government has not released an exposure draft finished last December.
Scott Morrison replied that he was more focused on the pandemic and the economic recovery.
“It may escape the attention of the Leader of the Opposition that when serious crises confront this nation it is the entire government, that comes together, the entire public service, that comes together, to act on a whole of government basis, to deal with that crisis,” the Prime Minister said.
READ MORE: Poirot and the case of the Big Mac deal
Sarah Elks 3.08pm: Palaszczuk promises inland ‘second Bruce Highway’
The Palaszczuk Labor government is promising to build an “second Bruce Highway” inland route if re-elected, but 80 per cent of the cash required for the project would have to come from the federal government.
But Labor has previously attacked the LNP’s centrepiece Bruce Highway plan – to expand the road to four lanes – as a “hoax” because it also relies on uncommitted money from the federal government.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the “second” Bruce Highway would provide an upgrade of existing roads between Charters Towers in north Queensland and Mungindi in the south of the state, to divert big trucks and freight off the main arterial coastal road.
The road project would cost $1bn, with $200m promised by the state government on Wednesday. Roads Minister Mark Bailey said the remaining $800m would have to come from the federal government, but the state has not secured any kind of commitment on that front.
Some bridges and intersections need to be upgraded for the “second Bruce” to become a reality, Mr Bailey said.
Most of Labor’s Bruce Highway announcement today – including $100m for the existing highway and the $200m for the “second” arterial – is existing funding out of the transport budget, with just $30m from Labor’s $4bn debt-funded election war-chest.
Mr Bailey attacked the LNP after it was revealed there was “no federal money” for her policy, during Senate estimates.
“It’s an embarrassing episode, it’s a highway hoax, it’s a Frecklington fantasy,” he said.
— With Domanii Cameron
READ the full story here
Andrew Restuccia 2.52pm: Trump urges Barr to investigate Bidens
US President Donald Trump urged Attorney General William Barr to initiate an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter, escalating his efforts to discredit his Democratic opponent two weeks before the election.
Asked on Tuesday on Fox News whether he supported tapping a special prosecutor to probe the Bidens’ dealings in Ukraine and China, Mr Trump said, “We’ve got to get the attorney general to act. He’s got to act, and he’s got to act fast. He’s got to appoint somebody. This is major corruption and this has to be known about before the election.” Mr. Trump’s comments come in response to a letter from 11 House Republicans asking Mr Barr to appoint an “independent, unbiased special counsel” to investigate allegations stemming from New York Post articles suggesting the former vice president was involved in or benefited from his son’s overseas work.
READ the full Wall Street Journal story here
David Swan 2.48pm: Google: ‘It’s a deeply flawed lawsuit’
Google has responded to the Department of Justice’s blockbuster legal action, describing its case as a “deeply flawed lawsuit that would do nothing to help consumers.”
The tech giant’s SVP of global affairs Kent Walker said in a blog post that people “use Google because they choose to, not because they’re forced to, or because they can’t find alternatives.”
The White House is alleging that Google uses anti-competitive tactics to preserve a monopoly for its flagship search engine and related advertising business, illegally choking off potential competition.
Google owns or controls search distribution channels accounting for about 80 per cent of search queries in the US, according to the lawsuit and third-party researchers.
READ MORE tech updates in The Download
Robyn Ironside 2.17pm: Qantas pilots take legal action over longer flights
Qantas pilots are pursuing legal action against the Civil Aviation Safety Authority over new fatigue risk management regulations that will extend maximum flight times by two hours.
The move by the Australian and International Pilots Association follows CASA’s approval of a new fatigue risk management system (FRMS) for Qantas, without consulting their members.
Among the changes that have concerned pilots, is the extension of maximum flight times from 18-hours to 20-hours and minimum rest requirements.
AIPA vice president Shane Loney said it was extremely disappointing that pilots were not consulted by CASA, particularly after raising concerns about elevated fatigue risks.
“It beggars belief that pilots could be ignored on this vital safety issue,” Captain Loney said.
READ the full story here
Cameron Stewart 2.14pm: How to debate: US candidates show a better way
At first it seems like a parody in a bitterly divided America. Two rival candidates for Governor of Utah, a Republican and a Democrat, standing next to each other joking and claiming they will work with each other regardless of who wins on November 3.
In this brutally partisan US election, the example of Democrat Chris Peterson and Republican Spencer Cox of Utah comes as a welcome shock.
I’m not sure this has ever been done before...but as our national political dialogue continues to decline, my opponent @PetersonUtah and I decided to try something different. We can disagree without hating each other. Let’s make Utah an example to the nation. #StandUnited #utpol pic.twitter.com/Tkr2sDCYTB
— Spencer Cox (@SpencerJCox) October 20, 2020
In a video, the two men are standing next to each other, smiling and laughing.
‘We are currently in the final days of campaigning against each other to be your next governor,” says Peterson.
Cox: “There are some things we both agree on.” Peterson: “We can debate issues without degrading each other’s character. Cox: “We can disagree without hating each other.” Peterson: “And win or lose in Utah we work together”. Cox: “So let’s show the country there is a better way.”
By contrast, in Washington Donald Trump calls Joe Biden a “corrupt criminal” who is all but senile. Joe Biden calls the president a “clown,” a “liar” and tells him to “shut up.”
Meanwhile Mr Trump is reported to have walked out of an “extremely hostile” interview with 60 Minutes.
READ the full story here
Staff writers 2.00pm: WATCH LIVE: Question Time in the House of Reps
Imogen Reid 1.41pm: Chief Scientists updates NSW contact tracing team
Australia’s Chief Scientist Dr Alan Finkel has met with New South Wales’ contact tracing team for an update on the states’ tracking method.
The cause for Dr Finkel’s first visit in September was to find ways to help Victoria’s contact tracing team strengthen their system during the height of its second wave of coronavirus.
“I spoke with him a little while ago and he is now meeting with our senior health officials to work with us and see what is happening in our contact tracing capacity, and I welcome that,” Health Minister Brad Hazzard said.
“And I will just say to our Victorian colleagues, we will continue to work with you. Anything we can do to support our Victorian colleagues we will.”
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Sarah Elks 1.29pm: Palaszczuk ‘too busy’ to discipline candidates
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has been too busy to “read the riot act” to her regional frontbenchers and candidates defying her direction to tell voters to put One Nation last, despite insisting on Tuesday she would.
Campaigning by the side of the Bruce Highway in the regional Queensland LNP electorate of Burdekin, south of Townsville, Ms Palaszczuk was again dogged by questions about several of north Queensland her frontbenchers, MPs, and candidates using material telling voters to “put the LNP last”.
It’s happening in seats where One Nation preferences could be crucial to help Labor candidates hold or win the regional marginal seats.
Asked whether she had “read the riot act” to her frontbenchers Brittany Lauga and Craig Crawford over their campaigns, Ms Palaszczuk said she’d delegated that to state secretary Julie-Ann Campbell.
“The party secretary has spoken to everyone, and everyone is under no illusion, and as they know by their how-to-vote cards, that One Nation is last,” she said.
Ms Palaszczuk said she was too busy to talk directly to her own frontbenchers about the issue.
“Mike (Brunker) and I had a good chat this morning. I’m very busy at the moment, we can divide our time quite equally.”
READ the full story here
Richard Ferguson 1.12pm: Mark Butler isolating, getting tested for Covid
Opposition energy spokesman Mark Butler will self-isolate and get a COVID-19 test.
Multiple MPs have left parliament in recent months to get tested for coronavirus.
Mr Butler — who is from South Australia, which has no community transmission — said he had a sore throat and expected to test negative.
“After developing a sore throat, out of an abundance of caution, I am leaving Parliament to self-isolate and get a Covid test,” he said.
“I’m sure it will be negative and I’ll be well enough to be in Parliament tomorrow.”
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Imogen Reid 1.06pm: Restrictions lifted on NSW gyms, places of worship
The New South Wales government has announced that COVID-19 restrictions placed on gyms and places of worship will be eased on Friday.
Limits on people attending places of worship will be increased from 100 to 300, subject to the four-square-metre rule, while gyms will be only required to have a COVID-safe marshall present when there are more than 20 people in the venue at once.
Addressing reports of backlash from religious leaders in the state around continued restrictions, Health Minister Brad Hazzard said: “There were some churches who felt that they weren’t being listened to. I assure you they were.”
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Tessa Akerman 12.54pm: World eyes Aussie Covid test breakthrough
A Queensland biotech company has developed world first technology that can detect infectious superspreaders of COVID-19 by a person’s viral load and determine whether people need to be in quarantine.
The new test by Microbio Pty Ltd has attracted global interest for its potential to impact government policy about managing the coronavirus pandemic.
The test has been independently verified to identify the presence of replication-competent SARS-CoV-2 virus in samples in just 45 minutes.
At the moment the only way to know whether a person is infectious is by culturing the virus in a process which can take several days.
Microbio chief scientific officer Dr Flavia Huygens told The Australian the test aimed to identify people with COVID-19 as early as possible to limit the spread of the virus.
READ the full story here
Richard Ferguson 12.42pm: Maguire lobbied Morrison over killer
Scott Morrison was lobbied by disgraced ex-NSW MP Daryl Maguire in 2014 over the deportation of a child killer, according to a second search of the Prime Minister’s correspondence with him.
An original search of the Prime Minister’s correspondence on Tuesday found no contact between him and Mr Maguire —revealed last week to be the former secret lover of NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian — after Mr Morrison could not rule out any contact in question time.
A spokesman for the Prime Minister said on Wednesday a second search had found Mr Maguire reached out to Mr Morrison when he was Immigration Minister, and asked for his help in removing a convicted murderer from Australia.
“The Department of Home Affairs has advised the PMO that a secondary search of its database has identified one piece of correspondence from 2014 to Scott Morrison from Daryl Maguire in his role as a local member on behalf of a constituent, advocating for the deportation of a convicted child murderer,” the spokesman said.
“The then Minister responded factually to outline the process his Department was already taking to review the matter.”
Mr Maguire is under investigation by ICAC for allegedly using his political influence to secure a series of deals.
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Lilly Vitorovich 12.14pm: ABC’s Ferguson heads to Washington
The ABC has tapped long-serving journalist Sarah Ferguson for a special in-depth reporting role in Washington as her move to China remains up in the air.
ABC news director Gaven Morris said Ferguson, formerly a Four Corners reporter and presenter, will be reporting from the US for around six months.
“We have a top-notch team in the Washington bureau and Sarah’s superb long-form and investigative reporting will add formidable firepower to our coverage of the fascinating and significant US story,” Morris said in a statement on Wednesday.
The ABC’s US team currently consists of Washington bureau chief David Lipson and North America correspondent Kathryn Diss, with chief foreign correspondent Phil Williams supporting the bureau for the US election.
Ferguson’s partner — former Q&A host Tony Jones — was to make the move to Beijing with her.
READ the full story here
Domanii Cameron 12.10pm: Night curfew to tackle Queensland youth crime
A night curfew would be trialled in Townsville and Cairns in a bid to crackdown on youth crime under a rehashed plan by the Liberal National Party.
Speaking in the state’s most marginal seat of Townsville today, Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington with local candidates announced laws would be introduced to impose a curfew of 8pm for kids aged 14 and younger.
For youths aged 15 to 17, it would be 10pm.
A curfew was central to the LNP’s proposed crackdown on youth crime at the 2017 election, with former Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls committing to a six-month trial of a curfew for children under 16 roaming the streets after 10pm.
Under the new plan, police would have the power to take a youth to a community refuge and would be held there until a parent or a social worker can pick them up.
Parents will also cop a $250 fine if their child is found on the streets without a reasonable excuse and could face multiple fines if they have several children found out after the curfew.
“This is about making sure that parents become responsible for their children,” Ms Frecklington said.
READ the full story here
JOE KELLY 12.02pm: Victoria drags as retail turnover falls
Retail turnover fell 1.5 per cent from August to September with food retailing and household goods recording falls after a sustained period of elevated sales during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Every state and territory except the Northern Territory recorded falls in retail turnover with NSW, Queensland and Western Australia and South Australia leading the month-on-month declines.
Victoria, which has been beset by extended business shutdowns as a result of the second wave of COVID-19 infections, recorded only a minor fall in September. However, this followed a decline of 12.6 per cent in August when Melbourne was slapped with stage-4 restrictions while regional Victoria was hit with stage-3 restrictions.
The data shows that Victoria is the only state where retail turnover remains below the levels recorded in September 2019.
In year-on-year terms, the data released on Wednesday by the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed that turnover rose 5.2 per cent in September 2020 compared with September 2019.
“Food retailing, household goods retailing, and other retailing (which includes online only retailers) recorded falls this month” said the Director of Quarterly Economy Wide Surveys, Ben James.
“These industries have recorded elevated levels of turnover during the COVID-19 pandemic and continue to trade above the levels of September 2019.”
READ MORE: Harry Kewell tests positive for COVID-19
Rebecca Urban 11.59am: Premier refuses to be drawn on CHO Sutton
Premier Daniel Andrews has dodged questions about whether Victoria’s Chief Health Officer retained his full support in the wake of revelations he concealed critical emails from the state’s hotel quarantine inquiry.
“The Chief Health Officer’s got a very important job to do, he leads a team … I’m grateful to all of them,” Mr Andrews said.
“As we are here right now the board is looking at issues. I don’t think I should be running commentary.”
Mr Andrews also confirmed that he’d been asked by the Coate inquiry to provide more information but it did not amount to him altering his original evidence.
“I have been asked to answer a few basic questions ... for the sake of completeness,” he said.
“Nothing more or less than that.”
Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton was absent from Wednesday’s COVID-19 briefing.
It emerged at an extraordinary hearing of the inquiry on Tuesday that Professor Sutton had instructed lawyers to withhold a critical email that appears to contradict his sworn evidence that he was not told about the use of private security guards until months after the scheme began.
Mr Andrews denied that the attention on Professor Sutton would distract him from his job.
“No ....In my experience he’s very focused,” he said.
READ MORE: Sutton’s explosive email kept secret
Rebecca Urban 11.29am: ‘Wrong decision’: Andrews sorry over Cox Plate crowd
Premier Daniel Andrews has apologised for making “the wrong” decision regarding a plan to have the Cox Plate go ahead with a crowd on Saturday.
However, he defended the process, claiming the decision had been based on public health advice.
“This went through a normal process, it was deemed safe… They would have been spread out,” Mr Andrews said.
“It was the wrong decision, I’ll cop that.”
A public backlash on Tuesday evening forced the Andrews government to reverse the decision to allow 500 owners and connections of race horses to attend Saturday’s 100th Cox Plate.
Racing Minister Martin Pakula also acknowledged that it was a mistake given that many restrictions on business and social gatherings, including church services and funerals, remain in place.
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Rebecca Urban 11.23am: Positive Victorian case deemed a rare reinfection
Victoria’s three latest coronavirus cases are all linked to known outbreaks, it has been revealed.
And an individual who tested positive in July and again recently has been deemed a rare re-infection. It is thought to be Australia’s first reinfection and still subject to investigation.
“Through an abundance of caution doctors are assuming this is a reinfection,” Premier Daniel Andrews said.
“I’m sure there will be a lot of interest in this case.”
Currently 10 Victorians are being treated for the virus in hospital, with none in intensive care.
READ MORE: Pandemic gathering pace
Rebecca Urban 11.17am: Outside dining returns to Melbourne
Restaurants and cafes across Melbourne will be permitted to set up tables outside their venues and in nearby public parks and including in public parks and spaces without requiring a permit.
Planning exemptions unveiled by the Victorian government on Tuesday will also enable hospitality venues to increase their capacity by taking advantage of streets, footpaths and car parks.
The initiative comes ahead of hospitality being permitted to open on November 1, possibly sooner.
Planning Minister Richard Wynne said the government wanted to remove hurdles to give hospitality “every opportunity to thrive” once restrictions were lifted.
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Imogen Reid 11.04am: NSW records two new locally transmitted cases
There have been two new locally transmitted cases of COVID-19 in New South Wales, and a further eight infections in overseas travellers in hotel quarantine.
Both of the locally acquired cases are close contacts of a confirmed case linked to a person who attended the Great Beginnings childcare centre in Oran Park, taking the total number of infections associated with the cluster to 22.
NSW Health has advised that a confirmed case of COVID-19 linked to the Oran Park cluster visited Bavarian Macarthur in Macarthur Square, 200 Gilchrist Dr, Campbelltown, on Saturday 10 October from 7pm to 9pm.
NSW has reported 2 new cases of locally transmitted #COVID19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) October 21, 2020
8 cases in overseas travellers in hotel quarantine were also diagnosed. 1 previously reported case from March has been excluded, bringing the total number of cases in NSW to 4,167. pic.twitter.com/JYvsIXX3VM
“Anyone who was inside the restaurant for an hour or more during this time is considered a close contact and must immediately get tested and isolate for 14 days and stay isolated for the entire period, even if a negative test result is received,” NSW Health said.
“Anyone who dined outside the restaurant or was there for less than one hour 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.”
READ MORE: ‘Baby corona’ is not as deadly
Emily Cosenza 10.52am: Calls for reciprocal trans-Tasman bubble
Just one day after South Australia announced it has opened its borders to New Zealanders and become part of the trans-Tasman bubble, it is now calling for the move to be reciprocated.
Premier Steven Marshall will write to NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to seek approval for South Australians to travel into the country.
If successful, it will be the state’s first overseas travel destination since the COVID-19 pandemic started.
Mr Marshall said the move would mean South Australian would not need to quarantine upon arrival.
“South Australia is the safest state in the safest nation, which is why I will be sending a letter to (Ms) Ardern seeking reciprocal travel rights for South Australians heading to New Zealand,” he told The Advertiser.
It comes after 12 Kiwis were freed from hotel quarantine on Tuesday.
At the time of their arrival, the New Zealanders were treated like any other international travellers and were placed into medi-hotels.
However, Police Commissioner Grant Stevens announced they no longer needed to isolate as the state’s Transition Committee decided to open up to Kiwis and avoid further confusion over the bubble rules.
He said local authorities had a “level of comfort” surrounding the risk associated with Kiwis coming to the state after speaking to NZ authorities.
“We’re also happy to receive direct flights from New Zealand.”
The NZ travel bubble allows for Kiwis to fly into NSW, the Northern Territory and now South Australia. — NCA Newswire
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Eli Greenblat 10.43am: Role remains for physical stores, retailers say
Major retailers say that physical stores remain important, despite the fundamental shift to e-commerce accelerated by COVID.
JB Hi-Fi chief executive Richard Murray underscored the importance of e-commerce to retailers saying that 80 per cent of the customer traffic to his stores begin online, but warned the lockdowns in Victoria have forced shoppers to go online that could be falsely inflating the popularity of shopping digitally.
Speaking on The Australian E-Commerce Summit panel alongside Chemist Warehouse founder Jack Gance and National Online Retail Association founder Paul Greenberg, Mr Murray added that there were always pressures on retailers to spend up on e-commerce tools.
But much like marketing budgets “you wish you knew which 50 per cent was the right 50 per cent”.
The retail CEO, who oversees consumer electronics major JB Hi-Fi and its whitegoods chain The Good Guys, said online remained a crucial pathway for shoppers to get to his stores.
“The reality for a bricks and mortar retailer is 80 per cent of your traffic is starting online.
“I think for people like Jack (Gance) and I, we are sitting there saying we want to delight customers however they shop with us and sometimes they have a low involvement purchase and that may well be online and other times they have a high involvement purchase that needs service and experience and that’s more likely to be in store.’’
READ the full story here
Tessa Akerman 10.29am: Jury trials set to reopen after 700 cases adjourned
Jury trials are set to return to Melbourne’s criminal law courts from November 16 but preventative COVID measures will make it hard for the courts to catch up on the backlog of the more than 700 hundred trials adjourned during lockdown.
Initially the Supreme Court will conduct up to three jury trials at a time and the County Court plans to increase to 10 trials at a time.
Physical distancing requirements have limited the number of trials each building can hold with Chief Judge Peter Kidd said the County Court was going to be using two courtrooms for one trial.
The scheduling of trials is still being worked out with the parties.
About 750 criminal trials in the County Court were adjourned off due to COVID.
The government introduced legislation to enable judge alone criminal trials earlier this year but Judge Kidd told 3AW only 24 people had applied for a judge-alone trial and just five had been completed.
Under the new procedures, jurors will wear masks and are not required to hold or touch a religious book when swearing an oath.
In the Supreme Court, jurors will be distanced throughout the courtroom, the accused will sit in the media section and the legal teams will be in the jury box.
The courts will continue to use technology to reduce the number of people physically coming to court.
There is no date set for the resumption of civil jury trials, and criminal and civil trials in regional areas where more than 100 trials were also adjourned.
The Courts will list criminal trials in 2021 commencing in the week of 11 January.
Chief Justice Anne Ferguson and Chief Judge Peter Kidd said while jury trials will look a little different, they will continue to fulfil their essential role in our criminal justice system.
READ MORE: Delicate balancing act for Morrison
Remy Varga 10.20am: Andrews to provide virus update at 11.00am
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is due to provide an update on the state’s coronavirus crisis at 11am.
He will be accompanied by Planning Minister Richard Wynne.
Remy Varga 10.09am: ‘My bad’: Pakula owns Cox Plate crowd decision
Victorian Racing Minister Martin Pakula has declared “my bad” after a plan allowing 500 race horses owners to attend the Cox Plate was cancelled following widespread backlash from Melburnians forbidden from visiting the homes of their families or hosting grand final barbecues.
Mr Pakula said the 100th running of the Cox Plate was workshopped between the Department of Jobs, Regions and Precincts and the Department of Health and Human Services before community reaction saw him pull the pin on Tuesday night.
“I was made very quickly aware of the reaction of the community,” he told the ABC.
“I spoke to the Moonee Valley Racing Club and [I was] very happy to put my hand up and say my bad and the decision was reversed last night.”
Mr Pakula said Moonee Valley Racing Club made a request for the Cox Plate to go ahead, which he then pursued as racing minister with a COVID-19 Safe Plan developed for the event.
“The club came to government and said would there be support for some small number of people on courts,” he said.
“As racing minister I was the one that pursued that on behalf of the industry.... I don’t shy away from the fact that I was the one pushing it and proposing it, but it was a mistake.”
He said race horses owners would have only made up around 250-500 of the 1250 allowed guests, and they would have only been allowed to watch their horses run without the usual fanfare and hospitality associated with the event.
“Sometimes you make a call in this business that’s not the right one and I think the best thing to do in those circumstances is fix it and apologise and that’s what I did last night,” he said.
“It’s not like it was something I was dragged to... it became clear to me during the evening that it was an error and I resolved to fix that error.”
READ MORE: Overington — Victorians are being treated like mug punters
Glenda Korporaal 10.05am: $4.5bn online Christmas shopping boom looms
The 2020 Christmas period is expected to be the largest ever online shopping event in Australia, with a record $4 billion expected to be spent online as the COVID-19 pandemic has brought in a new era of online shopping, Australia Post chief executive Christine Holgate said on Wednesday.
READ the full story here
Cameron Stewart 9.57am: Trump hopes for debate game-changer
Donald Trump will get his best chance yet to spark a campaign comeback when he faces his opponent Joe Biden in the final presidential debate on Friday (AEDT), with polls now showing a slight reduction in Mr Biden’s lead.
With less than two weeks to go before the November 3 poll, the Trump campaign is searching for a game-changer to give the president the momentum he showed in the final weeks of the 2016 campaign.
READ the full story here
ROSIE LEWIS 9.46am: ‘Target Taiwan to pick Australia’s fruit’
Acting Immigration Minister Alan Tudge has left open the possibility of targeting Taiwanese workers to fill Australia’s critical labour shortage across the agriculture industry, after Nationals MP Damian Drum urged the Morrison government to “let Taiwan know we’re open for backpackers”.
Australia’s growers face a workforce gap of up to 26,000 people by March, prompting several Coalition backbench MPs to raise concerns in Tuesday’s partyroom meeting.
The federal budget unveiled more than $50m in incentives to get young, unemployed Australians into the regions picking fruit and changes to visas for overseas nationals doing agricultural work, but some MPs and agricultural stakeholders are sceptical this will be enough.
Mr Drum said producers in the Goulburn Valley region, located in his Victorian electorate of Nicholls, have suggested a cohort of workers from Taiwan would help fill the shortage.
“We don’t need to do anything other than an advertising program and let Taiwan know we’re open for backpackers,” he told The Australian.
“We might have to put on planes but ultimately we’re bringing people in from a COVID-free environment. We’ve got a country the same (population) size of Australia in the Asian region.
Asked if the government would consider Mr Drum’s Taiwanese proposal, Mr Tudge said: “We’ll continue to look closely at options to support farmers and our tourism sector.” The Australian dollar is effectively four times as valuable as the local currency and we are therefore an attractive nation for any potential backpackers.”
Any such move would likely escalate tensions with China, which is sensitive to other countries’ relationships with Taiwan.
READ the full story here
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James Kirby 9.37am: How job losses push more money into super
Widespread job losses among low-income workers is a key factor set to trigger an unlikely lift in the amount Australians are allowed to contribute to super each year.
In what is shaping up as a vexed issue for the Morrison government, it now looks like money may start flowing back into the retirement system faster than expected with a forthcoming increase in the so-called contribution limits.
The expected change to contribution caps would also come as the debate intensifies over whether the superannuation guarantee charge should move higher than 9.5 per cent — it is currently legislated to go to 10 per cent in 2021 and 12 per cent in 2025.
READ James Kirby’s full story here
Adeshola Ore 9.27am: Morrison lays out digital blueprint
The Prime Minister has delivered a keynote speech that will lay out his government’s digital blueprint to help lift the country out of recession at The Australian’s E-Commerce Summit.
Scott Morrison said Australia’s challenge is to “keep the foot on the digital accelerator” as the country recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The digital economy is essential to create the jobs that Australians need,” he said.
The Prime Minister said the pace of digital transformation will require employees to upskill on a more frequent basis.
Mr Morrison said Australian’s fintech industry would be essential to open the country to new trading markets.
“We can expect Australian fintech entrepreneurs to be in the leaders of the pack around the world,” he said.
“Our Digital Business Plan is just the start of our plan to become a leading digital economy by 2030.”
FOLLOW the E-Commerce Summit live here
David Swan 9.21am: Atlassian boss offers thoughts on a political career
Atlassian co-founder and tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes has declared he would never enter politics, telling The Australian he’d make a “bulls**t politician”.
In an in-depth interview with The Australian for the latest episode of its Forward Slash podcast, available for download now, the high-profile executive said his direct communication style would not be a good fit for Canberra.
“I’m far too honest,” Mr Cannon-Brookes said. “And I think it’s really hard. I think one of the challenges of our party system is that the party has to have a view — and when you don’t, you’re outside the party. I understand why that is. But at the same time, that’s a really difficult thing.”
LISTEN to the podcast and READ the full story here
Ellen Ransley 9.02am: Fears of new strain in ship crew off Queensland
There are fears crew on a container ship anchored off Queensland could be carrying a strain of COVID-19 never seen before in Australia.
The Sofrana Surville was prevented from docking at Brisbane, and was instead anchored off the coast of Mooloolaba on Thursday.
All 19 crew members will be tested by Queensland Health on Wednesday after an engineer, who worked on-board, tested positive in New Zealand on Saturday.
It’s believed he caught the virus while working on the Sofrana Surville off Auckland on October 12 and 13.
General manager of Maritime Safety Queensland, Angus Mitchell, said the container ship’s crew members would be tested for COVID-19 and would also undergo serology testing.
He said the vessel first entered Queensland‘s waters on Monday, after departing New Zealand and travelling via Noumeau in New Caledonia.
“An engineer who worked on this vessel and another has tested positive... it is a strain they haven’t seen in New Zealand before,” he told ABC radio on Wednesday.
“They are still trying to work out where he got it from, but either of the two international visiting ships are an obvious place.
“So, out of an abundance of caution, we’re testing (crew in Queensland waters). There has been no reports of illness on board.” — NCA Newswire
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Robert Gottliebsen 8.49am: Nowhere to hide for those behind Victoria fiasco
The head of the inquiry into Victoria’s quarantine fiasco, Jennifer Coate has done her job. The evidence she unveiled showed a staggering breakdown in the systems of government and management. We saw chaotic differences between public servants and uncertainty as to what they were supposed to be doing.
That makes the chief of WorkSafe Victoria, Colin Radford, the most powerful person in Australia outside premiers and the Prime Minister. No government secrets lie outside his grasp
READ Robert Gottliebsen’s full story here
Staff writers 8.27am: Victoria records three new virus cases, 0 deaths
Victoria has recorded three new virus cases today, up from one yesterday. No deaths were recorded.
Melbourne’s 14-day rolling average of new cases is down to 6.2.
Yesterday there were 3 new cases and no loss of life reported. 14 day average in Metro Melbourne and Regional Vic are down. More data will be available later today. https://t.co/eTputEZdhs #COVID19VicData pic.twitter.com/Hmk16AURi2
— VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) October 20, 2020
There are now 10 mystery cases in Melbourne – and zero in regional Victoria.
Regional Victoria has a daily case average of just 0.4.
It comes after four infections and one death was recorded on Monday.
The total number of cases in Victoria since the start of the pandemic is about 20,320, with the death toll remaining at 817 and 136 active cases as of Monday.
READ MORE: Frydenberg’s pleas — children are hurting
Imogen Reid 8.20am: Barilaro ‘backs Berejiklian 100 per cent’
John Barilaro has shown his support for embattled Premier Gladys Berejiklian, saying he backs her “100 per cent”.
“She has always been a person that’s hard working and a person of integrity, so from my personal experience, Gladys is Gladys and I support her 100 per cent,” the NSW Deputy Premier told reporters this morning.
“I feel for her for what she’s going through. It’s never easy when your private life is displayed for all. But I back her 100 per cent.”
Mr Barilaro will return to work today following a two week long mental health break, revealing to reporters he hit “rock bottom” in terms of his mental wellbeing.
“I remember being at home struggling to get out of bed… it was just a challenge and you think you can’t get out of it. Actually for me, it felt like I was never coming back,” he said.
READ MORE: Berejiklian shunned advice as lover whinged
Imogen Reid 8.10am: Hopes for Melbourne Cup crowds despite Cox backlash
The Victoria Racing Club has said it still hopes spectators will be allowed at the Melbourne Cup after public outcry forced the Andrews government to reverse a decision to allow 500 owners and connections to attend Saturday’s Cox Plate.
VRC Chair Amanda Elliot told 3AW radio she believed current COVID-19 restrictions will “look a bit different come Cup week”.
“We have been working with them [Victorian government] for the last three months around the ability to be able to put something on,” she said.
Ms Elliot said she understands why there was backlash.
“I had some sympathy for people who feel if we can’t go to Mum and Dad’s funeral or celebrate a wedding, why should people be able to go to the races?,” she said.
“I think the restrictions are beginning to look a little inconsistent and people feel angst around that. The minister obviously responded to that, whereas the racing industry has demonstrated since March it actually can follow strict biosecurity rules and keep going.
“We have to be able to begin to take some risks. The case numbers are so low and there is support to be able to ease restrictions.”
READ MORE: Big employers beg Andrews to reopen
Imogen Reid 7.45am: ‘We won’t be out of danger until vaccine ready’
NSW Health’s Dr Jeremy McAnulty has called on residents to “reinvigorate” their enthusiasm for following hygiene measures while the state remains in a COVID-19 danger zone.
Speaking on Today, he said maintaining a high level of vigilance was imperative until a coronavirus vaccine is approved.
“We have a several run of days without any local cases. Some people might have felt we are out of the danger zone. We will probably never be out of the danger zone until we have a really effective vaccine,” Dr McAnulty said.
“So in that time, we have to reinvigorate all of our enthusiasm for keeping us all safe through those simple measures like hand washing, social distancing, and coming forward for testing and isolating until you get the result.”
READ MORE: With COVID-19 uncured, CSL starts work on next epidemic
James O’Doherty 7am: Harwin booted from parliamentary chamber
NSW Government minister Don Harwin has been booted from the parliamentary chamber under a rare power of the Upper House not seen for more than two decades.
The legislative council on Tuesday night suspended Mr Harwin — the government’s upper house leader — for not providing documents about how grant funding was allocated under a scheme opposition parties have labelled a slush fund.
Labor moved the motion to suspend Mr Harwin because he did not provide information demanded by parliament explaining how money was allocated under the $252 million Stronger Communities Fund, reports The Daily Telegraph.
Mr Harwin was escorted from the chamber by a parliamentary official after Labor and the crossbench succeeded in a suspension motion. The last time a government minister was suspended was when Labor Treasurer Michael Egan was kicked out in 1998.
The suspension was largely symbolic — it only lasted until the end of Tuesday night’s sitting. However it demonstrated that the government doesn’t have a majority in the upper house at a time when Premier Gladys Berejiklian faces significant pressure over former MP Daryl Maguire’s business dealings.
Read the full story in The Daily Telegraph.
Imogen Reid 6.45am: UK records highest COVID-19 death toll since June
The coronavirus death toll in the UK rose by 241 on Tuesday, the highest daily increase since the first wave of the pandemic.
The government’s official death rate from COVID-19 is 43,967 and the UK now has a national case tally of 762,542, which increased by 21,330 on Tuesday.
It comes as Greater Manchester moves into the highest tier of coronavirus restrictions, with Boris Johnson and Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham continuing their sparring over assistance measures.
I was born in Manchester, raised in Liverpool, came 2Glasgow 2study 33 yrs ago -all I’ve known is successive Tory Governments declaring war on the North & Scotland, laying waste to hope. Today @AndyBurnhamGM speaks for the millions who’ve had enough pic.twitter.com/UNbSACWSWn
— Aamer Anwar🎗✊ðŸ½#BlackLivesMatter (@AamerAnwar) October 20, 2020
Meanwhile, the Campania region in southern Italy will have a night-time curfew introduced from this weekend in an attempt to control a recent spike in COVID-19 cases.
Regional Chief Vincenzo De Luca said he would request an 11pm curfew “to ask for a stop to all activities and people’s movements.”
In Russia, 16,319 new cases of coronavirus were reported on Tuesday, reaching a record high and taking the national tally to 1,431,635.
Face masks will be mandatory in Bulgaria from Thursday, as case numbers hit a new record. An additional 1024 new infections were recorded on Tuesday, the highest increase since March.
Globally, there have been more than 40 million people infected with the virus, while the total number of COVID-19 deaths is 1,121,365.
READ MORE: China recovery leaves world in the shade, but trouble looms
Jacquelin Magnay 6.20am: It’s war ... Boris vs. ‘The King in the North’
Boris Johnson has landed a devastating blow in an unholy row with Manchester mayor Andy Burnham following 10 days of skirmishes about whether the northern city should be put into the highest lockdown measures.
Major fracture lines have appeared between the north and south of the country, with even “Blue on Blue” conservative criticism of London-centric decisions on how to keep the economy ticking over amid a rise in infections.
This is what leadership looks & sounds like.... well said @AndyBurnhamGM. 👇 https://t.co/qnSQhxmzwf
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) October 20, 2020
Mr Burnham, a Labour mayor nicknamed “The King in the North” for holding a strong line against Downing Street, had been wanting extra compensation of around £90m for staff and businesses forced to close its doors under tougher measures floated by the Johnson-government.
His rebellion has galvanised a steely resistance in his region to blunt lockdowns which scientists are still not convinced have shown any results.
However, Mr Johnson said £465m had been provided to help all local authorities implement the new regulations.
Read the full story here.
Jared Lynch 5.15am: Ready to roll on vaccine … but is it safe?
The Morrison government is spending $1.7bn on securing two of the 40 different coronavirus vaccines undergoing clinical trials around the world, and it expects the first doses to become available from January.
It’s a big bet. Governments and pharmaceutical companies in numerous countries have thrown massive resources at COVID-19 immunisation studies, another 151 vaccine candidates are under preclinical evaluation.
The candidates are varied. Oxford University and AstraZeneca’s vaccine, which is in the Morrison government’s supply deal, is considered the most advanced, despite its phase-three trials being halted twice in the past month when two participants developed neurological illnesses after being injected with the experimental drug.
The global impact of #COVID19 requires collaboration across all sectors to leverage the resources and skills necessary to end this pandemic. We stand with the @GatesFoundation and our industry peers to advance science to beat COVID-19 and ensure equitable access to treatments. https://t.co/v8ZFtjpNKd
— AstraZeneca (@AstraZeneca) September 30, 2020
Meanwhile, China’s People’s Liberation Army has joined the race, and the Russian government has approved use of its Sputnik V vaccine before it has completed large-scale human trials.
The global assault has fast-tracked vaccine development — which normally takes 10 to 15 years — prompting many to question whether it will be safe and effective when it arrives, particularly given that the most vulnerable members of the community will be given the first jabs.
Read the full story in a new special series in The Australian today.
Ewin Hannan 5am: Sutton instructed lawyers to withhold critical email
Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton instructed lawyers to withhold from the state’s hotel quarantine inquiry a critical email that appears to contradict his sworn evidence that he was not told about the use of private security guards until months after the scheme began.
Professor Sutton’s bid to keep the email secret was revealed after the inquiry headed by former judge Jennifer Coate held a special hearing on Tuesday and released its correspondence with lawyers acting for the Department of Health and Human Services.
The inquiry is considering who engaged private security guards for the hotel quarantine program in late March instead of using police and Australian Defence Force officers, a decision now seen as a catalyst for allowing the coronavirus to escape and spread across Melbourne.
It has asked for Professor Sutton and other bureaucrats involved in the scheme to clarify their earlier evidence. The Herald Sun reported that Premier Daniel Andrews was among “certain parties” ordered by the inquiry to make another sworn statement.
Read the full story, by Ewin Hannan and Remy Varga, here.
Damon Johnston 4.45am: Andrews government backtracks on Cox Plate plan
A public backlash has forced the Andrews government to reverse a decision to allow 500 owners and connections of race horses to attend Saturday’s 100th Cox Plate.
Just three hours after announcing the decision to bend the coronavirus lockdown rules for the race, the government descended into chaos on Tuesday night amid a public outcry that pushed Racing Minister Martin Pakula to take to Twitter to announce the backflip.
“Tonight I’ve spoken to the Moonee Valley Racing Club and the decision’s been reversed. Owners won’t return to the racetrack until we reach the next stage of the easing of restrictions. I apologise for any upset that has been caused,” he tweeted.
The decision to allow some owners on course for the 100th Cox Plate was motivated only by respect for the occasion & a desire to mark a small step on the path to reopening. It was a mistake, given that other restrictions remain in place, and we’ve heard the community feedback 1/2
— Martin Pakula (@MartinPakulaMP) October 20, 2020
The shambles unfolded after the decision to bend draconian coronavirus lockdown rules to allow 500 people to attend Saturday’s race sparked fury, with people citing ongoing restrictions for funerals, religious gatherings and a ban on grand final day gatherings.
“The decision to allow some owners on course for the 100th Cox Plate was motivated only by respect for the occasion and a desire to mark a small step on the path to reopening,” Mr Pakula said.
“It was a mistake, given that other restrictions remain in place, and we’ve heard the community feedback.”
READ MORE: Frydenberg’s plea — children are hurting
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