Coronavirus Australia live news: Universities demand answers on return of foreign students
The international education sector demands states follow NSW lead and make plans for foreign students, or face serious ‘serious questions’ from unis.
- States told: open up to foreign students
- Victoria’s China deal is ‘one-way traffic
’
- Andrews must explain China ties
- Premier won’t be lectured to by NSW
- States defiant on border closures
Welcome to live coverage of the continuing coronavirus crisis. Australia’s international education sector is demanding states follow NSW lead and make plans to open up to foreign students. Victoria’s Belt and Road agreement isn’t worth the paper it’s written on when it comes to protecting farmers or jobs, the Opposition says. Peter Dutton has slammed Victoria for signing onto the deal. Annastacia Palaszczuk has hit back at criticism over border closures as Qld Transport Minister says NSW needs to ‘get its act together’.
AFP 7.45pm Army quarantines 900 cases in Siberian gold mine
The Russian army has prepared a camp to quarantine workers at a huge Siberian gold mine, the defence ministry said after hundreds of employees tested positive for the coronavirus.
Isolation facilities have been set up for employees at the Olimpiada mine and processing plant in Krasnoyarsk, Russia’s largest gold mining operation, the ministry said on Thursday.
Nearly 900 workers tested positive for the coronavirus at the facility in preliminary checks, Pavel Grachev, general director of the Polyus group, which operates the mine, said on Monday.
He said about 400 of those workers were then confirmed by health officials to have the infection. The mine employs about 6000 in total.
Colonel Dmitry Pyatunin of the Central Military District said the military had set up medical facilities and tents to treat and isolate up to 2000 people at the site.
READ MORE: Employers fail to prepare for workers’ return
AFP 6.25pm Cases top 5m worldwide
The number of novel coronavirus cases declared worldwide broke through five million on Thursday, according to a tally by the news service Agence France-Presse.
At least 5,006,730 cases, including 328,047 fatalities have been registered. Europe has been the hardest hit with 1,954,519 cases and 169,880 deaths while the US has 1,551,853 cases and 93,439 deaths.
The statistics represent only a fraction of the exact total of cases with many countries testing only the most serious infections.
READ MORE: Reasons behind community spread unlocked
Greg Brown 5.15pm: Coalition backbenchers fire up over coal
Matt Canavan raises concerns with Energy Minister Angus Taylor after new coal-fired power stations were omitted in draft Technology Road Map. Read more here
Agencies 4.55pm: Queenslanders urged to holiday locally
Queenslanders are being urged to go on a local holiday this winter as Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk faces mounting pressure to reopen the state’s borders, AAP reports. The Sunshine State is losing $53 million a day - or $1.6 billion a month - in tourism revenue as a result of COVID-19.
Queensland Tourism Industry Council Chief executive Daniel Gschwind said the sector understood the decisions made to keep people safe, but it was almost time to open the borders.
“The curve has well and truly flattened,” he told AAP on Thursday. “That was the goal. It is flat.” There were no new cases of coronavirus recorded in Queensland overnight, with just 12 active cases remaining.
Ms Palaszczuk has faced criticism from the NSW government after she warned travel to and from that state and Victoria could be off-limits until September. “I hope they get their community transmission under control because that means we will be able to open up sooner,” she said on Thursday.
Mr Gschwind urged the Queensland premier to stick to the recovery roadmap released a fortnight ago, which would allow intra and interstate travel from July 10.
READ MORE: Increase lending, banks told
Richard Ferguson 4.10pm: States told to get foreign students back to universities
Australia’s international education sector is demanding all other states follow NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s lead and draw up plans to take in new foreign students soon, warning governments who refuse to commit will face “serious questions” from universities. Read more here
Olivia Caisley 3.35pm: Trade Minister cautions US on China trade deal
Trade Minister Simon Birmingham has confirmed he has spoken to his US counterpart about the China-US trade deal after Beijing introduced tariffs on $600m of Australian barley exports.
Mr Birmingham told Queensland’s Rural Press Club on Thursday he had reiterated to his counterpart in Washington that any changes in the US-China trade deal needed to be “consistent with the WTO rules and practices.”
Mr Birmingham added that it was important last year’s US-China trade war wasn’t reignited during the coronavirus pandemic because it had been “incredibly damaging to the global economy”.
Australia is poised to launch a challenge in the World Trade Organisation against China’s decision to slap an 80 per cent tariff on Australian barley imports amid fresh threats of further sanctions against Australian produce.
It comes after Australia secured the backing of more than 130 countries for an independent inquiry into the WHO’s handling of the coronavirus, which China belatedly backed.
Mr Birmingham confirmed he had not yet been able to secure a phone call with his Chinese counterpart despite the escalating trade dispute, but said he hoped Beijing would reconsider its decision because ultimately Chinese consumers would miss out.
“(They) will pay a price of having to pay more for barley or get substandard product from other countries as a result of this determination,” Mr Birmingham said. “So we hope that there will be reconsideration over time.”
He said the nation would continue to mount strong arguments in defense of Australian industry and would maintain its right to apply all possible sanctions.
“I think it’s extremely disappointing,” Mr Birmingham said of the sanctions. “The suspension occurred with no real warning in terms of the notice period, and particularly a notice period that would have allowed for a demonstration of rectification.”
However, he cautioned that while Australia and China may have disagreements from time to time, it was in the two countries’ common interest to “remain open” to each other.
“We have to make sure that while we will have points of disagreement from time to time... though we have different systems and governments, different structures and different values, that we do remain open to working in all of those areas of common interest and it’s definitely in our common interest to remain open to one another.”
READ MORE: Casuals ruling prompts warning
Imogen Reid 3.20pm: How coronavirus was able to spread so fast
New sequencing has revealed how coronavirus was able to spread in the community, identifying 76 infection clusters. Read more here
Rachel Baxendale 2.40pm: Andrews Victoria-China deal is ‘one way traffic’: O’Brien
Victorian Opposition Leader Michael O’Brien has slammed the Andrews government’s Belt and Road agreement with China as a “one way traffic” win for China, and not for Victoria.
“Under this deal, we’re seeing Chinese companies building Victorian infrastructure, but we’re seeing Victorian farmers smashed by Chinese government tariffs,” Mr O’Brien said.
“This isn’t a fair deal. This Belt and Road deal is all one way traffic and it’s running over the top of Victorian farmers.
“Daniel Andrews claims he’s got a special relationship with the Chinese government and what has that led to? It’s simply led to Victorian farmers copping a black eye with 80 percent tariffs.
“Clearly Daniel Andrews’ Belt and Road agreement isn’t worth the paper it’s written on when it comes to protecting Victorian farmers or protecting Victorian jobs.”
Victorian barley production in 2019-20 was 2.5 million tonnes, with forecasts that the 2020/21 Victorian barley crop will cover 930,000 hectares. Forty-nine percent of the Australias’s barley is currently exported to China.
READ MORE: Reasons behind virus spread unlocked
Geoff Chambers 2.10pm: China cuts barriers to Australian iron ore imports
Trade Minister Simon Birmingham has joined Australia’s mining industry in welcoming moves by China to streamline its customs clearance of iron ore imports, describing it as a “positive example of the further opening of Chinese markets”.
Following recent clashes with the Communist nation over barley and beef imports, Senator Birmingham said Australia remained “committed” to a “mutually beneficial trade” relationship with China.
“We welcome any improvements in administrative arrangements that could streamline the customs clearance of iron ore imports,” Senator Birmingham said.
“Such easing of administrative barriers and costs would be a positive example of the further opening of Chinese markets that President Xi has previously committed to, as well as a reform that can help with global economic recovery.”
Minerals Council of Australia chief executive Tania Constable welcomed China’s move to streamline its iron ore testing, which “recognises the high quality of Australia’s iron ore”.
“As a key partner with China’s steel industry Australia supplies 60 per cent of China’s iron ore and these reforms will enhance this valued business partnership,” Ms Constable said.
READ FULL STORY here.
Lachlan Moffet Gray 2pm: One size doesn’t fit all: SA Premier defends different rules
South Australian Premier Steven Marshall has defended the state’s new plan to lift coronavirus restrictions as it moves away from a “one size fits all” approach.
Over the next few days the government will release details of how stage two will proceed from June 5, with different rules to apply to various business sectors.
Cafes and restaurants will be able to offer indoor dining as well as outdoor dining from Friday and will be permitted to serve alcohol with meals, but pubs will only be able to have indoor customers when stage two lands on June 5.
Mr Marshall says authorities are finalising the new measures which will give individual businesses a role in deciding how they proceed, taking into account the risks involved and their proposed mitigation strategies to keep COVID-19 at bay.
“I can hear the frustration but we’re trying to deal not with one sector but every single sector across the state. It was much easier to put restrictions in place than to ease them equitably and also in a safe manner,” Mr Marshall told ABC Radio on Thursday.
“This is not something that we’ve been through before so we want to basically educate people to do the right thing but our primary concern is to keep the people of South Australia safe.”
Police Commissioner Grant Stevens, who is playing a major role in devising the new arrangements, acknowledged there were some apparent inconsistencies in the treatment of cafes, restaurants and pubs.
But he said the major consideration was the health of the community at large.
“A range of restrictions were put in place and the steps to release those are being done quite gradually so we can monitor the impact on the virus in our community,” Mr Stevens said.
“While there are some inconsistencies, it’s very difficult to capture everybody under the same set of rules.”
Under stage two South Australians will be able to go to the movies, the theatres, beauticians and gyms. — with AAP
READ MORE: How to avoid second, more intense wave
Lachlan Moffet Gray 1.50pm: Coronavirus cost: $30 billion out of our coffers so far
More than $30 billion has flowed out of government coffers to support Australian individuals and businesses throughout the coronavirus pandemic, with treasury and government officials today telling Parliament’s COVID-19 committee just how much the virus is costing the government.
$8.1 billion of the government’s flagship $130 billion jobkeeper wage subsidy scheme has already been paid to 900,000 businesses supporting more than six million workers. The scheme is set last until September 27, with a review scheduled for June.
The ATO told the inquiry that “there may be a very small number of people” claiming the benefit fraudulently and that it will target businesses that do so.
A total of 1.62 million Australians have exercised their right to access $10,000 of their Superannuation, a bay out of more than $13.2 billion.
The one-off support payment of $750 for existing welfare recipients has gone to 7.1 million people and cost $5.3 billion.
The government’s small business cash flow boost schemes of between $20,000 to $100,000 outlined in March have cost $10.4 billion. — with AAP.
READ MORE: No ‘falling off a cliff’ after JobSeeker: Treasury
Rachel Baxendale 1.40pm: Marles slammed for “terrible lack of judgement”
Victorian Liberal Senator Sarah Henderson slammed Labor deputy leader Richard Marles’s refusal to condemn the Andrews government’s Belt and Road agreement with China.
“Mr Marles’ support for the BRI on a “case by case” basis demonstrates not only a terrible lack of judgement but a complete failure of leadership,” Senator Henderson said.
“Victorian Labor Senator Kimberley Kitching has rightly called out Daniel Andrews stating the BRI is “bad policy and bad optics”.
Senator Henderson said Mr Marles and Labor MP Libby Coker — who defeated Senator Henderson to win the Victorian seat of Corangamite at the 2019 election — “needs to show some backbone, stand up for local jobs and put Victoria’s interests first.”
Lachlan Moffet Gray 1.25pm: Marles: China ties were going bad before COVID
Deputy Opposition leader Richard Marles has responded to criticism from his colleague Joel Fitzgibbon of the federal government’s handling of the Australian-China relationship, agreeing that the government is “missing leadership” in its relationship with China.
Earlier on Thursday Mr Fitzgibbon, the opposition spokesman for Agriculture, told Sky News Australia that the Coalition government had a track record of “demonising the Chinese and their system of governance”.
When questioned on Sky about Mr Fitzgibbon’s comments, Mr Marles said Australia’s relationship with China was “going in a bad direction way before COVID-19 turned up” and is now “defined by the fringes of the government”.
“The call for the independent inquiry into the origins of coronavirus is quite right, and we support it,” Mr Marles said. “But well before that this relationship has been going in the wrong direction, and I think it has been hard to really get a clear sense of direction from the government about what the underlying principles, the guiding philosophies in terms of how they are relating to China.
“Too often we don’t see or hear from our foreign minister, even prime minister, in relation to the relationship with China.
“There is a real leadership missing at the highest level and instead the relationship seems to be defined by the fringes of the government.”
Mr Marles said that coronavirus has laid the fragility of The Australian economy bare and said that aside from dependence on China, the government is responsible for damaging Australia’s manufacturing capacity.
“Since 2013 we have seen a really significant de-industrialisation of this country. We don’t make cars here anymore and that is because of this government,” he said.
“The failure to maintain significant manufacturing in that way I think has been exposed by COVID in terms of a whole lot of areas around the resilience of our economy and making sure that we are able to be self reliant in a moment of crisis such as this.”
Mr Marles also refused to condemn Victoria’s decision to sign up to China’s global Belt and Road trade and investment initiative, saying Labor supported a “case by case” approach.
“Well, I’m not going to give Victoria advice, they can manage the state themselves,” he said.
“We do need to proceed with some caution in terms of how we approach this, but there may be particular projects that stack up, and so Chinese investment makes sense.”
READ MORE: Fury as JobKeeper company cuts jobs
Agencies 1.05pm: WA plays down sudden exit of China consul-general
Western Australia’s government insists there’s nothing untoward about the sudden departure of China’s consul-general amid escalating trade tensions, AAP reports. Health minister Roger Cook has confirmed Zhihua Dong has returned to Beijing, citing health reasons.
A prominent figure in WA politics since assuming the role last year, Ms Dong made frequent public appearances with state government officials and penned several newspaper opinion articles encouraging tourists to visit China. Last month, she was invited by billionaire Andrew Forrest to speak at a state government press conference in a move that is believed to have blindsided WA officials.
“My understanding is that Madam Dong is returning to China for health reasons,” Mr Cook told reporters on Thursday. “I have no reason, and I believe the government has no reason to believe otherwise.
“Madam Dong has been a wonderful advocate for Western Australia and has been terrific for the relationship between Western Australia and the Republic of China. Obviously we will miss her. We wish her all the very best and a very speedy recovery.”
WA has cultivated close economic ties with China across successive Labor and Liberal governments and is heavily reliant upon Chinese demand for its iron ore.
But the relationship between Canberra and Beijing is badly strained, with China slapping an 80 per cent tariff on barley imports following Australia’s push for a global coronavirus inquiry.
READ MORE: Sweden out in the cold as toll rockets
Lachlan Moffet Gray 12.50pm: No new cases keep ACT coronavirus-free club
The ACT has confirmed no further cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours, ensuring it keeps its spot in the coronavirus-free club alongside South Australia and the Northern Territory, a new addition as of this morning.
Western Australia is also close to becoming coronavirus free, with no active cases in hospital and just three active cases outside of the healthcare system as of Wednesday.
The ACT is continuing to test a high rate, receiving 311 test results in the last 24 hours.
The total number of tests carried out in the Territory is 14,916. The number of confirmed cases in the territory remains the same at 107, three of which have died and 104 of which have recovered.
READ MORE: Sweden out in cold as toll rockets
Rosie Lewis 12.20pm: Hanson hires pro bono lawyer to fight border closures
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has urged Queensland businesses to consider taking the state’s border closure to the High Court, revealing she has a “pro bono, constitutional lawyer” who will represent them.
Under section 92 of the Constitution, trade, commerce and the movement of people among the states “shall be absolutely free. However the High Court has made exceptions on health grounds.
Leading constitutional lawyers this week told The Australian the health justification for closed borders had weakened, given there was such a small number of new cases.
Senator Hanson’s office would not confirm who the constitutional lawyer was.
READ MORE: We need our own virus rule book
Perry Williams 12.15pm: Snowy Hydro expansion approved by NSW to boost investment
The $4.6bn Snowy Hydro 2.0 expansion project has been approved by the NSW government as part of a process to boost investment as the state emerges from the COVOD-19 crisis.
Up to 2000 jobs will be created after the main works component of the development won planning clearance with environmental conditions including $100m of offset requirements to protect threatened species.
The facility involves building a new 240m-long pumped hydro power station sitting 800m underground which connects to 27km of tunnels between the Talbingo and Tantangara reservoirs.
“For a small and temporary construction footprint covering just 0.1 per cent of the park, Snowy 2.0 will deliver 2000MW of clean energy and large-scale energy storage to support many other wind and solar projects coming online,” Snowy chief executive Paul Broad said.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejklian included Snowy 2.0 as one of 24 projects which had their planning assessments accelerated to boost the state’s economy amid Covid-19 shutdowns.
The federal government must now approve the main works package before work can start in the next few months while exploratory works continue.
Snowy in April secured $3.5bn in debt from Australian and international banks to finance its 2.0 expansion scheme with the renewables operator on track to start bringing the project online by late 2024 to early 2025.
Critics including the National Parks Association of NSW have raised concerns the project will damage the environment and endanger threatened species.
READ MORE: Turfing workers: Fury as JobKeeper company cuts jobs
Lachlan Moffet Gray 12.13pm: Government clinging to past on energy: Butler
Opposition spokesman for energy and climate change Mark Butler has criticised the government’s energy investment roadmap, released today, and said a comprehensive investment framework is needed in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic.
The government’s roadmap calls for more investment in natural gas as a way of “balancing” intermittent supply from solar and wind energy generation, with an accompanying long-term emissions strategy to be released in coming months.
Although Mr Butler said he is yet to study the plan in detail, he said the government must cease “pandering” to the “extremists in the party room that are determined to cling to the past rather than embrace the future.”
“Progress is particularly important because as the Reserve Bank advised over a short while ago, even before the COVID-19 pandemic, renewable energy investment had collapsed in this country because of a lack of energy policy,” Mr Butler told reporters on Thursday.
“The Reserve Bank advises that renewable energy investment in 2019 collapsed by as much 50 per cent. A better way forward is important.”
Mr Butler said Labor would embrace the roadmap “to the extent” it provides a pathway to further investment in renewables, but said it is “no substitute for an investment framework that makes that technology a reality.”
“Our electricity system is ageing. Much of it operating beyond its design life and we’ve got to move from technology reports to actual investment,” he said.
Mr Butler said Labor had not yet decided whether to take its previous climate change policy of ensuring 50 per cent of Australia’s energy comes from renewable sources by 2030 to the next election.
“We said in the course of the remaining term of Parliament, we’ll develop a detailed climate policy, a detailed energy policy, and put that before the Australian people,” he said.
READ MORE: Hydrogen a key player for tech recovery
Matthew Denholm 12.05pm: Tas borders slammed firmly shut
Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein has rejected calls to reopen the state’s borders and suggested some of those pushing the move are willing to see more people contract coronavirus.
Independent Senator Jacqui Lambie on Thursday called for an easing of border restrictions, arguing levels of protective equipment and ventilators in the state’s public hospitals were now sufficient to deal with coronavirus outbreaks.
Mr Gutwein, who has said he hopes in July to name a date for an easing of border restrictions, rejected the push.
“We will take a glide path out of this; we will be sensible, we will be responsible, and we will lift restrictions based on public health advice, when it’s safe to do so,” he said.
“The starting point of this was stopping people from getting sick and working to ensure we have as few deaths as possible.
“It sounds like some in our community are now saying that ‘well you’ve got hospitals now able to cope with much higher numbers of coronavirus so open the borders and deal with more sick people’. To me that doesn’t make sense.”
Tasmania has had only one recorded new coronavirus case in the past 10 days, but Director of Public Health Mark Veitch warned a further easing of restrictions may not be possible unless larger numbers of people come forward for testing.
“We need to be doing more testing,” he said, urging anyone with cold symptoms to come forward for testing.
While more than 300 people were tested on Wednesday, he would need 500 to 1000 people a day to be tested to have the confidence to approve further restriction easing.
Mr Gutwein flagged a freeze to pay rises for senior public servants and MPs during the current crisis and its fiscal fallout.
READ MORE: Selective reopening of borders
Richard Ferguson 11.59am: China changes rules around iron ore
Reports have emerged China has changed the inspection rules for iron ore, in a move which its state media mouthpiece claims is not another trade attack on Australia.
Iron ore coming into China will now be investigated on the advice of the trader rather than batch by batch.
The targeting of iron ore products will possibly inflame Sino-Australian trade tensions, after China clamped down on beef and barley exports.
The Global Times has written that the iron ore changes are not targeting Australia and will not affect imports.
That move, coming amid tensions, may lead some to believe it targets Australia,” the Chinese paper writes.
“Though there is no evidence that the new adjustment will have any negative impact on future iron ore imports from Australia.”
READ MORE: Brazil coronavirus crisis lifts iron ore prices
Lachlan Moffet Gray 11.53am: Return to surgery visits, GPs plea
As the coronavirus pandemic subsides Australians should stop using telehealth services and return to in-person consultations with their GPs, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners has said.
RACGP President Dr Harry Nespolon warned patients to avoid these services as in-person consultation allows for a deeper diagnosis of health issues and better outcomes.
“Some of these services are potentially providing sub-standard and inappropriate care. They are taking advantage of understandable anxieties in the community about contracting COVID-19 and expanding their operations,” Dr Nespolon said on Thursday.
“This poses considerable risks to the health and wellbeing of the community and the viability and reputation of high-quality brick and mortar general practices.
“If a patient is provided care outside of their usual general practice by a doctor who has no prior knowledge of their medical history you compromise continuity of care and that is a massive problem.”
“If you can get to know your own GP that is ideal. An ongoing GP-patient relationship is critical to delivering patient-centred, comprehensive and coordinated care.
“Your usual GP will know your medical history and have a greater sense of your life situation. An ongoing relationship is particularly important for identifying and addressing mental health issues.
“Remember too that while some health issues will require an in-person consultation almost all GP clinics are offering telehealth and telephone consultations. If you don’t feel confident using video technology that’s okay, a telephone is just fine.”
The government instituted temporary Medicare rebates for telehealth consultation at the outset of the pandemic to encourage Australians to avoid the health risk of talking to a doctor about coronavirus in person, or to safely manage a chronic health condition at home.
ABS data shows that more than three million Australians used telehealth services in April, with 43 per cent of them using the service as an alternative to an in-person consultation.
The rebate is due to expire on September 30.
READ MORE: Van Onselen: Retirees the forgotten people
Olivia Caisley 11.23am: $13.2 billion paid out in early super
Treasury has told a Senate committee scrutinising the government’s response to the coronavirus that $13.2 billion has been paid out as part of the early access to superannuation scheme across 1.65 million people.
On JobKeeper the Treasury said about 900,000 businesses had registered, covering an estimated 6 million workers.
READ MORE: Creighton: Some in this deeper than others
Lachlan Moffet Gray 11.18am: WA edges closer to zero active cases
Western Australia is moving towards joining the Northern Territory, the ACT and South Australia as coronavirus-free jurisdictions, with Premier Mark McGowan on Thursday announcing that there are no active cases of COVID-19 in any of the state’s hospitals.
Mr McGowan was unable to confirm if there were any cases still active outside of the hospital system, with the state recording just three active cases on Wednesday - but the Premier did announce that there have been no new cases in the last 24 hours, with the state’s confirmed case tally remaining at 557, with 653 tests conducted yesterday.
In a break from the rest of the country, Mr McGowan said that the WA Department of Health was changing the official term “social distancing” to “physical distancing” to highlight the fact that people are now allowed to socialise, but must still a distance of 1.5m from one another.
“This is a deadly virus and everyone in the community who has done such a good job of observing all the measures we need to maintain, we want you to keep going,” Mr McGowan said on Thursday.
“We want you to continue to observe that physical distancing.”
READ MORE: Panic buying a distant memory
Lachlan Moffet Gray 11.12am: Two new cases in China ahead of Friday’s congress
China has recorded just two new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours - one of which was imported and one transferred locally - raising questions about what decisions will be made when the National People’s Congress meets this Friday.
The total number of COVID-19 infections in China to date now stands at 82,967. The death toll remained unchanged at 4634, a sign that the pandemic has abated to the point where a widespread reopening of the economy could occur.
On Friday 3000 delegates will meet in Beijing to rubber-stamp the CCP’s political decisions. Traditionally it is at this meeting where China’s annual economic growth target is announced. This year, it is expected that the target will be lower than last year’s six to six and a half per cent forecast. Analysts are forecasting that the Chinese economy will grow 1.8 per cent in 2020, the lowest annual rate of growth in more than 30 years.
Major policy announcements are also made at the meeting, with draft documents suggesting that a more concerted effort will be made to liberalise the land market, control the debt levels of local government, and put employment policy at the centre of government deliberations.
The fallout from the virus outbreak, economic and otherwise, is likely to dominate the agenda. The sharp deterioration of US-China relations, fueled by a blame game over a pandemic that has killed more than 323,000 people globally, will also hang over the meeting.
The congress, normally a grand affair with plenty of ceremony, will be shorter than usual, perhaps one week instead of the usual two. Some officials will speak remotely by video to breakout sessions of delegates. Participants are being tested and isolated ahead of the meetings, and news conferences will be held by video.
With AAP
READ MORE: ‘Time to stand on our own two feet’
Lachlan Moffet Gray 10.48am: Ardern flags four-day working week for NZ
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has suggested that a four-day-work week may help improve tourism, employment and productivity in the wake of the domestic coronavirus pandemic.
New Zealand has 1503 confirmed cases of coronavirus and has not recorded any new cases in four days. Just 21 people have died and the country is in the process of easing harsh lockdown orders faster than most of Australia, with bars able to serve up to 100 patrons in groups of no more than 10 from Thursday.
In a Facebook live video Ms Ardern said that the move to a four-day-work week could be part of a “nimble” approach to reviving the economy after hearing it from hospitality workers she visited in the town of Rotorua as a way to revive domestic tourism.
“The question for me is, how do we encourage Kiwis to make sure that they go out and they have that experience?” she said.
“And when they go and visit somewhere, they don’t just stay with family and friends, but they get out and about and visit some of the amazing places and tourism offerings that we have.”
Ms Ardern said employers in a position to do so should “think about whether or not that is something that would work for their workplace”.
“Ultimately, that really sits between employers and employees. But as I’ve said there’s just so much we’ve learnt about Covid and that flexibility of people working from home, the productivity that can be driven out of that.”
READ MORE: PwC goes to four-day week
Lachlan Moffet Gray 10.32am: ‘Now is not the time for tourists to come to Queensland’
Queensland Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young is standing firm on Queensland’s border closure, telling reporters “this is not the time for tourists to travel into Queensland.”
The sunshine state joined the Northern Territory, South Australia, Tasmania and WA in closing their borders to any and all non-essential travel in a bid to prevent the transmission of coronavirus to the annoyance of the federal government and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, who want domestic tourism to resume.
But Queensland has borne the brunt of the criticism due to Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s constant deference to Dr Young on the issue, who in turn says she wants to see up to a month of no additional cases in the southern states before restrictions are lifted.
“Each state will do what is best for their state,” Dr Young told reporters on Thursday.
“And today, here in Queensland, it is best for us that we continue to minimise movement across our domestic borders.
“So, of course, we’re allowing people to come into Queensland for compassionate reasons and, of course, to move freight. And there are a number of other areas – but this is not the time for tourists to travel into Queensland.
“One case can cause an enormous setback to our plan to open up our communities.”
Dr Young noted that cases are still emerging in NSW and Victoria and because “They have started to open up their communities, and they have more cases, so they have a higher risk.”
Deputy Chief Medical Officers Professor Paul Kelly and Dr Nick Coatsworth have both said it is not the advice of the federal Health Protection Principal Committee to close the state borders.
READ MORE: Apple, Google release COVID tech
Rachel Baxendale 10.18am: Four new cases in Victoria, Cedar Meats cluster grows
Victoria has confirmed four new cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours, including three in household contacts of workers at Melbourne abattoir Cedar Meats.
The new Cedar Meats cases bring the total number of cases in that cluster to 106.
The fourth case reported in Victoria on Thursday is under investigation.
Victoria’s total number of cases has risen by only one to 1581 on Thursday, due to the reclassification of three previously confirmed cases.
Two of those reported cases had been duplicated, while the other has been reclassified to another state.
Thursday is the fourth consecutive day Victoria’s Department of Health and Human Services has reclassified previously confirmed cases.
Of Victoria’s 1581 COVID-19 cases, 88 are considered active, while 168 have not been linked to overseas travel or other known cases, and are therefore considered community transmissions.
READ MORE: Victorian health chief ‘agnostic’ over Cedar Meats case
Richard Ferguson 10.08am: China doesn’t want to ‘fire first shot’ in trade war
Chinese state media claims China does not want to “fire the first shot” in a trade war with Australia and says Australia appears to be backing away from its criticism of the communist regime.
The Global Times – a mouthpiece of the Beijing regime – writes that China would not see Australia going to the World Trade Organisation over barley tariffs as concerning, and that the regime wants to repair the relationship.
The piece singles out Agriculture Minister David Littleproud, who has said there is no trade war and that Australia will not engage in a “tit-for-tat retaliation”.
“His statement hints at the hope that the recent trade rows between China and Australia could be limited to barley and beef, unless there is a new conflict between the two sides,” the Global Times says.
“It seems the Australian government has no intention of sowing new troubles in its trade with China, but the possibility of deteriorating tensions escalating into a trade war should not be ignored.
“Given the principles of free trade and reciprocity to which China has long adhered, there are reasons to believe that China will not take the initiative to start a trade war so long as no party deliberately escalates tensions further. However, we hope the Australian can release more goodwill and take more measures to repair its relationship with largest trading partner China.”
READ MORE: Chinese paper hops into Australia
Lachlan Moffet Gray 10.06am: Dutton takes aim at Victoria over belt and road
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has slammed Victoria for signing up to China’s “belt and road” trade initiative in defiance of federal government security advice, saying it is an example of China spreading undue influence overseas.
The criticism comes just two days after Victorian treasurer Tim Pallas criticised the Morrison government’s handling of the relationship with China, saying they “have gone through a very traumatic time themselves”.
Mr Dutton told 2GB on Thursday that belt and road “is a propaganda initiative from China”.
“Victoria needs to explain why it is the only state in the country that has entered into this agreement.
“At the moment Premier Andrews, frankly, is inviting more questions than he is able to answer … The time for those answers from Premier Andrews is now.”
Mr Dutton said that the Australian public “won’t tolerate” politicians cozying up to China, adding: “Sam Dastyari found this out the hard way”.
Mr Dastyari, a former Labor senator, resigned in 2018 after controversially asking a Chinese benefactor to pay a travel bill and making comments that supported China’s South-East Sea Policy and were in contradiction of the Australian government’s stance.
Mr Dutton said “there is an enormous amount” of foreign interference “below the surface … that we are aware of” and that Australia must stand up for its values.
“When the PM announced that we want an open and transparent discussion or inquiry into the origin of this flu … we did so because there are values that we have, and we won’t compromise on them, and we haven’t, and we won’t.
“It was the right thing to do and the PM. I think, has led the world in that discussion and that outcome.”
READ MORE: Trade Minister wants clarity on ‘hit list’
Lachlan Moffet Gray 9.50am: No logic behind Queensland border closure: Dutton
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has called the public to “keep the pressure up” on Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s decision to keep the Queensland border closed to non-essential travel to potentially September, saying she has no “logical” basis for the decision.
“I think the public needs to keep the pressure up here because I think the Premier will change her mind,” Mr Dutton told 2GB on Thursday.
“If she had a sound basis but people could easily agree with her agreement but it’s clear she just doesn’t have a logical argument.
“The public needs to ask questions here – Premier Palaszczuk made the wrong call on schools reopening, and I think she made the wrong call here.”
Referring to comments made by Deputy Chief Medical Officers Professor Paul Kelly and Dr Nick Coatsworth, who said there was never medical advice that supported the closure of state borders, Mr Dutton said ultimately “the decision will be reversed”.
“If you can mount an argument, then you can win it. And the fact is, she hasn’t mounted an argument … I think the Premier has gotten herself into a bind here.
“Sometimes she struggles to explain the most basic of concepts.”
Mr Dutton said it would be sensible to open the borders “before the July holidays” so struggling tourism operators could benefit from domestic travellers.
“Young people right across the board, there would be a huge percentage of the population relying on tourists going and spending their money locally.
“It is beyond a disaster for them. Lives are being destroyed and the Premier is conducting some social experiment here.”
READ MORE: States defy medical advice on borders
Sarah Elks 9.30am: Premier won’t be ‘lectured to by worst-performing state’
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has hit back at NSW’s criticism over Queensland’s border closure, insisting she won’t be “lectured to by the worst-performing state” on coronavirus.
Ms Palaszczuk – announcing Queensland had recorded another zero-case day with just 12 active cases – has held firm to her decision to keep the borders closed for potentially months more.
“We’re not going to be lectured to by the worst-performing state,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
Transport Minister Mark Bailey said NSW “needs to get its act together” because it had 33 times more active cases than QLD.
Queensland’s written road map for easing restrictions – released two weeks ago – nominated July 10 as a probable date for resuming interstate travel, subject to monthly reviews.
But the Premier shocked the tourism industry – and her own Tourism Minister – when she said a border reopening would “look more positive” towards September.
NSW has 390 active cases compared to Queensland’s 12.
READ MORE: Reopen state ‘or north Queensland tourism operators at grave risk’
Lachlan Moffet Gray 9.25am: Labor calls for ‘urgent repair’ to China relationship
Opposition spokesman for Agriculture and Resources Joel Fitzgibbon has lashed out at the government for continuing to “demonise” China and its “system of governance,” and is calling for an urgent effort to repair the relationship.
The Australia-Chinese relationship has hit a new low after Australia prosecuted a global push for an independent inquiry into the origins of coronavirus in China and the Chinese government black-listed four Australian abattoirs and imposed an 80 per cent tariff on Australian barley exports.
Mr Fitzgibbon said if the relationship is not repaired, Australian farmers will suffer.
“The agriculture sector is disappointed the government has allowed the relationship to deteriorate so badly, and across the board they are concerned that while barley and red meat has come first that there may be other sectors affected into the future,” he told Sky News on Thursday.
“They expect their government to have the capacity to walk and chew gum too, to manage our relationship with China while absolutely in all manners defending our national interests.
“We can see already through barley and the red meat sector some of the consequences when that relationship is not a healthy one.”
Mr Fitzgibbons said “I don’t know about China bullying us”, and said that farmers fear their crop may be targeted with tariffs or import restrictions next.
“It’s our largest trading power and we need to normalise this relationship again.”
READ MORE: Is property China’s latest target?
Amos Aikman 9.09am: NT now coronavirus-free after last patient recovers
The Northern Territory has become coronavirus free with the last remaining patient testing negative for COVID-19 late last night.
Health Minister Natasha Fyles said the milestone was a victory for her government’s tough, early action, but warned that it might only be a temporary reprieve with more cases likely as the deadly virus continued to spread.
Chief Minister Michael Gunner has been resisting calls from business groups to loosen quarantine requirements at the Territory’s borders.
Ms Fyles said the Territory remained just one undetected case away from a community outbreak and that health authorities would watch to see the impact of looser restrictions elsewhere before taking any action that could put the Territory’s vulnerable elderly and Aboriginal populations at risk.
READ MORE: ‘Keg convoy’ helps pubs reopen
Lachlan Moffet Gray 9.00am: Just 11 new cases nationwide
Australia has confirmed 11 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, two of which were in NSW and 8 of which were in Victoria, Deputy Chief Dr Nick Coatsworth has said.
The quest to quickly contract trace coronavirus cases will be aided by the COVIDSafe app, which Dr Coatsworth said is now easily accessed by all state and territory health departments after initial technical problems.
“The first thing to say that is every State and Territory Public Health unit can access the data. There are no access problems,” Dr Coatsworth told Today.
“In Victoria they found a case using the app where they had not been able to do that with their standard contact tracing methods. That is the milestone for us with the app, that it has been used successfully to find someone who is now in self- isolation and protecting themselves, their family and the rest of the community.”
Dr Coatsworth said that Australia should have no issue containing any further cluster outbreaks of the virus.
“I think if there are small localised resurgences of COVID-19, Victoria is doing a fantastic job proving to the nation how quickly we can jump on top of them,” he said.
“They conducted over 9,500 tests in a day yesterday. NSW similarly over 6,500.
“It is very clear that the public health units are able to get on top of these clusters quickly.”
READ MORE: Panic buying a distant memory
Heidi Han 8.45am: Australia lashed by angry Chinese netizens
Australia has been lashed on social media by thousands of Chinese netizens amid ongoing trade tensions.
With over 364000 followers, the official account of the Australia Embassy and Consulates on Weibo, China’s second largest social media platform, has been overwhelmed by hundreds of negative comments daily from angry Chinese netizens, who criticise Australia’s “hostility” and accuse Australia of “following the United States” in pursuing a COVID-19 inquiry.
“Stand firm with your anti-China route and be a dog of the US, “ one Weibo user responded to the Embassy’s morning post that includes a picture of Queensland’s Buderim Forest Park.
“With such a peaceful and beautiful scene, you may spend some time thinking about your gain and loss of being a dog of the States,” another user said.
Other commentaries condemn Australia’s bushfires as a global environmental disaster, while others support Chinese government’s beef tariff and call to boycott Australian products.
The online diplomatic presence of DFAT in China, which has been managed by Australia’s Beijing Embassy for over 9 years, publishes multimedia content to promote Australian history, culture, technology, education and tourist destinations to Chinese people. It also actively interacts with other Australian official accounts such as Study in Australia, Austrade and Australia Tourism.
Chinese social media is highly vulnerable to state-backed “robot”commentaries and the “Wumaodang” propaganda digital army.
READ MORE: Victoria’s long march for China
Lachlan Moffet Gray 8.30am: Riverview case ‘at school for a day’
NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant has said the young student at Riverview who tested positive for coronavirus “only went to the school for a short period” of “one and a half days” before being sent home after developing symptoms.
Dr Chant indicated that further cases occurring at the northern suburbs school were unlikely “based on the prompt action and the prompt exclusion of the child,” but said “we have to expect these occurrences to happen.”
The student’s contacts will be traced back by a period of 14 days, but Dr Chant did not say if the boy had the COVIDSafe tracking app installed on his phone.
Dr Chant also said the diagnosed case in an individual from Melbourne would be added to Victoria’s coronavirus tally.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian also asked local councils to be flexible in enforcing parking rules and fines as the number of motorists grows with people returning to commuting.
“I would ask councils to work with us, to work with our transport authorities, to see what flexibilities are in place,” Ms Berejiklian said.
READ MORE: Some in this deeper than others
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Lachlan Moffet Gray 8.20am: More easing ‘imminent’ in NSW
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has stressed the importance of getting the economy up and running in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic, saying the state will maintain an “assertive” policy towards economic recovery and said there would be an “imminent announcement about what pubs, clubs and cafes will look like during June.”
“More than 220,000 jobs lost in April is beyond our wildest expectations in terms of what could have happened,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“We are certainly in the phase of doing everything we can to open our economy to get people working, whether it’s from home or whatever works best for them but also maintaining the public safety through social distancing.”
NSW Planning Minister Rob Stokes announced two new investment initiatives in Western Sydney – a $26 million investment in an Austral brick making facility in Horsley Park creating 95 jobs, and $1.8 million for a recycling centre in Penrith that will create 38 new jobs.
Ms Berejiklian continued to press the economic importance of international students returning to Universities in the state, but said it may not happen until beyond July.
“The plans are still in the formative stage, we are not about to announce anything,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“It is conditional on what the federal government would allow in terms of flights.”
Ms Berejiklian said the relative success of Australia in controlling coronavirus could provide NSW an opportunity to become a “brains trust” for the best and brightest.
“We also need to consider the advantages we have now because we have managed to control the virus … wouldn’t it be great if the best and brightest came to study in New South Wales?”
READ MORE: Blue collars to bear downturn brunt
Lachlan Moffet Gray 8.10am: Second positive case at Riverview college
NSW has recorded two additional cases in the past 24 hours out of 9700 tests, bringing the state’s total number of cases 3082.
One of the cases was a person from Melbourne and the second was the student who tested positive to coronavirus at St Ignatius’ College Riverview yesterday, whose case is still under investigation.
#BREAKING: NSW has recorded 2 new #coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, from more than 9,700 tests. #9News pic.twitter.com/N6tdzQ4MS0
— Nine News Australia (@9NewsAUS) May 20, 2020
NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said staff, students, friends and family of the student have been identified and quarantined.
Ms Berejiklian praised people for coming forward for testing, with the 9700 tests carried out satisfying the 8000-test-a-day minimum she outlined as desirable earlier in the week.
“It’s really, really important to come forward and get tested, especially as restrictions are easing, more people are out and about and it’s so important we identify anybody who has the virus,” Ms Berejiklian said.
94 cases are being treated by NSW Health, three of which are in ICU, with two people on ventilated assistance.
Dr Chant said a number of inconclusive test results were being examined, with any positive results to be added to the state toll later today.
READ MORE: Reopened gallery an art starter
Lachlan Moffet Gray 8.00am: ‘Be realistic on virus in schools’
NSW Department of Education Secretary Mark Scott has urged Australians to be “realistic” about the prospect of coronavirus cases emerging in schools and forcing them to be closed as a time, following the diagnosis of a student at the St Ignatius’ College Riverview with coronavirus.
“If we have got cases of COVID-19 in the community we will have, on occasion, a student or a teacher or a member of school staff who develops COVID- 19,” Mr Scott told Today on Thursday.
“You have to remember on any given day one in five, or one in six people in NSW enter our schools as a student or teacher.”
Mr Scott said that parents should not become fearful of sending their children to school when it becomes mandatory again in NSW next Monday, as there is little evidence of community transmission within schools.
“We know that the health advice there is no evidence that students are spreaders … that children are spreaders of COVID-19.
In all the case tracking we have done in our schools, we have found no evidence of a child giving COVID-19 to a child or an adult. Schools are not viewed as places where COVID-19 spreads. That is very different to something like a common cold or influenza.
“Parents and teachers should be confident that schools are a safe place to operate and that is why NSW, we are opening our schools fully up as of next Monday for all students.”
READ MORE: St Ignatius shuts down but timetable stays
Lachlan Moffet Gray 7.45am: Lambie changes tack on Tassie border
Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie has supported the idea of Tasmania reopening its borders to domestic travellers, despite strongly endorsing Premier Peter Gutwein’s decision to close the borders in March.
Speaking to Today on Thursday, Senator Lambie said that “there is plenty we need to get on with here.”
Medical experts are calling for borders to be reopened within Australia but state and territory leaders are ignoring their advice. #9Today pic.twitter.com/kWAQQ5y7zX
— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) May 20, 2020
“I thought we went into lockdown because our hospitals and PPE gear and ventilators were not up to scratch and we didn’t have enough,” she said.
“We are three months in, what I’m hearing is they are ready to go. As soon as we can get back to some sort of normality, it will be great for everybody and our states especially economically.”
Senator Lambie has previously said Mr Gutwein’s decision to close the borders showed “courage and guts” and restated her support for the Premier.
“As I have said in the past, and continue to say it, I will be doing what the Premier of Tasmania tells me to do and the other half a million people down here,” she said.
“We have been very satisfied with his leadership, more than satisfied. He has done a great job.”
Mr Gutwein is refusing to provide a hard date for when Tasmania will reopen to the rest of Australia.
Senator Lambie said if the state was adequately prepared, the borders should open.
“Mate, if those hospitals are ready and the PPE gear is stacked up, we have enough ventilators, start to loosen the ropes.”
READ MORE: Early opening for pubs, restaurants
Lachlan Moffet Gray 7.45am: Berejiklian ‘no border bully’
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has denied she is bullying states that have closed their borders to domestic travel, saying she is simply “speaking as a citizen of Australia.”
WA, Queensland, Tasmania, South Australia and the NT have all indicated that bans on domestic travellers will remain in place for some time longer, with Queensland indicating that the border might not reopen until September – a notion Ms Berejiklian has criticised.
“I think expressing an opinion about the future economic health of our nation is what I should be allowed to do,” Ms Berejiklian told ABC News.
“I think in a democracy, people should be able to express their views.
“Governments can make decisions according to their own decision-making, and I’m really speaking as a citizen of Australia.”
Ms Berejiklian said the coronavirus fears that led to the border bans being enacted in the first place have largely been “allayed” and the continuation of interstate travel was necessary for the nation’s economic recovery.
“What is really critical to us now as a nation is to get the jobs going, to stop us falling off an economic cliff in a few months’ time,” she said.
“And that should be cause for concern for all of us. And the best way we can manage that is by allowing people to move freely.”
“And also one of the reasons why New South Wales was adamant to keep our borders open was for our border communities.
“For many border communities, the artificial state border doesn’t mean much when you’re visiting a relative or going to a doctor or buying something across the border which might only be a few kilometres away from your home.”
READ MORE: Airline soars above corona crowd
Lachlan Moffet Gray 7.35am: Foreign students 'can be safe’
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says she is confident that NSW would be able to safely process international students should they be exempted from coronavirus travel bans, as NSW
has processed the majority of returning Australians safely without a cluster outbreak of the disease.
The Premier on Wednesday told The Daily Telegraph that NSW is working with the federal government to work out how international students can safely return to the country, citing the economic importance of the industry, particularly in rural areas.
“Put it this way, New South Wales has, through the quarantine system, put through about 15,000 Australians already,” Ms Berejiklian told ABC News on Thursday.
“The irony is that most people in the last few months have been flying straight into Sydney, irrespective of where they live around Australia.
We have been processing them through quarantine, through our hotels, and then they have been going back to their states after they’ve served two weeks’ quarantine here in New South Wales.
“Obviously people have been returning safely to their states after they’ve gone through the quarantine period.”
Ms Berejiklian said she believed it was possible to process international students in a similarly safe manner.
“There’s no reason why, in the future, we shouldn’t consider allowing students to go through that process, to make sure they’re 100 per cent safe before they go to university,” she said.
“At least it means those – you know, hundreds of thousands of people who are either directly or indirectly employed through the tertiary sector don’t have to worry about losing their jobs or worry about the future of those regional universities, in particular.”
READ MORE: College shuts down but timetable stays
Lachlan Moffet Gray 7.25am: Brits flock to beaches on hottest day of year
The hottest day this year in England has seen tens of thousands of Britons temporarily forget the coronavirus pandemic and flock to the beach in scenes reminiscent of Bondi in March.
Southend beach packed with thousands of sunseekers from as far away as Leicestershire struggling to social distance on the hottest day of the year https://t.co/aElf6KbKRl pic.twitter.com/j8mZ6lOl4w
— ITV London (@itvlondon) May 20, 2020
As temperatures across much of England hit 28C, people flooded onto beaches at Weston-super-Mare, Southend and Bournemouth, causing traffic gridlocks and heavy foot traffic on seaside promenades.
Bournemouth gave up on it today. The council opened all the ice cream kiosks the beach was packed all day and groups of 5-10...0 police @BCPCouncil this was before it got busy pic.twitter.com/FxxCNIuokF
— slim 'normal service resumed' Shady #Brexit #FTEU (@DonorUk) May 20, 2020
The UK last week eased restrictions on outdoor activity, with outdoor exercise and sunbathing permitted – so long as a healthy distance of two metres is maintained.
Stricter lockdown restrictions in the rest of the country still apply.
There are 249,616 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK. More than 35,000 people have died of the disease.
READ MORE: Here’s cheers to your own backyard
Lachlan Moffet Gray 7.20am: ADF brought in over social distancing
Victorian Police have been fielding so many calls from people dobbing others in for violating lockdown rules that they at one point had to bring in the Defence Force.
A statement from Victorian Police says that last month the number of people calling the Police Assistance Line grew by 30 per cent from 70,983 in March to 102,034 in April, the majority of which were to report violation of Chief Health Officer orders.
In late March the quantity of calls grew to such a point that extra staff was recruited, including 12 members of the Australian Defence Force, to deal with emergency calls.
Inspector Steve Towers said the service also directly assisted frontline police by handling reports of a non-urgent nature freeing up members to attend emergencies.
“For every call that we take, we hand precious time back to our frontline police who can focus on being out in the community responding to and preventing crime,” Insp Towers said.
“It also means the community can connect with police without having to leave their home or attend their nearest police station. They can have their call answered in minutes and their reports taken without delay.
“Before the pandemic, our most common reports were in relation to theft of motor car, theft from motor car, lost property and theft, and we would receive around 2500 calls a day,” Insp Towers said.
READ MORE: We can’t spend our lives avoiding risk
Lachlan Moffet Gray 7.10am: Berejiklian to fast-track international students return
In a further bid to open up the state, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says the state should lift travel restrictions on international students to save regional universities and areas that rely on the lucrative education sector for economic activity.
“International students are critical to our economy,” Ms Berejiklian told The Daily Telegraph.
The NSW government estimates that international students support 95,000 full time jobs and contribute $13.9 billion to the economy, and is working on a plan to transition the current 14-day mandatory quarantine scheme for all arrivals to a simple health checkpoint for international students.
“Regional universities won’t survive unless they can get some of their students back. We are contemplating how we can accelerate that,” Ms Berejiklian said.
Ms Berejiklian has openly declared a desire to remove coronavirus restrictions that suppress economic activity, earlier this week imploring Queensland to open their border for the benefit of the domestic tourism industry and yesterday announcing a lift on the NSW holiday ban from June 1.
The Federal government has also said it wants international students to return to Australia, with Health Minister Greg Hunt soliciting plans on how to safely do so from Universities.
“We are welcoming of proposals for universities – subject to it being at the same time as their general student populations – to look at means of bringing back through supervised, stringent quarantine, international students,” he told reporters in Melbourne on Wednesday.
“That is something that both state and federal governments would be willing to consider.”
READ MORE: We need our own virus rule book
Lachlan Moffet Gray 6.50am: Trump plans Camp David G7 summit
US President Donald Trump has said he is considering holding a meeting of the G7 group of nations in person at the Camp David Presidential retreat to demonstrate that the nations in the group are making a “comeback” from coronavirus.
Now that our Country is “Transitioning back to Greatnessâ€, I am considering rescheduling the G-7, on the same or similar date, in Washington, D.C., at the legendary Camp David. The other members are also beginning their COMEBACK. It would be a great sign to all - normalization!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 20, 2020
The group, consisting of the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan were due to meet June 10-12, but the meeting was cancelled in March due to the pandemic.
But Mr Trump says it is time to revive the meeting: “Now that our Country is ‘Transitioning back to Greatness’, he tweeted.
A senior White House official told Associsted Press that Mr Trump was considering rescheduling the summit for some point in June, likely toward the end of the month, at either the White House or Camp David.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said that the move would be a “show of strength.”
“America is reopening. The world is reopening and what a show of strength and optimism to have all the leaders of these countries come together at the White House and pursue business as usual as we move forward through this pandemic,” Ms McEnany said.
French President Emmanual Macron’s office said in a statement that “given the importance of the G7 in the response to the crisis, the President is willing to go to Camp David, if the health conditions allow it.”
German Chancellor Angela Merkel told a news briefing she would “wait and see.”
“Whatever form the G-7 meeting takes, whether it’s a video conference or otherwise, I will definitely fight for multilateralism, that’s very clear, both in the G7 and the G20.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau similarly avoided confirming that he would attend an in-person meeting.
“We need to keep meeting as leaders. Whether that’s virtual or in person we will certainly take a look at what the U.S. is proposing as host of the G7 to see what kind of measures will be in place to keep people safe, what kind of recommendations the experts are giving in terms of how that might function,” he said.
READ MORE: US ‘stands with Australia’ on China
Lachlan Moffet Gray 6.30am: Coronavirus cases spike in world’s poorer nations
As the number of new coronavirus cases falls in the rich, western European countries that have formed the bulk of global cases, the World Health Organisation has rung the alarm bell on case growth in poorer countries.
WHO revealed overnight that 106,000 new cases of infections of the coronavirus had been recorded in the past 24 hours — the most in a single day since the outbreak began.
There have been 4,955,312 confirmed cases since the pandemic began and 325,810 deaths globally.
France, the UK, Italy and Spain — only a month ago regularly recording up to 900 new infections daily — are now regularly seeing daily case increases in the low triple digits and on occasion, under 100.
All four of these nations have recently lifted stay-at-home-orders while other European nations less affected by the virus have gone even further, with Greece announcing that it will welcome tourists back to the country from June 15.
But while the pandemic is easing in Europe, it is spiking in Latin America. Brazil this week became the world’s third worst-hit country with more than 271,000 confirmed cases.
In Lima, the capital of Peru, coronavirus patients are filling up the city’s intensive care beds.
Russia’s cases are also now above 300,000, making the eastern European country and Brazil behind only the United States in the number of reported infections. Cases are also spiking in India, South Africa and Mexico as more ambitious testing regimes are rolled out.
“We still have a long way to go in this pandemic,” WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference.
“We are very concerned about rising cases in low and middle income countries.” Mike Ryan, head of WHO’s emergencies program, said: “We will soon reach the tragic milestone of 5 million cases”. — with AAP
Media briefing on #COVID19 with @DrTedros https://t.co/lLFk02u6yr
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) May 20, 2020
READ MORE: Chinese paper labels Australia ‘a dog of the US’
Lachlan Moffet Gray 6am: Donald Trump slams China virus ‘incompetence’
US President Donald Trump has taken to Twitter to lay the blame of the coronavirus pandemic at China’s feet, tweeting that it was the “incompetence of China” that resulted in a “mass worldwide killing.”
Some wacko in China just released a statement blaming everybody other than China for the Virus which has now killed hundreds of thousands of people. Please explain to this dope that it was the “incompetence of Chinaâ€, and nothing else, that did this mass Worldwide killing!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 20, 2020
It comes just days after Mr Trump sent an open letter to the World Health Organisation outlining its apparent failures and pro-Chinese bias.
The President threatened to permanently freeze the US’s $800 million funding if the WHO could demonstrate its independence from China.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has responded to the letter, saying: “We have of course received the letter and we are looking into it.”
The organisation’s head of emergencies Michael Ryan told reporters on Wednesday that the US funding that reaches WHO emergency programs was “on the order of $100 million a year,” most going to “humanitarian health operations all over the world, in all sorts of fragile and difficult settings”. He expressed “concern” about any such funding cuts.
“Replacing those lifesaving funds for frontline health services to some of the most difficult places in the world: we’ll obviously have to work with other partners to ensure that those funds can still flow,” Mr Ryan said.
"The #COVID19 pandemic has taught and reinforced many lessons:
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) May 20, 2020
Health is not a cost; it’s an investment.
To live in a secure world, guaranteeing quality #HealthForAll is not just the right choice; it’s the smart choice"-@DrTedros
“This is going to be a major implication for delivering essential health services to some of the most vulnerable people in the world. And we trust that other donors will, if necessary, step in to fill that gap.”
Mr Trump has given the WHO 30 days to make “substantive improvements.”
READ MORE: Chris Griffith — We need our own virus rule book
Jacquelin Magnay 5.30am: London remains free of new coronavirus infections
London appears to have remained free of new coronavirus cases for the past few days, with no new transmissions on Monday confirmed by the culture secretary Oliver Dowden.
The absence of any new infections in the capital has put pressure on the Boris Johnson government to begin to claw back economic activity by opening up central London from lockdown.
THREAD 1/2: #Coronavirus press conference slides (20 May 2020)
— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) May 20, 2020
🔵 COVID alert levels
🔵 Steps of adjustment to social distancing measures
🔵 We can help control the virus if we all Stay Alert
🔵 Changes in transport use (GB)
Data and statistical notes:https://t.co/4Inj5Ys4ct pic.twitter.com/O7nz9QCFvi
However, 10 Downing Street said there were no plans to fast track any of the lockdown easing with the next phase being the opening of some non-food stores on June 1.
“The Prime Minister set out the path we will go down in terms of easing the lockdown. He set out this three-stage process,” Mr Dowden said.
“The next stage we’ve said is from the beginning of June around for example opening up non-essential retail.”
Over the past week the number of new cases in London has plummeted and with no cases being recorded — despite a country wide regime of testing up to 177,000 people a day — it appears the coronavirus swept through London in March and April, while the northern parts of the country are lagging a week or so behind.
Mr Dowden said schools should begin their staggered opening at the same time across the nation.
”It is best, and the Government has said this repeatedly, that we move as a whole nation, and that would include of course the whole of England in doing so.”
The new figures give some hope that coronavirus is declining, despite 363 deaths recorded on Tuesday.
There were only 2,472 new coronavirus cases recorded on Monday and only 14 per cent of critical care beds are now occupied by corona patients.
Hospital admissions are also declining, with 637 new admissions recorded on May 18, compared to 711 the week before. The total number of people in hospital is 9,953.
Professor Stephen Powis, NHS England’s national medical director, said: “I would highlight that the number of people in hospital is now below 10,000. I think that’s the first time since March that we’ve seen a fall that has come down below 10,000 in terms of the people who are actively in hospital who test positive for COVID-19.”
READ MORE: Nick Cater — We can’t spend the rest of our lives avoiding risks
Craig Johnstone 5.15am: Tourism industry ‘won’t survive’ border closures
Australia’s two most populous states are set to remain effectively isolated from the rest of the country for months as premiers from the smaller states insist they will not be bullied into relaxing border closures, despite advice from medical experts and federal officials that interstate travel poses no health risks.
The standoff over the future of state and territory border closures has widened a rift between Australia’s federal health officers, who say there is no medical reason to continue the border shutdown, and their state counterparts, who fear the virus spreading from the nation’s two largest states.
It has also escalated bickering between state and territory leaders as tensions increase between beating COVID-19’s threat to Australian lives and minimising the devastating impact on livelihoods.
There are mounting fears that some parts of Australia’s tourism industry — already suffering deep job cuts and plunging revenue — will not survive a long period of interstate travel bans.
However, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk remained unmoved, saying the closure of her state’s borders would continue because she always put Queenslanders’ lives first.
Read the full story, by Craig Johnstone and Rosie Lewis, here.
Damon Johnston 5am: Victoria’s deals with China worth billions of dollars
Victoria is locked in critical final-stage negotiations with Beijing over investments worth billions of dollars at the same time as its Treasurer has savaged the Morrison government’s “vilification” of China over trade and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tim Pallas’s pro-China intervention comes as the deadline for Victoria to sign an “investment road map”, which ties the state to the communist giant with extraordinarily cosy language, is just weeks away.
Under Victoria’s decision to sign-up to China’s Belt and Road Initiative — in defiance of federal government security advice — key investment details are meant to be signed by the middle of 2020 following completion of a draft road map in March.
The looming deadline emerged as the Andrews government dodged parliamentary questions on Wednesday about whether any of the state’s $24bn coronavirus rescue package would be borrowed from China.
Read the full story, by Damon Johnston and Rachel Baxendale, here.
Greg Sheridan 4.45am: Time to end our reliance on China: Hastie
Australia is more strategically dependent on China across key sectors of the economy than any other Five Eyes nation, according to a new report by London think-tank The Henry Jackson Society.
Writing a contributed essay to the report, Liberal MP Andrew Hastie, the chair of parliament’s intelligence committee, has called on the Morrison government to establish a strategic industry plan “to build national self-reliance” in key industries.
Mr Hastie argues that building this self-reliance should involve direct government support, which would include time-limited tax incentives.
The Henry Jackson Society report is entitled: Breaking the China Supply Chain: How the Five Eyes can Decouple from Strategic Dependency.
Read the full story here.
‘Instruments of fear’: Fresh anti-Semitic attacks prompt calls for tougher penalties
Anti-Semitism is ‘an evil still spreading in our neighbourhoods’ said the Anti-Defamation Commission chair, as multiple vehicles and properties were plastered with graffiti in Sydney’s eastern suburbs overnight.
Almost half of young Australians vote because they’re scared of a fine
In a new landmark survey, researchers found – surprisingly – that young Australians not registered to vote were more likely to be wealthy students than registered voters who simply forgot to show up on election day.