Coronavirus Australia live news: NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says some risk in Victoria border reopening
Gladys Berejiklian admits potential danger as NSW reveals it will open its borders.
- NSW-Victoria border to reopen
- ‘Risks’ in border reopening plan
- Sydney cluster grows to 10
- Virus still lurking? ‘Absolutely’
Welcome to our live coverage of Australia’s response to the continuing coronavirus pandemic. Gladys Berejiklian says there is some risk in her border reopening plan. The NSW border will reopen to Victoria on November 23. Western Australia’s hard border closure has proven the most effective measure in keeping the population safe from COVID-19, the state’s solicitor-general Joshua Thomson SC declared.
Adam Creighton 9.30pm: Reduced aid ‘led to fall in jobs’
The first major tapering of the government’s JobKeeper payment appears to have contributed to further fall in employment, casting doubt on the likelihood of a strong economic rebound.
The total number of jobs ¬nationwide fell 0.8 per cent over the 14 days to October 17, the ABS said on Wednesday, falling in every state and territory even though the strictest coronavirus restrictions on businesses and households, outside Victoria, were lifted months ago.
“This is both a bad and surprising result,” said Commonwealth Bank senior economist Gareth Aird. “We are left searching for answers as to why payroll jobs have declined so sharply in a broad-based fashion over the past four weeks,” he added.
Employment fell 0.4 per cent in Victoria in the fortnight, 0.6 per cent in Queensland, and 1.3 per cent in NSW for the two-week period, more than in any other state.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics said the number of jobs was 4.4 per cent, or 470,000 lower, than in mid-March when coronavirus restrictions began.
Olivia Caisley 9pm: Two new potential vaccines join mix
Australia has secured access to two new potential COVID-19 vaccines as part of a new $1.5bn deal, doubling the number of drug candidates to help combat the virus, with Scott Morrison saying he wasn’t “putting all our eggs in one basket”.
Under international agreements struck this week, Australia would be given access to up to 40 million doses of a drug produced by US biotech company Novavax, as well as 10 million doses of an alternative drug produced by Pfizer and BioNTech.
“There are no guarantees that these vaccines will prove successful, however, our strategy puts Australia at the front of the queue, if our medical experts give the vaccines the green light,” the Prime Minister said. “By securing multiple COVID-19 vaccines we are giving Australians the best shot at early access to a vaccine, should trials prove successful.”
Yoni Bashan 8.30pm: Berejiklian ‘ignored border opening advice’
Health officials advised the NSW government three weeks ago that regional Victoria had reached sufficient standards of contact tracing and daily testing rates for COVID-19, raising questions over why authorities maintained strict border closures when assessments suggested restrictions could be eased.
The health advice was provided to Premier Gladys Berejiklian and senior members of her COVID-19 crisis committee during a meeting held at the State Emergency Operation Centre in early October.
Ms Berejiklian on Wednesday announced the state’s southern border would reopen to Victoria on November 23.
Despite being provided with advice suggesting easing could be facilitated, Ms Berejiklian has repeatedly said her border would not remain in place “a day longer” than necessary.
“We are very keen to see what happens in Victoria once further restrictions are eased, because that’s the real test,” Ms Berejiklian said on October 19, about one week after the advice was provided.
Rachel Baxendale 8pm: Fragile state may not last: Dan
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says the recent string of days with no new cases of COVID-19 “won’t last” if people don’t follow rules and wear masks, refusing to be drawn on whether Sunday’s promised easing of restrictions will go further than foreshadowed.
Having announced that there are now just 30 known active cases in Victoria, Mr Andrews said he had been concerned by scenes of thousands of people crowding onto beaches to enjoy a sunny Melbourne Cup Day, many of whom were not wearing masks.
“I just ask all Victorians: we‘ve all built this together, we’ve made great sacrifices, it’s fragile, it’s precious, and if we don’t all value it and play our part — wearing a mask, keeping our distance as much as we possibly can, following the rules as they relate to you — then this won’t last,” the Premier said on Wednesday.
Last week he foreshadowed a relaxation of restrictions from 11.59pm on Sunday, which would enable Melburnians to travel more than 25km from their homes, including to regional Victoria, and allow hospitality businesses to accommodate up to 40 people indoors and gyms to reopen to up to 20.
Stephen Lunn 7.30pm: Not-for-profit sector badly hit
COVID-19 has taken its toll on Australia’s not-for-profit organisations, with the majority set to make a financial loss this year.
The sector had been struggling anyway, with 40 per cent of NFPs recording a loss within the past three years, a new report finds.
The annual Australian Institute of Company Directors report on NFP performance finds the worst-affected areas were the arts, sport, health and aged care.
Jared Lynch 7.03pm: Health insurers see overall profit cut in half
Almost a third of Australia’s health insurers operated at a loss in the past financial year, with industry profit halving to $723m as the financial regulator diagnoses an anaemic outlook in the near-term as funds continue to reel from COVID-19.
The Australian Prudential Regulatory Authority has released its annual report into private health insurers, which shows 11 of the country’s 37 health insurers have sunk into the red, with the COVID-19 pandemic hitting mainly mid-tier and smaller insurers including CBHS, HCF, and Latrobe.
This compares with only five insurers operating at a loss in 2019. Revenue from policyholders remained steady across the industry at $25bn but investment revenue collapsed 69 per cent to about $150m as global share markets faced their worst rout in 30 years in March.
Rosie Lewis 6.07pm: ‘Hard border unconstitutional when things changed’
Western Australia’s hard border closure only became unconstitutional “when circumstances changed” in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and it was not removed, Clive Palmer’s barrister told the High Court as he attempts to set a historic precedent to guarantee free interstate travel.
A decision may be handed down within a fortnight, even as border closures and reopenings around the country continue to change.
Peter Dunning QC, representing Mr Palmer, said in his closing statement that it could be assumed closing WA’s border was “reasonably necessary” when the pandemic first hit but the “real complaint” was that it was not later revoked, such as when community transmission all but evaporated before the second wave in Victoria.
AFP 5.50pm: Dutch government backs KLM bailout
The Dutch government has approved a multi-billion-euro coronavirus bailout for struggling airline KLM after pilots agreed a five-year pay cut deal.
Finance Minister Wopke Hoekstra on Saturday dramatically suspended plans to rescue the beleaguered Dutch arm of Air France-KLM after unions refused to budge.
But after KLM announced that the pilots’ union had backed down, the government said it was now ready to sign off on the €3.4bn ($5.58bn) state aid injection.
“Intensive consultations” between KLM and the unions led to a “positive outcome”, Hoekstra and Infrastructure Minister Cora van Nieuwenhuizen said in a letter to parliament.
“The cabinet can therefore agree to its restructuring plan and has since confirmed this to the KLM management board,” they wrote.
KLM chief executive Pieter Elbers had earlier announced the deal with the pilots’ union, hailing it as an “important step” for the airline’s survival.
“The past few days have been incredibly intensive for everyone, with great pressure on the company, negative impact on reputation and internal divisions,” he said.
“But in the end we, as KLM and unions, came to an agreement.”
The suspension of the rescue plan had put the future of the world’s oldest airline at risk as it struggles to deal with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
READ MORE: Lift-off for Sydney-Melbourne route revival
AFP 5.15pm: Finland: Europe’s quiet success
As millions across Europe face new lockdown measures to tackle the resurging coronavirus, Finland is bucking the trend: infection rates are falling, while attitudes to restrictions remain the most positive on the continent.
Although much international attention has been focused on next-door Sweden’s light-touch response to the virus, Finland has quietly succeeded in keeping infection levels five times below the EU average, with a lesser hit to its economy and one-tenth the number of deaths per capita of its Scandinavian neighbour.
In the past two weeks, the Nordic country has recorded 45.7 new cases per 100,000 population — the lowest rate in the EU according to the WHO and the only country in the bloc whose rate of new infections has slowed since the previous fortnight.
“The situation looked worrying when there was a rapid growth in infections” earlier in October, the country’s top epidemiologist, Mika Salminen, said last week.
“But it’s clear that the peak has passed.”
Officials credit the outcome to factors such as early government action, which included a two-month lockdown in March and a ban on travel in and out of the capital.
Since then, society has largely re-opened and an effective test and trace system was developed, revolving around a smartphone app.
The “Corona Flash” application, downloaded 2.5 million times in a country of 5.5 million people, has escaped the privacy or functionality problems that have hit similar initiatives in countries from Britain to Norway.
Like elsewhere in the Nordics, high levels of trust towards authority in Finland have meant that there has been little resistance to the government’s measures.
Not only have Finns followed the rules, but European Parliament research last week found that 23 per cent of respondents in the country said that lockdown had actually improved their lives, making Finland the most positive country in Europe towards the coronavirus restrictions.
One reason is likely to be the relative ease of switching to distance working in the highly digitised society.
“The economy is structured so that it’s not necessary for a large proportion of the Finnish workforce to be in the workplace,” said Nelli Hankonen, associate professor of social psychology at Helsinki University.
READ MORE: How to keep your strength during the pandemic
Rachel Baxendale 4.30pm: Victorian job losses twice the national rate
The proportion of jobs lost in Victoria since March is double that of every mainland state, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics payroll jobs figures published on Wednesday.
The figures show that between March 14 and October 17, Victorian payroll jobs fell by 8 per cent, compared with 4 per cent in NSW, 3 per cent in Queensland, 2 per cent in SA, 1.4 per cent in WA, 4.8 per cent in Tasmania, 1.3 per cent in the Northern Territory, 3.4 per cent in the ACT and 4.4 per cent nationwide.
Victoria also had the sharpest fall in total wages over the same period of 6.1 per cent, compared with 5.8 per cent in NSW and 5.1 per cent nationwide.
The figures come after Melburnians spent more than 3½ months in lockdown from July to October, with entire industries shut down in a bid to control a second wave of coronavirus, which emerged following infection control breaches in the Andrews government’s hotel quarantine program.
The latest ABS statistics follow employment figures that showed Victoria lost 73,000 jobs in the two months to September, the rest of the country gaining 172,000 jobs over the same period.
Victorian opposition treasury spokeswoman Louise Staley said the data was “another punch in the stomach for long-suffering Victorians who are looking for work”.
“They show the economic disaster caused by the Andrews Labor government’s bungled hotel quarantine program and inadequate contact tracing,” Ms Staley said.
“While Victorians have done the right thing and should be looking forward to coming out of tough restrictions with a sense of hope, these numbers will destroy those hopes.
“Daniel Andrews and Labor need to provide meaningful support to help create jobs in small businesses and private enterprise, so Victorians can get back to work and back in business. This means making sure there are no new or increased taxes in this month’s state budget.”
Treasurer Tim Pallas is due to hand down his budget on November 21.
Retail trade figures also released on Wednesday show Victoria’s retail trade fell by 17.9 per cent between March and October, despite NSW growing its retail trade by 2.4 per cent and Queensland by 1.2 per cent over the same period.
READ MORE: Where Aussie women still lead the men
Rachel Baxendale 4pm: Andrews affirms end to 25km travel ban
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has indicated he will stick with his promise to get rid of a 25km travel limit for Melburnians and a ban on travel to regional Victoria on Sunday, but has refused to discuss details of any other coronavirus restrictions that may be relaxed ahead of the planned announcement.
The abolition of the 25km travel limit and the “ring of steel” around Melbourne, as well as increasing hospitality capacity limits to 40 indoor patrons and reopening gyms to up to 20 were foreshadowed when Mr Andrews released Melburnians from 111 days in stay-at-home lockdown last week.
Asked whether he was considering easing other restrictions following five straight days with no new coronavirus cases in Victoria, Mr Andrews said: “I’ll make Sunday’s announcements on Sunday.
“It’ll all be based on data tomorrow, the day after, you know, we’ve always done this, we’ve always looked at the most contemporary picture.
“I can’t predict what we’ll announce, other than what we’ve already already outlined.
“I think we’re well on track to be able to do all of those things, so 25km goes, ring of steel goes, hospo venues go to 40 inside, all the stuff we announced a couple of weeks ago.
“These test numbers are very, very positive and I’ve been obviously monitoring them closely over the course of the last few days, and they’re very, very strong, but we have to keep those numbers up, because the more complete picture we have, the more confidence we have about what’s out there, and therefore what isn’t.
“There’s no vaccine, a day of zero or even five days of zero is not the same as having a vaccine. We all have to remain vigilant.”
Asked whether he was likely to relax rules requiring Victorians to wear masks at all times when outside their homes, Mr Andrews said: “Look, it’s possible that we can have some changes at the appropriate time, and that’ll come after detailed health advice, but I’ve been very clear with you for weeks and months now, that I’d be a holdout on this, because I think that it is serving a purpose.
“It’s a bit of an insurance policy.”
Addressing journalists outside the lion enclosure as he announced an $84m package at the Werribee Open Range Zoo, Mr Andrews said it was the “first time that I have not been in front of a purple wall or at my house in months, and I couldn’t think of a better place to be.”
The Premier held 120 consecutive press conferences at Melbourne’s Treasury Theatre during the state’s second wave of coronavirus, which was caused by breaches in his government’s hotel quarantine program.
Mr Andrews said he had finally had a “professional haircut”, after having his hair cut by wife Cath during the three-and-a-half months when hairdressing salons were closed in Melbourne.
“Yes, (I’ve had) a professional haircut,” Mr Andrews said.
“There were a couple of amateur ones along the way.”
READ MORE: Virus still lurking? ‘Absolutely’
AFP 3.15pm: Anger at second closing time for English pubs
English pubs call last orders at the bar for a month on Thursday (AEDT), as the country effectively shuts down for the second time this year to cut coronavirus cases.
Pub owners and industry organisations are angry and concerned at the move, warning that after struggling with the first lockdown, it could cause many pubs to call “time” for good.
“Make no mistake, this could be the final straw for thousands of pubs and brewers,” said Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association.
The organisation, which represents some 20,000 venues across Britain and whose members brew 90 per cent of the country’s beer, said it would have a knock-on effect.
“It will also create major disruption to our supply chain partners whose businesses are now also at severe risk,” said Ms McClarkin.
Restaurants, gyms and non-essential shops and services will also close for four weeks from Thursday until December 2, with hopes business could resume in time for Christmas.
But pubs, which have played a central part in British cultural and social life for centuries, have become emblematic of the disruption caused by the outbreak.
When he announced the first lockdown in March, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said taking “the ancient, inalienable right of free-born people of the United Kingdom to go to the pub” was “wrenching”.
The pubs reopened in July but social distancing measures, including 10pm early closing and a bar on people from different households mixing indoors, have dented takings.
Trade body UKHospitality has warned that clubs, pubs and bars will face the cumulative effects of the first lockdown and more recent restrictions when they have to shut again.
“If hospitality, the sector that is our country’s third largest employer, is to survive and help drive economic recovery, it will need equivalent — or more — support than that of the first lockdown,” said chief executive Kate Nicholls.
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Angelica Snowden 1.45pm: Palaszczuk won’t budge on early reopening
Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says she will not move faster on opening up her state to Sydneysiders and will consider lifting restrictions at the end of the month.
Ms Palaszczuk said she would not change her mind on easing border restrictions despite the announcement from NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian her state would welcome Victorians from November 23.
“I have said all along we will review those decisions at the end of month,” Ms Palaszczuk said. “The chief health officer will provide health advice and we will take that advice,” she said.
Ms Palaszczuk noted free movement between NSW and Victoria would also not take place until the end of the month.
READ MORE: Low Covid states lead recovery
Angelica Snowden 1.25pm: New Zealand reports new Covid cases
Two workers from a New Zealand hotel quarantine facility have tested positive to COVID-19.
The latest case was identified in a worker from the Sudima Christchurch Airport isolation facility on Wednesday, New Zealand paper Stuff reported.
The latest case was a close contact of another healthcare worker who contracted COVID-19 at the same location on Monday where mariners from Russia and the Ukraine are staying.
Previously 31 positive cases were identified at the hotel.
The Ministry of Health confirmed the latest cases after routine testing of workers from the facility.
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Rachel Baxendale 12.50pm: Andrews hits out at ‘inaccurate’ commentary
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says his NSW counterpart Gladys Berejiklian’s decision on Wednesday to reopen the border between the two states from November 24 has “put to bed” some “unhelpful” and “rather inaccurate” commentary about Victoria’s contact tracing capability.
Hotel quarantine breaches and contact tracing failures saw Victoria’s active coronavirus caseload peak at 7880 cases on August 11, while NSW remained open with no more than a few hundred active cases at any point during the second wave.
Since August, Victoria has made significant investments in improving its systems, investing in a Salesforce computer system and adopting the NSW tactic of using localised contact tracing hubs and quarantining primary and secondary contacts of known cases as soon as possible.
Welcoming five days with no new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, Mr Andrews said he had earlier spoken to Ms Berejiklian ahead of her reopening announcement.
“I certainly don’t think that Gladys Berejiklian would be opening her border to a state she didn’t have confidence in, so a bit of this bit of this commentary, rather unhelpful commentary, rather inaccurate commentary, that’s just I think been put to bed today,” Mr Andrews said of claims Victoria’s contact tracing systems cannot be trusted.
“You know, the Premier of New South Wales would not be opening her border if she didn’t have confidence in a couple of important things: one the public health response in our state, but most importantly confidence in the people of Victoria to stay the course, to see this thing off, to get the numbers as low as we have, but keep them low.
“So this is very good news, not just for those who live close to that border, but indeed for all Victorians, but again I would urge Victorians: don’t be going to Sydney for Christmas, unless you absolutely have to.
“If you want a summer holiday, we’ve got lots of opportunities here, lots of things on offer, the very best in the country now no less.”
READ MORE: Prince William’s ‘strange’ Covid move
Angelica Snowden 12.30pm: ‘Some risk’ in NSW border reopening
Ms Berejiklian said she was “proud” anyone from across the country will soon be able to visit NSW and she accepted “some level of risk” with the eased restrictions.
“But we believe that it’s a cautious risk it’s a calculated risk and we’re confident that our health system and the processes we have in place in NSW, allow that to happen,” she said.
“The reason why I’m making that announcement today is because I want to give people notice – I want families to make plans, businesses, including airlines ... to plan ahead of Christmas.”
Unless something “extraordinary” happens between now and November 23, Ms Berejiklian said she was confident the date would remain.
After health authorities expressed concerns COVID-19 was “continuing to lurk” in the south west suburbs Ms Berejiklian also said “there was no reason” any hospitality business in NSW should not have a QR code check in system after she announced they would be compulsory.
She slammed Western Australia and Queensland for their approach to borders as “completely nonsensical”.
“The approach taken by WA and Queensland does not make sense,” she said. “It just highlights the fact they have completely not taken health advice.
“I think the announcement by NSW is a logical one but what it highlights is the lack of logic that Queensland and WA have placed in relation to their border strategy.”
NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant said her department was not interested in “passing on information” collected via QR codes and personal details are collected for the sole purpose of contact tracing.
“Health’s intent with QR codes and the data contained within them is to follow up cases of COVID and track any close contacts and give them the appropriate health advice,” Dr Chant said.
Electronic data gathering is also being considered for places of worship.
READ MORE: Pay cut ‘worth it’ to work from home
Rachel Baxendale 12.10pm: Premier Andrews repeats virus warning
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has warned coronavirus is “still lurking” in the Victorian community and the recent string of five days with no new cases “won’t last” if people don’t follow social distancing rules and wear masks.
Having announced that there are now just 30 known active cases of the virus in Victoria, Mr Andrews said he had been concerned by scenes of thousands of Victorians crowding onto beaches to enjoy a sunny Melbourne Cup Day, many of whom were flouting the legal requirement to wear masks while outside their homes.
“I just ask all Victorians: we’ve all built this together, we’ve made great sacrifices, it’s fragile, it’s precious, and if we don’t all value it and play our part: wearing a mask, keeping our distance as much as we possibly can, following the rules as they relate to you, then this won’t last,” Mr Andrews said.
“As positive as this is, as special as the achievement that we have all been able to deliver over these weeks and months, it is fragile, and it will not last if every Victorian doesn’t play their part.
“And it’s simple things: in the choices you make every day the, simplest of choices, make good choices for safety, make good choices for lives and also for livelihoods, because while we continue to see these low numbers, then we can keep the place open, and we can take further steps to open up even more, and that’s what Sunday will be this week.”
The Premier has foreshadowed a relaxation of restrictions from 11:59pm on Sunday, which will enable Melburnians to travel more than 25km from their homes, including to regional Victoria.
“Whilst we’d love this to be gone, it isn’t. It’s still lurking there, it’s still smouldering, and unless we have that kind of collective sense of absolute responsibility for where we find ourselves in a week, in a month, in three months, then we won’t get the good outcomes that we’ve all worked so hard to achieve,” Mr Andrews said.
“It’s a small price to pay, a small contribution to make, but it makes a profound difference to all of our safety, and to the settings, so we can open and keep on opening, and indeed stay open.”
READ MORE: How to keep strong during the pandemic
Rachel Baxendale 11.50am: Andrews announces $84m zoo investment
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has begun his state budget sell, holding his first press conference in five days outside the lion enclosure at the Werribee Open Range Zoo in Melbourne’s outer southwest to unveil an $84m investment.
The package will include a new elephant sanctuary to house six Asian elephants currently housed at Melbourne Zoo, and a tree-top “Sky Safari” gondola, offering views across the Werribee River to the city and the You Yangs, as well as a newly designed site for rhinos and bison and a new “waterhole precinct”.
Environment Minister Lily D’Ambrosio said the new elephant sanctuary would be the “gold standard” in animal welfare, enabling the herd to roam freely across 22 hectares, with a walking trail for visitors.
The relocation of the elephant herd completes Stage One of Zoos Victoria‘s 2030 strategy, creating new space at Melbourne Zoo.
The Andrews government says the initiative will create 90 direct jobs at the Werribee Zoo, and 260 indirect jobs.
The government aims to increase annual Werribee Zoo visitor numbers from 680,000 in 2018-19 to more than a million.
Ms D’Ambrosio said the elephant sanctuary and gondola projects were “shovel-ready” with construction to begin soon, creating an initial 41 jobs.
She said the government would extend its “kids free” policy until June 2021, enabling free admission for all Victorians under 16 at the Werribee Zoo, Melbourne Zoo and Healesville Sanctuary, during weekends, public holidays and school holidays.
Treasurer Tim Pallas said the Zoo redevelopment was expected to contribute more than $17.8 million annually to Victoria’s economy once complete.
READ MORE: Covid no match for the Cup
Angelica Snowden 11.35am: Sydney case cluster grows to 10
The three locally acquired cases in Sydney are linked to the Hoxton Park cluster, which has increased to 10 cases.
Two of the cases – a child and an adult – attended Flip Out Prestons Indoor trampoline park and are contacts of a previously reported case who attended the park.
Another child also contracted COVID after they attended Bambino’s kindergarten in Horningsea Park in Sydney’s south west where a previously reported case attended.
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Angelica Snowden 11.25am: Premier reveals border opening date
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has confirmed her state will open its borders to Victoria from November 23.
On Monday, 23 November – the NSW/Victoria border will reopen. We need to keep moving forward as we live with COVID-19. I have confidence that everyone will continue to work hard to keep everyone safe.
— Gladys Berejiklian (@GladysB) November 4, 2020
“There will be free movement between Victoria and NSW,” Ms Berejiklian said. “NSW will be the only jurisdiction … where every Australian citizen is welcome, including New Zealand citizens,” she said.
Ms Berejiklian also announced the use of QR codes will be made mandatory across all hospitality businesses from November 23.
There were 9 COVID-19 cases reported in NSW overnight.
Three of those were locally acquired and are in isolation. The remaining six were identified in hotel quarantine.
Rachel Baxendale 11.15am: Victoria’s active cases down to just 30
Victoria now has just 30 known active cases of coronavirus – down from 38 on Tuesday, 80 a week ago, and a peak of 7880 on August 11.
The number comes after the state recorded its fifth consecutive day with no new cases on Wednesday.
There are two people in Victorian hospitals with coronavirus, neither of whom are in intensive care – with that number steady since last Friday.
There have been 3,233,374 coronavirus tests processed in Victoria since the pandemic began, including 17,357 tests processed in the 24 hours to Wednesday.
Staff Reporters 10.50am: Melbourne Lord Mayor wins re-election
City of Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp has been re-elected with a big win over her former deputy, Arron Wood.
Ms Capp and deputy mayor Nicholas Reece won 27,949 votes to Mr Wood’s 13,497. After preferences, the incumbent won more than 53 per cent.
The Melbourne leader has, at times, had a strained relationship with the Victorian Labor government amid the Covid crisis.
In August, Ms Capp criticised the state’s lack of a recovery plan amid its strict Covid lockdowns.
In late October she accused the Andrews government of “changing the goalposts” over its plans to move out of lockdowns.
Congratulations to re-elected Lord Mayor @sallycapp and new Deputy Lord Mayor @Nicholas_Reece!
— Rohan Leppert (@RohanLeppert) November 3, 2020
Anne Barrowclough 10.15am: Pandemic ‘key issue’ for US voters
Early exit polls from the US election show that the coronavirus and the economy and are the two major issues for voters.
One third of respondents said the economy was the most important issue, while 18 per cent named the coronavirus pandemic as the most important factor, according to preliminary data from Edison Research.
Follow The Australian’s live US election coverage here
Lachlan Moffet Gray 9.50am: CBA ignores Treasurer, RBA on rates
The nation’s biggest bank ignores Treasurer’s calls for banks to pass on the record low rates, holding firm on variable mortgage rates.
Despite warnings from Josh Frydenberg and the Reserve Bank governor, Commonwealth Bank will not pass on any of Tuesday’s interest cuts to any of its variable loans, instead reducing a range of interest rates on other products. Read more here
Andrew McMillen 9.35am: Putting the life back into music, at last
More than 1000 COVID-safe concerts will be held across NSW in November, including by Missy Higgins and Jimmy Barnes. Read more here
Eli Greenblat 9.05am: Online sales boost Woolworths profit
Woolworths has posted an 11.5% lift in first quarter same store sales, fuelled by a doubling of online and strong gains in liquor. Read more here
Angelica Snowden 8.38am: Berejiklian warned: Beware Victoria’s ‘shambolic’ tracing
Gladys Berejiklian is being urged to take a “cautious” approach to opening the NSW border with Victoria because of the state’s “shambolic” contact tracing capability.
Victorian liberal MP Tim Smith made the comment after the NSW Premier revealed she would likely allow Victorian residents to visit NSW from November, reported in The Daily Telegraph.
“I think Gladys is sending exactly the right message but what she has got to be careful of is the shambolic contact tracing management from the Victorian government,” Mr Smith told 2GB.
“It’s absolutely ridiculous that we don’t have a government run QR code system whereby you flash your mobile phone and the data is collected,” he said.
The Sydney to Melbourne air route is one of the busiest in the world and should be opened when it is safe to do so, Mr Smith said.
“Hopefully it will send a message to the premier of Queensland that it is safe to open up as well,” he said.
“All credit to Gladys for sending this signal but I just caution her in the sense that Daniel Andrews has stuffed this up so badly and for so long she needs to give it a couple of weeks.”
Mr Smith said Ms Berejiklian’s plans to open up the state by November 23 was the “correct response” to allow a few weeks after stay at home restrictions eased to see how the Victorian government could cope with new cases.
“It’s very easy to contain the virus when everyone is inside for 22 hours a day,” he said.
“It is much harder to suppress it when you have got cafes, restaurants, pubs reopened – that’s the hard part.
“That’s what NSW has been doing so well for the last couple of months.”
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Angelica Snowden 8.21am: ‘Can go off like wildfire’: Restaurant ordered shut
NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant says now is a “critical period” for the state despite low COVID-19 cases.
Dr Chant urged the community to come forward for testing amid fears the virus could “spread like wildfire”.
COVID-19 is still circulating in our community and the risk of outbreaks and a resurgence of cases remains.
— New South Wales Chief Health Officer (@NSWCHO) November 3, 2020
We are urging everyone to continue to come forward for testing at the first sign of symptoms, no matter how mild.
Find your nearest COVID clinic: https://t.co/rT0b1oxq4S pic.twitter.com/PpFQSl6zla
“Even though case numbers we are reporting are very low we know that if this virus gets a foothold in the community it can go off like wildfire,” Dr Chant tweeted on Tuesday night.
“Particularly if we drop our guard in terms of those COVID safe practices so it is critical we undertake testing.”
It came after NSW Health released a statement on Tuesday afternoon to confirm it directed Jasmins1 Lebanese restaurant in Sydney’s south west to remain closed until further notice after they failed to “provide records relating to staffing and patronage in a timely manner to support public health action”.
A staff member and customer contracted COVID-19 at the restaurant which NSW Health said failed to implement COVID-19 safety measures.
“NSW Health informed the restaurant on 28 October that cases of COVID-19 had attended the restaurant three days earlier,” the health authority said in a statement.
“After being notified that people with COVID-19 had attended the restaurant while infectious and advised that any staff who worked at that time are close contacts and required to isolate up to and including 8 November, at least one staff member continued to work at the restaurant.”
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Rachel Baxendale 8.15am: Victoria records another zero day
Victoria has recorded a fifth consecutive day with no new coronavirus cases and no deaths, a week after being released from stay-at-home lockdown.
Zero new cases and zero lives lost reported in the last 24 hours. The 14 day rolling average is now 1.7, and there are 2 cases with an unknown source. For more info visit: https://t.co/eTputEZdhs #COVIDVicData pic.twitter.com/uQ3rm75oO5
— VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) November 3, 2020
Melbourne’s 14-day daily average is now 1.7 — down from 1.9 on Tuesday.
The number of cases in Melbourne for which contact tracers have been unable to establish a source of infection remains steady at two for the most recent fortnight for which the statistic is available – spanning October 19 to November 1. Regional Victoria has not had a case for more than a fortnight.
The number of active cases statewide was 38 on Tuesday.
Victoria has now had 20,345 confirmed cases of coronavirus, and 819 deaths, all but 19 of which occurred as a result of breaches in the Andrews government’s hotel quarantine program in late May and early June.
While retail and hospitality businesses have reopened after a 111-day stay-at-home lockdown was finally lifted last Wednesday, strict capacity limits remain, as does a 25km travel limit for Melburnians, and a prohibition on travel between Melbourne and regional Victoria, both of which are set to be lifted from 11:59pm on Sunday.
The fifth day of zero comes Victoria’s Commander of Testing and Community Engagement Jeroen Weimar yesterday warned that there were “absolutely” still unidentified cases of coronavirus in the state, despite the string of days without any new known cases.
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Agencies 7.44am: France sending Covid patients to Germany
France is planning to transfer COVID-19 patients to Germany for treatment as hospitals break under the pressure from spiking virus cases, a hospital federation said on Tuesday.
President of the FHF hospitals federation Frederic Valletoux said some patients in the heavily affected northern region of Hauts-de-France will move to Germany as well as other parts of France.
On November 3 52,106 new cases of COVID were reported in France.
The move came after the government reconsidered a night curfew in Paris to make it harder to skirt lockdown rules.
Patient transfers from the Hauts-de-France region to Germany were planned within the coming 10 days when intensive care units in France are expected to reach saturation point, Mr Valletoux said.
Amid the height of the first wave of cases in March and April, France had to send dozens of patients to Germany as well as Austria, Luxembourg and Switzerland.
Earlier on Tuesday, the French government seemed in a curfew kerfuffle when spokesman
The news came after EU leaders announced they will hold a video summit on November 19 to discuss responses to the coronavirus pandemic.
The European Council president Charles Michel announced the summit on Tuesday.
“I will convene a new EUCO (EU summit) videoconference to the EU response to COVID-19 on Thursday 19 November at 6pm (1700 GMT),” his spokesman Barend Leyts tweeted.
The European heads of state and government held an initial video summit dedicated to the issue on October 29, to better co-ordinate and learn from each others’ experiences.
They have said they intend to hold such exchanges regularly.
Europe is struggling under a second wave of coronavirus infections that threatens to outpace the first wave early this year.
As the world mourns at least 1.2 million deaths linked to the disease, Europe has emerged as the region where the virus is now propagating the fastest.
That has prompted governments to reimpose curfews, bar closures and other severe restrictions, despite sharp discontent from some segments of the public.
AFP
READ MORE: Covid no match for the Cup
Robert Gottliebsen 7.31am: Smart money for Biden, punters back Trump
The money vote has been cast. The big money in both the US and Australia is on a clear Joe Biden win in the race to be the 46th president.
But many ordinary Australians have a very different view.
Joe Biden is expected to spend larger amounts than Donald Trump to restore the US economy so while the ballot was in progress US shares rose strongly as investors favoured hard assets.
Gold busted through the $US1900 an ounce barrier while 10-year bonds were friendless and the yield jumped to its highest level since June.
A Donald Trump clear win would surprise the share market but would not be a catastrophe.
On the other hand if the “smart money” is wrong and the election ends in a quagmire with no result for weeks, then the share market will fall sharply.
READ Robert Gottliebsen’s full commentary on the US election here
Angelica Snowden 7.10am: NSW may lift Victoria border closure on Nov 23
NSW could lift border restrictions with Victoria by the end of November after four months of the strict lockout aimed at containing the spread of COVID-19.
NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian will consider opening the border to Victorians on November 23, The Daily Telegraph has reported.
Ms Berejiklian announced on July 8 she would shut the state off amid a second wave of coronavirus cases in Victoria which led to more than 800 deaths and a daily surge of more than 700 new cases per day in July.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has finally set a date to open the state’s border to Victoria after more than four months of it being closed due to coronavirus. https://t.co/CvxkgTQFSF
— The Daily Telegraph (@dailytelegraph) November 3, 2020
Tough lockdown restrictions were eased by Victorian premier Daniel Andrews on October 18 after more than 100 days of severe stay-at-home orders and curfews.
Residents in metropolitan Melbourne are now able to leave their houses with no time limit for exercising or socialising. Melburnians can now also travel up to 25km from their homes.
The news came as Victoria recorded its fourth straight day of no new community COVID cases and no deaths on Tuesday, with Ms Berejiklian also highlighting how “keen” she was for Queensland to open its border to Sydneysiders.
Based on an overall trend of low case numbers in her state and effective contact tracing, Ms Berejiklian said NSW residents should be welcome in every state and territory throughout the country.
“I want to also stress in relation to Victoria, that the NSW government will move forward with confidence, and also with speed,” she said on Monday.
“Dr Chant, myself and my colleagues have had a good discussion about how quickly we’ll move and I wouldn’t be surprised if we moved more quickly against Victoria than Queensland did against us.”
READ MORE: NSW border to open to Victoria in weeks
Rosie Lewis 4.45am: State’s hard border necessary, court told
Western Australia’s hard border closure, which has been in place for more than seven months, is necessary and has proven the most effective measure in keeping the population safe from COVID-19, the state’s solicitor-general declared.
Joshua Thomson SC, appearing before the full bench of the High Court on Tuesday after mining magnate Clive Palmer challenged the validity of the border closure, also conceded that removing the restriction presented a “greater risk” to the state because social distancing had been relaxed and there was a high level of “mixing” among West Australians.
The defence of WA’s border came as Mr Palmer’s counsel was forced to acknowledge the state government’s “closing the border” directions were put in place for the protection of health and not to restrict interstate travel.
Peter Dunning QC, representing Mr Palmer, abandoned his argument that the border closure was unconstitutional because it was designed to prevent free movement between states and said instead the test should be whether the measure was “reasonably necessary”.
He said WA should have opened up to states including Queensland with a “low and acceptable” risk of bringing in COVID-19, in an oral submission that was frequently questioned by the High Court judges.
Mr Thomson and Mr Dunning drew extensively on findings by Federal Court judge Darryl Rangiah, who in August found the WA border was “effective to a substantial extent” in reducing the probability of COVID-19 entering the state.
Read the full story here.
Rachel Baxendale 4.30am: Virus still lurking? ‘Absolutely’, Victoria warned
Victoria’s Commander of Testing and Community Engagement Jeroen Weimar has warned that there are “absolutely” still significant numbers of unidentified cases of coronavirus in the state, despite four consecutive days without any new known cases.
Mr Weimar’s comments came as Victoria’s number of known active cases fell to 38 on Tuesday, down from 87 a week prior and 49 on Monday, and as police arrested 404 people amid a violent anti-lockdown protest in Melbourne’s CBD.
“We’re really encouraged by a number of days of zero cases (but) none of us believes that we’re over this,” Mr Weimar said.
“We still believe there are significant levels of COVID cases out there in the community. We have to continue to be very alert to those, and if we can ensure that we manage those outbreaks really quickly, then we can continue to ease off the restrictions.”
Asked whether he was saying there were cases in Victoria that weren’t showing up through testing, he replied: “Absolutely.”
Mr Weimar made reference to Victoria’s most recent case with no known source, detected in a person in Deer Park, in Melbourne’s west, on October 30.
“If you see the fact that we still have the Deer Park case that cropped up last week, we’re doing the genomics at the moment to see where that came from, but it’s a bit of an unexpected development that we hadn’t seen coming.”
Once again, there were zero new cases and zero lives lost in the last 24 hours. The 14 day average remains at 1.9 and there are 2 cases with an unknown source. More info: https://t.co/pcll7ySEgz #COVID19VicData pic.twitter.com/KeHXtcoFfZ
— VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) November 2, 2020
Read the full story here.
Damon Johnston 4.15am: Cup bets tumble as punters keep distance
Victoria’s coronavirus second wave has claimed another economic victim, with betting on Tuesday’s 160th Melbourne Cup taking a steep dive.
Early TAB figures revealed Victorian wagering on the race that stops the nation fell to $28m, down 17.7 per cent on last year, suggesting the lack of a 100,000-strong crowd at Flemington and concern about the economy hit hard.
TAB outlets reopened only last week after being closed, along with much of Melbourne’s economy, as the pandemic raged through the suburbs.
An unbelievable performance from Twilight Payment who has won the Lexus #MelbourneCup.
— Racing.com (@Racing) November 3, 2020
Jye McNeil is now a Cup winner, what a star. âï¸ @FlemingtonVRC @RacingInsider pic.twitter.com/GMoXvNdRhG
It’s also believed that social-distancing crowd limits at pubs and retail centres with TAB outlets also helped suppress betting among Melbourne punters.
TAB said preliminary figures showed there was about $100m wagered with its outlets on Tuesday, down 6 per cent nationally.
When the Mystery Trifecta pays up! 🤑 #MelbourneCup pic.twitter.com/gGdXOI8hdF
— TAB (@tabcomau) November 3, 2020
Read the full story here.
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