Coronavirus Australia live updates: Cormann extends $550 student bonus, Senator Rex Patrick tests positive
The Morrison government has extended its $550 coronavirus supplement to students toughened border measures.
- Palaszczuk closes Queensland borders
- Another MP tests positive
- NZ in total lockdown
- 500,000 test kits on the way
- 2020 ‘our toughest year’
Welcome to live coverage of the continuing coronavirus crisis. Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced she will close Queensland’s borders as Scott Morrison says 2020 will be our toughest year yet. Across Australia, pubs, clubs, churches, cinemas, indoor sports venues and casinos will today be closed.
Greg Brown 11.11pm: Stimulus bill passes parliament
The Morrison government’s coronavirus stimulus package has passed the parliament.
The House of Representatives waved through Senate amendments to expand the fortnightly $550 welfare supplement payment to include 230,000 students.
The omnibus legislation of more than $85 billion of measures was debated in a single sitting day in Canberra.
Greg Brown 10.05pm Cormann extends $550 student bonus
More than 230,000 students have been given a $550 boost to their income after the Morrison government extended its stimulus package in the Senate on Monday night.
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann said new powers would be given to Social Services Minister Anne Ruston allowing her to change the eligibility for the payment by regulation.
Senator Cormann said the government would include people on Austudy, Abstudy and Youth Allowance payments to receive the fortnightly coronavirus supplement.
The amended legislation will have to go to another vote in the House of Representatives.
“The government will amend social security law to allow the Minister for Families and Social Services to make changes to the relevant legislation via legislative instrument,” Senator Cormann said,
“This power will allow the government to act with the utmost flexibility in the unprecedented circumstances we are experiencing in respect of the coronavirus outbreak.
“It will allow us to alter settings associated with payment rates, means testing arrangements, eligibility criteria, waiting periods and residency requirements to respond in a measured and timely manner. This power will cease at the end of 2020.”
Senator Cormann said the government would use the power to “imminently” expand the six-month payment to students.
“The government recognises that in these unprecedented times some Australians will need to depend on government assistance in the short term to help them through,” Senator Cormann said.
“Providing additional financial support through social security is just one of the ways the Australian government is helping support individuals, communities and the economy during these testing times.”
READ MORE: Last drinks: ‘I think it’s overkill’
Angelica Snowden 9.50pm Tasmania climbs to 28 cases
Tasmania has confirmed it now has 28 cases of coronavirus after six more people tested positive to COVID-19.
Four of the cases were from the Ruby Princess cruise ship, which allowed passengers to disembark in Sydney on Thursday.
NSW Health confirmed 26 people had tested positive to the virus after all passengers had left the ship.
Another case is from the Celebrity Solstice cruise ship that arrived in Sydney on March 20, and one has recently returned from overseas.
Three of the sufferers are from orthern Tasmania and three are from the south.
All cases are people who returned from overseas travel or cruise ships. No evidence was found of of community transmission in Tasmania.
Angelica Snowden 9.23pm Passengers question screening at Sydney Airport
International arrivals at Sydney Airport are not having their temperatures taken or checked with thermal scanners and are allowed to leave the airport with no other guarantee they will self isolate aside from signing a declaration.
One traveller and her friend, who wanted to remain anonymous, return home to Australia amid fears they would be stuck in Europe after living in London for a year-and-a-half.
“It’s concerning when you see other countries that have quite strong measures in place to contain this virus,” she said.
“I think because we have come from the UK a week ahead of what the Aussie attitude is at the moment we were a little bit more cautious.”
The pair had to transit through Changi Airport in Singapore and landed in Sydney early Monday morning.
“I did feel a lot more comfortable going through the Singaporean airport when I knew that people were getting thermal-tested and at random they were getting their temperature taken,” she said, adding: “But we didn’t see any of that in Sydney.”
The woman said it was up to passengers on the flight to identify themselves to medical professionals if they had symptoms of coronavirus.
“There was a declaration we had to fill out on the plane to say that we would quarantine for 14 days,” she said.
“It was just up to everyone, if they felt ill or had a cough then they had to turn themselves in, but I don’t know who would do that unless they were actually forced to.”
She said an announcement was made to all passengers before they were allowed to disembark, stating that it was essential for passengers to self-isolate for two weeks on return to the country.
“Last week in the UK we had the same attitude that’s going on here at the moment in terms of social distancing. Certainly now it has a much bigger importance in our heads than it did last week,” she said.
READ MORE: Ardern toughens shutdown
Patrick Commins 7.39pm Cafe and pub closures risk $10bn wages wipeout
The mandated shutdown of non-essential industries such as cafes, pubs and casinos directly threatens the livelihoods of 300,000 Australians employed across tens of thousands of businesses.
As long lines formed outside Centrelink centres across the country, analysis of exclusive IBISWorld data by The Australian shows the closure of non-essential services, including pubs, cafes, gyms, cinemas, casinos, amusement parks and zoos, could erase $10bn in workers’ wages.
The data showed cafes alone employ nearly 150,000 people nationwide while pubs and nightclubs employ close to 80,000.
Angelica Snowden 7.36pm WA cases hit 140
Western Australia’s has reported 20 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total in the state to 140.
The new cases are all from the Perth metropolitan area, including 12 males and eight females aged between 20 and 70.
The state announced that a new clinic opened in Armadale on Monday to boost testing capabilities in the Perth metropolitan area.
A further three clinics will be opened in Rockingham on Tuesday, and in Midland and Joondalup on Wednesday.
READ MORE: What is and isn’t open during shutdowns
Angelica Snowden 7.02pm Hong Kong halts arrivals
Hong Kong says it is banning all tourist arrivals to the global financial centre amid a spike in imported cases of the coronavirus.
It joins cities worldwide in the battle to contain the spread of COVID-19.
The government also said it was studying whether to suspend the sale of alcohol in bars and restaurants in the city, which has 318 confirmed cases of coronavirus and four deaths.
READ MORE: Last drinks: ‘I think it’s overkill’
Tom Smithies 7.51pm A-League suspends season
The A-League has bowed to the inevitable and suspended its season.
A conference call of club owners and senior FFA staff on Monday afternoon took the decision to halt the season as of Tuesday, with Newcastle’s game against Melbourne City on Monday night bizarrely going ahead at McDonald Jones Stadium.
FFA chief executive James Johnson is expected to confirm the suspension on Tuesday morning at a press conference.
Angelica Snowden 7.45pm Go online for Centrelink: Frydenberg
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says it will be a “difficult” and “challenging” time for Australians before a vaccine is developed to halt the rapid spread of coronavirus.
“We do know that the economy will bounce back stronger than ever after the coronavirus has gone through,” Mr Frydenberg told the Nine Network on Monday night.
“That is obvious because this is a health crisis and it’s not going to be solved by the bankers, and the politicians and the public servants.
“It’s going to be solved by the medical researchers and by the scientists and the doctors. And once we have that vaccine, then the economy and life will bounce back.”
Mr Frydenberg said people should apply for welfare online to avoid crowds and adhere to social distancing measures.
“With respect to people queuing outside Centrelink, people can go online,” he said.
“That is the preferred way to engage with the welfare system. If you are an existing client of Centrelink, then the money will automatically make its way into your account.”
After the website crashed today, 5000 extra staff were recruited to support Centrelink meet an increase in demand for services as more casual workers are expected to lose their jobs, the Treasurer said.
“That’s going to be important in ensuring that we can deal with this increased demand,” he said. “We are keen to ensure that the online systems remain secure and stable.”
READ MORE: Centrelink at breaking point
Greg Brown 7.23pm Parliament cancelled until August
Parliament has been cancelled until at least August under a revised sitting calendar endorsed by the House of Representatives.
Scheduled sitting weeks in March, May and June have been axed, with MPs due to next convene on August 11.
The budget was postponed from May to October.
Paul Garvey 7.14pm Doctor protests over resources wasted on facelifts
A senior cardiac anaesthetist has walked off the job at a private hospital in protest over elective surgeries, warning that crucial medical materials that could keep COVID-19 patients alive in the weeks to come were being used on people getting facelifts.
Dr Steve Same, a 30-year medical veteran of the Mount Hospital in Perth, told The Australian he had quarantined himself a week ago after becoming increasingly frustrated by elective medical procedures.
“Doing elective surgery at the moment is ridiculous from so many points of view,” he said.
“You do use up resources — you use up masks and personal protective equipment and breathing apparatus and medication. This is all critical, so why should someone getting a facelift now use up these products when someone who is dying in the near future won’t be able to get them because supplies have run out?”
Dr Same was one of 10 cardiac anaethetists who put their name to a letter urging parents to take their children out of school now if possible and urging the public to fully isolate themselves at home.
WA Health Minister Roger Cook said over the weekend that all “category three” elective surgery — defined as surgery deemed medically necessary within 12 months — would be suspended at public hospitals across the state.
Elective surgeries defined as necessary within three months are still going ahead in the public system.
READ MORE: What is and isn’t open during statewide shutdowns
Angelica Snowden 7.04pm Infections jump in Queensland and SA
Queensland and South Australia have announced a jump in positive coronavirus cases.
Queensland Health confirmed another 60 cases were identified on Monday, bringing the total in the state to 319.
The new cases included 33 men and 27 women aged between 21 and 81, the health authority said .
A further 34 people were confirmed to have coronavirus in South Australia, with a total of 134 cases in the state.
South Australian health officials said the new cases included people aged in their 20s to their 70s.
Australia has 1709 confirmed cases of the COVID-19.
READ MORE: The day the nation slipped into a coma
Sarah Elks 6.57pm Outcry in NSW over Queensland border closure
Nearly 10,000 people who live in northern NSW’s Tweed coast and drive to the Gold Coast everyday to work have been left confused and anxious after the Queensland government’s decision to close the state’s border.
Tweed Chamber of Commerce chair Warren Polglase, who is also a Tweed Shire councillor, said Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s border-closure announcement by tweet had caused “chaos”.
“I’ve had phone calls from tradies who say they’ve got two jobs in Queensland at the moment, but they live in Banoora Point (in NSW),” Mr Polglase said.
“Are their jobs essential? Or non-essential? They’re essential to their families, because they’re creating the income.
“There’ll be a lot of mums and dads sitting at their kitchen tables tonight, on both sides of the border, with no certainty about what this means.
“At times of great stress, governments have a responsibility when they make these announcements to give detail about how this is going to work.”
READ MORE: NRL shuts down season
Victoria Laurie 6.48pm GPs denied coronavirus test
Two GPs who were feeling ill and wanted to be checked for coronavirus were turned away from one of Western Australia’s state testing clinics.
AMA WA president Andrew Miller said the doctors were told they could not be tested if they were not working for the state health department, and did not meet the criteria because they had not been overseas.
“These are health workers who need to know if they should be working on the front line or not,” Dr Miller said.
Dr Miller says frontline doctors in WA are demanding a meeting with the government in the next few days to explain their virus strategy “if they want everybody to be on board”.
He says doctors are agitated about the lack of answers to critical questions, such as moves to address an acute shortage of masks and gowns.
READ MORE: What is and isn’t open during statewide shutdowns
Angelica Snowden 6.21pm Telcos deny service problems
The major telcos have denied significant problems in mobile phone and internet services, despite widespread complaints on Monday.
While Telstra acknowledged a spike in demand driven by the number of people working from home, a spokesman said: “We do not have any major network outages.”
“We are seeing a small amount of voice congestion across our networks due to the increased number of people working and studying from home.
“At this stage it appears to mainly be impacting some 13/1800 calls between service providers.”
Optus blamed any problems with connectivity on “another carrier”.
“Congestion on another carrier’s network is causing some Optus customers to experience intermittent errors when connecting to mobile and fixed services on that network,” the spokesman said.
“We would like to assure our customers that this is a priority and we are working with the other carrier to normalise services.”
Difficulties making phone calls come amid a massive failure in the MyGov website, which saw thousands of people flock to Centrelink offices around the country due to an overload of the system.
The Australian confirmed that security agencies ruled out an attack on government services, contrary to official government statements.
READ MORE: Centrelink at breaking point
Amos Aikman 6.11pm Military convoys on NT border
The Australian Defence Force will send teams to the Northern Territory border to help police monitor traffic and enforce quarantine requirements due to come into place from Tuesday afternoon.
From 4pm on Tuesday, anyone arriving in the Territory by air, land or sea will have to self-isolate for 14 days. The rule will be legally enforceable.
The ADF will send convoys to provide equipment and resources to police-operated checkpoints on major highways.
“These will be small teams operating in a support capacity,” a police statement said.
“The ADF’s role will be to set up camps at the checkpoints and provide medical assistance to conduct checks of people entering the Northern Territory.”
The border restrictions will require all arrivals to have their health checked and explain the purpose of their travel. There will be exemptions for a limited group of people who provide goods and essential services during the coronavirus pandemic.
“All people considering travelling to the Northern Territory are strongly urged to reconsider the necessity for their travel,” the statement said.
“Those travellers, who are found to not be exempt, will be required, by law, to self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival, with penalties applying to those who do not comply.
READ MORE: Premier bars cruise passengers
Greg Brown 6.01pm Cormann to get $40bn for urgent costs
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann will have an extra $40bn to urgently fund “unforeseen expenditure” under legislation set to pass the federal parliament on Monday night.
As part of supply bills that delay the budget until October, an extra $40bn has been provided to the Advance to the Finance Minister provision so the government has more firepower to fund medical equipment and new surplus measures.
The provision currently allows Senator Cormann to draw $1.2bn if there is a need for urgent expenditure without legislation.
Senator Cormann said the government needed the fiscal capacity to respond to “urgent and currently unforeseen requirements in a circumstance where there is uncertainty about when the parliament is next able to meet”.
Richard Ferguson 5.50pm Australian War Memorial closes
The Australian War Memorial will be closed to the public indefinitely from Tuesday due to coronavirus.
The closure of the national shrine comes after public Anzac Day ceremonies at home and abroad were cancelled to stop the spread of COVID-19.
“The health and safety of our visitors, veteran community, staff and volunteers remains the top priority for the Australian War Memorial,” a War Memorial spokesman said.
“The decision to close the Memorial to the public has been made with the wider community in mind. Where we can transition some programs to an online and/or digital delivery only, we will look to do so.”
The Memorial will still hold a televised commemorative service on Anzac Day.
Brent Read 6.40pm NRL season suspended
The NRL has suspended its season.
ARL Commission chair Peter V’landys and NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg will front a press conference on Monday night to confirm the game will shut down amid the threat of the coronavirus.
The decision comes less than 24 hours after V’landys insisted the game would go ahead. It is understood no time frame has been put on when the players and teams could return to action.
The decision to suspend the competition comes on another dramatic day for the code when the impact of COVID-19 hit the corridors of Rugby League Central.
The NRL effectively shut down their offices until the start of May and asked staff to take leave as the governing body took extraordinary steps to deal with the impact of the coronavirus.
It is understood the NRL executive will continue to work but non-essential staff have been asked to use their holidays as a means of saving money and their jobs in the long term.
The NRL also organised a phone hook-up with clubs to discuss the latest developments, including the Queensland government’s decision to lock down their borders.
Ultimately, it became a bridge too far for the code. Already, players have been asked to go into self-isolation and talks are continuing with the players union over how the situation will be monitored.
The NRL has also hired private charter jets to ferry their sides across state lines and insisted that their players follow strict protocols around hygiene.
READ MORE: NRL season suspended
Greg Brown 5.15pm: Coronavirus stimulus package passes House
The government’s coronavirus stimulus package has passed the House of Representatives.
The omnibus of legislation passed without dissent and did not need to go to a final vote.
The bills will now be voted on in the Senate.
READ MORE: The day a nation slipped into a coma
Ben Packham 5.05pm: Defence missions scaled back
The Australian Defence Force’s training missions in Afghanistan and Iraq have been suspended and non-essential personnel relocated to Australia’s main logistics base in the United Arab Emirates due to the COVID-19 crisis.
Those who are close to finishing their operational tours will return to Australia.
Defence Minister Reynolds said the move would not affect the force-protection of ADF personnel remaining in Iraq and Afghanistan.
She said Australia would continue to review the situation and resume training in the region when safe to do so.
READ MORE: Insurers go MIA
Greg Brown 5pm: Labor’s stimulus amendments fail
The vote on Labor’s amendments has been conducted differently to comply with social distancing etiquette.
MPs normally vote after being asked if they agree with an amendment, with those in favour of a change in legislation sitting on the government side of the House of Representatives and those opposed sitting on the opposition side.
This would force significant movement in the lower house for the vote on the amendment, with Labor MPs in favour of their proposed changes and the government MPs opposed.
To minimize social contact in the chamber, Speaker Tony Smith ordered that the question to be changed around so MPs voted on whether they disagreed with the amendments rather than whether they agreed with them.
This has ensured that Labor MPs who do not disagree with their own amendment can stay on the opposition side of the chamber, while Coalition MPs remain on the government side of the House.
Labor’s amendments to the government’s stimulus package have failed in the House of Representatives, paving the way for the bill to succeed in the lower house of parliament.
Forty-seven MPs voted in favour of disagreeing with the amendments, compared to 38 who voted against disagreeing with the amendments.
READ MORE: The latest COVID-19 casualty
Greg Brown 4.45pm: Treasurer reveals funding figures
Josh Frydenberg has revealed up to a million extra people will begin receiving welfare payments under the federal government’s coronavirus stimulus package.
The Treasurer said the new people receiving the $550 coronavirus supplement was on top of people already receiving Newstart.
“But in costing the coronavirus supplement treasury estimate that up to a million people, in addition to people already accessing Newstart, could be accessing this new coronavirus supplement,” Mr Frydenberg said in Question Time.
“That is a lot of people. But not every one of those people are actually unemployed because that could mean if you are a sole trader, if you are someone who (working) who has reduced hours, you can still access this supplement but not effectively be unemployed.
“It is obviously a very difficult situation to predict.”
People eligible for the six month payment include people on youth allowance, parenting payment and the farm household allowance.
READ MORE: Greens measures spell bubble trouble
Eric George 4.30pm: Netball season suspended
Netball Australia has announced the deferment of the 2020 Super Netball season, which was due to begin on May 2, citing the need “to protect the health and wellbeing of fans, athletes, staff and the broader community”.
The league’s independent commission will now meet at the end of May to reconsider the situation, but announced on Monday that the season will now begin no earlier than June 30.
All club trainings have been suspended, and interstate and international-based players who want to travel home will be allowed to do so.
“Netball is committed to playing its role to ensure we slow the spread of the virus and to finding ways that we can keep our communities healthy and connected”, Netball Australia said in an official statement.
The national body also announced that it has begun talks with its international counterparts around the Constellation Cup and Quad Series tournaments, which are scheduled in September and October.
READ MORE: Bank shares tank
Olivia Caisley 4.25pm: Greens back economic stimulus
The Greens will move amendments to the Morrison government’s multi-billion-dollar economic stimulus package but have confirmed they won’t stand in the way of it passing if their proposed changes are rejected.
Greens leader Adam Bandt told The Australian on Monday the party’s Senators would push for financial support for those the government had forgotten in the legislation, including students, disability and carer support payment recipients and those in insecure housing.
“If the government refuses to support these vulnerable people through the COVID-19 crisis, they’ll have to explain that callous decision,” Mr Bandt said.
“Government must also ensure that the businesses that receive public money give a jobs and wages guarantee to workers, so that this bailout goes to those who need it and we save as many jobs as possible.
Labor will also support the passage of the bill but have raised concerns about new measures allowing eligible people affected by the virus to access $10,000 from their superannuation this financial year and next.
Mr Bandt said it was “vitally important” the stimulus bill passes this week, but it was critical to get the legislation right as it will likely be several months before parliament sits again.
READ MORE: Swanning around gains attention
Brent Read 4.15pm: NRL shuts down offices
The NRL have shut down their offices until the start of May and asked staff to take leave, as Rugby League Central takes dramatic steps to deal with the impact of the coronavirus.
It is understood the NRL executive will continue to work but non-essential staff have been asked to use their holidays as a means of saving money and their jobs in the long term.
The NRL is also expected to hold a phone hook-up with clubs later today to discuss the latest developments, incuding the Queensland government’s decsion to lock down their borders.
The Australian understands that the NRL is still seeking some clarity aorund what that means for their competition. ARL Commission chair Peter V’landys has vowed to continue playing but his hand may be forced as the impact of COVID-19 continues to impact on sport across the globe.
Aready, players have been asked to go into self-isolation and talks are continuing with the players union over how the situaiton will be monitored.
The NRL has also hired private charter jets to ferry their sides across state lines and insisted that their players follow strict protocols around hygiene.
READ MORE: V’Landys says NRL will play on
Adeshola Ore 4.05pm: ACT cases soar
The ACT has recorded a further 13 cases of coronavirus, bringing the territory’s total to 32.
The new cases include five males and eight females, aged between 14 and 83. One is in hospital.
The territory’s health department said the 13 new cases included a student at Lyneham High School.
In a press release, ACT Health said the increase was “largely related to Canberrans returning home from overseas travel and some close household contacts of previous cases”.
“ACT Health is contacting their close contacts as a priority and will continue working to ensure they are all informed of their self-quarantine requirements.”
The territory has conducted 2576 negative tests of COVID-19.
READ MORE: Premier bars cruise ship passangers
Rachel Baxendale 3.50pm: Another MP tests positive
South Australian Centre Alliance senator Rex Patrick has become the fourth federal politician to test positive to the coronavirus.
The 52-year-old has gone into self-isolation.
SA Health has advised me that, despite being asymptomatic, my COVID-19 test has returned positive. I have assisted them with comprehensive contact tracing and they’ll call anyone considered at risk. Nonetheless, anyone concerned about contact with me can ring 1800 020 080 #auspol
— Rex Patrick (@Senator_Patrick) March 23, 2020
Angelica Snowden 3.30pm: Qld border closure detailed
Queensland will close its borders from midnight on Wednesday, following the decision made by cabinet earlier this afternoon.
Queensland’s border closure will take effect at midnight on Wednesday. The Queensland Disaster Management Committee will meet tomorrow to finalise details - including exemptions - and more detail will be released at that time. #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/46yHBHZGMh
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) March 23, 2020
Elias Visontay 3.20pm: MP backtracks on hack claim
Minister for Government Services Stuart Robert has announced the MyGov website crashed on Monday because of a surge in traffic to the site, backtracking from comments declaring it was hacked.
Earlier on Monday, Mr Robert held a press conference where he said it was a combination of high traffic and a direct attack on the site, saying Australians would be surprised if they knew how frequently attacks on government websites occurred.
However, when responding to a query during question time on Monday afternoon about the denial of service on the website, Mr Robert acknowledged the 98,000 users visiting the site had triggered the crash.
A spokesman for Mr Robert told The Australian the capacity of the MyGov website - which is the portal used to access Centrelink services online - was for 55,000 visitors.
The MyGov website is still inaccessible.
READ MORE: The day the nation slipped into a coma
Ben Packham 3pm: Time short on ‘flattening the curve’
Australia’s coronavirus health crisis will mirror Italy and the US within weeks and will get even worse without extreme social distancing measures, biosecurity expert warns. Read more here
Paul Maley 2.50pm: Roberts hacking claim rubbished
A massive failure in the MyGov website that has seen thousands of people flock to Centrelink offices around the country was not the result of a hack, but of an overload of the system. Read more here
Rachel Baxendale 2.30pm: Hospital visitor limits imposed
Victorian hospital patients will be limited to two visitors for no more than two hours per day from midnight on Monday night, as part of measures being introduced by the Andrews government to mitigate the spread of coronavirus.
Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos said exemptions would be made for the partners of women giving birth, who would be permitted to stay longer than two hours, as well as for some friends and relatives of some palliative care patients.
“We need to keep very strictly to these restrictions around the number of visitors so we can keep very vulnerable patients in our hospitals safe, as well of course those visitors,” Ms Mikakos said. “This also means that anyone who is unwell should definitely not be visiting anyone in hospital.”
Ms Mikakos said large groups trying to visit hospitals would be turned away, as would anyone subject to quarantine requirements as a result of contact with a COVID-19 case or having recently returned from overseas travel.
READ MORE: Oil group collapses amid price plunge
Elias Visontay 2.15pm: Social distancing to be legally enforced
Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy has called on younger Australians to consider a “cavalier” attitude to social distancing could lead to the death of elderly relatives, declaring “we are now in a different world”.
Professor Murphy also reiterated that social distancing and self isolation requirements would now be legally enforced, with the Victorian government announcing 500 police officers would enforce the measures.
He also said tests would no longer be carried out on confirmed cases of COVID-19 whose condition had improved since diagnosis, saying it would be a waste of kits.
“Every single Australian who lands on our shore, whether it’s from a cruise ship or a plane, or any other means of transportation needs to rigorously quarantine for 14 days now,” Professor Murphy said.
“You are placing your fellow citizens at risk if you don’t. So, if you know of anyone who has come back from overseas and is not quarantining, please come down very hard on them.”
He acknowledged the measures introduced on Sunday were “draconian”, but said “the way to protect our society from this pandemic is to slow a very significant community transmission in Australia”.
Professor Murphy said testing criteria will need to be expanded to flatten the curve of the virus.
READ MORE: ‘So are schools closed, or not?’
Greg Brown 2.10pm: Today ‘most momentous day in parliament’
Opposition resources spokesman Joel Fitzgibbon says today is the most momentous day in parliament in his 24 years in politics.
“This is a historic and poignant day in our national parliament. In my 23 years here I have never seen anything like it: the seating arrangements, the sanitiser on the bar table indicate something very unusual is happening here,” Mr Fitzgibbon said.
“I think of the apology to the stolen generation, I think of the day we sat on a Saturday to complete the necessary Wik legislation.
“They were big occasions but even those momentous events cannot match what we are doing here today. It is highly unusual.”
Sarah Elks 1.55pm: Palaszczuk closes Queensland's borders
Queensland will close its borders due to the worsening coronavirus outbreak, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced.
Cabinet met today and made the decision; more information is expected to be released this afternoon.
Ms Palaszczuk tweeted: “BREAKING: Cabinet has decided to close Queensland’s borders. I’ll bring you more detail soon. #coronavirus”
BREAKING: Cabinet has decided to close Queensland’s borders. I’ll bring you more detail soon. #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/ixhdPjfVr0
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) March 23, 2020
Overnight, Queensland had its largest increase in coronavirus cases since the outbreak began, with 60 more people diagnosed with COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases to 319.
Ms Palaszczuk announced on Friday that Queensland would effectively close its western border to the Northern Territory, after the NT decided to restrict border crossings.
READ MORE: Ardern orders strictest shutdown
Rosie Lewis 1.40pm: MyGov suffers malicious cyber attack
There was a malicious cyber attack on the myGov website on Monday morning as thousands of Australians attempted to set up new Centrelink accounts in order to gain income payments in the midst of the coronavirus crisis.
MyGov website crashes amid virus pandemic https://t.co/C54yxsCGow #AusNews pic.twitter.com/Hpt2Qk0Xqr
— myGC.com.au (@myGoldCoast) March 23, 2020
The government has increased the number of users able to access the site at any one time from 6000 users to 55,000 users.
Government Services Minister said the site didn’t crash but if more than 55,000 people tried to use it, they would be unable to.
READ MORE: Virus fight a question of trust
Lachlan Moffet Gray 1.35pm: NZ, Canada pull athletes from Tokyo Olympics
Countries are beginning to pull their athletes out of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics citing coronavirus concerns, as Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Monday that a postponement of the games is unavoidable, but refused to accept the possibility the games could be cancelled.
#TeamCanada will not send athletes to Games in summer 2020 due to COVID-19 risks.
— Team Canada (@TeamCanada) March 23, 2020
🔗https://t.co/AKmI2rbyeO pic.twitter.com/8McEbgirVp
New Zealand Olympic Committee president Mike Stanley said the country would likely not send athletes to the games in an open letter published Monday.
“Today we learnt that the International Olympic Committee is considering a number of scenarios around the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, including postponement,” the letter read.
“In the circumstances, a review of the options is the only realistic way forward.
“Athletes need a safe, and fair, playing field to compete and, right now, the widespread and evolving impact of Covid-19 is not allowing that to happen.”
The Canadian Olympic Committee and Candian Paralympic Committee went a step further on Monday, urging the IOC to delay the games for a year.
“The COC and CPC urgently call on the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to postpone the Games for one year,” they said.
“We offer them our full support in helping navigate all the complexities that rescheduling the Games will bring. While we recognise the inherent complexities around a postponement, nothing is more important than the health and safety of our athletes and the world community.”
The committees said allowing the Olympics to proceed was a health risk.
“With COVID-19 and the associated risks, it is not safe for our athletes, and the health and safety of their families and the broader Canadian community for athletes to continue training towards these Games. In fact, it runs counter to the public health advice which we urge all Canadians to follow.”
READ MORE: IOC considers Tokyo Olympics delay
Paige Taylor 1.30pm: Cruise ship passengers barred from Perth
A crisis is emerging over a cruise ship off Perth carrying 1700 passengers, 250 of them with “upper respiratory illnesses”.
The ship will be allowed to dock and refuel, but passengers won’t be permitted off the ship.
The MSC Magnifica has passengers mostly from Germany, France and Italy and wants to dock in Fremantle south of Perth but West Australian premier Mark McGowan told reporters: “We will not allow what happened in Sydney to happen here”.
Mr McGowan said he had spoken to Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Home Affairs minister Peter Dutton about what to do.
It was possible the Australian Defence Force would be called in to help.
“We are working cooperatively with the Commonwealth,” Mr McGowan said. “Options are currently being developed. This is an emerging and evolving issue.”
West Australian health minister Roger Cook has previously said the state was working to double the number of intensive care beds in Perth hospitals. There were fewer than 150 intensive care beds in WA last week.
Mr McGowan said the advice he had was that the ship needed to refuel and he needed to allow the ship to do that.
Asked if the passengers could go to a detention facility, Mr McGowan said he was not ruling anything out.
“We are going to work with the Commonwealth on how to deal with those critically ill passengers,” he said.
READ MORE: Cruise ship was identified as risk
Rachel Baxendale 1.20pm: Victoria cases rise to 355
Sixty-one new cases of coronavirus were recorded in Victoria on Sunday, the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed on Monday afternoon.
The new cases bring the state’s total to 355 and include 34 men and 25 women aged in their early teens to mid eighties.
Two cases remain under investigation for confirmation of whether or not they are coronavirus.
READ MORE: War cabinet set up combat virus
Greg Brown 1.15pm: O’Connor: Consider buying equity in businesses
Opposition employment spokesman Brendan O’Connor has urged the government to consider buying equity stakes in major businesses that struggle to make it through the coronavirus pandemic.
“Over the coming weeks the government will need to consider buying equity as a form of crisis business support in key businesses and industries with conditionality,” Mr O’Connor told the House of Representatives.
“It is something that should be on the table.
“Although Australians understand the severity of the crisis …cash bailouts are unlikely to be popular and less likely to align the incentives of that firm and its shareholders with broader economic outcomes such as income support for workers.
“As such I call on the government to consider equity in exchange for any bailouts of large and medium enterprises, for them to consider that. It is something that should be in the fiscal weaponry the government considers.”
Amos Aikman 1.10pm: Iconic rail routes closed over virus safety fears
Travel on three of Australia’s iconic rail routes, The Ghan, the Indian Pacific and The Overland will be suspended until the end of May over safety fears related to the coronavirus outbreak.
The company that runs the routes, Journey Beyond Rail, made the announcement on its website on Monday.
“The safety, health and well-being of both our guests and staff remain our number one priority. As a result, Journey Beyond Rail Expeditions has continued to closely monitor the developments and advice provided around COVID-19,” the announcement said.
“Following further advice received today, together with a number of new restrictions initiated by various governments (including some states closing their borders and others seeking to restrict non-essential travel and activities), we have today announced the temporary suspension of all rail journeys.
“At this stage, The Ghan, Indian Pacific and The Overland will be suspended until 31 May 2020 and we will continue to monitor the situation as it evolves and the impending border closures of some states and territories
We recognise that this will be incredibly disappointing news for guests booked to travel between now and 31 May but trust you will understand our decision.
“All guests with travel booked through to 31 May 2020 will be provided with a credit to the value of 110 per cent of their original booking and our team will assist them to re-book their travel for a later date, up to 31 December 2022.
“We thank you for your understanding and look forward to being able to deliver an unforgettable rail journey following the recommencement of our services.”
READ MORE: Cruise ship was identified as risk
Rachel Baxendale 1.00pm: Centrelink asks people to go online
Centrelink is urging people who do not need to visit its offices in person not to do so, as people overwhelm the system with concerns and requests for assistance amid the Coronavirus crisis.
However, the welfare agency’s website continues to advise people that they require a customer reference number in order to receive payments, and “need to visit a service centre” to confirm their identity to get a CRN.
Services Australia this afternoon issued a statement on its Facebook page saying it was experiencing high demand.
“Please consider the health and safety of our customers and staff and do not visit our service centres unless there’s a critical need for you to be there,” the agency said.
“If you’re already getting a payment that is eligible for the Economic Support Payment or the Coronavirus Supplement, you do not need to do anything, you’ll get paid automatically. Please do not call or visit us.
“If you don’t currently get an income support payment and you need help because you’ve lost your job or had your income reduced, please start your claim online.
“If you need to provide proof of identity and you’re in self-isolation or feeling unwell we can do this over the phone – but please defer until later if you can. We urge you not to come into our service centres if you’re unwell.
“We’re working hard to respond here so please understand it will take a little longer than usual. We’re also getting a lot of the same questions, so be sure to read through other posts to see if your question has been answered.”
Government Services Minister Stuart Robert is due to address the issue at a press conference on Monday afternoon.
Further information for those requiring welfare assistance is available here.
READ MORE: PM throws out $66bn lifeline
Yoni Bashan 12.55pm: NSW Labor calls for school closures
The NSW Labor opposition has called for schools, TAFE colleges and childcare centres to be immediately closed following an announcement by NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian this morning that they will remain open.
NSW Labor leader Jodi McKay criticised the mixed messaging around school closures and said NSW must follow the example set by overseas nations that are battling the escalating impact of COVID-19 on their health systems and economy.
“She must close schools,” said Ms McKay of the premier. “In 124 other countries, schools have closed. They must close here. Childcare centres must close.”
She added that the NSW Government needed to also embark on a mass-information and education campaign to reinforce the seriousness of the pandemic to the community.
“What we’ve got is a TV campaign which still tells us COVID-19 is not a serious health issue, but you have to take precautions. That’s not good enough,” she said.
“We’ve moved beyond washing hands, we’ve moved beyond social distancing. This is a crisis in our state and we need definitive action right now. People need a mass media campaign, it should be over every television station, it should be on radio, it should be in the newspaper, it should be on social media. The message is not getting through.”
Labor’s shadow treasurer Walt Secord said NSW parliament would be sitting from Tuesday, yet it was still unclear whether the NSW Government would be announcing a second stimulus package.
“There is absolute confusion, and it’s caused by the government’s failure to act,” said Mr Secord. “They promised a second stimulus package. The community is still waiting.”
Comment has been sought from the NSW Treasurer.
READ MORE: Divide on schools deepens
Rosie Lewis 12.45pm: Hundreds seek help over income support
Government Services Minister Stuart Robert will hold a press conference at 1.15pm after hundreds of Australians concerned about losing their job or already having lost their job due to the coronavirus crisis queued outside Centrelink offices on Monday.
Beaudesert Centrelink pic.twitter.com/xWXIzrCVES
— kathryn farrell (@kathrynsGarden) March 23, 2020
Ahead of his press conference, the Minister’s office said people who do not currently get income support or don’t have a Centrelink customer reference number can start a claim online through MyGov if they need help because they’ve lost their job or had their income reduced.
Proof of identity can be done over the phone.
Existing eligible Centrelink customers will automatically be paid the economic support payment (2 x $750) or coronavirus supplement payment ($550 per fortnight).
READ MORE: A nation in shutdown
David Ross 12.35pm: Half of all cases are people under 49
Analysis of the infections data of coronavirus cases recorded by the Federal Health Department reveals those aged under 49 make up almost half of all diagnosed cases in Australia.
However, on a 100,000 people per capita basis, older and younger Australians make up an even greater proportion of cases.
Those aged 60-64 were the largest group as a proportion of the population in infected cases, with 8.4 per 100,000.
As of Monday morning, before the announcement of new cases from NSW, there were 717 cases nationally in those under 49, with 469 in cases of 50 and up.
Those aged 25 to 29 and 30 to 34 represented the two age groups with the largest numbers of infected.
Despite the Commonwealth chief medical officer Brendan Murphy saying there is a lack of data on whether children are contracting the virus and potentially spreading it, the Federal government’s own figures show six children under the age of nine have been infected, with three of them under four.
The Commonwealth’s chief medical officer warned young people they were not immune to the effects of the virus.
“It’s true, most young people don’t get significant disease,” he said.
“But as a young person you don’t want to be responsible for the severe and possibly fatal disease of an elder, vulnerable Australian.”
Greg Brown 12.30pm: Burke pushes for more incentives to retain staff
Opposition industrial relations spokesman Tony Burke has moved another amendment to the government’s stimulus package, pushing for more incentives for bosses to retain staff.
Mr Burke is proposing that the legislation includes words that the House of Representatives:
- Notes that there is no conditionality on assistance measures to business to keep workers employed
- Calls on the Government to legislate for a mechanism that provides sufficient incentive for employers to keep employees in work.
Imogen Reid 12.20pm: Sydney Biennale closes to go digital
The organisers of the 22nd Biennale of Sydney, titled Nirin, have announced the public exhibitions will close from Tuesday 24 March until further notice as the event moves to a digital program.
This is a cultural tragedy. Brook Andrew’s hugely ambitious Sydney Biennale, Nirin - 700 works by 106 artists, tracing the aesthetic and political intensity of indigenous artists from around the world - which only opened last week, has been forced to shut down. #coronavirus #art pic.twitter.com/qb8xc4oPgk
— Miriam Cosic (@miriamcosic) March 22, 2020
In a statement, organisers of the contemporary art festival, which was expected to attract over 800,000 visitors to six iconic venues across Sydney, said the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the “safety of our visitors, artists, staff and wider community” remains their top priority.
“We will continue to adapt and innovate in the face of this global crisis. Our doors close across Sydney, and they will open online - for everyone, everywhere across the world,” the statement said.
“We remain steadfastly committed to the artists and communities we serve by moving to a digital program.”
Audiences around the world will be able to enjoy the virtual exhibition through live content, virtual walk-throughs, podcasts, interactive Q&As, curated tours and artist takeovers.
The Biennale, which opened on March 14 presenting over 700 artworks from 101 artists and from 36 different countries, was scheduled to close June 8.
The Biennale’s organisers added: “We look forward to welcoming you back to the physical exhibition when our Government authorities deem it safe to reopen.”
READ MORE: Beer may run out within weeks
Lachlan Moffet Gray 12.15pm: Ardern to put NZ into total shut down
New Zealand will almost completely shut down within two days, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern telling the country on Monday that if community transmission rates skyrocket “tens of thousands of New Zealanders will die.”
“Our plan is simple - we can stop the spread by staying at home and reducing contact,” said Ms Ardern.
“Now is the time to act. That’s why Cabinet today met and agreed that, effective immediately, we will move to alert level three nationwide.
“After 48 hours - the time required to ensure essential services are in place - we will move to level four.
‘These decisions will place the most significant restrictions on New Zealanders’ movements in modern history. This is not a decision taken lightly. But it is our best chance to slow the virus and to save lives.”
The level four restrictions - far harsher than those adopted in Australia - will result in the closure of all businesses save supermarkets, doctors, pharmacies, service stations and some banks.
Schools will close from midnight Wednesday, and will only be kept open for the children of essential service workers.
READ MORE: ‘We’re at war’: Trump calls in National Guard
Lachlan Moffet Gray 12.05pm: NSW nursing home resident among new cases
NSW health has revealed that among the additional 136 cases of coronavirus confirmed overnight is a resident at a Quakers Hill Nursing Home in Sydney’s west and a staff or child at the Vaucluse Cottage childcare centre in Sydney’s east.
The resident of the nursing home, who’s age has not been revealed, has been transferred to Westmead Hospital and all the people who attended the Vaucluse Cottage childcare centre on March 16 are being told to enter self-isolated until March 30.
There are also now five confirmed cases from the Ovation of the Seas cruise ship which docked in Sydney on Wednesday and 27 from the Ruby Princess, which attracted controversy when the NSW government allowed passengers to disembark on Thursday before receiving the pending test results of passengers.
There are now 669 confirmed cases in NSW and 1609 across the country.
Lachlan Moffet Gray 12.00pm: Coles to donate $1m worth of food per week
Supermarket giant Coles has announced it will donate one million dollars worth of food a week to help Australians doing it tough amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The food will be directed to relief organisations Foodbank and SecondBite directly, who will distribute the food across 3800 community food assistance programs across Australia.
Coles Group CEO Steven Cain said the decision to increase Coles’ food donations was in response to increasing demand for food relief from vulnerable Australians.
“For many years, we have donated surplus edible food from our supermarkets and distribution centres but sadly we are hearing that an increasing number of people in our community are facing particularly tough times as a flow-on effect of the Coronavirus,” he said.
“We hope that by donating an additional $1 million in food each week to SecondBite and Foodbank, we can help get food and essentials to people who are especially vulnerable at this unprecedented time.”
“It goes to the heart of our strategy which is to feed all Australians and help them lead healthier, happier lives.”
Foodbank CEO Brianna Casey said the combination of drought, bushfires and Coronavirus had placed unprecedented pressure on the charity’s food supplies.
“We are already assisting 815,000 people a month, but the need for food relief is skyrocketing at a time when donations of essential food and groceries are reducing.
“The additional donations from Coles will help ensure Foodbank can bolster its supplies to ensure vulnerable Australians can continue to be assisted,” she said.
READ MORE: States divided on schools
Greg Brown 11.55am: Chalmers calls for stimulus to be expedited
Opposition Treasury spokesman Jim Chalmers has moved an amendment to the stimulus omnibus calling on the government to expedite the implementation of its measures.
The amendment would include a statement within the legislation that “the House (of Representatives) calls on the government to more quickly implement the measures it is proposing”.
The amendment notes that:
(1)the coronavirus supplement will not begin until 27 April 2020;
(2) expanded access to the Jobseeker Payment and Youth Allowance won’t begin until 27 April 2020;
(3) most people won’t receive the first payment to households until April 2020 or the second payment until July 2020;
(4) pensioners won’t see a boost in their income due to the change in deeming rates until 1 May 2020; and (5)employers won’t receive a cash flow boost until 28 April 2020”.
Speaking on his proposed amendments in parliament, Dr Chalmers said Labor would not vote against the legislation if its changes changed.
“But part of being constructive does mean pointing out where we think the package can be improved,” Dr Chalmers said.
“The first one is that we need to find a way to inject more urgency into what is agreed here today.”
Dr Chalmers expressed four other concerns with the package, including there being no guarantee that money the government was given business would be used to maintain employment.
“We want to make sure there is a link maintained between an employer and an employee. And there is nothing unfortunately in the way this has been designed to maintain that link,” Dr Chalmers said.
“There is nothing to prevent the severance of that link between the employer and workers.”
Dr Chalmers also said there were “gaps in the package, including for casual workers and people with visas.
He said further stimulus measures should be immediately drawn up and debated, while also declaring Labor would not have allowed the early withdrawal of up to $20,000 in superannuation.
Ben Packham 11.45am: ADF ramping up virus support
The government is ramping up the use of Defence personnel to help manage the national coronavirus crisis.
ADF teams will support state and territory health authorities with contact tracing of positive COVID-19 cases, with the first deploying to NSW on Sunday to assist overwhelmed officials.
ADF reconnaissance, planning and support teams have also been embedded in the Victorian, Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australian state coordination centres, with additional teams ready to assist remaining states and territories.
Defence Minister Linda Reynolds said the teams would support the overall strength and resilience of the Australian health system as it came under unprecedented pressure.
“These ADF teams will provide logistics, transport, health and general planning assistance as the workload of civilian medical teams continues to increase as more Australians are diagnosed with, or affected by, COVID-19,” Senator Reynolds said.
“Defence continues to follow the advice of Australian health authorities when prioritising its support arrangements.”
Scott Morrison said on Sunday the ADF could also support supermarkets with grocery deliveries.
“All of those options are available in what’s called the national coordinating mechanism. That’s where the Department of Home Affairs is working with the food suppliers, with the supermarkets,” he told the ABC.
“It’s important that we provide that support and we’re there to help and the defence forces are turning up now just like they were during the bushfires. But it’s a very different need.”
READ MORE: Paul Kelly writes: This is a war, unlike any we’ve seen
Lachlan Moffet Gray 11.35am: NZ cases rise to over 100
New Zealand has confirmed another 36 cases of coronavirus overnight, bringing the country’s total to 102 cases, with two of the new cases possibly being first instances of community transmission in the country.
The NZ Director General eral of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield hinted Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern may escalate the country’s alert level from two to three. At level four, the entire country would shut down, save essential services.
“Of the cases today over half are directly related to overseas travel, most of the remainder are close contacts of a previously confirmed case or associated with an event where there were confirmed cases such as the Queenstown World Hereford Cattle conference,” Dr Bloomfield said.
“More than 1,100 laboratory tests were carried out yesterday, bringing the total number of completed tests to over 7400.”“Most of our cases are still from people who have travelled to NZ from overseas.”
READ MORE: ‘We’ve got to go hard, window is closing’
Elias Visontay 11.30am: 500,000 more test kits on the way
The editor-in-chief of the Medical Journal of Australia has heralded the scheduled arrival of 500,000 COVID-19 test kits later this week that deliver a result in 15 minutes.
Nick Talley, laureate professor at the School of Medicine and Public Health at the University of Newcastle, said priority had to be given to planes delivering the kits to Australia to allow them to land in the country. of the kits to Australia had to be made a priority.
Good news! New quick test for COVID-19 approved.
— MJA Editor in Chief (@MJA_Editor) March 22, 2020
15-minute test. 500,000 kits are due to land in Australia this week if all goes well with airfreight space, planes are able to land and they pass border control. A priority! #COVID19Aus
“Good news! New quick test for COVID-19 approved,” Professor Talley tweeted.
“15-minute test. 500,000 kits are due to land in Australia this week if all goes well with airfreight space, planes are able to land and they pass border control. A priority!”
READ MORE: Experts applaud targeted stimulus
Elias Visontay 11.25am: Virus like living through war ‘in colour’
Anthony Albanese has likened the coronavirus outbreak to living through a war “in colour”, also using his opening parliamentary address to a scaled-back sitting week to criticise the government for not bringing him into the newly-formed coronavirus National Cabinet.
The seats are a little emptier in Parliament – but our actions today will be felt and measured for a long time.
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) March 22, 2020
We’ll get to tomorrow only if we respect the urgency for action today.
Australians’ lives and livelihoods depend on us – and we have to do everything we can for them. pic.twitter.com/scUPO5v04t
The Opposition leader indicated Labor will support all legislation responding to the coronavirus outbreak even if key concerns on allowing early access to superannuation aren’t addressed by the government.
“Most of our lives have not been directly affected by war, hunger or financial strife. They were stories our parents and grandparents told us. We listened to those stories and we pictured them in black and white. We thought we were the lucky generations. We now face an enormous threat and it’s in colour. It is happening right now. It is global,” Mr Albanese said.
“Fear and panic of course feed on uncertainty and inconsistency and at the moment those ingredients abound. This is a time for national leadership, consistent messages, clear directions.
“For our part Labor has added to certainty. We’ve indicated publicly each and every day that we would be supportive of any bring forward of health measures and we would support any economic stimulus legislation. This is in spite of not being included in the COAG process described by the government as a National Cabinet.
“This is not a time to prevent measures that however imperfect are necessary to be implemented. We do need unity and above all we need resolute action. We can’t succumb to the illusion that time is on our side, it is not. We will get to tomorrow only if we respect the urgency for action today. We need to be clear and unequivocal. You’ve heard all the messages, stay home, keep calm and wash your hands. Make no mistake, anything that feels like an overreaction right now isn’t. Let this be our rule.”
READ MORE: Merkel forced to self isolate
Greg Brown 11.15am: Frydenberg outlines stimulus measures
Josh Frydenberg has presented an omnibus of legislation including all of government’s stimulus measures.
Our $189b injection into the economy will:
— Josh Frydenberg (@JoshFrydenberg) March 22, 2020
â–ªï¸support casuals, sole traders, retirees & those on income support
â–ªï¸help businesses keep people in jobs
â–ªï¸provide regulatory protection & financial support for businesses to stay open
My OpEd @westaustralian👇https://t.co/UCIse9s6Wg
Mr Frydenberg presented:
- A bill for an act to provide an economic response, and deal with other matters, relating to the coronavirus, and for related purposes;
- A bill for an act about loan guarantees, and for related purposes;- A bill for an act about commonwealth investment in the Australian Business Growth Fund, and for related purposes;
- A bill for an Act to appropriate money for community, regional and industry support as part of the Coronavirus Economic Response, and for related purposes;
- A bill for an act to establish the Structured Finance Support (Coronavirus Economic Response) Fund, and for related purposes;
- A bill for an act to appropriate additional money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund for the ordinary annual services of the Government in relation to the Coronavirus Economic Response, and for related purposes;
- A bill for an act to appropriate additional money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund for certain expenditure in relation to the Coronavirus Economic Response, and for related purposes; and
- A bill for an act to provide for a cash flow boost relating to the coronavirus, and for related purposes.
READ MORE: Big government a saviour in time of virus
Richard Ferguson 11.10am: People ‘lining up at Centrelink’
The MyGov website has crashed amid and unprecedented spike in demand for welfare support during the coronavirus pandemic, as Scott Morrison warns many more people will lose their jobs.
The Morrison Government has directed hundreds of thousands of people to MyGov to start the application process for benefits - which has been nearly doubled as part of Scott Morrison’s $66bn economic rescue package.
The line to Centrelink Bondi Junction. It wraps around almost every corner of the block. @9NewsSyd #COVID19Aus #centrelink pic.twitter.com/tyCsuxwb6R
— Hannah Sinclair (@hansinclair9) March 22, 2020
MyGov’s crash comes as Centrelink offices around the nation saw massive queues following the national cabinet’s decision to shut down bars, clubs, casinos, cinemas, gyms and churches.
An emotional Prime Minister told the House of Representatives this morning that the Centrelink demand was “unimaginable” and more pain would come.
“Across Australia today many thousands of Australians will lose their jobs. They are lining up at Centrelink offices as we speak,” he said.
“Something unimaginable at this scale only weeks ago. They have lost their jobs, many, and we know many more will.
“This is the biggest economic shock our nation has faced in generations.”
READ MORE: Robert Gottliebsen writes: Six months is too long to hang on
Greg Brown 11.01am: Frydenberg: Virus a team Australia moment
Josh Frydenberg has described the coronavirus as a “team Australia moment” as he spoke on the omnibus stimulus legislation tabled in federal parliament.
The Treasurer said the government’s “unprecedented” package was designed to keep “Australians in jobs and businesses in business”.
“This is a team Australia moment and we call upon all sections of the Australian community to join in this struggle,” Mr Frydneberg told the House of Representatives.
“We now expect the economic shock from the coronavirus to be deeper to be wider and to be longer.
“Our response will provide the hope and support (that) millions of Australians need at this time.”
Parliament will be suspended after the legislation passes the House of Representatives and the Senate.
READ MORE: Premiers lost their nerve, they should be ashamed
Rachel Baxendale 10.55am: No ban for weddings, funerals in Victoria
The Andrews government has moved to clarify that it will NOT be banning weddings and funerals, having previously issued a press release saying that the events would be included on the shutdown list from midday today.
A spokeswoman for Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said weddings and funerals would be permitted to proceed, providing they complied with limits of four people per 100 square metres and no more than 100 people per indoor venue.
Tom Crystal 10.50am: Gavrielatos lashes Berejiklian over schools
The President of the NSW Teachers Federation, Angelo Gavrielatos, has condemned Gladys Berejiklian’s move to encourage parents to keep children at home, less than 12 hours after the Prime Minister said schools would remain open.
Mr Gavrielatos said teachers and principals were struggling under the burden of “contradiction and hypocrisy”, and Ms Berejiklian’s decision was “a recipe for chaos”.
He said lockdown orders were being introduced to protect older Australians, yet teachers in this category were not being given the same protection.
“We need clarity. That is certainly lacking,” Mr Gavrielatos told Radio National this morning.
“The Premier has failed to issue clear and unequivocal advice in relation to school closures. What we have now is a recipe for chaos.
“Encouraging parents and care-givers to choose whether their children attend school or not fails to offer any assurances or provide any certainty. The Premier has created a moral dilemma for parents.
“Teachers have been thrust onto the frontline of this crisis. The Premier has failed to provide any reassurance for our public school teachers and principals.”
He urged the state government to adopt the UK teaching model, and stay open only for children of frontline healthcare workers, under the care of skeleton staff.
“Teachers are being given a burden beyond the responsibility of their family, their immediate family and their extended family,” he said.
Ewin Hannan 10.45am: Call for stimulus for construction industry
Master Builders Australia and CFMEU have joined forces to call for a comprehensive package of stimulus measures to keep building activity going and avert a devastating shutdown of the construction industry.
In a temporary ceasefire, the leaders of Master Builders and the construction union called for budgeted spending on transport and social infrastructure to be brought forward and local builders to be commissioned to immediately commence maintenance, refurbishment and renovation works on government buildings and facilities around the country.
They also called for first home owner grants of $40,000 to be made available until September and to extend wage subsidies for apprentices.
In a joint statement, MBA chief executive Denita Wawn and CFMEU construction division national secretary Dave Noonan said governments and developers must ensure builders were not exposed to liquidated damages if projects were delayed due to the impact of the coronavirus.
“These liquidated damages provisions can be a massive liability that could force businesses to the wall creating further unnecessary difficulties for the industry as a whole,” they said.
“Governments and all clients and developers need to put aside self-interest and commit to waiving liquidated damages provisions immediately to provide certainty to the industry.”
The MBA and CFMEU said quick payment for work done was even more critical and everyone in the supply chain, starting with clients, need to pay no later than 30 days.
READ MORE: A nation in shutdown
Adeshola Ore 10.35am: Penny Wong goes into self isolation
Labor Senator, Penny Wong, has confirmed she is self-isolating and will be absent from the Senate today.
In a statement, Ms Wong said she was following the recommended health advice after waking up and feeling unwell.
Statement: pic.twitter.com/pzsDg3hs1J
— Senator Penny Wong (@SenatorWong) March 22, 2020
“Recognising that my parliamentary colleagues will return to their home states and communities, as a responsible precaution, I will self-isolate, pending medical advice.”
READ MORE: People’s trust key to fighting virus
Richard Ferguson 10.25am: PM: 2020 toughest year of our lives
Scott Morrison is opening an extraordinary meeting of a skeleton parliament to pass his economic response to the coronavirus, warning 2020 will be the toughest year in the lives of many Australians.
Prayers in the House of Representatives with the Prime Minister and MPs observing social distancing pic.twitter.com/nxX3JYhrxO
— Alex Ellinghausen (@ellinghausen) March 22, 2020
The Prime Minister says the pandemic is above politics, and thanks Anthony Albanese for his cooperation so far.
“Life is changing in Australia for every Australian and life is going to continue to change. For many, young and old, 2020 will be the toughest year of our lives,” he says.
“Meeting this challenge is bigger than any Australian. It’s obviously bigger than politics, it is bigger than any of us who are in this Chamber, Prime Ministers, Leader of the Oppositions, minister, shadow minister, members of parliament, bigger than all of us.”
Only 90 MPs are sitting in the House of Representatives and the Press Gallery have to sit behind glass to maintain social distancing and help stem the spread of the disease.
Mr Morrison says Australians must look to the spirit of survival that got the country through the Great Depression and the Second World War to strive through the pandemic, as much of the nation begins to lock down and thousands begin to lose their jobs.
“I know - we all know - that Australians are very concerned at this difficult time. It is the understandable fear of the unknown, and there is much that is not known about the coronavirus, but we must not let that fear overtake us,” Mr Morrison tells the House.
“We must focus instead on what we do know, what we can control.
“We know who we are as a people. And the legacy and inspiration that has been given to us from those who have come before us and shown us the way through challenges and tests just like this.
“So we summon the spirit of the Anzacs, of our great Depression generation, of those who built the Snowy, of those who won the great peace of World War II and defended Australia. That is our legacy that we draw on at this time.”
READ MORE: ‘We’ve got to go hard, our window is closing’
Matthew Denholm 10.10am: Tasmania parents allowed to keep kids home
Tasmania will allow parents of state school children to keep their children home from Wednesday and will use police to ensure compliance with lock-down measures.
Premier Peter Gutwein on Monday morning said school was still the “best and safest” place for children, but that parents could opt for home learning from Wednesday this week.
“From Wednesday this week, parents should they wish to care for their children at home, they can do that,” Mr Gutwein said.
“Where this occurs, parents and careers will be presented with opportunities to learn from home by their school, so far as it is practical to do so.
“This does not mean take your children out of school and let them go on holiday….If you decide to take them out of school, look after them, be responsible for them…
“It is incumbent upon you to know where your children are, what they are doing, that they are not mixing with groups and putting themselves at risk or others at risk.”
Mr Gutwein said Tasmania Police was helping public health authorities track down two Tasmanians who had been on the Ruby Princess cruise but who were yet to be located.
As well, Tasmania Police would enforce the new lock-down requirements on pubs, clubs and other public places.
The Premier said social isolation was the best “weapon” in the “war” against coronavirus and people should not shift socializing or parties from pubs or other venues to their backyards. “This is serious,” he said.
Tasmania had 22 confirmed coronavirus cases as of Monday morning.
READ MORE: ‘This is a war, unlike any we’ve seen’
Rachel Baxendale 9.55am: Vic taskforce in spot checks on returnees
Victorian Emergency Services Minister Lisa Neville said police were doing both “proactive and reactive” spot checks on people who have returned from travel and in relation to mass gatherings.
“Unfortunately we had hoped that more people would comply than they have been,” Ms Neville said.
“Over the weekend what we saw was quite a number of breaches in relation to the rules around indoor gatherings.”
Ms Neville said Victoria Police would therefore have a dedicated team of offices to do spot-checks on travellers and ensure people are following the rules in relation to non-essential gatherings.
“Victoria Police members have a lot of other work to do, so the more you comply, the better the chance that they can get on with the other bit of work, but be in no doubt at all, police have the powers if they so believe to fine you, arrest you, detain you, and they will use those powers where needed in the interests of community safety,” Ms Neville said.
She also warned people to behave themselves at supermarkets, citing several incidents last week when po
lice had to be called.
“As the Prime Minister said, please stop it,” she said.”There is enough food, there are enough beverages to go around in our community. We saw runs last night on some of our liquor stores. They are not closing.”
READ MORE: NSW parents told to keep children home
Damon Johnston 9.50am: Hundreds swamp Victoria Centrelink offices
Hundreds of people are now swamping Centrelink offices throughout Victoria.
3AW is reporting that long lines have appeared outside Centrelink offices in Prahran, Belgrave and Geelong as people try and access virus welfare payments. In Sydney, dozens also queued around the block at a Bondi Junction Centrelink.
The line to Centrelink Bondi Junction. It wraps around almost every corner of the block. @9NewsSyd #COVID19Aus #centrelink pic.twitter.com/tyCsuxwb6R
— Hannah Sinclair (@hansinclair9) March 22, 2020
Elias Visontay 9.50am: Police to doorknock returned Aussies
Australian Border Force Commissioner Michael Outram has defended his organisation’s role over a controversial decision to allow a cruise ship to dock in Sydney with four confirmed COVID-19 cases.
He also warned that police were doorknocking on the homes of returning Australians who had been required to self isolate to check they were doing so.
Commissioner Outram’s comments on cruise ships comes after concern was raised over the 2700 passengers aboard the Ruby Princess who were allowed to disembark in Sydney on Thursday, despite ongoing testing of numerous people presenting with symptoms of the coronavirus.
Commissioner Outram said the ABF’s focus when the ban on cruise ships was announced on March 16 was: “We didn’t want to strand any vessels at seas”.
He explained to Sky News that from March 16 onwards, if a vessel did not report any illness on board when entering port, then all Australian passengers would be required to disembark and self isolate, while all foreign citizens would self isolate at a hotel and exit Australia on the next available flight.
However, he said if a ship did report any illness, the management of the passengers became the responsibility of the health authorities in the state or territory it docks in.
“I’ve asked my officers when they’re boarding a ship that’s coming from international waters to ask the master a simple question. Is there anyone on this vessel who’s got flu-like symptoms?
“If the answer is yes, nobody will be getting off that vessel until we’ve double checked that the state or territory health department is aware of that and they can then give their guidance about how they want to manage that.”
Commissioner Outram also explained that state health practitioners and nurses, not the ABF, carried out heat checks at airports.
“What we have done is implement a system whereby all passengers arriving in our airports have to fill in a declaration form. That declaration form requires that they provide also the address where they’ll be isolating, the phone number, we require their passport details be put on there and a signed declaration, acknowledging and agreeing to self isolate.
“We are then providing all of those documents to the state and territory health department’s as a record on a daily basis or more than once a day, in fact, several times a day. ...so they can contact and check on those passengers through their own state health laws.”
He said he was aware of police in Queensland doorknocking on homes of people who had signed a declaration, to check they were self isolating.
“Queensland police have been door knocking...What I can say as well is that a lot of the states have actually got quite significant penalties for people who flout the law who basically try and circumvent this, they sign a form saying they’re going to self isolate and don’t.”
He also said the ABF would reject entry to Australia to a foreign national who arrived in the country and did not sign a self isolation declaration. While the same could not be done for Australian citizens, he said he would report Australians who refused to sign a self isolation declaration to their home’s state’s police authority.
READ MORE: Mood of anxiety as hospitals await rush
Adeshola Ore 9.40am: Maccas closes UK, Ireland restaurants
McDonalds will temporarily close all its UK and Ireland restaurants as a response to the coronavirus outbreak. In a statement, the company said it would shut all restaurants in the two countries by 7pm on Monday.
Restaurants have been forced to limit their service to delivery and takeaway services. The company’s CEO said the fast food chain has now reopened 95 per cent of its restaurants in China, where the virus originated.
Rachel Baxendale 9.30am: ‘Some Victorians not taking virus seriously’
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said that while most Victorians were “doing the right thing” and observing social distancing protocol, others were “acting selfishly” and risking the lives of vulnerable people.
“They are not taking this seriously. They are doing the wrong thing and if that continues, then people will die,” Mr Andrews said.
“I just want to make this point, whether you call it mateship, whether you call it being Australian, being Victorian, whether you call it decent behaviour, civic duty, I don’t care what you call it, just do it. “You need to keep your distance. You need to observe the rules, and that is not an option.
“In some respects it is disappointing that it has come to this but we have seen people on beaches in Sydney, we could just as easily have seen people in bars and cafes and restaurants and nightclubs here in Melbourne and right across Victoria. It is unacceptable. It will cost lives.”
Mr Andrews also warned people not to host gatherings at their homes.
“By way of example, you won’t be able to go to the pub because the pub is shop. That doesn’t mean you can have all your mates round to home and get on the beers, that’s not appropriate,” he said.
“All it will do is spread the virus. If you want another example we had a case last week where a group of people, a dozen or so, went to a dinner party.
“As best we can tell the dinner party started with one person who had the coronavirus. By the end of the dinner party almost everybody at the dinner party had the coronavirus.”
Mr Andrews also warned that the impending school holidays would require very different behaviour from parents and children.
“These are not ordinary school holidays. Every Australian has been advised not to undertake non-essential travel and I’m advising every family that school holidays, where kids might be going and staying at friend’s places, kids might be going to shopping malls and doing all the usual thing, that is not appropriate,” he said.
“We can’t write a rule for that but it is not appropriate. That is the clear advice.
“It will be a very different school holiday than usual and it needs to be because if we don’t start taking these things seriously then we will be talking about quite amazing tragedy.”
READ MORE: Interstate borders shut to halt spread
Rachel Baxendale 9.30am: Andrews: Shutdown painful but appropriate
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has moved to clarify what he meant when he yesterday declared the state would be shutting down all “non-essential” activities, but denied that the message caused unnecessary panic and confusion.
Mr Andrews said the list of businesses which will be forced to shut down from midday includes pubs, clubs, nightclubs, Crown Casino, licensed venues in hotels gyms, indoor sporting venues, places of worship, cinemas, entertainment venue, weddings and funerals, with a full list available at coronavirus.vic.gov.au.
“Never before have we seen a situation where venues, such a large part of our economy, has essentially been shut down. This is appropriate. It is painful but it is absolutely appropriate,” Mr Andrews said.
Workers in sectors such as construction and manufacturing who had feared they may be included as “non-essential” will not be included in today’s shutdown, but the Premier warned these measures are Stage One of what will likely be a multi-stage process.
Today’s closures will be in place until at least April 13.
“I think it is fair to say, it is highly likely, that they will be further extended beyond that,” Mr Andrews said.
Lachlan Moffet Gray 9.20am: Trump deploys National Guard in hardest hit states
Donald Trump will deploy the National Guard and construct “federal medical stations” in California, Washington and New York, the three states hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic in the United States.
“Today I’m announcing action to help New York, California and Washington, to ensure the National Guard can effectively respond to the crisis,” Trump said on Monday, Australian time.
The deployment of the national guard will be funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“This action will give them (the states) maximum flexibility to use the guard against the virus without the cost or liability,” President Trump said.
More personal protective equipment will be released from the national stockpile and FEMA will also contribute to the construction of makeshift medical centres.
New York will receive four large medical stations with 1000 beds, California will receive eight with 2,000 beds and Washington will receive four stations with 750 beds.
The measures come as Congress deliberates over a nearly US $1.4 trillion economic rescue package which has been deemed insufficient by Democrats, who said the package did too much for corporations and not enough for workers.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said the draft package “significantly cut back our hospitals, our cities, our states, our medical workers and so many others needed in this crisis.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi invoked Pope Francis in urging colleagues to “take responsibility” as Democrats prepared their own draft.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told Fox News on Sunday “it will get done,” revealing that the plan will provide assistance for businesses to cover payrolls over 10 weeks, additional unemployment insurance, and one-off payments of $3000 for families of four, as well as smaller payments for individuals.
Hospitals, he said, will get approximately $110 billion for the expected influx of sick patients.
The measures come as the first US senator tested positive for coronavirus.
Senator Romney’s office issued the following statement: pic.twitter.com/tBSx03ZlTr
— Senator Mitt Romney (@SenatorRomney) March 22, 2020
Rand Paul, Republica senator for Kentucky, announced he was infected with the virus on Sunday and entered self-isolation. Four other Republican Senators have entered self-isolation as a result, including former Presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
Last week, two members of the US House of Representative tested positive for coronavirus.
READ MORE: US, China pandemic blame game begins
Elias Visontay 9.15am: PM ‘clear as mud’ on lockdown
Anthony Albanese has lashed Scott Morrison for being “as clear as mud” during a press conference announcing lockdown restrictions on Sunday, saying Australians are “crying out for ... clear messages from our national leaders” on issues including school closures.
The Opposition Leader also confirmed Labor will support coronavirus stimulus measures before parliament on Monday, even if the government does not address key concerns the opposition holds about allowing early superannuation access.
Mr Albanese also criticised the Prime Minister for not inviting him and other federal Labor colleagues to sit on the newly-formed National Cabinet.
“I’ve got to say I watched that media conference last night and I thought it was as clear as mud and no wonder parents are confused out there,” Mr Albanese told ABC Radio.
“With all of these measures one of the things that the community are crying out for is clear messages from our national leaders, which people can follow and clear explanations of why those decisions are being made.”
READ MORE: No please for Albanese in cabinet
Damon Johnston 9.00am: Taskforce to crack down on ‘selfish’ Victorians
A 500-strong police taskforce will crack down on “selfish” Victorian who are not following social isolation rules.
Premier Daniel Andrews on Monday announced the unprecedented police squad would be deployed to enforce the exclusion rules to try and check the spread of the coronavirus.
“Whether you call it mateshiip .... or civic duty, just do it,” he said.
“You need to keep your distance and follow the rules.”
Mr Andrews also confirmed that pubs, clubs, nightclubs and restaurants would be shut down from noon Monday while school holidays would be brought forward to Tuesday and last until at least April 14.
READ MORE: Victoria closes schools, NSW parents told to keep kids at home
Lachlan Moffet Gray 8.50am: Hunt backs states on keeping kids at home
Greg Hunt has conceded it is “appropriate” for the states to diverge from the federal government’s insistence that schools stay open.
“The medical advice and decision of the cabinets is that schools can and wherever possible should remain open,” the federal health minister told Today on Monday.
“Remember this — each state will have different needs. It is appropriate for individual states to say that these are the needs of our system right now.”
Health Minister Greg Hunt outlines the restrictions to be implemented at midday today. #9Today pic.twitter.com/cfRaBr8j7l
— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) March 22, 2020
Mr Hunt also said 135,000 Australians had been tested for coronavirus, returning a 1 per cent positive result on average.
“On testing, which you raised, as of this morning the figures I have are 135,00 Australians have been tested with one of the highest rates of any country and one of the highest per capita rates of any country,” he said.
“Interestingly, the number of people that have tested positive is approximately 1% of that, which means we test more broadly and more widely than almost anyone else.
“We are filtering out very quickly those people that have the disease. We will continue to test, expand, tests approved over the course of the weekend.”
READ MORE: Funding boost to fast-track critical vaccine project
Anne Barrowclough 8.20am: Harvey Weinstein tests positive to coronavirus
Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein has reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus
Weinstein, 68, is being isolated at Wende Correctional Facility in western New York, prison officials told CNHI newspapers. He is one of two inmates at Wende who have tested positive.
Weinstein is serving a 23-year sentence for rape and sexual assault in a case that made international headlines and gave birth to the #MeToo movement.
Officials said they believed Weinstein was already positive when he entered the state prison system last week from Rikers Island prison in New York.
Michael Powers, president of the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association (NYSCOPBA), refused to comment on Weinstein but said: “There is no better breeding ground for this virus than a closed environment such as a correctional facility.”
READ MORE: Greg Sheridan — virus fight is a question of trust
Yoni Bashan 8.10am: NSW tells parents to keep children at home
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says schools will remain open across NSW but parents will now be encouraged to keep their children at home, due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases being recorded across the state.
Directly contradicting advice from Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who’s said children should remain in school, Ms Berejiklian said online learning material would be made available for NSW students.
Ms Berejiklian said up to 30 per cent of parents kept their children at home last week, and “we expect that number to increase”.
“For parents who have no option, the school is safe for children to attend. Schools will remain open. No child will be turned away from a school,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“When you have 30 per cent of parents already making the choice, we feel this application of the health advice is the best course to follow.”
The announcement was made as NSW Health announced that 669 confirmed cases of COVID-19 had now been identified, amounting to a one-day increase of 136 cases.
READ MORE: Nation against tide on school closures
Ms Berejiklian said parents will be able to access learning material online to provide to their children, if the choice is made to keep them at home. This would be the same material taught to students attending class each day.
“There will be a single unit of teaching for all teachings,” the premier said.
The NSW Government has been reluctant to shut down schools entirely because of the impact this is forecast to have on the broader workforce, including the healthcare sector. Health officials have also repeatedly advised against school shutdowns because they are skeptical about the practical benefits to lower transmissions.
The advice to keep children at home will remain in place until the end of the school term in three weeks. NSW Health will then provide an update to the NSW Government during the subsequent two-week school holiday period on whether to revise the arrangements, said NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell.
“There will be fewer children turning up each day to the classroom,” Ms Mitchell said, adding that this would consequently assist with social distancing measures for pupils who have no other choice but to attend school.
“We believe we are well-equipped to deliver this new model of learning.”
Anne Barrowclough 7.50am: UK adopts ‘frailty scale’ for care of virus patients
Intensive care doctors in the UK have been issued guidance on how to decide which coronavirus patients should get critical care, based on a sliding scale of fitness.
The guidance was drawn up by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) after doctors in Italy were forced to discriminate between patients based only on their age.
The UK death toll is now nearing 300 and includes an 18-year-old. A 36-year-old nurse with no underlying health conditions is also in intensive care, while in Italy doctors report an increasing number of younger people in their 30s and 40s are in intensive care.
The NICE guidance doesn’t use age as a factor in deciding on critical care; instead, doctors are told to use a nine point “clinical frailty scale”. At one end of the scale are the “Very Fit” - people who are “robust, energetic, active and motivated,” and exercise regularly. At the other end are the terminally ill.
At level five are the “mildly frail” — people who find it difficult to walk outside alone and need help with shopping, heavy housework and medications.
Patients who score above five are considered well enough to benefit from critical care. But doctors must decide whether those who score five and below would benefit from critical care “taking into account the likelihood that the person will recover to an outcome that is acceptable to them”, the NICE guidelines say.
NICE also advises that cancer patients and others needing dialysis must also be carefully assessed before receiving critical care.
“Where decisions need to be made about prioritising patients for treatment, these need to take into account the level of immunosuppression associated with individual treatments and cancer types,” it says.
READ MORE: Window to act is closing, biosecurity expert says
Elias Visontay 7.48am: ‘Medical experts back keeping schools open’, Tehan says
Education Minister Dan Tehan has blasted social media criticism of the government’s decision to keep schools open, saying “we don’t want our children to lose a year’s education as a result of COVID-19 if we can avoid it”.
Mr Tehan reiterated the National Cabinet, which met on Sunday night, was provided with medical advice from the Chief Medical Officer and state and territory chief health officers to keep schools open, but acknowledged state leaders could be about to push to online teaching.
“All premiers and territory leaders and the Prime Minister were clear on that, we want our children to continue to get an education for as long as they possibly can during this COVID-19 outbreak,” Mr Tehan told ABC TV.
“And that is backed by the medical experts. The medical panel, which has been set up, which has the federal Chief Medical Officer on it and all of the state and territory chief medical officers said schools should remain open.
“What everyone agreed last night was that schools should remain open and schools are open today. Now, some states will move to put their education online as we head towards the school holidays. Others will say to parents, if you keep your kids at home, then there will be material available for you to be able to continue your children’s education.
“What we have to do is take the medical expert advice. If we don’t do that, what do we do? Do we take the medical expert advice on Twitter, on Facebook? This opinion or that opinion? We can’t be doing that.”
READ MORE: Simon Benson — Premiers lost their nerve, they should be ashamed
Lachlan Moffet Gray 7.45am: Queensland parents given choice on school
Annastacia Palaszczuk has urged Queenslanders to stay in their own suburbs and said parents will be allowed to keep their children home this week.
“You must stay in your suburb if we’re going to combat this as a nation,” the Queensland Premier told Sunrise on Monday.
“We can get through this. I’m absolutely certain if we’re taking the correct measures now we will get through this together and come through the other end.”
Practising social distancing at today’s media conference. I can’t stress it enough: keeping our distance is absolutely necessary if we want to limit the impact of coronavirus on our community. Please take it seriously. #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/gJJyDyQr0l
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) March 22, 2020
Ms Palaszczuk said she was inclined to listen to expert health device that said it was better to keep schools open, but said parents would have a choice this week as to whether they let their children attend school.
“That expert advice is that the best place for children is at school,” she said.
“We have large amounts of people who are working throughout our nation that must be in work and their children must go to school.
“When my Chief Health Officer says to me that it is safe to go to school, I am not a medical professional. I will listen to that advice. But during the course of this week, parents will have the choice of whether or not they want to send their kids to school. It comes down to a parental decision.”
READ MORE: News vow — ‘we won’t miss an edition’
Lachlan Moffet Gray 7.30am: ‘We can advise but can’t lecture states on schools’
Barnaby Joyce has backed the right of states to make their own decisions on whether schools should close, ahead of a press conference where NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian is expected to advise parents to keep their children home in defiance of the federal government’s advice.
“It is the responsibility of the states, we can advise but cannot lecture,” the Nationals MP and former Deputy PM told Sunrise.
“I think there is a real case for people in crucial industries to have the capacity for children to be looked after.”
New South Wales is expected to follow Victoria's lead by closing schools to slow the spread of #coronavirus.
— Sunrise (@sunriseon7) March 22, 2020
Should there be a national approach?
MPs @Barnaby_Joyce and @FitzHunter joined Nat to discuss. pic.twitter.com/XtngHRE6rP
Mr Joyce said urgent action was needed to change the trajectory of confirmed cases in the country.
“We want to get away from the Italian trajectory and onto the Taiwanese trajectory,” he said, adding that he agreed with the decision to double the unemployment benefit for at least six months.
Appearing on the same panel, shadow minister for agriculture and resources Joel Fitzgibbon said the government was inconsistent in its messaging and not delivering aspects of its stimulus plan fast enough.
“We lament the fact it has been so slow. Not one cent of the stimulus package is yet to hit households and small businesses,” he said.
“The important thing here is confusion. People are contacting me, social media, texting, email, asking one million questions. The Prime Minister has had some good days but yesterday was not one of them. The press conference put so much confusion into our communities and that does need to be cleaned up today.”
READ MORE: Nation against tide on school closures
Elias Visontay 7.15am: Govt to hire ‘thousands’ to process assistance claims
Josh Frydenberg said the government would hire thousands of call centre operators to cope with an anticipated “abundance of claims” by Australians seeking to access the $66 billion assisstance package unveiled on Sunday.
The Treasurer insisted the measures — which include doubling some welfare payments, cash payments and a slew of other assistance — formed a “safety net package” and were not intended to act as stimulus.
Mr Frydenberg also said the government had held “a very constructive meeting” with Labor about the parliamentary sitting week, which begins on Monday, and that he hoped all necessary coronavirus legislation could be passed in one day.
Today, the Government announced the second stage of our economic plan to cushion the economic impact of #coronavirus & help build a bridge to recovery.
— Josh Frydenberg (@JoshFrydenberg) March 22, 2020
A total of $189b is being injected into the economy by all arms of Govt to keep businesses in business & Australians in jobs. pic.twitter.com/YMpk7vWPDq
“Yesterday’s $66 billion dollar package was not a stimulus package, it was a safety net package,” Mr Frydenberg told Sky News.
“It was about cushioning the blow for millions of Australians who are going to do it really tough.
“We’ve waived the waiting periods that people would have otherwise had to comply with in order to access this money.
“Services Australia is going to be beefing up with more than 3000 new staff coming on to handle what is going to be an abundance of claims.
“We really are doing everything we can, at the federal government level to support the Australian community at this really challenging period.”
READ MORE: A nation shuts down as pubs, restaurants, churches close
On how long parliament will be sitting for, Mr Frydenberg said “let’s wait and see how quickly we can get the legislation through”.
“We had a very constructive meeting with Anthony Albanese and his leadership team last night. I’m very confident that we’ll get this legislation through as quickly as possible,” he said.
“Whether it’s one day or two will depend but the quicker we get it through, the quicker we get the support to the Australian people, the better.”
We’re acting to cushion the blow to Australian businesses and the workforce from #coronavirus to get them through to the other side of the crisis with a $189 billion support package. https://t.co/UOK4xQ7r1U
— Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) March 22, 2020
Asked if he was concerned about state premiers sending inconsistent messages on school closures, Mr Frydenberg said: “The Prime Minister was very clear last night that the medical advice is that the schools will remain open.
“Now obviously Victoria works on a different timetable for its school term, but schools have committed to remain and states have committed to keeping their schools open and obviously after the term break to come back, but that will be based on medical advice at the time because obviously the situation is evolving, day by day.”
READ MORE: Dennis Shanahan — ‘No place for Albanese in cabinet of actual leaders’
Lachlan Moffet Gray 7am: Gaza Strip, Syria identify first virus cases
Syria’s health minister says the war-torn country has confirmed its first case of coronavirus while the Gaza Strip has identified its first two cases, raising concerns over how the fractured and war-torn societies will manage a widespread outbreak of COVID-19.
Syrian State news agency SANA quoted the minister, Nizar Yazigi, as saying that all measures had been taken to deal with the first case — although it was not said which country the infected person came from.
In Gaza, the Hamas-controlled government announced that their first two confirmed cases were refugees who had returned from Pakistan.
Outbreaks of the virus could cause havoc in the Palestinian territory, which is home to more than 2 million people living in cramped buildings and villages.
Abdelnasser Soboh, director of the World Health Organization’s Gaza office, said the territory only had 62 ventilators, with all but 15 already in use. He estimated the territory needed 50 to 100 more to address an outbreak. With its current capacity, he estimated Gaza’s hospitals could handle the first 100 cases if they come in gradually.
“If there is a spread to hundreds, this will cause a challenge to the health care system,” he said. More than 1270 people have been quarantined in the territory after crossing from Israel and Egypt.
In Syria, where the civil war is grinding on through its 10th year, authorities have imposed a number of containment measures, including scaling back the work of government ministries.
Afghanistan reported its first death — a 40-year-old man — on Sunday. The war-ravaged country has 34 confirmed cases.
The Middle Eastern Country hit hardest by the virus is still Iran, which overnight (AEDT) refused US assistance to fight the coronavirus and imposed a two-week closure on shopping malls and centres. The Iranian government has reported more than 21,600 cases and 1,685 deaths.
— with AP
Lachlan Moffet Gray 6.45am: Italy deaths now more than double China
Worldwide, there are now 328,275 confirmed cases of coronavirus with 14,366 deaths while 95,656 people have recovered, according to John Hopkins University.
Last Friday, the death toll in Italy surpassed that of China — now it is almost double, with the besieged European nation recording a further 651 fatalities on Sunday, bringing the total to 5476, with almost 60,000 confirmed cases. China’s official death tally is 3144. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced late on Saturday he would freeze all non-essential business activity after previous measures failed to peg back the contagion.
New York’s mayor on Monday prepared to order residents of the city behind closed doors as New York state emerges as one of the world’s biggest coronavirus hot spots, sporting over 15,000 cases of the virus and 114 deaths.
Mayor Bill de Blasio also called for President Donald Trump at the military to assume responsibility for the manufacturing and distribution of medical supplies, of which the United States is experiencing a shortage.
Join us at City Hall with important updates on New York City's response to COVID-19. https://t.co/1fGHumS7DG
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) March 22, 2020
“I can’t be blunt enough. If the president doesn’t act, people will die who could have lived otherwise,” de Blasio told NBC’s Meet The Press.
There are now more than 30,000 cases in the United States.
France’s coronavirus death toll rose by 112 people on Sunday to 674, health official Jerome Salomon said, with the number of infections reaching 16,000.
But the European country racing to become the second epicentre after Italy is Spain, which recorded 394 new deaths on Sunday, raising the total toll to 1720.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said his government would request parliament extends a state of emergency until April 11.
“I know that is a drastic measure .. but experts agree that it is an effective measure in the fight against coronavirus,” he said.
READ MORE: German chancellor Angela Merkel forced to self-isolate
Lachlan Moffet Gray 6.30am: Tony Abbott ‘complying with self-isolation orders’
Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott is reportedly in self-isolation following a recent trip to Japan.
Mr Abbott spoke at the Worldwide Support for Development forum in Tokyo last Thursday before returning to Australia. He was then compelled to self-isolate due to government relations that came into force last Monday.
2GB broadcaster Alan Jones confirmed this morning that Mr Abbott was complying with self-isolation regulations.
Mr Abbott’s speech to the forum, where he argued for increased self-reliance in light of the global coronavirus pandemic, was published in The Weekend Australian on Saturday.
Even this crisis eventually will end; because there’s a vaccine, or because the virus loses its virulence — and our challenge between now and then will be to avoid letting this needlessly weaken us — and if possible, to emerge stronger for the test. https://t.co/eDhkaq0iSe
— Tony Abbott (@HonTonyAbbott) March 20, 2020
Lachlan Moffet Gray 6am: IOC considers later start date for Tokyo Olympics
The International Olympic Committee has announced it will take four weeks to consider options for the Tokyo Games as global criticism mounts for not postponing due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The news came as Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed that Australia’s level four travel warning — which advises Australians not to travel anywhere — applied to our Olympic athletes.
Health and safety paramount as IOC Executive Board agrees to step up scenario-planning for the Olympic Games #Tokyo2020 https://t.co/jvLYoW9yfG
— IOC MEDIA (@iocmedia) March 22, 2020
The IOC said the games, set to run from July 24 to August 9, could not be cancelled.
“These scenarios relate to modifying existing operational plans for the Games to go ahead on 24 July 2020, and also for changes to the start date of the Games,” the IOC said overnight (AEDT). The start of the games can be moved to later in the year or 2021.
READ MORE: V’landys says NRL will play on
Daniel Sankey 5.30am: Rand Paul tests positive as Angela Merkel quarantined
Rand Paul is the first US senator to test positive for COVID-19, while German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been forced into quarantine after it was revealed a doctor who gave her a vaccine has also tested positive.
Kentucky senator Paul said in a tweet he was “feeling and was in quarantine”. The senator is asymptomatic and was not aware of any direct contact with an infected person, having only tested out of an abundance of caution due to his extensive travel.
He expects to be back in the Senate after his quarantine period ends and will continue to work for the people of Kentucky at this difficult time. Ten days ago, our D.C. office began operating remotely, hence virtually no staff has had contact with Senator Rand Paul.
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) March 22, 2020
A spokesman for Ms Merkel said the German chancellor had received a precautionary vaccine against pneumococcal infection on Friday and was informed of the administering doctor’s positive test overnight (AEDT).
Ms Merkel will continue to work from home in the coming days while further tests are carried out.
BREAKING: The German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been quarantined after a doctor she had been in contact with tested positive for #coronavirus.
— Sky News (@SkyNews) March 22, 2020
For more on this breaking story, head here: https://t.co/sXMc5vAtGO pic.twitter.com/QhPcZnUreD
In addition, Spanish opera singer Placido Domingo has revealed he has been infected with the virus.
“I feel it is my moral duty to announce to you that I have tested positive,” the 79-year-old said in a Facebook post.
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Simon Benson 5.15am: Australia shuts down all non-essential services
Pubs, clubs, churches, cinemas, indoor sports venues and casinos will be closed across the country from midday today as Australia moves towards a national shutdown of non-essential services after the government unleashed a second economic rescue package taking the total response to almost $200bn.
While Victoria will go it alone and close schools on Tuesday, in other states and territories schools will remain open for the remainder of the term, with parents given the choice of keeping their children at home on strict instructions they be supervised.
A decision to reopen schools after the holidays would be based on updated health advice.
Restaurants and cafes will be open only for takeaway services only.
Read the full story here.
#BREAKING: Pubs, clubs, churches, cinemas and casinos will be closed under tough new social-distancing measures announced by Scott Morrison on Sunday night following a meeting of the national cabinet https://t.co/YLrPYgf6PP
— The Australian (@australian) March 22, 2020
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Agencies 5am: Despite cutbacks, Emirates will keep flying to Australia
Emirates Airline has dramatically cut its passenger flight destinations from 145 locations to just 13 countries.
The pivotal move reflects the dramatic slowdown in traffic through the airline’s hub in Dubai, the world’s busiest international airport, due to disruptions caused by the coronavirus.
The state-owned carrier said it would keep flying to the US, the UK, Japan, Australia and Canada, among a few other select destinations.
Today we made the decision to temporarily suspend most passenger flights by 25 March 2020. SkyCargo operations will continue. This painful but pragmatic move will help Emirates Group preserve business viability and secure jobs worldwide, avoiding cuts. https://t.co/x7Y9XUOaAW 1/5 pic.twitter.com/LyU9CLR4iU
— Emirates Airline (@emirates) March 22, 2020
The company had just hours earlier announced a suspension of all passenger flights, but said it reversed that decision after receiving requests from governments and customers to support the repatriation of travellers.
The United Arab Emirates, which is home to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, has all but closed its borders to travellers with exceptions for those transiting through or for returning Emirati citizens.
The state-owned carrier said it will continue to operate cargo flights through its fleet of Boeing 777 freighters for the transport of essential goods, including medical supplies across the world. It also said the company would reduce salaries for the majority of its employees for three months, but will not cut jobs. — AP
Having received requests from governments & customers to support repatriation of travellers, Emirates will continue to operate passenger and cargo flights to few countries until further notice, as long as borders remain open, and there is demand. https://t.co/x7Y9XUOaAW 2/5 pic.twitter.com/k0nM8TRDHL
— Emirates Airline (@emirates) March 22, 2020
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