Coronavirus Australia live updates: Curve flattened, time to restart the economy, Scott Morrison says
Scott Morrison says after getting on top of the health crisis, the nation’s next challenge is unemployment and getting one million Australians back to work.
- Curve flattened, time to restart the economy: PM
- Our values will guide us, not Sweden’s: Frydenberg
- Ardren speaks after National Cabinet
- Keneally refuses to back down on migration call
- Rabbitohs players, Roosters coach test negative
- PM pledges $352m to vaccine research
- Frydenberg to reveal recovery plan
Welcome to live coverage of the continuing coronavirus crisis. Scott Morrison says after getting on top of the health crisis, the nation’s next challenge is unemployment and getting nearly one million Australians back to work. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has told the National Press Club the economic crisis will be greater than what the world saw in 2008.
Angelica Snowden 10.50pm Queen calls Morrison
Scott Morrison says the Queen called him on Tuesday to learn about Australia’s progress in “combating COVID-19”.
“Was very kind to receive Her Majesty’s call this evening to check in and see how we’re all getting on in Australia,” the Prime Minister said in a Facebook post.
“The Queen was very interested to hear about our progress in combating COVID-19 and was so pleased we have managed to prevent the terrible impacts,” he said.
Mr Morrison said Queen Elizabeth was also interested to learn about the nation’s recovery from the summer bushfire season.
“Her Majesty was also pleased to hear our horse races were still running in Australia and sent her very best wishes to all Australians.”
READ MORE: Covid blunders that cost lives
Matthew Denholm 8.40pm First Tasmanian case in five days
Tasmania recorded two cases of coronavirus late on Tuesday, ending a run of four days without new cases.
“The state’s total is 223 cases,” said Director of Public Health Mark Veitch. “One (new) case is from the northwest, the other is from the North. One is a woman, one is a man. One is aged in their 70s, the other is aged in their 40s.
“Any Tasmanian with cold or flu-like symptoms such as a cough, sore throat, runny nose, or fever should contact their GP or call the Public Health Hotline on 1800 671 738 to arrange testing for coronavirus.”
READ MORE: Ignore those siren calls to lift the lockdown
AFP 7.45pm Paris to give streets to bikes
Some of the busiest traffic arteries in Paris will be reserved for cyclists in a bid to limit crowds on public transport when France begins lifting its coronavirus lockdown next week, the Mayor says.
“In total, 50km of lanes normally used by cars will be reserved for bicycles,” Anne Hidalgo told the Parisien newspaper in an interview published on Tuesday.
Another 30 streets would be made pedestrian-only, “in particular around schools to avoid groups of people,” she added.
The mayor announced last week that the Rue de Rivoli, the main east-west thoroughfare through the heart of the French capital, would be only for bikes from next Monday.
Other streets will include the Boulevard Saint-Michel in the Left Bank’s Saint-Germain neighbourhood, and the express tunnel under the chaotic roundabout at the Arc de Triomphe.
Many Paris suburbs have announced plans for new bike lanes, hoping to reduce pressure on heavily used commuter trains and buses, as well as the Paris metro, where many seats will now be off-limits to keep people apart.
Paris officials are bracing for the return of residents after up to 25 per cent of its population of 2.2 million fled to country homes or elsewhere before the nationwide stay-at-home orders came into effect on March 17.
READ MORE: Health official breaks down in Ruby Princess inquiry
Rosie Lewis 6.20pm Cinemas may open in July
Australia’s cinemas could reopen in July — in time for the release of the action thriller Tenet and Disney favourite Mulan — with staggered session times and spaced seating to allow for social distancing.
The National Association of Cinema Operators, which represents Event, Village Roadshow, Hoyts and others, revealed its blueprint for reopening on Wednesday but cautioned it was dependent on Hollywood studios confirming cinema releases for the big screen.
Many releases have been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“The association has developed an Australian industry standard for sanitisation that it feels confident the industry can achieve,” the operators’ board said.
“These will include staggered session times and spaced seating to meet social distancing requirements, contactless and cashless transactions wherever possible, investment in sanitisation stations where appropriate and increased frequency of cleaning cinemas, staff ‘wellness’ policies to ensure the wellbeing of staff and the promotion of the government COVIDSafe app download amongst staff and customers.
“NACO acknowledges that studios will not release new titles until the majority of cinemas are opened around the world.”
The association promised a “slate of blockbuster movies” for Australian audiences, including the new James Bond film, No Time To Die, Top Gun: Maverick, Peter Rabbit 2 and Wonder Woman 1984.
READ MORE: We must stand up to China and demand an apology
Rachel Baxendale 5.30pm: ‘Our meat is safe to eat’: Outbreak abattoir owner
The General Manager of the Melbourne meat processing facility linked to 45 COVID-19 cases has released a video, seeking to reassure the public that meat processed at their facilities is safe to eat.
Cedar Meats, in the western suburb of Brooklyn, sells mutton, lamb, goat and veal, exporting to the European Union, North and South America, South East Asia, China, Middle East and Africa.
While the company predominantly supplies the restaurant market, it also sells to butchers and restaurants in Victoria.
General Manager Tony Kairouz, who is self-isolating at home, said he was “devastated” that his staff had been infected.
“From the moment we learnt of COVID-19 we took every possible step, and consulted the experts, to keep our people safe and protect our business,” Mr Kairouz said in the video.
“We did that, but as you know, we had an outbreak anyway.
“For the past few days, our focus has been on taking care of our staff, ensuring animal welfare and closing down the processing side of our business.”
The Department of Health and Human Services has confirmed 42 cases in Cedar Meats staff, and another three in close contacts.
The original source of the outbreak has not been confirmed.
The department and the Andrews government over the weekend chose not to name Cedar Meats as the abattoir linked to the COVID-19 cases, despite naming a school linked to just one case.
Cedar Meats on Sunday confirmed it was the facility at the centre of the cluster.
“We have been accused of hiding. We are deeply saddened by that,” Mr Kairouz said.
“This is something that is not of our making. It is an outbreak of a worldwide pandemic that has hit our people at our plant.
“Cedar Meats is a proud, family-owned business. I run the business with the same values my family taught me growing up.
“We have built the business from one butchers shop in Melbourne’s north more than 35 years ago to where we are today.”
Mr Kairouz said all Cedar Meats products were processed to the “highest possible standards”, in accordance with Australian Standards for food safety.
“Our customers can be confident that the meat processed at our facilities is safe to eat,” he said.
“I am sure the whole community joins with me in wishing all my staff a speedy recovery. Please stay safe.”
READ MORE: Labor defends abattoir outbreak secrecy
Angelica Snowden 5pm: Shaking hands off cards for 10-15 months
Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy says “random hugging” and shaking hands will be off the cards for Australians for about 10-15 months.
“Unfortunately I can’t see 100,000 people packing a grand final of football,” he said.
“So I wouldn’t want a crystal ball too far ahead but I don’t think we will be shaking hands and randomly hugging and getting crowded in rooms for a long time.”
Mr Murphy said 4.95 million Australians have now downloaded the COVDSafe app.
“Our strategy at the moment is to keep Australians safe over the next two to three to four months whilst safely relaxing restrictions so that we can get on with economic activity and our lives in a COVID safe way,” he said.
Mr Murphy said there is no indication of how many more COVID-19 cases are likely to arise when schools open full time.
“I would imagine the most likely negative effect of schools might be some transmission from adults to adults, like teachers if they are not practising good distancing in the classroom,” he said.
“We don’t believe there is significant transmission from children so we have done no modelling on that.”
He said no one “knows why” young children don’t seem to get the COVID-19 infection.
“Particularly younger kids don’t seem to get the infection, and even when they do there is now a number of studies that show they do not seem to be transmitting to their fellow classmates in the school,” he said.
“We don’t know why.”
On returning to work, Mr Murphy said hot desking would not be feasible and that staggered start times would be key to a safe workplace.
“We don’t want everyone crowding in the lifts at the beginning of the day and the end of the day,” he said.
“Staggered working start times, distancing, if you are doing hot desks or sharing common spaces … frequent cleaning, we want cleaning products everywhere.”
Across the nation a total of 25 new COVID-19 cases were recorded, with 11 linked to an outbreak in a Victorian abattoir.
READ MORE: Volunteers may be infected to test vaccines
Angelica Snowden 4.23pm: Another resident dies at Newmarch House
Anglicare says another elderly resident has died at the Newmarch House aged care facility in Sydney’s west.
A total of 16 residents have now died in the aged care home.
The resident died this morning after they contracted COVID-19. No other details about the resident have been released.
The national coronavirus death toll is now at 97.
READ MORE: Health official breaks down in Ruby inquiry
Greg Brown 4.15pm: Labor blowing the dog whistle too: Greens
Greens leader Adam Bandt has accused Kristina Keneally of “blowing the dog whistle” in calling for a reduction of the intake of temporary migrant workers.
Mr Bandt said the opposition home affairs spokeswoman was being hypocritical given Labor’s support for free trade agreements that the Greens leader claims erode workers’ rights.
“When we’ve already got Peter Dutton and Pauline Hanson to deal with, it is worrying to now have Labor blowing the dog whistle too,” Mr Bandt said.
“Standing up for workers’ rights to earn a fair wage doesn’t require blaming migrants for the years of stagnant wages they’ve endure.
“For years, Keneally and her right faction colleagues have supported Free Trade Agreements that have sold Australian workers down the river.”
READ MORE: Aussies-first rhetoric must stop in immigration debate
Leo Shanahan 4.00pm: NRL deal a ‘net negative’: Nine boss
Nine Entertainment’s free-to-air television revenue dropped nearly 30 per cent in April and Nine CEO Hugh Marks has outlined an even tougher cost savings plan of almost $300 million in the next year.
Speaking at the Macquarie Conference today the Nine boss also said there was “no deal” with the NRL over how much Nine would pay for broadcasting rights this year and said it was not a given that the NRL would be continue to be broadcast on Nine.
“It’s a sad statement that if the NRL proceeds that it will be a net negative to our results,” Mr Marks told the conference.
READ MORE: NRL deal a ‘net negative’
Ashleigh Wilson 3.40pm: Sydney Symphony strikes pay deal with staff
The Sydney Symphony Orchestra has won praise from the artist’s union for negotiating a pay deal that will support musicians well beyond the expected scope of the coronavirus pandemic.
Orchestra management announced on Tuesday that musicians and administrative staff had agreed to reduce the company’s salary bill by 25 per cent with pay cuts and reduced working hours.
READ MORE: Sydney Symphony Orchestra pay deal with staff to extend until end of 2021
Olivia Caisley 3.34pm: No change to permanent migration cap: PM
Scott Morrison says he does not anticipate any changes to his government’s cap on permanent migration with the figure expected to remain at 160,000 a year.
It comes after the Prime Minister revealed last week that overseas net migration was forecast to fall by about 85 per cent to about 36,000 people in 2020-21 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“I think one of the lesser understood elements of the net overseas migration outcomes and how temporary migration plays into permanent migration is the vast majority of skilled migration these days actually comes from those who are already here on a temporary skilled visa,” Mr Morrison said.
“If you are wanting to hack into the temporary skilled migration program you are basically saying you want to hack into the skilled permanent migration program and those communities all around the country that permanent migration is incredibly important to.”
He warned that cutting migration would not be good for the economy.
Opposition home affairs spokeswoman Kristina Keneally courted controversy on the weekend after she called on the Morrison government to use the COVID-19 border closures to reconsider the country’s economic reliance on temporary migrants and encourage unemployed Australians to fill labour gaps.
READ MORE: Keneally is wrong to lecture us about immigration
Olivia Caisley 3.15pm: Trans-Tasman travel ‘still some time away’
Scott Morrison has echoed Jacinda Ardern’s comments that trans-Tasman travel is still some time away.
It comes after Ms Ardern joined the national cabinet meeting on Tuesday, becoming the first New Zealand prime minister to do so.
“It is still some time away,” the Prime Minister said. “It is important to flag it because it is part of the road back, at some point both Australia and New Zealand connect with the rest of the world again.”
While Mr Morrison said New Zealand was the most obvious destination when it comes to international travel, it was not an arrangement that was going to start next week.
He said trans-Tasman travel would “sit better alongside” domestic Australian travel.
READ MORE: Ardern invited to Morrison’s bubble
Rosie Lewis 3.05pm: ‘Malicious actors’ targeting Australia’s health services
Department of Home Affairs secretary Mike Pezzullo has revealed there are “a number of malicious actors” targeting Australia’s health services - including our medical data - during the coronavirus pandemic.
Asked by Centre Alliance senator Rex Patrick if any cyber threats had materialised from state actors since the onset of coronavirus, Mr Pezzullo told the Senate select committee on COVID-19: “There are a number of malicious actors operating against our networks, including specifically to be clear in health services, hospitals, medical data, trying to access sensitive research. So quite COVID particular.”
Mr Pezzullo would not say if the threats were state actors, referring Senator Patrick to the Australian Cyber Security Centre.
Senator Patrick told The Australian: “It’s very disturbing that state actors would engage in this sort of conduct in the midst of a global pandemic.”
The committee hearing continues.
READ MORE: China ties dominate debate
Olivia Caisley 3.01pm: No change in Australia’s position on virus source
Scott Morrison has confirmed there has been no change in the government’s position when it comes to the source of the coronavirus.
It comes after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo suggested there was “enormous evidence” the virus came from a Chinese lab.
The Prime Minister said “the most likely” origin of the virus was a wildlife wet market.
He repeated calls for an independent investigation into the coronavirus’ source in order to prevent a similar crisis in the future.
“There are wet markets and wildlife wet markets to different types of things, that is the most likely outcome but what’s really is important that we have a proper review, an independent review that looks into the sources of these things in a transparent way,” Mr Morrison said. “So we can learn the lessons... that’s what Australia is focused on. I have written to all the G20 leaders about that.”
READ MORE: Much evidence to Wuhan lab theory: Pompeo
Olivia Caisley 2.55pm: COVIDSafe downloads to pass 5 million
Scott Morrison has announced that Australia will pass 5 million downloads of the government’s COVIDSafe contact tracing app by the end of the day.
The Prime Minister has set a target of 16 million downloads of the tool developed to notify individuals if they have been in contact with an active coronavirus case.
READ MORE: COVIDSafe is good for us
Olivia Caisley 2.50pm: Businesses must adapt to respond to outbreaks: PM
Scott Morrison has warned that businesses across the nation will need to be adaptable in responding to workplace outbreaks of the coronavirus, if and when they occur.
“It is not just being able to go back to a workplace that is safe but also about being able to do that confidently,” Mr Morrison said on Tuesday following a meeting of the national cabinet.
“Let’s not forget when we ease these restrictions, you will see numbers increase in some areas, you will see outbreaks occur in other places, that is to be expected,” he said. “What matters is how you deal with it, and how you respond to it, and it is important that businesses, employees and employers have the tools to deal with the COVID-19 environment and ensure they are all working together to support a COVID-19 safe workplace.”
Mr Morrison was flanked by Attorney-General Christian Porter, who said parts of the Safe Work Australia website had been rebuilt to provide information on how to create a coronavirus-safe workplace.
Mr Porter said there are 1300 different webpages applying to 23 different industry sectors.
READ MORE: Volunteers may be infected to test vaccines
Olivia Caisley 2.45pm: Five million on JobKeeper, one million on JobSeeker
Scott Morrison has warned the nation faces a challenging economic environment given rising unemployment as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Running through the figures at a press conference in Canberra on Tuesday, the Prime Minister warned that more than a million Australians had begun the claims process for JobSeeker.
“Around five million are estimated to be on JobKeeper. One million, or more, are accessing their own super, of almost $10 million,” Mr Morrison said.
“384,000 businesses are accessing around $7 million in cash flow assistance, and that is just to date.”
READ MORE: Targeted lockdowns better for economy, health
Olivia Caisley 2.40pm: Curve flattened, time to restart the economy: PM
Scott Morrison has warned that after successfully “flattening the curve” of coronavirus cases, the nation’s next challenge is unemployment and getting nearly one million Australians back to work.
Following a meeting of the national cabinet on Tuesday the Prime Minister said it was time to restart the economy.
“Thousands of Australian lives have been saved, when you look the experience of how COVID-19 has affected so many countries around the world, but we now need to get one million Australians back to work,” Mr Morrison said. “That is the curve we need to address.”
Mr Morrison said the federal, state and territory governments had worked closely together to contain the outbreak of the virus in Australia.
He praised their collaborative effort for softening the associated economic impact.
“In those decisions that we have taken have been incredibly important, and no doubt had we not taken them, not only with the health impact have been disastrous, but, the economic cost would have been even greater.”
Mr Morrison flagged that these decisions such surrounding the reopening of the economy would be made on Friday with restrictions eased in the weeks and months ahead.
READ MORE: Damage to economy to be ‘worse than GFC’
Lachlan Moffet Gray 2.00pm: ‘Second wave’ concerns eased in ACT
The ACT has recorded no additional cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours, calming community concerns that a second wave might hit Canberra after its first case in nine days was confirmed on Monday.
Monday’s case, a female in her 20s, contracted the virus overseas and poses no threat to the broader community, ACT Health said.
The Territory’s case count remains at 107. Three residents have died of coronavirus.
ACT Chief Health Officer Dr Kerryn Coleman said she was mindful of the community’s concern about Monday’s additional case.
“I just want to reiterate that ACT Health is confident that there is no risk to the broader ACT community,” Dr Coleman said on Tuesday.
“The female individual returned to Australia more than a month ago and undertook her mandatory two-week self-quarantine. ACT Health investigations show that she acquired the virus overseas.
“The two-week quarantine period is in place because the research shows us this is the likely maximum incubation period for the virus, allowing us to identify anyone may develop symptoms during this time.
“Our extensive investigation shows that the individual was most likely to be infectious with COVID-19 while overseas. ACT Health is confident that she would not have been infectious by the time she completed her quarantine in Australia.
“Her ‘low positive’ test result, in addition to information obtained during the investigation, strongly indicates to us that this individual is shedding low levels of dead viral fragments and she is not currently infectious.”
READ MORE: Social housing can lead recovery
Lachlan Moffet Gray 1.55pm: PM to speak following national cabinet meeting
Scott Morrison will provide an update on Tuesday’s National Cabinet meeting at 2pm AEST.
The Prime Minister’s press conference can be viewed live on The Australian’s coronavirus blog.
Olivia Caisley 1.30pm: Treasurer rules out maintaining JobSeeker rate
Josh Frydenberg has ruled out keeping the JobSeeker rate at its current level after the payment was temporarily doubled to help those made redundant due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Treasurer told the National Press Club on Tuesday it was important to get people off unemployment benefits and back into the workforce to encourage economic activity.
“We have been very clear that the measures we have announced are temporary, targeted, they are proportionate and we have used existing systems,” Mr Frydenberg said.
“That’s why the lifting of the restrictions is so important,” Mr Frydenberg said. “The quicker we lift those restrictions, the more economic activity we generate.”
READ MORE: 195,000 jobs gone in a week
Olivia Caisley 1.25pm: ‘We will continue to do what is necessary’
Asked how flexible the government is prepared to be when it comes to offering further financial assistance, Josh Frydenberg says the government is willing to do what is necessary.
“Obviously we will continue to do what is necessary,” The Treasurer told the National Press Club on Tuesday. “That’s been our consistent position through this crisis and where there is a demand we will be there to support the Australian people.”
“But as you know, we’ve already outlined some $320 billion worth of economic support, which equates to over 16 per cent of GDP, $200 billion of which is direct support.”
Mr Frydenberg said he was confident the “very significant” financial support already offered by the government would be sufficient.
“I believe that that support, together with other programs, will be what is required to continue to help people through this crisis.”
READ MORE: Historic drop in car sales
Olivia Caisley 1.21pm: Our values will guide us, not Sweden’s: Frydenberg
Josh Frydenberg has rejected a Sweden-style open-economy approach to dealing with the coronavirus.
“Respectfully, I disagree,” the Treasurer said in reference to Sweden’s approach of implementing fewer social distancing measures.
“Sweden has 40 per cent of Australia’s population, but 70 times the death rate,” he said. “The numbers speak for themselves.”
The Treasurer flagged that the Morrison government will continue to be guided by its values and principles as it maps out the economy’s recovery amid the coronavirus pandemic.
He warned against protectionist sentiment and said that while the national interest should always be safeguarded, the benefits of trade should not be forgotten.
“The values and principles that have guided Coalition reforms in the past must guide us again in the future: encouraging personal responsibility; maximising personal choice; rewarding effort; and risk taking whilst ensuring a safety net which is underpinned by a sense of decency and fairness,” he said.
“Unleashing the power of dynamic, innovative, and open markets must be central to the recovery, with the private sector leading job creation, not government.”
“While we must always safeguard our national interest, we must also recognise the great benefits that have accrued to Australia as a trading nation.”
Paige Taylor 1.15pm: WA parents send their kids back to school
Parents are increasingly opting to send their children to school since Western Australia reopened classrooms to all students on April 29.
The average attendance rate at WA government schools on the first day back, last Wednesday, was 58 per cent. But by Monday this week it had climbed to 71.5 per cent.
WA Health Minister Roger Cook said the “soft” opening of classrooms would be reviewed at the end of next week. It is possible classroom learning will become compulsory for all students except those with compromised immunity.
No new cases of coronavirus have been detected in Western Australia for the sixth day in a row, leaving just 14 people with the virus across the state.
Seven of the 14 people with the virus were in hospital. These included the three remaining European passengers from the cruise ship Artania.
Mr Cook said the state’s continued low COVID-19 figures helped the McGowan Labor government plan for gradual easing of restrictions over coming weeks and months. He said it also helped that Western Australians continued to download the COVIDSafe App.
A total of 551 people have been diagnosed with coronavirus in WA. Of those, nine people had died and 528 recovered.
Mr Cook said the WA government was planning how to safely restart the state’s economy.
“We now have to look at how we can responsibly step forward. We want to get people back to work,” Mr Cook said.
“We want to make sure that Western Australians can live the new normal. We will continue to live with the COVID-19 virus but now that we have it under control we can look at how we can manage the disease rather than have such harsh restrictions.”
READ MORE: Andrews is needlessly hobbling the class of 2020
Olivia Caisley 1pm: ‘$66bn package ‘our Team Australia moment’
The Treasurer has described the Morrison government’s $66 billion coronavirus economic support package as a “Team Australia” moment that showed the nation the government “had their back.” The second-stage package included temporarily doubling the Jobseeker Payment, allowing people to access $10,000 from their superannuation and guaranteeing unsecured small business loans of up to $250,000.
“On 22 March, our second support package at $66 billion was announced,” Mr Frydenberg said. “More than three times larger than the first package, it was targeted at cushioning the blow for those impacted households and businesses.”
“This was a Team Australia moment and showed the government was prepared to do what it takes. Our message to Australians was we have got their back.”
Mr Frydenberg said that over the course of the next week the number of international coronavirus cases continued to skyrocket. It was in this context that long queues began to form outside Centrelink centres across the nation.
“Long queues formed outside Centrelink,” Mr Frydenberg said. “This was hard to watch and something I will never forget.”
Mr Frydenberg has said it is “time to restart the economy”, declaring the nation must get people back into jobs and back into work.
The Treasurer warned on Tuesday that for every additional week the current restrictions remain in place, it is estimated the nation will see close to a $4bn reduction in economic activity from a combination of reduced workforce participation, productivity, and consumption.
“This is equivalent to what around 4 million Australians on the median wage would earn in a week,” Mr Frydenberg said. He called on Australians to download the government’s COVIDSafe app. “It is also why every Australian that wants to get back to work and every business owner that wants to open their doors again should download the COVIDSafe app,” Mr Frydenberg said. “We must get people back into jobs, and we must get people back at work.”
READ MORE: Time to tackle COVID largesse
Olivia Caisley 12.45pm: ‘Economy will get worse before it gets better’
Josh Frydenberg has warned the coming economic crisis will be greater than what the world saw in 2008, declaring the economy will get “considerably worse” before it gets better.
The Treasurer told the National Press Club on Tuesday the worsening economic picture due to the coronavirus pandemic was not unique to Australia and many countries were also facing challenging circumstances.
“Notwithstanding Australia’s success to date on the health front, and the unprecedented scale and scope of our economic response, our economic indicators are going to get considerably worse in the period ahead before they get better,” Mr Frydenberg said.
He said some of the hardest hit sectors like retail and hospitality were among the biggest employers and recent credit card data showed spending on arts and recreational services, accommodation and food services were down around 60 per cent compared to the previous year.
“Despite the toilet paper boom and the record increase in retail trade in March due to panic buying, overall consumption, according to NAB data, has fallen 19.5 per cent since the start of the year, with declines across all jurisdictions,” Mr Frydenberg said. “Victoria has had the steepest fall of 23 per cent followed by the ACT (20.7 per cent), WA (20.5 per cent), NSW (20.4 per cent), Queensland (18 per cent), South Australia (16.8 per cent), Northern Territory (15 per cent) and Tasmania (14.9 per cent).”
“The economic shock is much broader than the impacts on these sectors,” he said. “GDP is now expected to fall significantly, with Treasury forecasting a fall in the June Quarter, the equivalent of around $50 billion.”
READ MORE: 195,000 jobs gone in a week
EWIN HANNAN 12.30pm: ACTU seeks $30 minimum wage increase
The ACTU has declared a $30 a week minimum wage increase for the nation’s low paid workers will be the most economically efficient and fairest way to “drag our country out of recession”.
Rejecting employer calls for a minimum wage freeze due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the ACTU said overall wage growth would “sink below one per cent” this year if the Fair Work Commission did not grant an increase from July.
It urged the commission’s expert minimum wage panel to reject the Morrison Government’s call to prioritise keeping workers in jobs when deciding the amount to be granted. It said the Fair Work Act required the panel to balance a range of factors, including the sustainability of the national economy and relative living standards, and the needs of the low paid.
“The panel must not take the view that all businesses must be kept viable at all costs and accordingly implement that view through wage suppression to a level that permits that goal being achieved,” it said.
Unions said the duration of government measures to support employment and business during the pandemic was significant because they extended into what might reasonably be expected to be a recovery period.
“It is clear that the economic conditions brought about by the pandemic are the product of health policy initiatives, rather than market failures or structural changes, with most predictions of recovery being linked to a lifting of social distancing and related restrictions,” it said.
The ACTU was responding to questions on notice from the commission. Given many businesses have restrictions on opening, particularly businesses within retail trade and accommodation and food services, the commission asked “how does increasing the minimum wage improve employment in these circumstances?”.
The ACTU said the government had initially said restrictions would be required for six months but recent evidence suggests they might be substantially less onerous by July.
“On the other hand, general economic and consumer confidence is likely to be at extremely low levels in the second half of 2020 given the dramatic declines in output and employment taking place at the moment,” it said.
“Other things being equal, corporations, consumers and other private economic actors will be looking to restore their own economic balance sheets in the later part of this year. In particular, consumption expenditure is likely to be dramatically constrained.
“In these circumstances a modest increase in the wages of those workers — who have the largest marginal propensity to consume and who unfortunately do not have the luxury to save increases in their income — will provide the most economically efficient and fairest way to drag our country out of recession.”
The ACTU said it remained of the view that the stimulatory effect of a minimum wage increase, particularly during a recovery phase, was a matter that should be taken into account by the panel.
“If there is no increase in the minimum wage, overall wage growth this year will sink below 1 per cent,” it said. “At a moment when Australia’s overall economy is already teetering on the edge of widespread deflation (with devastating consequences for aggregate demand and financial stability), accentuating deflationary pressures would be counterproductive to any economic recovery.”
Rejecting employer attempts to link minimum wage increases to productivity improvements, the ACTU said there was little merit in the argument, given low paid workers in award reliant industries had “next to no control over the work process and investment required to generate that productivity”.
“We contest arguments that freezing or reducing labour costs could somehow restore business confidence and preserve employment levels (even as entire sections of the economy effectively shut down); they are reminiscent of similar arguments made by market fundamentalists at the beginning of the 1930s.”
READ MORE: James Kirby — Enterprising use of early super release can pay dividends
Patrick Commins 12.05pm: New car sales in biggest monthly drop on record
New car sales suffered their biggest monthly drop on record in April, the latest in a growing line of history-making collapses in business and economic activity.
Sales dropped 49 per cent versus the same period last year, to 38,926, according to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries. This was the largest decrease since the data was first recorded in 1991.
So far this year there have been 272,287 vehicle sales, down from 344,088 over the same period in 2019: a 21 per cent decline.
“Clearly, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a major influence on the April sales result, and reflects a downturn in the broader economy right across the country,” FCAI chief executive Tony Weber said.
READ THE FULL STORY here.
LACHLAN MOFFET GRAY 11.45am: Fauci shoots down Trump, Pompeo on lab theory
The White House’s top infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci has shot down suggestions by President Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that coronavirus originated in a Chinese lab, telling National Geographic that it is likely that the virus “evolved in nature and jumped species”.
This week Mr Pompeo said that there was “enormous evidence” that the virus originated in a lab like the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which is known to have studied coronaviruses.
President Trump later repeated these claims saying that he has seen intelligence information suggesting that the coronavirus may have originated at the virology institute. US intelligence services have confirmed that they are investigating this possibility.
In an exclusive interview, Dr. Fauci discusses the rush to reopen, why he does not believe coronavirus escaped a Chinese lab, and tips for handling the pandemic's information deluge https://t.co/qqplY7eBAo
— National Geographic (@NatGeo) May 5, 2020
But in an interview with the natural sciences magazine published today, Dr Fauci said that it was likely the disease originated in bats. “If you look at the evolution of the virus in bats and what’s out there now, [the scientific evidence] is very, very strongly leaning toward this could not have been artificially or deliberately manipulated,” he said.
“Everything about the stepwise evolution over time strongly indicates that [this virus] evolved in nature and then jumped species.”
Asked whether the virus could have been discovered in the wild, brought to a laboratory, where it then escaped, Dr Fauci said the issue was a “circular argument.” ‘
“That means it was in the wild to begin with,” he said.
“That’s why I don’t get what they’re talking about [and] why I don’t spend a lot of time going in on this circular argument.”
READ MORE: Enormous evidence virus from Wuhan lab says Mike Pompeo
LACHLAN MOFFET GRAY 11.45am: Ardern speaks after historic Cabinet meeting
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said that a “trans-Tasman” bubble permitting two-way travel between Australia and New Zealand would ideally not involve mandatory quarantine at either end, saying it would defeat the purpose of the scheme.
“The whole purpose of us discussing the possibility of having a bubble of sorts between us, a safe zone of travel, would be so that you wouldn’t have to have a quarantine attached,” Ms Ardern told New Zealand reporters shortly after joining a National Cabinet meeting with Australian leaders to discuss the issue.
“I think everyone would acknowledge it would be prohibitive. People wouldn’t travel if they had to stay on either side in quarantine for a two-week period and have to do the same when you return.”
Ms Ardern said that on her part, there was no hard timeline in establishing the mutual travel scheme and that issues regarding internal travel restrictions between states in Australia would be worked out by National Cabinet. More detail about plans to reopen borders between the two nations will be released after national cabinet wraps up on Tuesday afternoon.
“I think simply the position that I would take on behalf of New Zealand is that when we feel comfortable and confident that we both won’t receive cases from Australia, but equally we won’t export them then that will be the time to move,” she said.
“There are obviously, within Australia, still restrictions around domestic travel. And those are ultimately issues for Australia.”
Ms Ardern also said that the specifics of the plan could be changed if there was a sudden breakout in a state or territory of Australia, but responsibility would again lie with the Australian government.
“If we were seeing a cluster of cases or growth in cases or outbreaks we would have to look at changing what we were doing and receiving on our side, but ultimately I see it as part of arrangements to be made between the states and a federal level,” she said.
New Zealand on Tuesday recorded no new coronavirus cases for a second day in a row. The total number of confirmed cases in the country is 1137. 20 people have died.
READ MORE: Ardern invited to Morrison’s bubble
LACHLAN MOFFET GRAY 11.25am: DFAT assisting Aussie cruise crew come home
The Australian government is racing to work out how to repatriate Australian crew members aboard cruise ships as empty liners begin disembarking their employees as ports around the world. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has told The Australian that they are currently in contact with 165 Australian crew members on 65 ships across the world, and are providing consular assistance and advice on how they can return home.
“The Australian Government is working with cruise companies and a number of foreign governments to facilitate the movement of Australian crew members,” a DFAT spokesman said. “Many countries have imposed travel restrictions and public health measures that are affecting cruise ship crew members.”
At least six of the 65 cruise ships are currently moored in Manila Bay in the Philippines, with several more on the way to the south east asian capital, including the Ruby Princess, which is due to arrive at the port on Thursday.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade would not disclose which ships specifically had Australian crew on board. The ships currently moored in Manila Bay include the Queen Elizabeth, the Pacific Explorer, the Pacific Dawn, Carnival Spirit, Costa Serena, the Dream, the Sun Princess, the Majestic Princess, the Costa Venezia and the Sapphire Princess
In recent days the Voyager of the Seas, which left Sydney on April 5 as part of NSW Police’s “Operation Nemesis,” was moored in the port, with 467 Fillipino employees subjected to rapid coronavirus testing by the Philippines coast guard.
Three other ships made to leave as part of Operation Nemesis — The Celebrity Solstice, the Spectrum of the Seas and the Ovation of the Seas — look to be making their way into Port Manila, according to ship tracking software.
The final ship that was part of the operation — The Radiance of the Seas — is in Singapore.
At the time of the operation, five Australian crew members were reported to be onboard the ships.
READ MORE: Carnival cruise line planning to set sail again
Agencies 11.15am: France’s first known case ‘in December’
A patient who was diagnosed with pneumonia near Paris on December 27 actually had coronavirus, his doctor says. Yves Cohen, the head of emergency medicine at Avicenne and Jean-Verdier hospitals, told French media that a swab taken in December had been re-tested, and came back positive for COVID-19. The man, aged in his 50s, has since fully recovered and has no idea where he caught the virus. This test appears to confirm that the virus arrived in France about a month earlier than the first three cases were confirmed on January 24.
READ MORE: Gottliebsen — Research-driven manufacturing can make us less China-reliant
DAVID SWAN 11am: Apple to reopen stores in just three nations
Apple will reopen almost all of its local stores this week, with the tech giant choosing Australia as one of just three countries to let its customers shop for iPhones and iPads again.
The store openings come with a catch however, with Apple declaring that customers will have their temperatures checked at the door amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Apple said in a statement that 21 of its Australian stores would re-open on Thursday, with Sydney’s flagship George Street store to remain closed due to renovations. Apple will also reopen its outlets in China and South Korea.
“We’re excited to begin welcoming visitors back to our Australia stores later this week. We’ve missed our customers and look forward to offering our support,” the company said in a statement. “With many Australians working and learning from home, our initial focus will be providing service and support at the Genius Bar.
“To start, we will open with additional safety procedures including temperature checks, social distancing and an adjusted schedule, to ensure customers and employees continue to stay healthy. Our social distance protocol means a limited number of visitors in the store at one time so there may be a delay for walk-in customers.’’
READ THE FULL STORY here.
RACHEL BAXENDALE 10.55am: Police fine man for hiring escort
A man discovered in a residence with an escort he had hired online is among 26 people Victoria Police fined on Monday for breaches of COVID-19 physical distancing rules.
In the 24 hours to 11pm on Monday, police conducted 888 spot checks at homes, businesses and non-essential services. They have conducted a 36,812 spot checks since March 21. Others fined on Monday included multiple parties who did not live together driving around in the same vehicle, despite receiving previous warnings for similar behaviour and multiple people committing criminal offences, including possessing stolen goods and drugs and weapons offences.
READ MORE: Strewth — Hunt ups app ante
LACHLAN MOFFET GRAY 10.50am: Israeli ‘breakthrough’ isolating COVID antibody
Israel has made a “significant breakthrough” in the search for a coronavirus treatment after isolating a COVID-19 antibody, Israeli Defence Minister Naftali Bennett has said.
In a statement, Mr Bennett said that the Israel Institute for Biological Research has developed a “monoclonal neutralising antibody” that can neutralise the COVID-19 “inside carriers bodies.”
The antibody would be given to someone suffering from coronavirus to temporarily protect them from the disease, a form of medical treatment called a “passive vaccine.” It does not provide long-term immunity.
The statement said that the antibody formula was in the process of being patented by the Israel Institute for Biological Research, and a mass producer is being sought for mass production. The Israeli Defence Ministry will coordinate the effort.
“I am proud of the Biological Institute staff, who have made a major breakthrough,” Mr Bennett.
“The Jewish creativity and ingenuity brought about this amazing achievement.”
Israel has 16,246 confirmed cases of the virus and 235 deaths.
READ MORE: Hopes for Australian vaccine by September
LACHLAN MOFFET GRAY 10.40am: Lower the Jobseeker rate: new poll
Most Australians believe that the jobseeker rate should be reduced after the pandemic ends, polling reveals. The Australian government doubled the jobseeker benefit — the standard flat unemployment benefit payment - from $285 a week to $560 a week in March as the escalating coronavirus pandemic disrupted the global economy and forced thousands of Australians out of work.
The move will cost the government $14 billion over six months after the number of Australians receiving the benefit increased to more than 1.3 million and has re-ignited a debate over the sufficiency of the pre-existing rate, which the government has not ruled out moving back to when the pandemic ends.
A poll by Essential reveals that 33 per cent of respondents want the benefit reduced to $472, in line with weekly old age pension benefit, while 28 per cent want a return to the $285 a week rate.
Only 24 per cent wanted the current rate maintained and 15 per cent were not sure.
Support for the current rate was strongest amongst Australians aged between 18 and 34, with 32 per cent supporting it, and was weakest in Australians aged over 55, with only 15 per cent of the demographic endorsing the current rate. The poll also measured responses in line with political affiliations. 34 per cent of Green voters supported maintaining the new rate, compared to 28 per cent of Labor voters and 20 per cent of Coalition voters.
A plurality of Labor voters (38 per cent) supported moving the benefit in line with the old age pension payment while a plurality of Coalition voters (also 38 per cent) supported reducing the benefit to its pre-coronavirus rate. The extended Jobseeker payment is currently set to remain in place for another five months.
READ MORE: Adam Creighton — Time to tackle COVID largesse
Max Maddison 10.35am: Retail returning but will be ‘changed forever’
Australia’s $325bn retail sector is hoping to return to work from as early as next week, but only if it’s safe to do so, says Paul Zahra, chief executive of the Australian Retailers Association.
However, the former CEO of David Jones foreshadowed a protracted “struggle” with landlords once retailers opened their doors, and a changed retail landscape.
“We do want a quick reopening, but we want it to be a safe one. The worst thing we’re looking for is a false start. We’re hoping it may be as quick as next week,” Mr Zahra said, although some retailers like Kathmandu are set to reopen this week..
“What you will find is once we get back to some recovery, then there will be a lot of discussions and negotiations particularly around rent to see what gets paid. The big issue that retailers are dealing with now is actually that constant struggle with landlords.”
Speaking on ABC’s Radio National, Mr Zahra said stores would begin to open with best practice guidelines in place, which included maintaining 1.5 m distancing, limiting customer numbers, regular cleaning and the use of hand sanitiser.
However, Mr Zahra admitted the guidelines would present challenges to smaller stores, which would struggle to implement social distancing measures.
READ THE FULL STORY here.
Matthew Denholm 10.25am: Tassie explores restart to Hobart-NZ direct fligths
Tasmania is investigating establishing flights between Hobart and New Zealand.
Premier Peter Gutwein backed the “Trans Tasman bubble” concept of travel between NZ and Australia to be discussed on Tuesday at a “virtual meeting” of national cabinet and NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
Mr Gutwein said he had started talks with Hobart Airport and Tourism Tasmania about re-establishing direct NZ flights, last seen in the 1990s.
“I think there is an opportunity to consider that (Hobart to NZ flights),” Mr Gutwein said, noting that under the Hobart City Deal with the federal government funding had been promised to re-establish customs and quarantine at Hobart Airport.
“Direct flights … (are) something I’ve raised with Tourism Tasmania and with Hobart Airport. This isn’t going to happen tomorrow. It isn’t going to happen next week.
“But as we work our way through the course of this calendar year if the opportunity arises, if the circumstance in NZ is such that we can confidence that we can have flights… that’s an opportunity … I’m looking to pursue.”
Direct flights between Hobart and Christchurch ended in the mid-1990s, but there have been plans to reestablish regular international flights at Hobart Airport, where the runway was recently extended to cater for larger jets.
Mr Gutwein warned Tasmanians not to be complacent following four days without a confirmed coronavirus case. “We are in a good place but we want to get to a better place,” he said.
Health authorities are urging more people with even mild respiratory infection symptoms to come forward for COVID-19 testing, to give the government more confidence it can lift lockdown restrictions without risking a second wave.
On Monday, 549 people were tested. The government has flagged increasing this gradually to 2000 a day. To date, the state has seen 221 COVID-19 cases, with 43 active and 13 deaths.
READ MORE: Morrison brings Ardern into national cabinet in trans-Tasman solidarity
Agencies 10.15am: China reports one new coronavirus case
China reported one new coronavirus case for May 4, down from three the day before, data from the national health authority showed.
The new case was imported, the National Health Commission said. The commission also reported 15 new asymptomatic cases for May 4, an increase of two from the previous day.
The number of confirmed cases in China has reached 82,881.
With no new deaths reported, the death toll remained at 4633. — Reuters
READ MORE: Daily US deaths to hit 3000 ‘in weeks’
Rachel Baxendale 10.00am: Victoria abattoir cases rise by 11, reach 45
Victoria’s number of COVID-19 cases has risen by 17 in the past 24 hours - including 11 new cases linked to a cluster at western Melbourne abattoir Cedar Meats.
There have now been a total of 45 cases linked to CedWith somear Meats.
Victoria’s total number of cases is now 1423.
Among Tuesday’s new cases are one case detected in a returned overseas traveller in hotel quarantine, two detected at drive through testing clinics, and two where the source of infection is under investigation.
Victoria’s COVID-19 death toll remains 18, with no coronavirus-related deaths in Victoria in recent days.
There are 11 COVID-19 patients in Victorian hospitals - a decrease of one since Monday - six of whom are intensive care, as was the case on Monday.
READ MORE: Labor defends outbreak secrecy
Lachlan Moffet Gray 9.55am: Victoria tests now total 152,000
Victorian treasurer Tim Pallas said that Victoria has now conducted 152,000 tests, and provided a breakdown of the origin of the state’s cases and police activities regarding the monitoring of those in mandatory quarantine.
“There have been 804 overseas-acquired cases, 421 locally transmitted cases, with known contact, and 143 locally acquired cases with unknown contact. 42 of these are under investigation,” he told reporters.
“Further, police have conducted 888 spot checks in the pa.st 24 hours and issued 26 fines.”
Mr Pallas said that the tax relief scheme would exempt some 80,000 employers from having to pay payroll tax and WorkCover levies on employees receiving the federal government’s Jobkeeper payments.
“That comes at a cost of about $425 million to the state. About $225 million of that is payroll tax relief and about $200 million of that is foregone premiums under WorkCover,” Mr Pallas said.
“I want to be clear that any person who has an entitlement to a WorkCover protection will still be covered.
The state will effectively pick up those shortfalls to the extent that, of course, the fund itself can continue to operate in the way where they can make those payments, that will continue to be the case.”
Mr Pallas said that relief would be provided to households by freezing the fire service property levy at 2020 levels so the average household “will see no change or a small decrease in their levy rate next year,” at a cost of about $66 million.
READ MORE: Andrews needlessly hobbles class of 2020
Lachlan Moffet Gray 9.30am: Coles ends pensioners’ hour shopping
Coles will hold its final community shopping hour this Thursday as a decline in coronavirus-inspired pandemic shopping means the most elderly and vulnerable members of the community will no longer have to battle for limited essentials.
From March 18 Coles dedicated the first hour of trade on weekdays at its more than 800 supermarkets to disabled and elderly Australians, as well as essential service workers, to ensure they had the first opportunity to gain access to essentials that were then in short supply like toilet paper.
But with shortages of these items a thing of the past, Coles will begin allowing all customers to shop at all hours, with 200 major stores to open to the public at 6am from Friday.
Coles Chief Operations Officer Matt Swindells said Coles Community Hour had been very
popular with eligible shoppers, but now that demand for groceries and product availability
were returning to more normal levels it was time to welcome all customers back whenever
stores were open.
“The reason we started Coles Community Hour was because excess demand led to limited availability, which meant we had lots of people eager to get into stores early in the morning,” he said on Tuesday.
“Having a dedicated shopping hour for some of the most vulnerable members of the
community, as well as those working on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic, was really beneficial.
“With supply almost back to normal for essential groceries, Coles is reopening this hour to all customers again as well as opening earlier where we can, to make shopping more convenient for everyone in the community.”
READ MORE: Innovation lifts business out of cellar
Michael McKenna 9.25am: Queensland confirms five new cases
Queensland has recorded five new cases of coronavirus as premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has again warned the relaunch of the state’s shuttered hospitality and tourism industry would be dependent on the successful reopening of schools.
In her daily morning press conference, Ms Palaszczuk told reporters that the infection rate was still “looking bright’’ with three of the five infections involving Queenslanders with known cases, who are interstate.
The other two cases are a Brisbane person, who lives with someone who had the virus, and a Gold Coast resident. Authorities are trying to track how that person caught the virus.
Asked about calls for the border closures to be lifted and the hospitality industry to be given the green light, Ms Palaszczuk said her health advice is to wait until two weeks after the progressive reopening of schools which begin next Monday.
Ms Palaszczuk said she would only review the border closure at the end of each month.
“We review the border restrictions at the end of every month and I can’t see that happening (opening up) anytime soon.
“Once we settle our plan for schools, then we can concentrate on an economic road to recovery.”
Ms Palaszczuk said she would be talking to the hospitality and tourism industry this week, and that they should be making their own “COVID-safe plans”.
“They should be looking at COVID-safe plans, what does it mean to open up safely, how many patrons can have,’’ she said/.
“What we have seen overseas is that outdoor areas open up first.’’
Ms Palaszczuk said she would overlay state health advice with the decisions of National Cabinet, which will consider lifting some restrictions later this week.
In Queensland, there are now 57 active cases, one person on ventilation in hospital and 980 people have recovered.
READ MORE: Time to tackle COVID largesse
Lachlan Moffet Gray 8.50am: Keneally refuses to back down over migration
Kristina Keneally has refused to back down on calling for cuts to migration, repeating claims that the coronavirus is exposing the fact that “Australia is heavily relying on temporary migration that often results in workers being exploited.” Speaking on ABC Radio National, Ms Keneally added that the issue “does not need to be, and is not, an attack on the individual people that come to Australia for work.”
Opposition spokesman for treasury Jim Chalmers on Tuesday revealed he was aware that Ms Keneally would write the op-ed calling for a cut in migration, saying the issue of migration has been an “appropriate” topic of debate within Labor ranks during the course of the pandemic.
“There has been a conversation that’s happened behind the scenes in our team, for some weeks now, Mr Chalmers told ABC News Breakfast.
“I think it’s a conversation that’s appropriate at a time when the flow has largely stopped. We need to work out what’s the optimal settings for Australia when it restarts again.
“It’s about the mix between temporary and permanent migrants. It’s about making sure that we have the training settings right to fill the skills shortages in the economy and making sure temporary workers aren’t exploited.”
Labor MP Anne Aly, a migrant from Egypt, earlier called for a change of language in the immigration debate. Dr Aly said Senator Keneally had some “extremely valid points” in calling for a review of the migration program but conceded that the opposition home affairs spokeswoman’s argument “could have been expressed better”.
“We have got a history in Australia of talking about immigration in relation to ‘the wogs have got all the houses, they are going to take our jobs, we are going to be invaded, there is overcrowding’. And to blame all of that on immigration.
“We need to stop that,” Dr Aly told The Australian.
READ THE FULL STORY: Australia first rhetoric must stop: Aly
Lachlan Moffet Gray 8.40am: Chalmers lashes PM over ‘mixed messages’
Opposition Treasury Spokesman Jim Chalmers has hit out at Scott Morrison for providing inconsistent messaging on the ability of states to decide when schools return, saying that although federal health advice hasn’t changed, the messaging has.
“We agreed with Scott Morrison a few weeks ago when he said the reopening of
schools was a matter for premiers and chief ministers based on advice at the state level,” Mr Chalmers told ABC News.
“Unfortunately since then, the government has intervened in quite unseemly ways including on the weekend into that conversation,” Mr Chalmers said, referring to an incident on Sunday when federal education minister Dan Tehan accused Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews of taking a “sledgehammer” to education by refusing to reopen schools.
“It is stressful enough for parents and teachers as it is. Let’s not make it more stressful by sending mixed messages.
“The Prime Minister was largely right to say the states can rely on their own advice on when to reopen schools. That’s what Dan Andrews has been doing and unfortunately those mixed messages have made life harder rather than easier for families around the country.”
In response to a statement by treasurer Josh Frydenberg that coronavirus restrictions are costing the economy $ 4 billion a week, Mr Chalmers said that the government should have instituted the Jobkeeper wage subsidy program earlier and extended it to casual employees who have been with their employers for less than a year.
“I think there has been a lack of urgency in getting this support into the economy. Certainly, the feedback that we receive from the community, including the business community, is that the implementation of the wage subsidies, for example, has been too slow,” he said.
“It hasn’t been communicated clearly enough and there are too many gaps in the program. Which means all these workers which are being from JobKeeper by the Treasurer means the unemployment queues will be longer than they need to be because of the way the government has designed the scheme and refused to fix it.”
READ MORE: Andrews hobbling class of 2020
Lachlan Moffet Gray 8.25am: Healthworkers among new NSW cases
NSW has confirmed four cases of coronavirus in the last 24 hours, including staff members at the Newmarch House Aged Care Centre, bringing the state’s total to 3037.
Two of the new cases were health workers at the Anglicare’s Newmarch Aged Care Centre in western Sydney - one of whom was reported in the media earlier on Tuesday - and one was a health care worker from the Nepean-Blue Mountains health care district, who did not work while contagious.
An additional Newmarch staff member was diagnosed after the 8pm cut off time for reporting new cases - meaning official results will show the case in Wednesday’s numbers, NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said.
29 staff members at Newmarch have now contracted the disease, as have 37 residents, 15 of whom have died.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian called the numbers “just a handful” and urged anyone feeling ill to present for testing.
“As we’re lifting restrictions in May and looking forward to lifting more restrictions than the ones announced, we need to make sure more people are getting tested so we can control the virus,” she said.
102 of the state’s coronavirus cases are being treated by NSW Health, including 13 people in ICU, with 11 of them on ventilators.
“Can I again urge the community to come forward for testing,” Dr Chant said.
“It’s essential that everyone in the community has the lowest threshold for testing.
“Symptoms such as fatigue, chills, muscle aches, the mildest runny nose, any cough, loss of smell or taste, that broad range of symptoms, please come forward to testing, it is essential to have high rates of testing.”
Ms Berejiklian said that two institutions - the University of Sydney and electrical engineering firm Ampcontrol - are developing prototypes of new ventilators to be manufactured in NSW, which she said was “fantastic news.”
READ MORE: Carriageworks brings in the administrators
Lachlan Moffet Gray 8.10am: Australia records 29 new cases
Australia has seen an additional 29 cases diagnosed in the last 24 hours Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael Kidd said on Tuesday morning.
It brings Australia’s coronavirus case count to 6852 and is the biggest 24-hour increase in the case count April 21.
The increase in new cases is being driven by a cluster outbreak at a meatworks in Melbourne, which will be contained through isolation and widespread testing measures.
“So what we’re doing each time we get an outbreak detected is moving in
very swiftly to isolate the people who may have been in contact with the initial case or cases, to make sure that everyone is getting tested and that we’re acting very quickly to make sure that the outbreak doesn’t spread any further,” Dr Kidd told Today.
READ MORE: Tassie bans Mother’s Day visits
David Sebastian 8.05am: Carnival plans to resume cruises from August
Carnival Cruise Line says it plans to resume sailings on eight ships departing from Florida and Texas beginning August 1 and is extending the cancellations of some of its other voyages -- in North America and Australia -- to later in the year as it continues to tackle the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The cruise line’s plans to start sailing again came after the US House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure launched an inquiry into Carnival’s health and safety practices. The committee sent letters Friday to Carnival, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the Coast Guard requesting copies of all memos, emails and other communications that pertained to COVID-19 or other infectious disease outbreaks aboard cruise ships.
“Our goal is the same as the committee’s goal: to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of our guests and crew, along with compliance and environmental protection,” Carnival Corp. Carnival Cruise Line’s parent company, said. “We are reviewing the letter and will fully co-operate with the committee.”
The Wall Street Journal reported last week that cruise-ship operators had ample evidence to believe their fleet of luxury liners were incubators for the new coronavirus, yet they continued to fill ships with passengers and helped spread the disease.
READ the full article here
Lachlan Moffet Gray 8.00am: WHO: No proof virus came from Wuhan lab
The World Health Organisation has seen no information to indicate the coronavirus came from a Chinese laboratory, senior WHO official Mike Ryan says.
“From our perspective this remains speculative,” he said in Geneva on Tuesday (AEST).
US President Donald Trump said last week he has seen information indicating the Wuhan Institute of Virology is behind the coronavirus outbreak and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has also propagated the view, saying there is “enormous evidence” that the virus could have come from a laboratory such as the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which is known to have researched coronaviruses.
However, the US intelligence community has concluded the novel coronavirus was not man-made or genetically modified, even though it is still examining whether the outbreak could have originated in a Chinese laboratory.
Washington has not shared such data with the WHO, said Mr Ryan, who leads the UN agency’s emergency operations in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. “It’s difficult for the WHO to operate in an information vacuum in that regard,” he said.
The WHO’s top COVID-19 scientist Maria Van Kerkhove stressed that thousands of genetic analyses of the virus had all indicated it was of natural origin, even though it was still unclear which animal passed it to humans.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it was too early to draw firm conclusions over whether the coronavirus originated in a Chinese laboratory, Canadian media reported.
Canada is a member of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance with the US, Britain, Australia and New Zealand.
On Tuesday the Sydney Morning Herald reported that members of the intelligence community say a document shared within the Five Eyes alliance “was mostly based on news reports and contained no material from intelligence gathering,” and believe the most likely explanation for the virus’s origin remains the unhygienic conditions of a ‘wet market’ in Wuhan.
Scientists also consider it likely the virus was transmitted to humans from bats via another animal.
READ MORE: ‘Enormous evidence’ virus from Wuhan lab
Lachlan Moffet Gray 7.52am: Berejiklian to provide update at 8.00am AEST
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian will address the media at 8am AEST time on the coronavirus response in the state.
The press conference can be viewed live above.
Agencies 7.50am: Ferrari relaunches production
Luxury carmaker Ferrari relaunched production Monday, after purchasing 800 blood tests for Ferrari employees and their families to use on a voluntary basis. The company is also developing its own contact tracing system, so workers can determine if they have been in contact with anyone who tested positive.
Lachlan Moffet Gray 7.45am: Queensland schools backflip ‘on CHO’s advice’
Queensland’s backflip on the reopening of schools occurred due to updated health advice from the state’s Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has said.
The state’s original plan was to encourage at home learning for most students until week five of term two, with the state basing the decision off health advice from Dr Young, even though her federal counterparts said schools posed a low health threat.
On Monday Ms Palaszczuk announced that prep, Kindergarten, years 1, 11 and 12 will return on May 11 with the hope of returning all students to the classroom by May 25, a decision she said on Tuesday was based on updated advice from Dr Young.
“We have had record low cases in Queensland,” she told Today.
“Everything has given us the positive signs to take the next step and, most importantly, that health advice from Dr Jeannette Young that came through at the end of last week saying we are set to go.”
Ms Palaszczuk said that additional plans would be put in place to ensure crowded drop-off and pick-up times does not unwittingly spread coronavirus and that teachers will socially distance themselves from their coworkers.
“The parents won’t be able to go into the school gates. They’ll be putting in place very clearly where parents can drop off the kids, they will leave the car, go in the front gate,” she said.
Ms Palaszczuk said that although Queensland has recorded just one new case of coronavirus on Monday, caution must be maintained.
“I think people in Australia understand we are actually living in the lucky country and we have put in lots of measures in place, but we can’t unravel everything too quickly,” she said.
“We’ve got to be measured and we’ve got to be responsible because these are people’s lives we’re dealing with.”
READ MORE: Andrews hobbling class of 2020
Lachlan Moffet Gray 7.20am: Rabbitohs players, Roosters coach test negative
South Sydney Rabbitohs players Latrell Mitchell, Adam Reynolds and Liam Knight as well as Roosters coach Trent Robinson have tested negative for coronavirus, preventing what would have been a catastrophe for the embattered NRL.
The three players were subjected to testing after presenting at an all-player coronavirus education day in Redfern on Monday with flu-like symptoms.
They were immediately isolated from the other players.
Trent Robinson told the Daily Telegraph that he spent Monday at home due to his symptoms, communicating with players over Zoom.
Mr Mitchell, Mr Reynolds and Mr Knight’s test results were announced on Monday night while Mr Robinson’s news was reported Tuesday morning.
The Roosters are expected to play the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the first round once the season resumes.
READ MORE: Doctor wary of Rhinehart recipe
Lachlan Moffet Gray 7.15am: Another staff member positive at nursing home
Another staff member at the ill-fated Anglicare Newmarch House aged care centre in Western Sydney has tested positive for coronavirus after the state government on Monday initiated a daily testing regime for all staff.
Anglicare Sydney said the staff member worked exclusively in the “COVID-19 positive area” of Newmarch House and is now self isolating.
“It is our understanding that this staff member was asymptomatic,” Anglicare Sydney said in a statement.
“The positive test result was discovered during our now daily, rigorous testing regime which is now being applied to all staff working at Newmarch House.
“Anglicare continues to be advised and guided by infection control specialists, generously provided by government and we are incredibly appreciative of their expertise and ongoing support.
We continue to work diligently to contain this virus which has had a devastating effect on residents, families and staff at Newmarch House.”
27 staff members at the facility have now tested positive for the virus, as have 37 residents, 15 of whom have died.
READ MORE: Infected patients mingled with others
Lachlan Moffet Gray 7.00am: US Senate reopens to debate aid package
The US Senate has reopened for the first time since March to debate and legislate on aspects of the nation’s coronavirus response, with 100 Senators converging on the capital wearing masks and socially distancing.
The rest of Washington DC remains closed with coronavirus restrictions in place. On the weekend Donald Trump offered to extend the White House’s instant coronavirus test system to Congress, but Senate Majority and Minority leaders Mitch McConnell and Nancy Pelosi declined the offer, saying resources should be directed to “where they can do the most good.”
Over the weekend, Mr Trump himself offered Congress access to the instant virus test system used to screen visitors to the White House.
McConnell dons mask as he opens the Senate pic.twitter.com/HumqOMuwVF
— Burgess Everett (@burgessev) May 4, 2020
The Democrats are seeking to legislate a new aid package for struggling municipal and state governments which are seeking to prevent layoffs of essential services while Republicans want to push forward with the nomination hearing for Republican senator John Ratcliffe, who has been picked by Mr Trump to lead the Office of the Director of the National Intelligence.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell opened the session, defending his decision to focus the agenda on confirming President Donald Trump’s nominees rather than the virus outbreak.
“We have important work to do for the nation,” Senate leader Mitch McConnell said at the opening of the senate, adding that he and his fellow legislators would “show up for work like the essential workers that we are.”
READ MORE: China ‘hid severity to hoard supplies’
Lachlan Moffet Gray 6.45am: European life reassumes some normality
Life is returning to normal for more than four million Italians who work in construction and manufacturing, who on Tuesday (AEST) are permitted to return to work for the first time in almost two months. But the celebratory mood has been affected by the release of statistics that suggests the nation’s coronavirus death toll could be higher than officially recorded.
Bans on visits to others’ houses were also lifted, as were prohibitions on funerals and cemetery visits, with groups of 15 now allowed to congregate to mourn the dead. Some take-away coffee shops have also reopened.
But stark examples of the harsh lockdowns imposed on March 11 still remain - even as new Ferraris begin to drive off the line once more, Italians are prevented from travelling outside their provinces.
New data released by the nation’s official statistics office also put a damper on the celebratory mood.
On Monday Italy’s National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) reported that 49 per cent more people died in March than the five-year-average, with 25,354 excess deaths recorded from February 20 to March 31.
Only 13,700 of those deaths were COVID-19 positive, meaning that thousands of Italians that died of coronavirus were never officially diagnosed with the disease.
According to official figures, 29,079 Italians have died of the virus.
Fellow Mediterranean nations Greece and Turkey have also begun to tentatively ease coronavirus restrictions, with Greeks once again allowed outdoors recreationally and businesses such as hairdressers allowed to reopen.
From May 11, Turks will be able to visit shopping centres, hairdressers and beauty parlours on appointment, while entry and exit restrictions will be lifted on seven cities - not including the capital Ankara or major city Istanbul
Greece has just over 2600 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 146 deaths while Turkey has more than 127,000 cases and 3461 deaths.
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Lachlan Moffet Gray 6.20am: US daily toll ‘3000 by June’
The Trump administration is privately projecting figures that show the daily coronavirus death toll will to double by June if states return to normal activities too quickly.
As states such as Texas and Georgia begin to shed coronavirus restrictions, a report based on Centre for Disease Control figures and compiled by the Federal Emergency Management Agency seen by the New York Times predicts the daily death toll will reach 3000 by June 1 - about double the 1750 deaths per day the US is seeing now - while the daily number of new infections will grow to around 200,000 a day, up from 25,000 now.
The US currently has 1,172670 cases of coronavirus and has seen just over 69,000 deaths. During a Fox News Town Hall on Monday Donald Trump said that up to 100,000 Americans could die of coronavirus, a marked increase on earlier predictions.
“Look, we’re going to lose anywhere from 75,000, 80,000 to 100,000 people,” Mr Trump said. “That’s a horrible thing. We shouldn’t lose one person out of this. This should have been stopped in China.”
The White House later disavowed the document, saying it had not been adopted by the coronavirus task force for official consideration.
“This is not a White House document nor has it been presented to the Coronavirus Task Force or gone through interagency vetting,” said White House deputy press secretary Judd Deere. “
This data is not reflective of any of the modeling done by the task force or data that the task force has analyzed.”
Government authorities said the report examines what may happen if states return to normal activities immediately.
Johns Hopkins University academic Justin Lessler, who helped create the model for the report, responded to the leak of the report by saying it was not meant to be an official prediction - but that a new case growth of 100,000 a day is a possibility if states relax restrictions too far.
READ MORE: How Florida dodged crisis
Anne Barrowclough 6.00am: COVID-19 world’s leading killer of 2020
The curve may be flattening but with more than 250,000 lives lost across the world to coronavirus, the disease is killing more people than almost any other cause of death.
Not only is COVID-19 more deadly than the SARS, H1N1, MERS and Ebola epidemics combined but a new study shows that it has killed more people than diabetes, lung and tracheal cancers, road accidents and malaria.
According to the Global Burden of Disease, an annual study by the US Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation that tallies the lives lost to 282 illnesses and injuries across 195 countries and territories, road accidents have killed 25,000 a week so far in 2020, lung and tracheal cancers, 36,000, lower respiratory infections, such as pneumonia and bronchitis, another 49,000. Only pulmonary disease ranks higher, at more than 60,000 a week.
In one week alone in April COVID-19 killed more than 50,000 according to the Economist.
And this figure is conservative, with many countries counting only those who have died in hospital or who have tested positive, and not including those who have died in nursing homes.
READ MORE: Infected patients mingle with others at deadly home
Jacquelin Magnay 5.15am: Australia’s $352m pledge to international vaccine
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has pledged $A352m to a European Commission-led vaccine research fundraiser which has amassed promises of nearly $US8bn from countries around the world.
Mr Morrison sent a video message for the electronic event, hosted by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen overnight (AEST), saying: “G’day from Australia. COVID-19 is putting us all to the test and it is a test we are all rising to. This is a great shared project by the peoples of the world with a clear purpose to find that vaccine for COVID-19. A safe vaccine, available to all, affordable to all.”
While there were pledges from European and G20 countries, notable omissions from the project included two of the worst-hit countries, the United States and Russia. Japan was the largest donor with $US800m.
Mr Morrison said in the recorded message: “In Australia and around the world our best and brightest medical minds and researchers are working tirelessly in the service of all peoples. Today Australia is pledging $352m towards this global effort to fight COVID-19 and find that vaccine.”
The money includes funds already committed to Australian institutions such as the University of Queensland, the Doherty Institute and the CSIRO, which are already working with the Coalition for Epidemic preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to fast track a vaccine as well as $337m to fund COVID-19 research and development work on vaccines, diagnostics, therapeutics and respiratory medicine in Australia.
Together with our global partners we managed to register €7.4 billion (equivalent to $8 billion) in pledges during the Coronavirus #GlobalResponse event.
— European Commission 🇪🇺 #UnitedAgainstCoronavirus (@EU_Commission) May 4, 2020
We thank everyone for their support.
The pledging marathon will continue.
Read more here: https://t.co/zkr24JMs4t pic.twitter.com/N0d8HqJAGp
But new funds include $15 million to help develop COVID-19 vaccines and diagnostics to be shared equally between CEPI and the Foundation for innovative Diagnostics (FIND).
“Our pledge builds on the $A170m that we contribute every single year to global partners working on the development and deployment of vaccines, drugs and diagnostics,” Mr Morrison said.
He also promised further pledges at next month’s GAVI conference in London and noted in a personal note to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, “It’s great to see you looking so well, Boris”.
We swapped notes on our virus responses, how we’re dealing with restrictions & looking to safely open up our economies & the international issues around @WHO & the need to learn the lessons from the outbreak that has taken so many lives & threatened his own. We’ll keep in touch.
— Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) May 4, 2020
Mr Morrison told the conference partners that out of the grief and sadness “comes a strong determination to beat this virus by working together and in so doing ensure we are better prepared for future pandemics”.
Mr Johnson said “the race to discover the vaccine to defeat this virus is not a competition between countries, but the most urgent shared endeavour of our lifetimes.”
Ms von der Leyen said at the end of fund raising that in the space of just few hours “we have collectively pledged €7.4bn ($A8.07bn) for vaccine, diagnostics and treatment. This will help kickstart unprecedented global co-operation.”
But the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said this money would only ever be a “down-payment” to fight the virus.
“To reach everyone, everywhere, we likely need five times that amount,” Mr Guterres said.
The pledges from the countries included a variety of national research efforts, contributions to international partners and some offered loans.
Today the world is coming together.
— European Commission 🇪🇺 #UnitedAgainstCoronavirus (@EU_Commission) May 4, 2020
The partners are many, the goal is one: to defeat the coronavirus.
Watch the Coronavirus #GlobalResponse pledging marathon.#UnitedAgainstCoronavirushttps://t.co/E5KapBoknD
Most European leaders made contributions as did Canada, Israel, Japan, Jordan, South Africa and Turkey as well as China’s EU ambassador.
Global scientists have warned that even fast-tracking development of a vaccine would not necessarily mean that one would prove to be safe and effective. The most optimistic view is that if everything goes to plan and a vaccine is developed, the earliest one could be safely available is in 12 to 18 months.
Thank you for supporting the Coronavirus Global Response #UnitedAgainstCoronavirus #StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/kO7bvYSx5j
— Ursula von der Leyen #UnitedAgainstCoronavirus (@vonderleyen) May 4, 2020
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Graham Lloyd 5am: Significant advantages for Australia, NZ: Ardern
Australia and New Zealand will mark a historic moment in their longstanding alliance when Scott Morrison welcomes Jacinda Ardern into the inner-sanctum of national cabinet, in a show of trans-Tasman solidarity not seen for 120 years.
Ms Ardern will take a seat alongside Mr Morrison and the state and territory leaders at Tuesday’s meeting to discuss ways to allow a quick return to travel between the two countries and to kickstart businesses in the region that have been devastated by COVID-19.
Revealing the “unprecedented” invitation to join Australia’s leaders to consider the mooted “trans-Tasman bubble” — which would enable Australians to travel to New Zealand, and vice versa, without having to quarantine for two weeks — Ms Ardern said there were significant advantages for both countries.
Read the full story here.
Geoff Chambers 4.45am: Frydenberg reveals platform for unlocking restrictions
Josh Frydenberg will lay down the platform for unlocking COVID-19 social restrictions, revealing a $4bn hit to economic activity for every extra week they remain in place.
Ahead of the national cabinet moving to relax restrictions on Friday, the Treasurer will deliver a speech declaring “we must get people back into jobs and back into work” to drive economic growth and employment.
Speaking at the National Press Club on Tuesday, Mr Frydenberg will reveal Australia has successfully avoided the nightmare European-style lockdowns, which would have delivered a $120bn blow to GDP in the June quarter.
Read the full story here.
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