Coronavirus Australia live news: Parliament condemns rogue MP George Christensen’s anti-lockdown rant
Scott Morrison and government MPs voted for a motion attacking a speech by George Christensen, stating his comments ‘spread misinformation’.
- Parliament condemns rogue MP’s rant
- Chant prefers 70pc vax rate
- SW Sydney slow to vaccinate
- Victoria records 20 cases
- Infected Byron man ‘evasive’
Welcome to live updates on Australia’s continuing battle with the Covid-19 pandemic.
Scott Morrison and government MPs have voted for a Labor motion attacking a speech by George Christensen, stating his comments ‘spread misinformation’.
NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant said it was her preference for the state to achieve 70 per cent of vaccination coverage, per the advice of modelling provided to the national cabinet last week, before restrictions are substantially eased.
At least a third of 356 new cases in NSW were active in the community for the entirety of their infectious period, Gladys Berejiklian said
Victoria has recorded 20 new community-acquired cases of coronavirus in the 24 hours to midnight on Monday.
Residents of Byron Shire, Richmond Valley, Lismore, Ballina and the Northern Rivers have entered a snap seven-day lockdown after a Sydney man in his 50s who was accused of being ‘evasive’ and not believing in the virus tested positive for Covid-19.
Jess Malcolm 11.30pm:What do we know about the Moderna vaccine?
The Moderna mRNA vaccine is the third Covid-19 vaccine to be given approval by the TGA, and is expected to play a significant role in the vaccination rollout, with the federal government securing 25 million doses.
At least 10 million are set to hit Australian shores by December. They will be doses of the vaccine’s existing formula and serve as back-up if there are delays with additional Pfizer jabs. A further 15 million doses of an updated, variant-targeting shot will arrive next year, with the majority of these set to be used as booster shots for people who have already had Pfizer or AstraZeneca.
Joseph Lam11.15pm:Fears for Sydney apartments
A Sydney apartment complex with almost 300 units is on NSW Health’s radar after a resident tested positive for Covid-19.
Anyone who visited the Proximity complex, which comprises five buildings and retail space, in Wolli Creek, southern Sydney, between August 4 and Monday, August 9, has been told to be vigilant, according to reports in the Daily Telegraph.
“Watch for signs and symptoms (including) a fever of 37.5 of higher, night sweats, chills, cough, sore and scratchy throat, shortness of breath, loss of taste or smell, and other early symptoms including fatigue, body aches, muscle pain, nausea, vomiting, headaches and runny noses,” read a letter from South Eastern Sydney Local Health District seen by the Telegraph.
The health unit advised residents to monitor for symptoms up until August 23.
Yoni Bashan10.50pm: Bars and cafes seek mandatory jabs
The hospitality industry is calling for mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations as a pathway out of lockdown, as cases climbed to record levels in NSW on Tuesday and as officials continued to weigh vaccination targets as a method of gradually easing restrictions.
A poll conducted by Restaurant and Catering Australia and provided to The Australian shows a majority of businesses want the ability to compel staff to be vaccinated before coming to work, with 63 per cent of restaurant, bar and hotel owners backing the move.
Some 62 per cent of these venues said the federal government should mandate Covid-19 vaccinations for the general public, when asked how to summarise their position.
The polling was released to The Australian as the state recorded 356 new cases of the virus, including three deaths, and as conservative NSW Liberal MPs debated the contentious issue of mandatory jabs in a partyroom meeting.
Tuesday’s case numbers marked a new record since the NSW outbreak began on June 16, with 97 people identified as being infectious in the community and another 157 cases still under investigation for their isolation status.
Conservative Liberals have been seeking to introduce legislation banning the NSW government and businesses from compelling people to have the vaccine, arguing that doing so would be an assault on their individual rights and liberties.
Liam Mendes 10.15pm:Fraudster concerns over fake passes
International fraudsters are selling fake Australian Covid certificates for as little as $120, claiming they are identical to the real certificates and that they will never reveal the identities of their clients.
One online counterfeiter told The Australian they had already fulfilled more than 200 orders for Australians keen to subvert the nation’s official vaccination database, and had fielded inquiries from at least 900 others.
The fraudsters guaranteed their fake certificates were so convincing and their security protocols so tight that “you’ll be the only one to know that you’ve not been vaccinated”.
Another online operation on a popular forum with almost half a million subscribers said they could provide “100 per cent valid and authentic” vaccine cards and certificates for Australia.
The scammers also claimed they could arrange for doctors to enter false vaccination records into the Australian Immunisation Registry, the national database, which holds the records of all vaccinations in Australia.
“The doctors working with us are at the top of the game and so have access to all the medical database [sic] of all countries in Europe, America and part of Asia,” one said.
Once your details are recorded and your certificate/cards is registered it shows and reflects in the medical database of your country that you have been fully vaccinated and when scanned or looked up your details shows [sic] clearly that you have been vaccinated.”
Elsewhere online, web tutorials claimed authentic Australian vaccination certificates, which can be stored in an iPhone Wallet or the Android equivalent, could also be easily manipulated to show any name and any vaccine within minutes using an app which costs $12.99 from the Apple App Store.
Robert Potter, who heads cybersecurity firm Internet 2.0, said the country needed to embrace blockchain technology to ensure Australia’s vaccine certificates were not compromised.
Tim Dodd 9.30pm:Unis hit by Gulf student blackout
Australian universities stand to lose thousands of students from the oil-rich Gulf states after Saudi Arabia, Oman and the UAE recently suspended government and corporate scholarships to study in Australia because of border closures and dissatisfaction with online learning.
The situation has alarmed the Group of Eight universities, which enrol about 1500 students from the Gulf states, most studying with lucrative scholarships from their government or companies such as Saudi Aramco.
In another concerning move, university sources say the Saudi Arabian government has also withdrawn its recognition for Australian online degrees, even as thousands of Saudi Arabian students are currently studying online with Australian universities from their home country.
Michael McKenna8.45pm:Marginal seat focus of Premier’s office polling
Annastacia Palaszczuk’s office conducted taxpayer-funded polling into the government’s Covid-19 strategy across a regional, Labor-held marginal seat targeted by the opposition ahead of last year’s state election.
Intensive “qualitative” interviews were commissioned with hundreds of residents of the Livingstone Shire – almost exclusively in Labor’s seat of Keppel – just days after a newspaper poll showed it was in danger of falling to the Liberal National Party.
The shire, which also includes a small stretch of the One Nation-held seat of Mirani, was the only region set aside for special attention in a series of monthly “waves” of statewide polling ordered by Ms Palaszczuk’s department into Covid-19 restrictions and her government’s handling of the outbreak.
Rachel Baxendale8pm: Exposure fears at Royal Children’s Hospital
Victoria’s health department says it is investigating potential coronavirus exposure at the Melbourne Paediatric Specialists’ private medical rooms inside the Royal Children’s Hospital.
In a statement released on Tuesday night, the department said the investigation followed notification of a confirmed case and related to the rooms at 48 Flemington Rd, Melbourne, on Monday.
“This investigation includes a review of the individual’s movements and their likely infectious period,” the department said.
“Precautionary public health actions are in place while this investigation is underway.
“Until further advice is provided by the department, members of the public should continue to observe current restrictions and get tested if they have any symptoms.”
READ MORE:Fortress Victoria heartless as ever
Rebecca Urban 7.45pm: Parents want kids back in class
Parents concerned about the toll of lockdowns on young people want schools to remain open during future coronavirus outbreaks, with almost two-thirds saying they would vaccinate their children if the option were available.
With three states enforcing lockdowns, a nationwide poll by UNICEF Australia has highlighted the anxieties of Australian families concerned that remote learning is no match for being in a classroom.
Two-thirds of respondents were worried about learning loss during the pandemic, with 27 per cent concerned their children would be unable to catch up; and almost half believed their children did not receive enough teaching support during lockdowns.
As a result, 7 per cent of families reported hiring private tutors.
UNICEF Australia chief executive Tony Stuart said it was important parents’ views were heard. “There is clearly no substitute for face-to-face learning and the benefits the school environment brings to children’s education experience,” he said.
“Children’s health must come first, but it is also important we have a clear path back to classrooms. Schools and parents are doing their best to provide learning in very challenging circumstances but the quality of teaching provided in classrooms simply cannot be achieved remotely while students have limited contact with teachers and parents have work commitments.”
AFP7.10pm:Stigma keeps Myanmar medical volunteers locked out
A Buddhist monk and a budding sailor are among the outcasts squatting in an abandoned building in Myanmar while they help bury coronavirus victims and their worried families tell them to keep away.
A surge in infections has been aggravated by a lack of formal medical care, with many hospitals empty of staff joining nationwide strikes against a February military coup.
Thar Gyi, one of about 20 volunteers living in the building, hasn’t been home to his family in almost three months after a patient he was transporting in his ambulance tested positive for the virus.
“Since then... they asked me not to come back. They sent my bags here,” he said in Taungoo, a few hours’ drive north of commercial hub Yangon.
His team run an ambulance service that transports sick patients and picks up bodies for cremation and burial.
At night they return to the building — once part of the city’s university, but now empty — to eat together, relax and play on their phones.
Thar Gyi should be at sea or preparing for a voyage — he had secured a position with a Western shipping firm, but then the pandemic struck and put the job on hold.
Like most of the group he has caught the virus and recovered, but his family still want him to stay away while he goes about his job as a corpse carrier.
“Even if I go back, I talk to them from the entrance without going inside the house,” he said.
“They cook whatever I want to eat. But they put it at the entrance of the house. They don’t let me come in.”
Fellow ambulance worker Kumara has been a monk for 17 years, but left his monastery to organise the volunteer group when the third wave of infections hit in June.
He has had the virus too and is keeping away from his fellow devotees, who like most of the town are wary of potential infection.
“People do not like ambulances parking in front of their house,” he said. “They run away and cover their noses... They think our ambulance is carrying viruses.”
Richard Ferguson6.28pm:Catholics seek extra aid for nurses
The nation’s Catholic hospitals are calling on Scott Morrison to forge a new mental health package for nurses and paramedics working on the frontlines of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a letter to Assistant Minister for Mental Health David Coleman this week, Catholic Health Australia chief executive Pat Garcia, a former acting secretary of NSW Labor, said health workers dealing with the Delta strain needed the sort of specialist funding afforded to first responders in the Black Summer bushfires.
The Catholic health sector said it had experienced a 1000 per cent increase in stress and mental health issues among its staff during the pandemic, and they did not expect the resurgence in cases and deaths that have plagued Sydney in the past month.
Richard Ferguson5.48pm:Parliament condemns rogue MP’s rant
Parliament has condemned Nationals MP George Christensen’s claims masks and lockdowns do not work against Covid-19 and “dictatorial medical bureaucrats” are systematically removing the freedoms of Australians.
Scott Morrison and government MPs – including fellow Nationals – voted for a Labor motion on Tuesday attacking a parliamentary speech by Mr Christensen and stating his comments “spread misinformation and undermine the actions of Australians to defeat Covid-19”.
Mr Christensen – who is set to retire from parliament at the next election – has hit the headlines in recent weeks over his support for anti-lockdown protesters and his attacks on medical advisers.
Before question time on Tuesday, Mr Christensen took aim at lockdown measures and said the nation should open up and learn to accept Covid-19 deaths.
“Our posturing politicians, the sensationalist media elite, and the dictatorial medical bureaucrats need to recognise these facts and stop spreading fear,” he said.
“Some people will catch (Covid-19), some people will tragically die from it. It’s inevitable. We need to accept that. What we can’t accept is a systemic removal of our freedoms based on a zero-risk strategy by a bunch of unelected medical bureaucrats.”
Labor’s motion near the end of question time attacking Mr Christensen was allowed to proceed and no government member opposed it in the final vote. Anthony Albanese said Mr Christensen’s calls to open up were “madness”, adding he would not take the government seriously until he was expelled from the Coalition.
Joseph Lam5.17pm:Nearly 45 per cent of Australians have had one vaccine dose
Australia has now put a total of 13,958,045 Covid-19 jabs into arms since the vaccine rollout began.
After administering 234,899 vaccines on August 9, a total of 44.70 per cent of the population over the age of 16 have received one dose of a Covid-19 jab and 23.7 per cent of Australians are now fully vaccinated.
This daily infographic provides the total number of vaccine doses administered in Australia as of 9 August 2021
— Australian Government Department of Health (@healthgovau) August 10, 2021
💻Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccine information here: https://t.co/lsM33j9wMWpic.twitter.com/lTIBWM4uhe
Here’s how the latest data on vaccinations stacks up across the states:
NSW has a population of 6,565,651 over the age of 16, of which 46.99 per cent have received one dose and 23.59 per cent are fully vaccinated.
Victoria has a population of 5,407,574 over the age of 16, of which 44.89 per cent have received one dose and 23.03 per cent are fully vaccinated.
Queensland has a population of 4,112,707 over the age of 16, of which 40.24 per cent have received one dose and 21.95 per cent are fully vaccinated.
South Australia has a population of 1,440,400 over the age of 16, of which 44.21 per cent have received one dose and 22.79 per cent are fully vaccinated.
The ACT has a population of 344,037 over the age of 16, of which 51.88 per cent have received one dose and 27.14 per cent are fully vaccinated.
The Northern Territory has a population of 190,571 over the age of 16, of which 45.05 per cent have received one dose and 27.69 per cent are fully vaccinated.
Western Australia has a population of 2,114,978 over the age of 16, of which 39.98 per cent have received one dose and 20.13 per cent are fully vaccinated
Tasmania has a population of 440,172 over the age of 16, of which 51.43 per cent have received one dose and 28.64 per cent are fully vaccinated
Erin Lyons5.05pm:NSW’s major supermarket change
NSW residents will be able to check into their local supermarket from Friday even if they don’t have a smartphone or pen and paper.
Instead, the state government is launching personalised Covid check-in cards that can be ordered as a plastic card or downloaded and printed on paper.
Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello said residents could visit a Service NSW centre to sign up or call to apply for one.
“We want to make sure the CovidSafe check-in is as safe and as accessible as possible, which is why we’re introducing the Covid-19 check-in card,” he said.
“The days of seeking out somewhere to manually sign in with pen and paper should be an absolute last resort.”
A person’s contact details would be securely stored within the QR code, he explained.
Two other changes will also be made to the check-in process.
David Swan4.48pm:Pandemic fuels need for NBN speed
As widespread lockdowns continue to spur demand for ultra-fast broadband, NBN Co has narrowed its losses and lifted revenue by 21 per cent year-on-year to $4.6bn, as the company moves towards a likely privatisation.
In its FY21 annual results the company posted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of $1.35bn in the 12 months to June 30, 2021 – up $2bn from a year earlier – as subscriber payments to Telstra and Optus tapered and 933,00 more customers were added to the network.
The pandemic has also prompted customers to choose higher speeds as NBN embarks on its “Home Ultrafast” upgrade program, with 17 per cent of residential customers on speeds of 100 Mbps and above, compared to 9 per cent a year earlier.
Max Maddison4.18pm:PM shuts down Labor attack on MP
Scott Morrison has fired back after Labor condemned Nationals MP George Christensen for using parliament to promote “conspiracy theories”, saying he will not try to “pit Australians against each other”.
The acting leader of the house, Christian Porter, surprisingly allowed Labor to move a motion which attacked Mr Christensen for anti-lockdown comments he made in the chamber on Tuesday afternoon.
Mr Morrison said while his government “doesn’t support misinformation in any shape or form”, he wouldn’t engage in a partisan debate.
“Because what I know is Australians aren’t interested in the politics of Covid, they are not interested in the noise of Covid, they are not interested in the shouting of Covid,” he said.
“We are going to finish this race and we are going to reset all the way to the finish line but we are going to do it as Team Australia, not in a way which seeks to divide Australians and pit Australians against each other.”
Rachel Baxendale3.55pm:‘No plans’ reconsider Mornington Peninsula lockdown
Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley says the Andrews government has “no plans” to reconsider including semi-rural local government areas such as Mornington Peninsula and Cardinia in the Greater Melbourne lockdown.
Much of the peninsula is more than 100km from the epicentre of Melbourne’s current Covid outbreak in the western suburbs.
In contrast, Geelong is classified as regional and no longer locked down, despite being home to the residences and workplaces of thousands of people who commute to and from Melbourne’s west each day.
Asked whether the designations made sense, Mr Foley said: “No, there’s no plans to change the definition as to what metropolitan Melbourne is for the purposes of public health orders.”
“I just ask people in metropolitan Melbourne, just look north to Sydney, about what happens when geographic local government area based-decisions are made with wider communities,” Mr Foley said.
“They all have to do their part. It doesn’t stop in geographic areas. It’s the nature of living, and it’s the nature of those surrounding communities that are part of that, so there’s no plans to change that.”
Rachel Baxendale3.45pm:‘Vast majority’ of exemptions won’t be approved: Foley
Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley has warned the “vast majority” of applications for compassionate exemptions to the state’s strict prohibition on travel from NSW will not be approved.
The Health Minister comments come as the fully vaccinated mother of a Melbourne woman battling advanced breast cancer waits to hear whether the Andrews government will overturn its rejection of her application to travel from Sydney to assist her daughter’s family.
Katarina Anderson, 62, has told Sky News she would be prepared to pay for a fortnight in hotel quarantine if it meant she could help her daughter Georgie Hudson, who has two young children, as she undergoes chemotherapy.
Despite this, her application for an exemption was initially rejected, with the case being reconsidered following the intervention of NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard.
“We make those decisions on a case by case individual by individual basis, and I understand how every case is seen to be pressing for those families, but just today, we’ve seen another record day of infections in New South Wales,” Mr Foley said.
“It’s an extreme risk zone under Victoria’s traffic light system for a very good reason. In regards to the particular case of a New South Wales resident who wants to come to Victoria, that has had some coverage, I was approached by the New South Wales minister and I’ve asked for further advice on that matter, but it will be determined on public health risk grounds, based on the circumstances of each individual case, and I’m sorry to have to say, but the vast majority of cases will not be approved.
“We are having to triage those cases around access for end of life and funeral arrangements and process those cases first, and people should not make the automatic assumption, that no matter how valid they believe their case to be, that it will be approved, because you are coming from a really risky situation, and I understand that that will create lots of challenges and disappointments for people, but the public health team’s major priority is keeping Victorians safe.”
READ MORE:Concerning figure in Melbourne outbreak
Tim Dodd3.40pm:Deakin VC calls for united position on vaccines
Deakin University vice-chancellor Iain Martin has called on Australia’s universities to seek a united position on whether vaccination against Covid-19 should be mandated for employees and students.
He says he has told national body Universities Australia that it should be considering what universities’ national position is on the issue.
“The debate is really important and somebody had to start it. I thought the time was right now because of the heightened awareness of what’s happening in Sydney and Melbourne at the moment,” he said,
Professor Martin, a medical doctor and believer in Covid-19 mandatory vaccination unless there are grounds for exemption, said he had been thinking about the ethical issues and would consult to reach a position within his university. He hoped to get an agreed position at Deakin by the start of next year.
Max Maddison3.36pm:Albanese calls on Coalition to expel Christensen
Anthony Albanese has slammed Nationals MP George Christensen for using parliament to promote “unproven” and “dangerous remedies”, saying his promulgation of “conspiracy theories” are madness, and calls on the government to expel him from the party.
The Opposition Leader sought leave to move a motion during Question Time on Tuesday afternoon, seeking to condemn comments made by Mr Chirstensen, who used a speech in the lower house to claim face masks and lockdowns “do not work”, while describing health professionals as “dictatorial medical bureaucrats”.
“The fact is that the member for Dawson has engaged in behaviour over hydroxychloroquine, over unproven and, indeed, dangerous remedies which are completely, completely contradictory to the scientific advice and the advice of our health professionals,” Mr Albanese told Question Time.
“To refer to our medical heroes as not being heroes of the pandemic but as dictatorial medical bureaucrats - he need to recognise these facts and stop spreading fear.”
Mr Albanese said the Dawson MPs calls to open up were “madness”, saying he would only take the government seriously when he was expelled from the Coalition.
“Madness is saying - let this disease. Let people die. Let whole economies be shut down. Let’s stop us being able to return to our way of life. That is what madness is. The madness of conspiracy theorists,” he said.
READ MORE:Tech, developing world key to climate fight: PM
Max Maddison2.56pm:Morrison says ‘lessons learnt’ as virus cases grow
Scott Morrison has revealed Covid-19 cases are already almost 50 per cent higher this year than the entirety of infections recorded in 2020, but concedes lessons have been learnt since the onset of the Greater Sydney outbreak.
While responding to a question from Anthony Albanese about the “bungled” vaccine rollout, the Prime Minister reiterated that the Delta strain was a “great challenge for the country”, but pointed to the country’s rising vaccination rates as evidence the program was succeeding.
“The Leader of the Opposition, in raising that question today and putting it in that way, may wish to pretend that the Delta variant is a myth or he may wish to pretend it doesn’t change the responses that are necessary,” Mr Morrison told question time on Tuesday.
“He may seek to undermine the efforts of the government as we seek to support the New South Wales government in dealing with this outbreak. He has one job and that is to undermine the government.”
Mr Morrison conceded there had been “lessons learnt” over the course of the Greater Sydney outbreak, as he responded to opposition spokeswoman for communications Michelle Rowland’s assertion he had encouraged NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian to resist pressures to lock down.
“But there have certainly been lessons learnt over the course of these past weeks and the government doesn’t deny that,” he said.
“When we came together as a national cabinet, we came to the agreed position across the national cabinet that it was necessary in phase A of this national plan that short, sharp lockdowns is what is necessary in response to the Delta variant.”
READ MORE: Hazzard fires up as Chant quizzed
Yoni Bashan2.48pm:PM, Berejiklian ‘have failed the people’: Lib MP
A NSW Liberal MP has blasted Scott Morrison, Gladys Berejiklian and the NSW crisis cabinet, saying both have “failed the people of Australia” by mismanaging the Covid-19 pandemic.
A leaked email written by Mulgoa MP Tanya Davies to Deputy Premier John Barilaro this afternoon states that both the Prime Minister and Ms Berejiklian have let down residents over the issue of mandatory vaccination.
The NSW government has no formal policy on mandatory vaccination, however it has mandated that construction workers from eight hotspot areas of Greater Sydney receive inoculations before they can return to worksites.
Ms Davies, the MP for Mulgoa, in the city’s west, is hoping to put forward a private members bill to ban either the government or private enterprise from mandating vaccinations.
“If the Prime Minister, Premier, and her Crisis Cabinet cannot use their significant resources to find a better way to open up other than trampling upon and forcing a medical procedure in order for people to feed their families and live life, then they have failed in their jobs as leaders,” Ms Davies wrote.
“This is Australia, not Communist China.”
Ms Davies’ bill is backed by NSW Corrections Minister and conservative-faction leader Anthony Roberts, as well as other MPs on the coalition backbench.
Ms Davies’ email continued: “The Prime Minister and NSW Crisis Cabinet have failed the people of Australia and NSW in not using the multimillion-dollar tax payer funded departments to find a better way out of this pandemic than locking everyone up and threatening them with their livelihoods unless they undergo a medical procedure.”
The Mulgoa MP was responding to an email sent to her by Mr Barilaro earlier this morning which criticised her attempt to legislate against mandatory vaccinations.
“This Bill in itself attacks the very thing you are fighting for, freedom,” he wrote.
“The only way we will get out of this latest outbreak is through vaccination, meaning we can all have freedom again.
“Everything about this Bill and the message it sends is dangerous, irresponsible, and threatens lives.”
Ms Davies’ bill was due to be debated at a partyroom meeting that was scheduled for 2pm on Tuesday.
READ MORE: Business in dark over vaccinations
Max Maddison 2.39pm:Recovering JobKeeper from low paid ‘doing duty’
Employment Minister Stuart Robert says the Morrison government is fulfilling its duty to recover JobKeeper payments from low income individuals, amid an opposition attack about the failure to pursue corporations who received and failed to pay back $13 billion in taxpayers dollars.
The Australian Taxation Office has reclaimed close to $300 million in wage subsidy overpayments, which Mr Robert, acting on behalf of Services Australia Minister Linda Reynolds, said demonstrated the agency was “fulfilling its responsibilities”.
“The (former) Leader of the Opposition says to me this is about the fair go. With great respect, Sir, it’s actually about following the law and the law requires that overpayments are not allowed,” Mr Robert told question time on Tuesday afternoon.
Mr Robert had been responding to a question from Bill Shorten, who queried why the federal government was “harassing and targeting ordinary Australians” while corporations were allowed to hold onto the taxpayers dollars, despite posting record profits.
“Governments have been required to do for decades and decades and decades. That’s the standard of a highly targeted welfare system that we all, as Australians, enjoy and that many members of the Leader of the Opposition’s front bench have administered over the years,” Mr Robert said.
TRADING DAY: ASX rebounds, James Hardie and miners rise
Yoni Bashan2.26pm:Hazzard in fiery exchange over ‘politicised crisis’
There have been fiery exchanges during a parliamentary inquiry examining the Coalition’s response to the Covid-19 lockdown, with Health Minister Brad Hazzard accusing the committee chair of politicising the crisis and preventing officials from attending to the pandemic.
Mr Hazzard took aim at committee chair David Shoebridge, a Greens MP, as he probed a line of questioning surrounding the advice provided to Premier Gladys Berejiklian in relation to sending HSC students back to school.
Mr Shoebridge asked NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant if she provided specific health advice to the Berejiklian government that it would be safe for Year 12 students to return to school on August 16.
In a carefully worded response, Dr Chant said her advice sometimes needed to be balanced against other factors, such as mental health and wellbeing concerns, although she indicated it was not her preference.
The revelations appear to contradict Ms Berejiklian’s repeated statements that all decisions are “based on the health advice”.
Dr Chant said: “Clearly with the numbers so high, my advice was that it was unsafe to have anything that increased movement and mobility, and clearly a range of measures were put in place so that it allowed for ... balancing those Covid-risks with welfare checks with HSC students.”
Dr Chant continued: “So, as the minister indicated, sometimes Covid-risk has to be balanced against mental health and other issues, but the very strict covid safe measures were put in place... and I provided clear advice that the risk was too great anywhere in the affected areas.”
Sensing that Dr Chant’s advice may not have been in step with the position of Ms Berejiklian’s public statements, Mr Shoebridge then added a supplementary question asking when her advice was provided to the Premier.
A fed-up Mr Hazzard then angrily interrupted Mr Shoebridge, saying: “David, David, we are in the middle of a pandemic and you’re just asking questions that are just aimed at having a go.”
He then accused Mr Shoebridge of politicising the hearing as part of a wider ambition to run for federal parliament.
“You’re the chairperson and you should stick to what you agreed to, so Dr Chant can get on with her work, and stop carrying on like you’re running for the senate for heaven’s sake, we know you’re running for the senate,” Mr Hazzard said.
“The arrangement was we’d come voluntarily, for one hour, and you’re wasting her time.”
READ MORE: Melbourne still lagging in return to the office
Yoni Bashan1.42pm:NSW CHO wants 70pc vaxxed before restrictions eased
NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant says she remains optimistic the state will exceed 50 per cent first-dose vaccination coverage by the end of the August, with unaffected regions being considered for an easing of restrictions.
Dr Chant is giving evidence alongside Health Minister Brad Hazzard at a parliamentary inquiry examining the NSW government’s management of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The committee has queried both Dr Chant and Mr Hazzard on whether any advice had been provided to lock down the state sooner, however both have denied this occurred and Mr Hazzard described the crisis as a “moveable feast”.
Dr Chant said when the virus first appeared in the eastern suburbs on June 16, compliance among the population had been high and the situation appeared manageable for a number of days.
This changed on June 23 when a Covid-positive hairdresser, who worked in the suburb of Double Bay, attended a birthday party in the suburb of West Hoxton.
“We did have success in bringing the cases down. But there was a seeding event in West Hoxton,” she said.
Dr Chant said it was her preference for the state to achieve 70 per cent of vaccination coverage, per the advice of modelling provided to the national cabinet last week, before restrictions are substantially eased.
However, she said “unaffected areas” could potentially face an exit from lockdown conditions sooner, naming the region of Shellharbour, in the state’s south, as a potential site.
Ellie Dudley1.32pm:Southwest Sydney still lagging on vaccinations
Almost a quarter of eligible Australians have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 as states and territories race to give their residents the jab.
Just over 22 per cent of Australians are fully protected against the virus, and 44 per cent have received one dose.
Tasmania (28 per cent) is leading the way in terms of percentage fo Australians fully vaccinated, followed shortly after by the NT (27 per cent) and the ACT (26 per cent).
In NSW, 23 per cent of the population has been fully inoculated, while SA and Victoria are at 22 per cent.
Around 21 per cent of the Queensland population have received both jabs, and WA has fully vaccinated 20 per cent of their population.
In regards to NSW’s current Covid-19 outbreak, the high-risk area of southwest Sydney still only has a 17 per cent vaccination rate, despite having been identified as an area deserving of “targeted vaccines”.
The area has the second lowest jab rate for the state, just ahead of the far west and Orana region in rural NSW which had had 16 per cent of the population fully vaccinated.
The North Sydney and Hornsby area has the highest rate as 32 per cent have been fully vaccinated, similar to the 30 per cent jab rate in Baulkham Hills and the Hawkesbury.
READ MORE:Israel banks on boosters as cases surge
Adeshola Ore1.12pm: It’s OK that people are angry over lockdowns: PM
Scott Morrison has told his colleagues that it’s ok to acknowledge Australians’ anger at lockdowns, as more than half the country live under stay-at-home orders.
During the Coalition’s joint party room meeting, the Prime Minister acknowledged there had been frustrations at the beginning of the vaccine rollout, but said the government had turned it around in the latter half.
According to a partyroom spokesman, Mr Morrison said “it’s ok when they tell you they’re angry, we all are.”
He said nobody enjoyed lockdowns, but that it was the virus “doing it.”
READ MORE: Developing world ‘key to climate future’
Rachel Baxendale1.06pm:Melbourne lockdown ‘a day-to-day proposition’
Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley has refused to speculate on whether Melbourne’s lockdown will be extended beyond Thursday night, saying his “crystal ball hasn’t fired up lately”.
Health authorities and the Andrews government have indicated any easing of restrictions will depend on a minimal number of coronavirus cases having been infectious in the community in recent days.
Of 80 cases linked to the most recent outbreaks since Wednesday, just six have been in quarantine for the duration of their infectious period, including five in Tuesday’s numbers.
“It is really a day-to-day proposition, and sometimes an hour to hour proposition,” Mr Foley said of Victoria’s coronavirus situation.
“We’ve seen one case a couple of days ago being in quarantine, now we’ve got five and what we want to do is obviously improve on that trend.
“That’s in the hands of everyone in metropolitan Melbourne to follow the rules, it’s in the hands of all of us in Victoria to get tested at the slightest of symptoms.”
Asked why the government won’t level with Victorians and acknowledge the impossibility of meeting the benchmark of zero infectious cases in the community by Thursday, Mr Foley said: “I don’t know what the future brings. The crystal ball hasn’t fired up lately.”
READ MORE: Eight charged after Parliament House vandalised
Rachel Baxendale 12.54pm:Victoria adds check-in history to QR app
Service Victoria has updated its QR code check-in app to include a “history” function, to enable people to recall where they have checked in over the past 28 days.
The feature has been available on other states’ apps for some time.
Victoria’s opposition has been calling for the measure to be introduced in Victoria for some weeks.
Health Department deputy secretary in charge of contact tracing, Kate Matson, said the history function had helped a recent case recall that he had checked in at a gym.
“That’s exactly why we have that call to all Victorians to continue checking in. It’s also why Service Victoria has added a check-in transaction history, if you like, to the app,” Ms Matson said.
“If you’re not seeing it on your current version of the app, please download the newest version. You’ll see a little clock symbol at the bottom that will list your check-in for the last 28 days. Any check-ins after 28 days will be deleted.”
The new history function came into effect on Sunday.
READ MORE: Israel banks on boosters as cases soar
Rachel Baxendale 12.37pm:New cases in Flemington public housing towers
Victorian Covid logistics chief Jeroen Weimar said three of Victoria’s new cases on Tuesday are in residents of two public housing towers in Racecourse Rd, Flemington.
The towers were among those subjected to one of the harshest lockdowns in the world during Victoria’s second wave last year, when dozens of residents were infected with the virus.
Mr Weimar said the latest cases were in people who lived at 130 and 126 Racecourse Rd, with all three moved to hotel quarantine last night following their positive test results.
A family of eight who had earlier moved out of 130 Racecourse Rd all tested positive over the weekend.
Mr Weimar thanked the latest cases and their families for moving to hotel quarantine.
“It is a very anxious and distressing time for those families, it’s very distressing to have in this case children identified as positive cases, but they are now in a safe and best possible place they can be,” he said.
Mr Weimar also thanked local community and health leaders who had been working to engage residents in the public housing towers “to make sure we have good relationships, good information going around the precinct.”
“We had a very busy few days there over the last two days to test everybody in the main tower, 130 Racecourse road.
“Two-thirds of those results have come back as negative and we’ll be continuing testing today at 126 Racecourse road.
“We have also worked exceptionally closely and my thanks to the school leadership of those involved in the outbreak, in particular the school communities at Ilim College, at the Islamic college of Melbourne, the Mount Alexander College and our friends at Al-Taqwa College. We have seen the most phenomenal engagement through those school communities over the last few days.”
READ MORE: Concerning figure in Melbourne outbreak
Adeshola Ore12.32pm:Virtual Barnaby reminds MPs to say thank you
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has advised his colleagues to thank Australians for making sacrifices during lockdowns, as more than half the nation lives under stay-at-home orders.
Mr Joyce, who was caught up in Armidale’s Covid-19 lockdown, attended the Coalition’s party room virtually on Tuesday morning.
He said the Coalition should sympathise with their constituents and thank them when they emerge from lockdowns, according to a party room spokesperson.
Mr Joyce said MPs must respect the inconvenience and pressure that Australians are currently facing.
READ MORE:PVO – All in this together? Not any more
Rachel Baxendale 12.06pm:Shopping centre of ‘most concern’ as 25 cases linked
Victorian Covid logistics chief Jeroen Weimar says the Caroline Springs shopping centre in Melbourne’s outer west remains the “area of most concern” to health authorities, after 25 Covid cases were linked to the site.
Mr Weimar said that of 111 active cases in Victoria, 76 were linked to the western suburbs outbreaks which emerged last week, with the remainder either overseas-acquired hotel quarantine cases, or older cases linked to the outbreaks which sparked Victoria’s fifth lockdown last month.
There are more than 12,000 primary close contacts linked to the current outbreaks, including thousands linked to nine schools.
“The area of most concern to us today is Caroline Springs and continues to be Caroline Springs,” Mr Weimar said.
“We have seen now 25 cases associated with the Caroline Springs Square shopping centre across a number of different retail units and people. Some of those are household contacts.
“We have listed yesterday the entirety of the Caroline Springs Square shopping centre as a Tier 2 site between 27 July and 5 August.
“I would again urge everybody who has been to that shopping centre over that period, please come forward and get tested immediately if you have not already done so.”
Mr Weimar said particular shops had been listed as Tier 1 sites, including YPA Real Estate, BWS, Aldi, Caroline Springs Pharmacy, and Spectacle Hub.
“We need more people in the Caroline Springs area coming forward for testing. It’s a busy, important shopping centre,” Mr Weimar said.
Of Victoria’s 20 new coronavirus cases on Monday:
- 10 have been linked to the CS Square shopping centre in Caroline Springs in Melbourne’s outer west. This includes four linked to YPA Real Estate (three workers and one household contact), three linked to the Jolly Miller Cafe (one worker, two household contacts), one worker at the Pacific Smiles dentist, and two shoppers who attended the shopping centre precinct;
- Three cases are linked to the Newport community AFL club including a player, a social contact and a household contact;
- Three cases are linked to Mount Alexander College secondary school in Flemington. This includes two students and a household contact;
- Two are household contacts of the Newport family cluster announced last week;
- One is a student at Al-Taqwa college;
- One is linked to a secondary workplace associated with the Jolly Miller Cafe;
With more than 12,000 close contacts in home quarantine in Victoria, authorities conducted 767 home visits on Monday to ensure people were isolating.
Covid logistics chief Jeroen Weimar said only four of those households “required any kind of follow-up”.
READ MORE: Consumer, business confidence sours
Ellie Dudley11.59am:Premier sidesteps question on vaccines for under 40s
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has avoided a answering question regarding when the government would open up Pfizer or Moderna vaccine bookings to under 40s, instead urging Sydneysiders to get any vaccination offered to them.
The Moderna vaccine was approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration on Monday, opening the door for the vaccine to come onto the market from September.
Ms Berejiklian said she was following the health advice in regards to the supplies of the vaccine, but did not say when young people would gain access to a vaccine that was not AstraZeneca.
“Clearly, 16-18-year-olds, those sitting for the HSC, aren’t able to take any other vaccine at this stage,” she said.
“That’s why we have a targeted approach there. But we’ll follow the health advice as to which category of people should get which vaccine.
“Both vaccines are very effective. Both vaccines have stopped people dying. Both vaccines have stopped people going into hospital. So, I just urge people to come forward and get vaccinated.”
READ MORE: Pandemic fuels need for NBN speed
Ellie Dudley11.52am:Lockdown future for Newcastle, Hunter still unclear
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said it was too early to tell whether Newcastle and the Upper Hunter region will come out of lockdown on time.
The areas were plunged into a seven day lockdown last Thursday after three new cases were detected in the regional community.
The LGAs impacted are Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Port Stephens, Cessnock, Dungog, Singleton and Muswellbrook.
Thirteen of Tuesday’s cases were detected in those areas, causing Ms Berejiklian to say the lockdown end date remains unknown.
“Obviously we’ll take the health advice on that,” she said.
“There are obviously additional cases today. Pleasingly, Tamworth and Armidale haven’t had any additional cases. North coast could have one, but not related to the Byron person.
“In relation to the Hunter... we’ll rely on Dr Chant’s advice on that. If she recommends an extension of the lockdown, that’s what will happen. And if she determines that Tamworth and Armidale can come out of lockdown, that’s what we’ll announce as well.”
Rachel Baxendale11.48am:Islamic college community targeted for vaccines
Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley said 1252 vaccine doses had been administered to members of the Al-Taqwa College community in Truganina in Melbourne’s outer west, at a clinic set up after cases were identified at the school, which was also central to a major coronavirus cluster during Victoria’s second wave.
Pfizer was made available to students, staff and household members aged over 16.
“That’s more than half the school, and keep in mind that many of the families had also gone to other vaccination centres, be it the big hub at Sunshine, the Showgrounds, the GP networks and a range of others. Some have already in fact been vaccinated,” Mr Foley said.
“So, can I give the Al-Taqwa school a really big shout for the impressive way in which the school leadership, the school community and their families have all come together in an extraordinary way to have amongst the highest levels of testing and amongst the highest levels of vaccination of any school community that we have seen over the course of this outbreak.”
Rachel Baxendale11.44am:Young Victorians flocking to clinics with AZ
Young people taking advantage of AstraZeneca being made available to under-40s have been integral to Victoria recording its highest number of vaccinations at state-run clinics since June 5.
Health Minister Martin Foley said 22,670 people had been vaccinated at state-run centres on Monday - the first day AZ was made available to under-40s at a small number of state-run clinics.
“We administered 2,366 first doses of that vaccine yesterday,” Mr Foley said.
“That is a more than threefold increase when compared to the Monday of the previous week. It gives strong emphasis to the fact that young people, and in particular those 39 and under, want to get vaccinated.”
“Clearly, young people have assessed their personal situation in a strong and informed manner and many are determining that there are significant risks in remaining unvaccinated during the Delta outbreak, and during lockdown and they’ve made a balanced and pretty straightforward decision as to where their interests and the community interests lie, because they know it’s not just about them.
Mr Foley said 333,000 vaccine appointments had been booked at state-run clinics into the future, a third of which are for AstraZeneca.
Mr Foley emphasised the safety and efficacy of the AstraZeneca vaccine, after NSW and Victoria made it available to under-40s at state-run clinics.
“I’ve got AstraZeneca, the Chief Health Officer got AstraZeneca, (Covid logistics chief) Jeroen (Weimar)’s had AstraZeneca. It’s safe, it’s available and it’s effective,” Mr Foley said.
“We all did it, all Victorians who have been vaccinated, have done it to protect themselves, to protect our families and to protect the communities that we’re a part of, and we look forward to the hundreds of thousands of people in the coming weeks doing the same thing and coming forward to get us on this pathway out of the systems of having limited options when it comes to outbreaks.”
Mr Foley’s comments contrast with those of Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young, who was widely condemned last month when she erroneously claimed 18-year-olds were more likely to die from the extremely rare risk of blood clots associated with AstraZeneca than from Covid-19.
READ MORE:Vaccination status has people picking sides
Ellie Dudley11.38am:‘Choose the property you’re living in and stay there’
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard has spoken to the department’s legal department to “tighten up” current health orders that permit citizens to move between their places of residence.
Public health orders permit Sydneysiders to move between multiple homes they own, with questions being raised as to whether the rule applied to people who owned holiday houses.
Mr Hazzard said the rule remained, but did not apply to people in greater Sydney who wanted to go on holiday.
“The issue is that it is difficult in regards to houses in different areas but examples would be if you had a doctor who lived in Sydney but also went to somewhere in the regions for three days a week or five days a week if you had another house there,” he said.
“Having said that, I said to a legal department to look at what we can do to tighten it up as
far as possible.
“Clearly, the rules now that you shouldn’t just travel from one house to another for the sake of moving to the other house. Choose the property you are living in and stay there.
“What worries me is no matter what legal orders or requirements are in place, you can’t legislate against stupidity, arrogance and entitlement.”
Mr Hazzard said “people will still try to do it” but asked people to apply “an element of common sense and a modicum of decency.”
A man who tested positive for Covid-19 in the Byron Bay area is believed to have been seeking out new property to purchase.
Mr Hazzard refused to answer questions about the traveller, but said the police were “looking extremely closely at what he was doing in that area.”
READ MORE:Byron Bay case ‘didn’t believe in Covid’
Rachel Baxendale11.26am: Only two Victorian Covid patients remain in hospital
Only two people remain in Victorian hospitals with coronavirus on Tuesday, down from five on Monday.
None are in intensive care, for the first time in weeks.
The news comes at a time when there are 111 active coronavirus cases in Victoria, following the recovery of the vast majority of cases linked to the outbreaks associated with the state’s fifth lockdown last month.
There are 80 cases linked to the latest outbreaks.
Ellie Dudley11.23am:Ring of steel around Sydney not needed: Berejiklian
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has again rejected the suggestion the state government should implement a “ring of steel” around greater Sydney to keep the virus at bay.
A ring of steel could see police and the defence force patrolling greater Sydney borders, and a curfew being implemented.
Victoria’s premier Daniel Andrews had repeatedly suggested Ms Berejiklian should implement a ring of steel, but she said the highly infectious nature of the Delta variant would prevent the action from working.
“What we also have to accept is the basic fact that Delta is very different to other strains we have had,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“Policy positions that may have worked in the past aren’t going to have effect with Delta.
“It is something we need to accept. Except this is a different variant and we need to approach it differently.
“In relation to that point, based on the health expert advice, vaccination reduces your chance of spreading, reduces your chance of lying in hospital and reduces your chance of dying.”
Ellie Dudley11.17am:Aged care worker passed virus to four residents
A positive case of Covid-19 has been detected in an aged care worker in southwest Sydney, who has since passed the virus on to four residents.
All eight residents the worker came into contact with had been vaccinated, and the worker had received one dose, chief health officer Kerry Chant said.
“We have had a confirmed case at the St George aged care centre in Bexley. A confirmed case in a staff member who worked one shift while infectious on one level at the facility,” Dr Chant said.
“Four out of eight residents have tested positive. All eight of the residents were vaccinated. The staff member received their first dose of vaccination. Appropriate care is being provided.”
Ellie Dudley11.13am: New lockdown areas spared further cases
There have been no additional cases of Covid-19 in the Byron Shire, Tamworth or Armidale, despite scares after positive cases visited the areas.
“There has been no additional cases in the Byron northern New South Wales area in relation to the case I spoke about yesterday,” chief health officer Kerry Chant said.
“We had a gentleman and two of his children test positive and there were a number of exposure sites. We have had no further cases linked to that exposure site.”
“There have been no additional cases in Tamworth or Armidale and I thank the community for their response to the testing.”
However, thirteen of Tuesday’s new cases were detected in the Upper Hunter region.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian again highlighted the Canterbury-Bankstown area in southwest Sydney as the main area of Covid-19 concern.
Of the 356 locally acquired cases reported to 8pm last night, 121 were from western Sydney Local Health District, 113 were from southwestern Sydney, 40 were from Sydney, 38 were from southeastern Sydney, 24 were from Nepean Blue Mountains, 13 were from Hunter New England and seven are from Northern Sydney.
“Canterbury-Bankstown remains the central area where Covid-19 spreads where cases are increasing and we have seen stabilisation and substantial decline in areas like Fairfield,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“Communities that are responding to health orders and to what we are asking them to do are seeing a decline in their LGAs.”
Ellie Dudley11.01am: NSW records 356 new cases
NSW has recorded 356 new locally-acquired cases of Covid-19 as infections across the state continue to spread.
At least a third of the cases were active in the community for the entirety of their infectious period.
Three new deaths were recorded in association with the latest outbreak, one was a man in his 80s, another woman in her 80s and one man in his 70s.
Around 95,000 tests were conducted in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.
The man in his 80s from south west Sydney died at Liverpool Hospital. He acquired his infection as part of the Liverpool Hospital outbreak.
There have now been six deaths linked with the outbreak in the geriatric ward of the hospital.
“The man tested positive on 29 July and was not vaccinated,” chief health officer Kerry Chant said.
“As part of that Liverpool Hospital outbreak we had seven staff and a student nurse and 29 patients impacted. There have been six deaths with this outbreak. NSW Health and the staff at Liverpool Hospital extend the sincere sympathies to their families and friends of these patients.’
A woman in her 80s from south west Sydney died at Liverpool Hospital. She was not linked to the Liverpool Hospital outbreak and was unvaccinated.
A man in his 70s from western Sydney died at Nepean Hospital. He, too, was not vaccinated.
An unvaccinated man in his 80s from northern NSW also died at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. He acquired his infection overseas and is not linked to the current outbreak, and is therefore not recorded in the death tally from the latest infections.
READ MORE: Protesters vandalise Parliament House
Ellie Dudley10.45am:Palaszczuk plays down polling revelation
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has rejected accusations she is allowing a focus group to guide her pandemic response.
The Australian revealed on Tuesday that the Queensland government had relied on secretive monthly polling of Queenslanders to help her decide on the scope and duration of Covid-19 restrictions since just after the pandemic began.
Ms Palaszczuk said only health advice from chief health officer Jeannette Young had been the key driver of her decision making.
“(The focus group) won’t guide my decision-making. Guide my decision-making? This wonderful woman to the left of me [Dr Young] has helped keep Queenslanders safe,” she said.
She added that “every state and territory including the federal government” had invested money into sentiment testing and research.
“It would be absolutely negligent not to do that,” she said.
“The research was done to help the advertising campaigns that the Covid-19 taskforce put in place. Everyone knows clearly how much I was personally attacked and the government was personally attacked for some of the strongest answers that we took taking on advice.”
READ MORE:Secret polling guides Qld decisions
Rachel Baxendale10.40am:Vic Health Minister set to provide update
Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley, Covid logistics chief Jeroen Weimar and deputy secretary in charge of contact tracing Kate Matson are due to address the media at 11am.
The press conference comes after Victoria recorded 20 community-acquired cases in the 24 hours to midnight on Monday, only five of whom were in quarantine throughout their infectious period.
Ellie Dudley10.30am:Qld announces $70m business support
The Queensland government has announced an additional $70 million will be injected into suffering businesses across the state following numerous snap lockdowns.
Queensland Treasurer Cameron Dick said businesses were “on the heart” of the government, and he was “pleased to announce the new support package.”
“We are waiving, refunding or deferring a range of fees and charges across government for eligible tourism hospitality business across the state for 12 months so for this financial year until 30 June 2022,” he said.
“We are waiving or refunding all the licensing fees for tourism and hospitality businesses for this financial year, a benefit of around $22 million for business and industry in the tourism and hospitality space.
“The extent of $5000 business support grants (will be provided) to all large tourism and hospitality businesses across Queensland.
“The government is setting aside $20 million for a Covid cleaning rebate. It will pay 80% of small and medium sized businesses cleaning costs if they are a Covid exposed site up to a maximum of $10,000.”
READ MORE:Business ‘in dark over vaccinations’
Ellie Dudley10.15am:Community warning over infectious pilot
Queensland chief health officer Jeannette Young says the reef pilot who spread the virus to the Cairns taxi driver may have been infectious in the community since July 23.
“The marine pilot developed symptoms on July 31, meaning he had an infectious period from July 29, two days before, but he was fully vaccinated and we know that can change whether or not someone gets any symptoms at all,” Dr Young said.
“We now have this information from New Zealand about the ship that he piloted, coming off that on July 23 and that is probably where he acquired it.
“We will have to go back and contact trace to July 23.”
Dr Young said the pilot was driven to the airport on July 26 by the taxi driver, whose infections have now been genomically linked.
“But that was before we thought he was infectious which is why he wasn’t up on contact
tracing but we are now going back further,” Dr Young said.
“People in Cairns, there will be venues put up there and please just take note because you might have been in one of those venues going back to July 23.”
Ellie Dudley10.07am:Queensland records 3 cases, all linked and quarantined
Queensland has recorded three new cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, all linked to the cluster in Brisbane’s inner-west.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said none of the new cases had been in the community while infectious.
Tuesday 10 August – coronavirus cases in Queensland:
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) August 10, 2021
3 new locally acquired cases - all linked to the Indooroopilly cluster and detected in home quarantine.
0 overseas acquired cases.#covid19pic.twitter.com/5enutWLqH3
“Well done to everyone and everybody in home quarantine, thank you, thank you, thank you for everything you are doing and keeping your family safe and the community safe,” she said.
A total of 20,484 tests were conducted in the state over the past 24 hours, 4200 of which were conducted in Cairns, Ms Palaszczuk said.
Cairns and Yarrabah in far north Queensland are currently on day two of a three day lockdown after a taxi driver contracted the virus from a reef pilot and was active in the community while infectious.
No new cases have been detected in far north Queensland.
READ MORE: Fujitsu offers 3600 staff paid leave for Covid jab
Lachlan Moffet Gray10.03am:Tourism, hospitality submit emergency plan
The nation’s tourism and hospitality businesses have banded together to submit a three point “emergency plan” to the federal government, as rolling lockdowns continue to hammer the industry for a second consecutive year.
The Australian Tourism Industry Council - which represents around 10,000 businesses - on Tuesday called for wage support, a reintroduction of flexibility provisions in the fair work act and a more detailed roadmap to recovery.
“1. To the end of the calendar year, affected tourism, hospitality and event operators across
Australia must have access to targeted financial support to sustain operations and
maintain staff engagement,” ATIC said in an open letter,
“This support could be structured along similar lines to the support offered to the aviation sector, in the form of wage subsidies.
“2. Re-introduce the flexibility provisions in the Fair Work Act that were put in place for
employers during the JobKeeper period. This will allow businesses to maintain
relationships with employees and will give a degree of certainty to employees that their
jobs are being protected.
“3. A more detailed Covid-19 Transition Roadmap agreed by National Cabinet to provide
more operating certainty to the industry’s pathway to recovery.”
FOLLOW live ASX updates at Trading Day
Rachel Baxendale 9.58am: Student at second Melbourne Islamic school positive
Students and staff and family members at another Islamic school have been forced into isolation, with one of Tuesday’s 20 new Covid cases in Victoria confirmed as a student at Ilim College in Melbourne’s outer north.
The student is understood to be a sibling of a student at Al-Taqwa College in the western suburb of Truganina, where there had been 23 cases among students, staff and households as of Monday.
Both schools were impacted by Victoria’s second wave, with 113 cases at Al-Taqwa comprising one of the state’s largest known clusters this time last year.
Authorities have praised the Al-Taqwa school community, with 87 per cent of close contacts at the school having returned negative Covid tests as of Monday.
Hundreds Al-Taqwa community members have also taken up the health department’s offer of Pfizer vaccination, with a clinic set up adjacent to the school last Friday.
READ MORE: Newspoll – Most Aussies very keen to get vaccinated
Ellie Dudley 9.49am:Premiers, health authorities set to deliver virus updates
State health authorities across Australia will front the media this morning to provide updates on their respective Covid-19 outbreaks.
Queensland’s premier Annastacia Palaszczuk will hold a press conference at 10am alongside the state’s health minister Yvetter D’Ath and chief health officer Jeannette Young.
Queensland has recorded four new cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, all linked to the cluster in Brisbane’s inner-west.
Cairns and Yarrabah in the state’s far north are on track to be released from their three-day snap lockdown this week, after they were placed under strict stay at home orders on Sunday due to a taxi driver infected with Covid-19 was infectious in the community for up to 10 days.
No new cases have been discovered in association with the taxi driver, who has been linked to a positive case in a reef pilot detected in far north Queensland last week.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian will provide an update at 11am, after the state recorded 283 new locally acquired cases of Covid-19 on Monday and one death.
Ms Berejiklian on Monday announced eased restrictions would come for that state at 50-60 per cent vaccination rate, putting her at odds with the target outlined by national cabinet of 70 per cent.
Victorian authorities are expected to provide their state’s update this morning, but are yet to set a time.
The southern state recorded 20 new cases of the virus on Monday, which have all been linked to existing infections.
Only five of the 20 cases were in quarantine throughout their infectious period.
READ MORE: Adam Creighton – No accounting for Covid-dumb fearmongering
Remy Varga 9.43am: Victoria’s Year 12s win reprieve as GAT postponed
Year 12 students in Victoria have been granted a reprieve, with the state government on Tuesday confirming that the 2021 General Achievements Test would be postponed.
A new date will be determined in the coming days as the Victorian public health team scrambles to contain the latest Delta outbreaks.
Students in quarantine as positive cases or close contacts will be granted an exemption, as will schools that are identified as exposure sites.
The impact of COVID-19 will be included in finalising every student in Victoria’s final VCE result.
“Victorian students have done an amazing job adapting to another year of disruptions – but we can’t risk another outbreak in a school, so we’re rescheduling the GAT to keep every school community across Victoria safe,” Education Minister James Merlino said.
Mr Merlino said that due to coronavirus students requiring special consideration would again be assessed using the CED process which was devised and used in 2020.
“Consistent with the approach in 2020, the process considers a range of data alongside exam results to calculate final VCE results - like the GAT, comparisons of performance across all assessments and schools and other learning data,” he said.
“The process will also include assessments of the individual impact of coronavirus on each student including school closures, direct impacts on student’ health, ongoing issues with remote learning and mental health challenges.
“The Department of Education and Training and the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) will support schools in the coming weeks to make appropriate COVIDSafe plans to hold the GAT.” – With Rachel Baxendale
READ MORE: HSC students deserve a fair go
Rachel Baxendale8.51am: 80 new Melbourne exposure sites added to list
Victoria’s number of coronavirus exposure sites has swelled to almost 250 on Tuesday, with 80 new sites added in the past 24 hours.
While most of the sites are in Melbourne’s west, several new sites have recently popped up in the northeast and outer east of the city.
These include a bank and industrial equipment supplier in Heidelberg and a laser business and auto parts store in Bayswater North.
The full list of sites is available on the Victorian health department website: https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/exposure-sites
Max Maddison8.48am: Jabs voluntary with rare exceptions: Hunt
Health Minister Greg Hunt says the Morrison government that the vaccination is voluntary other than “exceptional circumstances”, amid criticism employers have been left out to dry.
After national cabinet on Friday, Scott Morrison outlined circumstances where employers could mandate vaccines for their employees under workplace health and safety legislation, but warned they would have to be guided by current laws.
Despite Josh Frydenberg saying he was “working through the issue”, his cabinet colleague defended the government’s light touch approach, saying it was “important to have the confidence of the public”.
“We have set out nationally that vaccination, other than in exceptional circumstances, is a voluntary process. We think that that is an appropriate principle for Australia, but we are a great vaccination nation as you have just set out,” Mr Hunt told Seven’s Sunrise on Monday morning.
He reiterated that workers in aged care and hotel quarantine would be required to be vaccinated, but said “confidence is the strongest way” to ensure high vaccination rates in Australia.
READ MORE: Business ‘in dark’ over vaccinations
Ellie Dudley8.39am:‘Likely’ no interstate travel for NSW residents for months
Burnett Institute CEO Brendan Crabb says it is “pretty likely” NSW residents will be unable to travel to other states before Christmas.
Greater Sydney has entered its seventh week of lockdown, and numerous regions in far north and north east NSW have been put under strict stay-at-home orders.
Professor Crabb said due to the substantial amount of Covid-19 in the community it is “realistic” that other state’s borders would remain closed until December.
“If the rest of Australia stays with the national policy of zero Covid, there is no option, but to shut themselves off as best they can,” Mr Crabb told ABC News Breakfast.
“There is just every likelihood that this is going to continue until the best part of Christmas in this sort of on-off lockdown or lockdown for different regions at different levels.”
Professor Crabb said another option to easing NSW restrictions earlier is to follow the directions of chief medical officer Paul Kelly and institute a circuit breaker lockdown.
“There is a good chance that is possible,” he said.
“It would take four to six weeks, but that’s a lot better than December or January and possibly for longer.”
READ MORE: US death rate soars 89pc in two weeks
Rachel Baxendale8.28am: Victoria records 20 new local virus cases
Victoria has recorded 20 new community-acquired cases of coronavirus in the 24 hours to midnight on Monday.
Reported yesterday: 20 new local cases and no new cases acquired overseas.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) August 9, 2021
- 22,670 vaccine doses were administered
- 34,892 test results were received
More later: https://t.co/lIUrl1hf3W#COVID19Vic#COVID19VicData [1/2] pic.twitter.com/e8dVO7G12y
All 20 are linked to known outbreaks, but only five were in isolation for the duration of their infectious period.
No source of acquisition has yet been confirmed for either of Victoria’s two latest community outbreaks.
The first cases to emerge from each outbreak last week were a teacher in her 20s from Hobsons Bay who works at Al-Taqwa College, and a Maribyrnong man who works at a warehouse in Derrimut - all in Melbourne’s west.
Authorities continue to investigate whether the warehouse worker’s cluster may have been sparked by illegal contact with a family who were in home isolation having recently returned from hotel quarantine in NSW.
Tuesday’s 20 cases follow 11 on each of Monday and Sunday, Sunday, an outbreak peak of 29 on Saturday, six each on Friday and Thursday, and short-lived celebrations of zero last Wednesday.
There have now been 303 community acquired cases since two incursions from NSW sparked Victoria’s fifth lockdown last month, of which 80 cases are linked to the most recent outbreaks, which sparked a sixth lockdown on Thursday.
There are currently 111 active cases, including up to three active cases acquired overseas.
As of Monday, there were five people in Victorian hospitals with coronavirus, none of whom were in intensive care.
The latest cases come after 34,892 tests were processed on Monday, compared with 38,987 on Sunday, 38,179 on Saturday, 43,618 tests on Friday 29,631 on Thursday, 27,279 on Wednesday, 30,117 on Tuesday and 22,217 last Monday.
Victoria’s testing record is 59,355 tests on July 20.
Ellie Dudley8.04am:Moderna’s efficacy proving to be ‘impressive’
Therapeutic Goods Administration head John Skerritt says studies that have followed the effectiveness of the Moderna vaccine have proved it is still effective six months after injection.
The TGA gave Moderna the green light on Monday, opening the door for the vaccine to come onto the market from September.
Professor Skerritt said the efficacy of the vaccine was proving to be “impressive”.
“Six months out, 93 per cent protection from catching Covid and just, if not more importantly, 98 per cent to 100 per cent protection from hospitalisation and death,” he told ABC News Breakfast.
The Moderna vaccine is similar to Pfizer in being an mRNA jab, but has the “advantage” of being able to be shipped at domestic freezer temperatures, Professor Skerritt said.
He added it could be used as a booster vaccine for those who had already received AstraZeneca or Pfizer, but did not know when the boosters would be required.
Moderna has listed Australia as a potential site to trial vaccines on children, but Professor Skerritt said there was no concrete deal.
“Many of the major companies are now looking at trials on kids down to six months old,” he said.
“Now, clearly, as soon as you vaccinate children or teenagers, safety becomes paramount. We will obviously be working with them if they want to use Australia as a site.”
READ MORE:PM won’t protect firms wanting vaccine mandate
Max Maddison7.55am: Vaccination mandates for workers ‘under review’
Josh Frydenberg has denied the Morrison government is leaving employers out to dry by not making vaccines mandatory, but says he is “working through the issues”.
On Friday, Mr Morrison left the door ajar for employers to mandate vaccinations for workers, but made it abundantly clear they would have to be guided by current public health and safety measures, as the federal government wouldn’t be introducing mandate measures.
The Treasurer, however, defended the decision, saying the Coalition followed a “broad principle” that vaccines are both “free and voluntary” – except for workers in aged care and quarantine.
“If you’ve got dealing with vulnerable cohorts of people and your employees are public facing or a range of other factors that are at play, that will go to whether it’s reasonable for an employer to make the call stop,” Mr Frydenberg told Seven’s Sunrise.
“We are working through the issues, but we have a broad principle, and that principle is that the vaccine is voluntary not mandatory. We’ve made some exceptions and particular care. As for other areas, it will go in the reasonable direction by the employer.”
READ MORE: Claire Lehmann – Too much red tape is hazardous to health
Ellie Dudley7.42am:Virus returns to Bondi Beach as school shuts
A school in Sydney’s east will be closed on Tuesday after a student tested positive to Covid-19, as the virus continues to surge across Sydney.
Bondi Beach Public School, located on the beachfront, has been closed due to a positive Covid-19 case just two months after the school was shut because of a large fire.
Parents and teachers were notified late on Monday night of the positive case and were directed to self isolate until further instructions were given.
Additionally, two schools in Newcastle, one in Sydney’s west, one in Maitland and one in Armidale are all currently closed due to positive Covid-19 cases.
READ MORE:Elite schools use private Pfizer hubs
Ellie Dudley7.10am:Chalmers lashes PM over ‘bungled’ vaccine rollout
Opposition Treasury spokesman Jim Chalmers has blasted Prime Minister Scott Morrison for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, blaming him for the current crisis NSW is facing.
As the state enters its seventh week of lockdown, with numerous regional areas now included in the stringent public health orders, Mr Chalmers said Mr Morrison should have done more for the vaccination roll out and hotel quarantine.
“All roads lead to the Prime Minister’s failure in this regard, whether it is vaccine or purpose-built quarantine and inability to get on top of these issues means that we will have the lockdowns for longer,” he told Channel 9’s Today.
Mr Chalmers lambasted Mr Morrison for claiming the vaccination roll out “wasn’t a race”, and said the people of NSW can see how important it is to have the population inoculated.
“It is the same fella who said this wasn’t a race. If anything there hasn’t been said in this whole Covid experience that has been less true than that,” he said.
“This is a race and nobody in NSW intensive care has had two jabs and it brings it home to Australians how important vaccinations are and how costly the bungling of the vaccine rollout is for causing these lockdowns.”
READ MORE:Bosses flag return to work for the jabbed
Ellie Dudley6.55am:Chant, Hazzard to be grilled on lockdown timing
A parliamentary inquiry investigating the New South Wales government’s handling of the pandemic and the timing of the current Greater Sydney lockdown will begin today.
NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant and health minister Brad Hazzard will be appearing virtually before the inquiry to answer questions about the timing of the latest lockdown.
The inquiry comes amidst criticism that the state’s authorities did not lock the city down fast enough.
The second day of the inquiry will see NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell answer questions about the vaccination strategy for year 12s and face-to-face learning throughout the pandemic.
The inquiry comes as greater Sydney enters the seventh week of lockdown, and numerous regions in far north and north east NSW have been locked down.
READ MORE:Business ‘in dark’ over vaccination
Ellie Dudley6.45am:Sydney man who took virus to Byron ‘uncooperative’
Byron Shire mayor Michael Lyon has backed the decision to lockdown the NSW coastal town, and has blasted the man who spread the virus to the area for being noncompliant with health orders.
Residents of Byron Shire, Richmond Valley, Lismore, Ballina and the Northern Rivers entered a snap seven-day lockdown at 6pm on Monday after a man in his 50s tested positive for Covid-19.
Mr Lyon said the man had been “evasive” with contact tracers, and refused to use QR codes to check into venues.
“He travelled from Sydney with two kids, staying up here in Byron, been out and about a fair amount in the time – it’s disappointing,” Mr Lyon told the ABC.
Mr Lyon described the situation as a “nightmare”.
“We’re going through trying to list all exposure sites and work out where he’s been, and he hasn’t been signing in and using QR codes, any of that … doesn’t believe in it, it’s a nightmare,” he told the ABC on Monday night.
“It’s been very difficult for police and health authorities to track down where he’s been, it’s ridiculous.
“You have to wonder what people are thinking when it comes to a situation like this.”
NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant said investigations were ongoing into the case.
“Obviously, if there are any breaches or any issues, we work closely with the police,” she said.
“My understanding is that there are other aspects here; I really can’t speculate. The gentleman is in hospital and we are interviewing those around him to find out the details.”
The man is now being treated at Lismore Hospital.
Tamworth, in northeast NSW, has been plunged into a seven day lockdown after a positive case of Covid-19 visited the area earlier this month.
The young woman travelled from Newcastle to Tamworth on August 4, before the lockdown commenced for Newcastle the following morning, and said she did not know she was carrying the virus at the time.
She tested positive on August 5 and is now in isolation in Newcastle.
“I was not in lockdown, I was not a close contact, and I had no symptoms on Thursday,” the Daily Telegraph reported she wrote on Facebook.
“The last three days have been some of the most stressful of my whole life.
“I’ve been relocated in the middle of the night to better isolate, I’ve spent hours on the phone with NSW Health, my friends are in hospital and I’m very unwell.”
READ MORE:Polls guide premier’s Covid path
Ellie Dudley 6.25am: Dozens more Sydney areas on alert
An apartment building in Sydney’s west has been put in lockdown after it joined NSW Health’s ever growing list of new Covid-19 exposure sites .
Anyone who visited the Astina Apartments in Penrith at any time during a three day period must be tested and isolate for two weeks.
The block of flats is the latest addition to the list, as it joins new venues and a bus route in Newcastle and Warners Bay on the NSW mid north coast.
âš ï¸NEW CASUAL CONTACT VENUESâš ï¸
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) August 9, 2021
We have been notified of a number of new casual contact venues of concern associated with confirmed cases of COVID 19. pic.twitter.com/5ALmP3Do4f
Contact tracers are frantically trying to chase the cases that continue to appear in the Hunter New England area, with 26 having been detected so far.
Anyone who has been to the following venues at the times listed has been classified as a close contact and must be tested and isolate for 14 days.
Penrith: Astina Apartments, 21-25 Woodriff Street, Tuesday August 3 All day, Wednesday August 4 All day, Thursday August 5 All day
Newcastle West: Air Locker Training Kotara, 924 Hunter Street, Monday August 2 8.15am to 9.15am, Tuesday August 3 6.15am to 7.15am
Warners Bay: Subway, 14/450 The Esplanade, Tuesday August 3 11am to 5pm, Wednesday August 4 11.30am to 5pm, Thursday August 5 11am to 6pm
New Lambton: Wests - lower alfresco gaming area, main bar and Hopsmith bar smoking area, 88 Hobart Road, Wednesday August 4 7.50pm to 10pm
Bus 269: Teralba to Warners Bay, Tuesday August 3 10.45am to 11am, Thursday August 5 10.45am to 11am
Up to 557 new venues have also been added to the health departments’ list of places of potential transmission, largely from parts of southwest and west Sydney.
READ MORE: No accounting for Covid dumb fear mongering
Joseph Lam5.45am: ACT declares Tamworth, Byron red zones
Anyone who has recently entered the ACT from either Tamworth or Byron Bay must immediately go into isolation according to new rules introduced by the territory.
ACT Health on Monday updated its advice for the local government areas of Byron Bay Shire, Ballina Shire, Lismore, Richmond Valley and Tamworth after NSW enforced a snap lockdown on these areas.
The new rules apply to the LGA of Tamworth from August 5 and the remaining LGAs from July 31.
Returning ACT residents will be required to apply for an exemption 72 hours before they return.
“Exemptions will only be approved in highly exceptional circumstances,” ACT Health said.
“Even if an exemption is approved, people receiving an exemption will be required to quarantine.”
Those without appropriate accommodation will go into hotel quarantine at their own cost.
READ MORE: Most Aussies keen to get the jab
Remy Varga5.15am:Byron locked down as Victoria’s regions released
Residents of Byron Shire, Richmond Valley, Lismore, Ballina and the Northern Rivers entered a snap seven-day lockdown at 6pm yesterday after a man in his 50s tested positive for Covid-19.
While restrictions were extended in NSW after the state recorded 262 locally acquired cases, more than 1.6 million regional Victorians will be released from lockdown on Tuesday after the regions failed to record any cases since the clampdown on Thursday night.
âš ï¸ Stay-at-home order for new areas of concern âš ï¸
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) August 9, 2021
New restrictions will be introduced for the Byron Shire, Richmond Valley, Lismore and Ballina Shire Local Government Areas, effective from 6pm today until 12.01am Tuesday 17 August. pic.twitter.com/mLyRr4ShBU
However, with Melburnians facing an extension of restrictions, citizens were warned that 200 police officers armed with number plate recognition technology would patrol the border between the city and country areas.
Any Melburnian caught in the regions without a valid exemption will be fined $5452 for breaching the chief health officer’s direction.
“There’s no point going to regional Victoria – you won’t be able to buy so much as a litre of milk without establishing that you’re from regional Victoria,” Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said.
Victoria recorded 11 new cases on Monday but contact tracers have yet to identify the original source of infection, despite genomics analysis confirming the current crop of cases are the Delta variant with origins in Sydney.
Read the full story, by Remy Varga and Rachel Baxendale, here.
Michael McKenna5am:Secret polling guides Palaszczuk’s Covid calls
Annastacia Palaszczuk has relied on secretive monthly polling of Queenslanders to help her decide on the scope and duration of Covid-19 restrictions since just after the pandemic began.
Despite insisting border closures and lockdowns are based solely on health advice, Ms Palaszczuk’s office is receiving “waves” of focus group and polling research intended “to shape the government’s approach” and messaging for its strategy.
Under the ongoing polling, Queenslanders have been asked about their views on the economic impacts of lockdowns versus health risks, the triggers that should ease restrictions and the merit of border closures.
Read the full story, by Michael McKenna and Sarah Elks, here.
Geoff Chambers4.45am:Most Australians very keen to be vaccinated
Only 11 per cent of adult Australian voters say they will flatly refuse to get jabbed, suggesting the country will be able to meet the Morrison government’s vaccination target of 70 per cent vaccine coverage by December if supply is maintained.
The result of the special Newspoll coincides with the announcement of a major boost for the national cabinet’s four phase plan to reopen the country, with the Therapeutic Goods Administration on Monday approving the use of Moderna vaccines alongside the Pfizer and AstraZeneca jabs.
Scott Morrison said the approval would add 10 million doses to the vaccine pile between September and December, helping to edge the country closer to achieving between 70 and 80 per cent vaccine coverage by Christmas.
Read the full story, by Geoff Chambers and Simon Benson, here.
More Coverage
Labor’s migration target to be overshot by 100,000
With arrivals outstripping expectations and departures less than anticipated, economists and immigrations experts say Labor will oversee a net migration intake as high as 495,000.
Israel a ‘miracle’, says Labor senator
Labor Senator Deborah O’Neill has condemned the rise of anti-Semitism, as politicians from both sides of politics paused to commemorate October 7 in Canberra.