Coronavirus Australia live news: Queensland scare: Victorian couple takes Covid to Queensland; Victoria road map out of lockdown revealed
Cafes, pubs, petrol stations, a cinema and Bunnings among stops in NSW and Queensland visited by woman who fled Melbourne, taking Covid to the Sunshine Coast.
- Melbourne couple takes Covid to Queensland
- Vic records one new local case
- Restrictions remain as lockdown ends
- Delta outbreak linked to hotel breach
- ‘Don’t abandon fiscal constraint’
Welcome to live updates on Australia’s battle with the Covid-19 pandemic.
There are fears the Victorian virus crisis has moved north as a Victorian woman who fled Melbourne’s lockdown tests positive on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
Melbourne residents will be restricted to travelling 25km from their homes to prevent a long weekend exodus to the regions when the circuit-breaker lockdown ends on Friday.
Lydia Lynch 11.05pm:Two states on alert after infected case flees
A woman with Covid-19 and her husband fled Melbourne’s lockdown and travelled across NSW to Queensland, triggering fears of community transmissions in the two states.
Police are investigating suspected health order breaches in Queensland and Victoria by the couple, who took the inland route on their way to stay with the woman’s parents in Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast.
Four major community events this weekend – including the Noosa Eat & Drink Festival and the Queensland Garden Expo at Nambour – are now under review by Queensland Health.
Queensland’s chief health officer, Jeannette Young, said it was too early to say whether lockdowns would be imposed across parts of the state’s southeast.
“It is very early to even think about that (lockdown) but the best way to stop any need for a lockdown is that people get tested, come forward and we find any cases,” she said.
Dr Young said the 44-year-old woman “could well have been infectious while she was travelling through NSW” and she was not sure if the pair had been vaccinated yet.
Rachel Baxendale10.20pm:Red-tape blues prolong agony
Victorian health authorities say red tape prevented five million Melburnians from being released from lockdown until Friday, despite a decision on Tuesday night to allow a “careful easing” of restrictions.
Despite Acting Premier James Merlino hailing confirmation of a path out of a fortnight-long lockdown as a “good day”, the state’s chief health officer, Brett Sutton, said Victorians could not leave their homes a day earlier because there was “complex legal drafting to be done” to make new restrictions binding.
“That needs to be measured against all of the (Victorian) Charter (of Human Rights and Responsibilities) considerations for each and every charter obligation that is in play with restrictions, and to make sure that it’s not a sloppy process,” Professor Sutton said on Wednesday.
Rachel Baxendale9.40pm: Fragments found in central Victorian sewage
Coronavirus fragments have been detected in sewage samples from a sub-catchment serving suburbs northwest of Bendigo in central Victoria.
The state’s health department said the new detection was “of interest as there are currently no confirmed COVID-19 cases in that area”, in a statement issued on Wednesday night.
“While the unexpected detections may be due to someone who has had COVID-19 that is no longer infectious continuing to ‘shed’ the virus or it may be due to an active but undiagnosed infectious case,” the department said.
“Residents of and recent visitors between 3-7 June to the suburbs of California Gully, Eaglehawk, Epsom, Huntly, Jackass Flat, Maiden Gully, Marong, North Bendigo and Sailors Gully are urged to monitor for symptoms of Covid-19 and get tested if any symptoms develop.
“The wastewater testing program is designed as an early warning system and a cautious approach is always taken when these detections are found.
“The Department of Health has increased wastewater testing in the area and will continue to monitor the situation closely.”
The detection follows previous positive samples in Bendigo wastewater between May 27 and June 2, and comes after a positive coronavirus case travelled to Bendigo on May 22 and the nearby town of Axedale on May 23.
Close contacts linked to both sites were tested and isolated, and none have so far tested positive.
READ MORE: Melbourne drops down liveability index
Rachel Baxendale9.05pm:Emergency meeting in Victoria
Victoria’s Health department says it is working closely with its Queensland and NSW counterparts after a 44-year-old woman who had travelled from Melbourne tested positive for coronavirus in the sunshine state.
The department made the comments in its daily press release, issued shortly before 9pm, more than five hours after Queensland health authorities broke news of the case, and four hours after NSW issued a list of exposure sites.
Victoria is yet to confirm details of where the woman had been staying before she skipped the border last week, during the state’s lockdown.
“An emergency meeting of the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee was held this evening and further investigations are underway,” the department said.
“Any critical information will be provided to the public as soon as possible when case interviews for any potential Victorian exposure sites can commence.”
READ MORE:Victorian lockdown hits consumer confidence
Nicholas Jensen8.20pm:Push to offer Pfizer vaccine to pregnant women
Pregnant women should be routinely offered the Pfizer vaccine at any stage of their pregnancy, according to updated advice from the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation.
In a joint statement on Wednesday, the two organisations said pregnant women should regularly consider and be offered the vaccine “because the risk of severe outcomes from Covid-19 is significantly higher for pregnant women and their unborn baby”.
“Global surveillance data from large numbers of pregnant women have not identified any significant safety concerns with mRNA Covid-19 vaccines given at any stage of pregnancy,” the statement read.
“There is also evidence of antibody in cord blood and breastmilk, which may offer protection to infants through passive immunity.”
They have encouraged pregnant women to discuss the decision of when to get the vaccine with their health professional.
RANZCOG and ATAGI also said women who are trying to become pregnant do not need to delay vaccination or avoid becoming pregnant after vaccination.
READ MORE:Wuhan market sold 47,000 wild animals
Nicholas Jensen 7.45pm: NSW exposure list expanded
NSW Health has made two additions to its list of exposure sites after a Victorian woman, who today tested positive for Covid-19, travelled through the state, driving from Melbourne to Queensland.
Thursday, June 3
● Woolworths, 215 Balo Street, Moree, 3.30pm to 4.30pm
Wednesday, June 2
● Shell Petrol Station, Corner of Victoria and Whylandra Street, Dubbo, 10.30am to 11.30am
The woman, 44, travelled through parts of regional NSW from June 1 to June 5 with her husband, who has tested negative for the virus.
Both NSW Health and Queensland Health are urging anyone who attended these venues during the relevant times to present for testing and isolate until further notice.
READ MORE: NSW, Queensland venues in new virus alert
âš ï¸PUBLIC HEALTH ALERT – NEW VENUESâš ï¸
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) June 9, 2021
NSW Health was advised by Queensland Health that two further venues of concern in NSW have been identified as part of ongoing investigations into a #COVID19 case reported earlier today. pic.twitter.com/O4dVEFIjqy
Nicholas Jensen 7pm: WA updates travel advice
WA Health has released updated advice for travellers who have recently returned from Queensland and NSW, after a Victorian woman tested positive for Covid-19 in Caloundra earlier today.
Chief Health Officer Andrew Robertson said anyone who had recently arrived into Western Australia and had attended one of the listed exposure sites in Queensland during the relevant times was required to get tested and self-quarantine for 14 days
They must present for testing on days two and 11 of their quarantine period.
Media statement: WA Health directions in relation to Queensland positive case https://t.co/v31Stty66Y
— WA Health (@WAHealth) June 9, 2021
WA Health is also reminding people to look at exposure sites in regional NSW, asking anyone who has recently arrived from NSW or the ACT, and has been to one of the listed exposure sites during the relevant times, to get tested and self-quarantine for 14 days.
WA Health said both Queensland and NSW Health are in the process of contact tracing and will notify them if “any close or casual contacts are found to be in Western Australia”.
“This will allow for the appropriate public health follow-up to be taken,” Dr Robertson said.
“The risk to WA is very low but it again highlights the importance of remaining vigilant to prevent any spread of the virus or community transmission in this state.”
READ MORE: Coffee capital off the boil for liveability
Nicholas Jensen 6.30pm:Three Melburnians caught in NZ escape bid
Three Melbourne residents have been caught attempting to enter New Zealand after escaping Victoria’s lockdown.
Despite returning negative “day zero” tests, Prime Minister Jacinda Adern said the three faced serious consequences for breaching travel restrictions between New Zealand and Victoria.
“This was a deliberate attempt to get through,” Ms Ardern said. “For anyone considering breaching the rules that we have in place, you see in this case the family has been picked up and they have been put into a managed isolation facility, so there are consequences.”
On Wednesday afternoon, New Zealand health director Ashley Bloomfield said the three drove from Melbourne to Sydney and then flew to Auckland last week.
“Those three people were identified when they arrived and were immediately transferred to a managed isolation facility in Auckland where they will remain for a 14-day period,” Dr Bloomfield said.
The NZ Herald is reporting the three were meant to be attending a funeral.
READ MORE:Wuhan market sold 47,000 wild animals before Covid
Nicholas Jensen 5.50pm: Infected woman’s journey across three states
After travelling through three states — possibly while infected — with her husband, the Victorian woman who tested positive for Covid-19 will continue to be interviewed at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital, according to Queensland Health officials.
On Wednesday afternoon Queensland Health Minister Yvette D’Ath confirmed a woman, 44, and her husband departed Melbourne on June 1 and arrived in Queensland on June 5.
Along the way the pair passed through a number of country towns and cities, spending time at pubs, motels, coffee shops, a cinema, petrol stations, restaurants and hotels — even one featuring it’s own thermal pools. Once at their destination in Caloundra, there was a trip to Bunnings, a couple of shopping centres, and several more cafe stints.
After leaving Melbourne, the pair travelled through country NSW, stopping at a Caltex petrol station on Tuesday, June 1 and at the Vandenberg Hotel in Forbes from 6pm to 10pm.
The following day the couple attended the Brew Coffee House in Forbes for a few hours in the morning, then drove on to Dubbo, where they visited the Church Street Cafe, Reading Cinemas and stayed overnight at the Homestead Motel.
On Thursday, June 3, the couple visited Moree, attending Cafe Omega and staying at Gwydir Motel & Thermal Pools, where they also stayed on Friday and Saturday nights.
On Friday June 4, they again visited Cafe Omega before heading to the Amaroo Tavern between 4.30pm – 11.00pm, and then returned to the Gwydir Motel & Thermal Pools.
In a statement NSW Health said “the case drove from Melbourne to the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, stopping at places in Gillenbah, Forbes, Dubbo and Moree and signed in to several venues using QR codes.”
A preliminary list of exposure sites has also been released by Queensland Health, which includes the Goondiwindi McDonalds, a Toowoomba Caltex, Sunny’s Cafe at Moffat Beach and Coffee Cat at Kings Beach.
On Monday June 7, the pair also visited Stockland Shopping Centre and a Bunnings Warehouse in Caloundra.
According to health authorities the woman was staying with family in Caloundra when she tested positive for the virus. Her husband has so far returned a negative test, but remains at Sunshine Coast University Hospital for observation.
Asked whether the couple lied on their declaration forms, Queensland Police said they were not in a position to speculate.
Queensland Health have so far identified six close contacts and continue to establish where the couple stopped on their journey from Melbourne to Queensland.
Nicholas Jensen 4.42pm: Movie, motels, coffees: Infected woman’s NSW stops
NSW Health has released a preliminary list of exposure sites following confirmation that a Victorian woman, who escaped the state’s lockdown and travelled through country NSW to the Sunshine Coast, tested positive for Covid-19.
NSW Health says “the case drove from Melbourne to the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, stopping at places in Gillenbah, Forbes, Dubbo and Moree and signed in to several venues using QR codes”.
The infectious woman, 44, visited the following locations with her husband.
Tuesday, June 1
● Caltex Narrandera, 1 Newell Highway, Gillenbah, 10.30am to 11am
● Vandenberg Hotel, 7 Court Street, Forbes, 6pm to 10.00pm
Wednesday, June 2
● Brew Coffee House, 1/99 Lachlan Street, Forbes, 7am to 10am
● Church Street Cafe, 15 Church Street, Dubbo, 11.30am to 2.30pm
● Reading Cinemas, 49 Macquarie Street, Dubbo, 6pm to 10pm
● Homestead Motel, 101 Cobra Street, Dubbo, 12pm to Thursday at 10am
Thursday, June 3
● Homestead Motel, 101 Cobra Street, Dubbo, 12pm to 10am
● Gwydir Carpark/ Motel & Thermal Pools, 4 Amaroo Drive, Moree, from 1.45pm
Friday June 4 to 7.30am Saturday June 5
● Cafe Omega, 145 Balo Street, Moree, 1.30pm to 4.30pm
Friday, June 4
● Cafe Omega, 145 Balo Street, Moree, 7pm to 9.30pm
● Cafe Omega, 145 Balo Street, Moree, 11.50am to 2pm
● Amaroo Tavern, Amaroo Drive, Moree, 4.30pm to 11pm
NSW Health is requesting anyone who attended these locations at the times listed to immediately get tested and isolate until further notice.
Lydia Lynch 4.15pm: ‘Could have been infectious travelling through NSW’
New South Wales health authorities are also compiling a list of places a Covid-positive woman from Victoria visited on her way to Queensland.
The woman, 44, and her husband left Victoria on June 1, after Melbourne’s lockdown began on May 27.
Queensland chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said the pair arrived in the state on June 5, arriving in the border town of Goondiwindi.
“She could well have been infectious while she was travelling through New South Wales and that is something I’ve been working my colleagues in New South Wales,” Dr Young said.
Dr Young was not sure if the pair had been vaccinated yet.
Deputy Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski, who spearheads Queensland’s tough border regime, was unsure whether the pair had lied on the declaration passes or were given exemptions to enter the state.
“It is too early to say,” he said.
“Of course we are going to investigate the circumstances of what has happened here. We have got a couple who have just come from Victoria when Victoria is in a lock down.
“We will examine all issues around passes, whether they were appropriate and what has happened.”
PUBLIC HEALTH ALERT pic.twitter.com/0KrDnLqeMh
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) June 9, 2021
Lydia Lynch 3.58pm:Preliminary list of Queensland exposure sites
Queensland’s Chief Health Officer Jeanette Young has released a preliminary list of exposure sites visited by a Covid-positive woman who tested positive on the Sunshine Coast.
June 5, 7:35am-7:50am: Goondiwindi McDonald’s.
June 5, 11am-11:15am: Caltex super petrol station in Toowoomba
June 6, 2:45pm-3:00pm: Sunny’s at Moffat Beach.
June 6, 3:30pm-3:30pm: Coffee Cat at Kings Beach.
June 7, 10:45-11:30am: Stockland Shopping Centre at Caloundra including the women’s section at Kmart and Coffee Club.
June 7, 12:10pm-12:45pm: Bunnings Caloundra
June 7, 1pm-2pm: Kawana Shopping World
June 8,: 10pm: Baringa IGA in Caloundra, and the female toilets there near the IGA.
NSW is expected to release a list of exposure sites shortly.
READ MORE: Kmart, Bunnings in new virus alert
Lydia Lynch 3.47pm:Qld exposure sites include restaurant, shopping centre
A fast food restaurant, petrol station and shopping centre has been added to a list of exposure sites visited by a Covid-positive woman who tested positive in Queensland.
They include Goondiwindi McDonald’s, a Caltex super petrol station in Toowoomba, Sunny’s at Moffat Beach, and sites in Caloundra.
Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said the 44-year-old woman left Victoria on June 1 and arrived in Queensland on June 5.
Melbourne’s lockdown began on May 27.
Investigations are underway into whether the woman and her husband lied on their Covid-border declarations.
The pair drove from Victoria to Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast via New South Wales, crossing the border from NSW to Queensland near Goondiwindi.
READ MORE: Pfizer recommended for pregnant women
Lydia Lynch 3.42pm:Qld lifts border restrictions for regional Victoria
Queensland will lift its border restrictions for regional Victoria on Friday when Melbourne’s two-week lockdown is due to end.
Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said travel from Greater Melbourne will remain restricted.
Travellers from regional Victoria will be able to enter Queensland without an exemption from 1am Friday.
The last unlinked case recorded in Victoria was on May 29 with the origins of another positive case from June 1 still under investigation.
Lydia Lynch 3.22pm:Breach questions for couple who put Qld on high alert
Queensland has been put on high alert with a Victorian woman testing positive to COVID-19 after she fled Melbourne’s lockdown
State Health authorities are conducting a second Covid test to rule out a false positive result.
The woman, in her 40s, and her partner are also being investigated by authorities for breaching Victorian restrictions.
The pair are believed to have driven to the Sunshine Coast via New South Wales after the lockdown began.
Nicholas Jensen 3.20pm:Queensland scare: virus case on Sunshine Coast
Queensland Health has detected one positive case of Covid-19 after a Melbourne couple reportedly defied the city’s lockdown rules and travelled to the Sunshine Coast.
Officials have ordered a second test be taken, indicating the first could have recorded a false positive result.
It is understood the couple spent three days in country NSW before driving on to Queensland.
Victoria is still considered a hotspot in Queensland, preventing Victorian residents from entering the state unless they undertake two weeks of hotel quarantine.
Health Minister Yvette D’Ath and Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young are due to address the media at 3.30pm.
Adeshola Ore 2.50pm:Australia must build ‘sovereign capacity’: PM
Scott Morrison says Australia must build its “sovereign capability” to adapt to changing competition in the Indo-Pacific region, as he warns of an accelerating security risk.
The Prime Minister is delivering a speech at the PerthUSAsia Centre before departing to meet with G7 leaders in the UK.
Mr Morrison said Australia needed to enhance its co-operation for security and stability in the region.
“I want to stress that. The view that the world hasn’t changed in the last five years is disconnected from reality,” he said.
“Things have changed. Accelerating trends are working against our interests. The Indo-Pacific region, our region, is the epicentre of a new strategic competition. The risk of miscalculation and conflict are very present and growing.”
He said Australia was ready to engage in a dialogue with all countries, “including China when it is ready to do so.”
He said the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue has a responsibility to foster the priorities of ASEAN, as he underscored the importance of the economic union., and Australia continued to have a “remarkable relationship” with ASEAN.
“It is the most important meeting within our region because it brings together so many economies from so many different perspectives. We take that very, very seriously,” he said.
He backed US President Joe Biden’s appreciation of ASEAN.
“It’s about enabling the nation’s, their capabilities, their self-sufficiency, their sovereignty, their capabilities,” he said.
Scott Morrison also said the Quad framework was an “enabler” and ‘accelerator” of freedom and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.
Leaders of the Quad held their first leader-level virtual meeting in March, which focused on Indo-Pacific regional security issues.
Anthony Piovesan 3.00pm:Two things that will stop a fifth lockdown
Victorian authorities are not ruling out another lockdown, saying the only way to avoid the harsh measure depends on the success of the commonwealth’s vaccine rollout and a purpose-built facility for hotel quarantine.
Melburnians will be released from a two-week lockdown on Friday, with harsh Covid-19 measures to remain across Victoria as the state recovers from an outbreak that started in early May.
But amid the “significant announcements” on Wednesday, Victorian Acting Premier James Merlino did not rule out a fifth lockdown for Victoria.
“In terms of any further lockdowns – whether we are talking about Victoria, New South Wales, WA or SA – this is a global pandemic and it is impacting our nation,” he told reporters.
“The path to easing of restrictions completely and living a normal life is up to the successful rollout of the commonwealth‘s vaccination program and the construction and the operation of a purpose-built quarantine facility for our highest-risk people.
“That has always been the path through this pandemic.”
Victorian chief health officer Brett Sutton said the situation in Victorian remained “volatile”.
“We have to recognise it remains a reasonably volatile situation,” he said.
“The idea of a snap back to absolutely no restrictions whatsoever, no one has done that after significant community transmission.
“We have to move by increments, safely, but with the minimum restrictions that we know will continue to control this.”
READ the full story here.
Adeshola Ore1.44pm: AMA backs digital certificate to prove Covid immunisation
Australian Medical Association president Omar Khorshid says Australia must consider what greater freedoms will be available for fully vaccinated people, as the medical group backs a digital certificate to prove immunisation status.
Dr Khorshid said the AMA still had concerns about the potential of being vaccinated but still contracting Covid-19. But he said providing a digital certificate for vaccinated people to prove their immunisation status, without disclosing other private medical information, was needed.
He told the National Press Club that freedoms for vaccinated Australians, such as the ability to cross state borders and different quarantine arrangements, should be considered by governments.
“At the heart there’s a significant conversation needed about what a vaccination means,” he said.
Dr Khorshid said every eligible Australian had the power to get vaccinated and contribute to Australia’s recovery from the pandemic.
“If you don’t like lockdowns, get vaccinated, if you don’t like border closures, get vaccinated, if you want to travel internationally, go and get vaccinated,” he said.
Dr Khorshid said achieving herd immunity was not the top priority of Australia’s vaccination program.
“We don’t know enough about the vaccines and enough about the various types, variants of this virus, to know what proportion of the population needs to be vaccinated with which vaccine to get to true herd immunity,” he said.
“That’s not really the aim here. The aim is to keep Australians out of the hospital.”
Dr Khorshid was delivering a speech at the National Press Club in Canberra about post-pandemic healthcare.
READ MORE: Cruel and unusual, with a whiff of fascism
Adeshola Ore1.30pm: AMA ‘doesn’t want Mediscare campaign’
Australian Medical Association president Omar Khorshid has warned the medical group does not want a “Mediscare” campaign, after it reached a deal with the federal government over reviewing significant changes to Medicare.
From next month, more than 900 items eligible for rebates such as hip surgeries are due to be subject to price changes. The AMA and doctors had warned that the changes would lead to significant cuts to rebates and confusion for patients about the amount they would get back. Mr Hunt and the AMA have now reached a deal to “co-design” future changes to recognise that the changes were “complex and require additional time to flow through systems”
During his speech at the National Press Club, Dr Khorshid said the AMA’s message had been “heard by government”.
“What we were not happy with was the process of implementation, something that we had brought up repeatedly with the government, to make sure that both patients, doctors and of course our health insurers as well have the information they need so when a
patient sits with a doctor to book an operation,” he said.
“The agreement with the minister was that for future rounds there will be more time given so every patient is ensured a full, informed financial consent.”
“Also and very importantly the minister has agreed to a rapid process for us to review some of the oversights and errors or unintended consequences that are there buried within the review recommendations.”
Robyn Ironside1.16pm: Lockdowns put Rex on course for a loss
Covid-19 lockdowns and border closures are playing havoc with Regional Express’s bold foray into the capital city market, putting the airline on track for a loss in the 2021 financial year.
In a statement to the ASX on Wednesday the carrier, which trades as Rex Airlines, revised its previous interim profit guidance, which had forecast a break even situation by the end of June.
The statement from chairman Lim Kim Hai said the latest round of border restrictions and lockdowns had severely disrupted Rex’s domestic and regional networks.
Joseph Lam12.47pm: Weddings a source of ‘significant transmission’: CHO
Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton says the decision allowing weddings to host one fifth of the number visitors allowed at funerals when Melbourne eases restrictions on Friday is one of “imperative”.
From Friday religious ceremonies and funerals can have as many as 50 guests while weddings can host 10.
Asked for the reasoning behind the decision, Professor Sutton said although expensive, weddings could wait.
“There are people who have cancelled multiple times because we never know how cases might emerge. It is awfully tough to cop,” he said.
“Unlike a funeral, it can be deferred to another time, potentially, and that is not to say it is not hugely disruptive or expensive for people to change the plans, but we know that the close interaction and the way you would want to celebrate a wedding makes it a not insignificant risk of transmission in those events.”
Professor Sutton said authorities had seen “significant transmission” at weddings.
“The international and wave two experience in Victoria shows weddings have been a source of significant transmission and they do remain a risk of clusters occurring there,” he said.
“There is close interaction at weddings for human behavioural reasons that are understandable. That constraint needs to be in place with those considerations in mind. It is tough for anyone who has planned a wedding.”
READ MORE: Toxic hotel waste warning by residents was ignored
Finn McHugh12.20pm: Andrews questions ‘not grassy knoll conspiracy theories’
Questions implying a “cover up” over Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews’s injury without evidence are not “grassy knoll conspiracies” but a sign of a healthy democracy, says Dan Tehan.
Mr Andrews has been recuperating since suffering vertebrae damage and several broken ribs when he slipped on wet stairs at a holiday home in March.
The Victorian Premier has been largely out of the public eye as he recovered, though unfounded conspiracies over the fall have circulated online.
The Victorian government has demanded an apology from the opposition after opposition Treasury spokeswoman Louise Staley published a series of questions over the incident, raising the prospect of a “cover up” and demanding to know whether police were called.
But federal Trade Minister Dan Tehan on Wednesday denied Ms Staley had stoked conspiracy theories, insisting oppositions had a “right to ask questions” in a well-functioning democracy.
“As I understand, it wasn’t grassy knoll conspiracy theories; a series of questions was asked by the opposition,” he told the ABC.
“Good on Louise Staley for asking questions as the opposition shadow treasurer.”
READ the full story
Joseph Lam12.15pm: New grant for businesses kept in lockdown
Victorian businesses unable to reopen as restrictions ease on Friday will be eligible for a new $2000 grant.
Deputy Premier James Merlino on Wednesday announced the grant as “acknowledgment” for struggling businesses who have to endure a longer closed period.
“In terms of business support, with the restrictions easing for Melbourne, we know that for some businesses like gyms, amusement parks, dance studios and nightclubs, they will need to remain closed for a little while longer,” he said.
“This is acknowledging that for this week in Melbourne, there will be some businesses that will need to remain closed.”
Mr Merlino added that Victorian authorities believed a few thousand businesses would qualify for the grant.
“We want to provide, acknowledge that there’s going to be a hardship for a further week and through the business support grants, it is an additional top-up that will be available through the Business Vic website”
READ MORE: Lessons in leadership from Victorian lockdown
Joseph Lam 12.00pm:Familiar restrictions: masks dropped, 10km limit extended
When Melbourne emerges from its fourth lockdown on Friday, the city will wake up to a familiar set of restrictions.
Melburnians will be able to gather in groups up to 10 in outdoor settings but will not yet be allowed to gather indoors.
Mandatory mask use outside has been dropped unless residents are unable to maintain a 1.5m distance from others. Masks are still required indoors in shopping centres, at work and on trains.
Funerals and religious ceremonies will be capped at 50 people while weddings will be capped at 10.
Working from home has been recommended where possible and offices will be capped at a 25 per cent or 10-person maximum.
Restaurants and cafes can serve up to 100 people, with a maximum of 50 indoors.
Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said gyms, which have been linked to 27 cases, had been deemed a “high risk environment” and would not yet open under the current restrictions.
“The international experience suggests that even when you have high levels of testing, including some gyms when they test people before they come into the gym, the combination of indoor settings, closed environments, people exerting themselves, it really has significant opportunity to spread,” he said.
Professor Sutton said he understood the pain for gym owners
Joseph Lam11.45am: Melbourne restrictions eased to mirror regions
Melbourne will emerge from its extended seven-day lockdown on Friday, moving onto the same rules regional Victoria has followed since Friday last week.
Deputy Premier James Merlino on Wednesday announced the changes, saying today was “a good day, and citing strong testing numbers.
“Victorians have done an amazing job following the rules,” he said.
“From 11:59pm tomorrow night, metropolitan Melbourne will move to most of the same settings currently in place across regional Victoria, and regional Victoria will move further
towards further easing,” he said.
The five reasons to leave home rule will be lifted and Melburnians will be able to travel across a 25km radius around their home. The only permitted reasons to leave that area are for work, education, caregiving or getting a vaccination, Mr Merlino said.
“Travel into regional Victoria still remains a no go for now,” he said.
Adeshola Ore11.20am: Honesty about Indo-Pacific risks vital: Dutton
Defence Minister Peter Dutton says it’s vital the federal government is “very honest” with the public about the risk Australia faces in the Indo-Pacific region, amid growing risk of conflict involving China.
Scott Morrison will deliver a speech at the PerthUSAsia Centre on Wednesday before departing to meet with G7 leaders in the UK. Mr Morrison will use the speech to warn that the risk of conflict with China is increasing and repeat his appeal for a more independent World Health Organisation with surveillance powers.
Mr Dutton said Australians were now more aware of what was “happening within our own region.”
“We’ve got now European nations who are talking about joining efforts within the Indo Pacific to try and provide a deterrence. All of us want peace within our own region, and that’s what we’re working day and night toward,” he told Sky News.
“But we need to be realistic about the threats, not just for today but over the course of the next decade and beyond. We need to make sure that Australia is in the best possible position to contribute to efforts of keeping peace within our own region.”
Mr Dutton said the Five Eyes relationship was now “more important than ever”
“We need to make sure that we’re very honest and open with the Australian public about the reality of what we face,” he said.
READ MORE: PM’s hardline based on reality
Melissa Iaria11.10am: Cops on duty without Covid jab
Victorian police are arguing they should be prioritised in the vaccine rollout, claiming the health department has been “slow to move”.
Police association state secretary Wayne Gatt said the infrastructure of Victoria’s centralised police workforce meant officers were working across high-risk areas without having had the jab.
“The problem is our members now are in such high rotation in these jobs that we really need to get all of our members vaccinated,” Mr Gatt told 3AW radio on Wednesday.
“It’s a risk when you’ve got centralised workers that aren’t vaccinated working in high-risk areas.
“Out there today in regional Victoria we’ve got Melbourne-based police workers patrolling those areas – of course they should be vaccinated.”
Mr Gatt said some police members spent “hours on end in hospitals” which were effectively closed for elective surgery as a result of the Covid risk.
READ the full story
Rachel Baxendale10.50am: Vic to reveal road map from lockdown at 11.30am
Acting Victorian Premier James Merlino, Health Minister Martin Foley and chief health officer Brett Sutton are due to provide an update at 11:30am.
It is expected they will announce a “careful easing” of Melbourne’s lockdown restrictions from Thursday night, as planned, with a 10km travel limit extended to 25km.
Anne Barrowclough10.25am: Lloyd Webber to risk arrest over theatre opening
Andrew Lloyd Webber has said he will risk arrest in order to open his six London theatres in less than two weeks, in breach of social distancing laws.
The composer told The Telegraph UK the curtains would open at his West End venues on June 21, “come hell or high water.”
Andrew and @emeraldfennell discuss what makes @alwcinderella different from what you've seen before. - #TeamALW
— Andrew Lloyd Webber (@OfficialALW) June 8, 2021
For tickets and to watch the full video head to https://t.co/XGw42edNfBpic.twitter.com/DzRepFoLS6
Lord Lloyd Webber, 73, also reportedly pledged to go ahead with his theatrical production of “Cinderella,” which is slated to open for previews in the last week of June.
London’s planned June 21 easing of COVID-19 distancing measures is in doubt over concerns about rising cases and unknown variants, but the impresario told The Telegraph theatres were “completely safe” and he would not be deterred by extended restrictions.
“I’ve seen the science from the tests, don’t ask me how,” he reportedly said
“If the government ignores their own science, we have the mother of all legal cases against them. If ‘Cinderella’ couldn’t open, we’d go, ‘Look, either we go to law about it or you’ll have to compensate us.’”
Asked if he would be prepared for legal ramifications he told The Telegraph authorities could “come to the theatre and arrest us.”
READ MORE: Australian unis soar in global rankings
Joseph Lam10.10am: Covid sends Melbourne down liveability index
The Australian city which once held the world’s most liveable title for several years has lost its top spot in the 2021 rankings, placing behind Zurich, Auckland and Tokyo.
Melbourne, which held the top spot for seven consecutive years from 2011 to 2017 as well as from 2002 to 2004, has placed eighth this year on the scale which measures cities on their stability, healthcare, education, culture and environment, and infrastructure.
Revealed today, The Global Liveability Index 2021 tracks how the covid-19 pandemic has affected 140 cities worldwide. Find out where your city ranks here: https://t.co/Swvt3hgukipic.twitter.com/dfIvgjA2on
— The Economist Intelligence Unit (@TheEIU) June 8, 2021
The Economist’ report released Wednesday noted lockdowns and the “pandemic has caused huge volatility” in the study which awarded Auckland, NZ the 2021 top spot and Wellington, the country’s capital, fourth place.
“The overall global average liveability score has fallen by seven points, as compared with the average pre-pandemic score,” the study noted.
“The extent to which cities were sheltered by strong border closures, their ability to handle the health crisis and the pace at which they rolled out vaccination campaigns drove significant changes in the rankings.”
Adelaide which ranked 10th in 2019 was the highest ranked Australian city at third place, followed by Perth which placed sixth. Brisbane and Sydney placed 10th and 11th respectively.
There was no index released in 2020.
READthe full story
David Penberthy 9.50am:Covid gives drycleaners a dressing down
In a nation of slobs, Lan Pham is the canary in the coalmine.
As working from home becomes the new normal, and formal functions are postponed, cancelled and attendances slashed, the opening hours sign outside Ms Pham’s tiny Adelaide dry cleaning business tells a national story.
Ms Pham’s one-woman operation has seen business plunge and she now closes early most days as trackie dacks become the official uniform of Zoom meetings and tuxes and little black dresses hang unlaundered in wardrobes.
Her business, Goodwood Dry Cleaners, is in the affluent suburb of Parkside on the exclusive Unley Road strip, but even here in the heart of Adelaide’s middle class, things have never been worse.
READ the full story
Joseph Lam9.25am: No new local cases in Queensland
Two new cases of Covid-19 have been detected in hotel quarantine in Queensland.
These cases were not locally-acquired and were contracted through “other sources”.
The state performed 6444 tests in the past 24 hours, up from 4356 on Tuesday.
Wednesday 9 June – coronavirus cases in Queensland:
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) June 8, 2021
• 2 new cases detected in hotel quarantine
• 11 active cases
• 1,634 total cases
• 2,664,946 tests conducted
Sadly, seven people with COVID-19 have died. 1,599 patients have recovered.#covid19pic.twitter.com/RVDJKiTcuQ
Joseph Lam 9.05am:Hunt welcomes new Alzheimer’s drug
Greg Hunt has confirmed that if Australian medical authorities approve one of the first new Alzheimer’s drugs in almost 20 years then the federal government will list it on the PBS.
The Federal Health Minister on Wednesday confirmed that the new drug Aduhelm was being tested by the Therapeutic Goods Administration while chatting on 2GB.
“We have nearly half a million people with Alzheimers in Australia. There is some debate about how effective it is but that’s why we’ve got the medical regulators,” he said.
“I met with the company a few years ago when they were developing it. Other companies had pulled out of dementia and Alzheimer’s medicines research because they found it too hard.”
Mr Hunt said Alzheimer’s had long been “one of the great challenges” in medicine but Aduhelm was “a sign of hope”.
READ MORE: Hope as first Alzheimer’s drug developed in decades
Rachel Baxendale 8.55am:One new local case in Victoria
Victoria has recorded one new cases of locally-acquired coronavirus in the 24 hours to Wednesday, as the Andrews government is poised to announce a “careful easing” of lockdown restrictions on Melburnians from midnight on Thursday.
Reported yesterday: 1 new local case, 0 new cases acquired overseas. Got symptoms? Get tested.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) June 8, 2021
- 19,533 vaccine doses administered
- 28,485 test results received
More later: https://t.co/lIUrl0ZEco#COVID19VicData#COVID19Vicpic.twitter.com/wc5BUgm6OK
The case is linked to the current outbreaks and has been quarantining during their infectious period, Victoria’s health department says.
The case follows two new cases in the 24 hours to Tuesday, and brings the total number of community-acquired cases in Victoria since May 4 to 89.
The majority of those cases are genomically linked to a man in his 30s who caught coronavirus in an Adelaide quarantine hotel and returned to the northern Melbourne suburb of Wollert on May 4.
As was confirmed on Tuesday, at least 15 of the cases, centred around a West Melbourne family, are linked to a genomically distinct cluster sparked by a man in his 40s who arrived in Melbourne from Sri Lanka on May 8.
Of 88 community-acquired cases in Victoria to Tuesday, 32 have been linked to the main Whittlesea cluster, which was the first to emerge on May 24, while an associated cluster centred on the Stratton Finance workplace in Port Melbourne comprises 31 cases.
A further 10 cases have been linked to the Arcare aged care facility in Maidstone, in Melbourne‘s west, while 15 have been linked to the West Melbourne outbreak.
While the Whittlesea, Port Melbourne and Arcare outbreaks are all genomically linked to the Wollert man, direct links to the Wollert man and the Arcare outbreak have not been established.
There were 28,485 tests processed in Victoria in the 24 hours to Tuesday night, compared with 24,265 on Monday, but well down from last Wednesday’s record of 57,519.
State-administered vaccination centres gave 19,533 jabs on Tuesday, compared with 17,719 on Monday and last Thursday’s record of 24,169.
The total number of active cases in Victoria is now 83, down from 94 on Tuesday, indicating early outbreak cases are recovering.
This number includes cases in overseas travellers in hotel quarantine, although there were no new hotel quarantine cases confirmed in the 24 hours to Wednesday.
Joseph Lam8.30am: Vax certificate to give Aussies more travel freedom
Australians could soon be issued a new vaccine certificate allowing them to travel interstate without having to quarantine.
It’s understood a decision could be made within days for the new pass which will be available first in the Medicare app and later in digital wallets.
Government Services Minister Linda Reynolds told the Herald Sun the new certificate would make it “easy” for Australians to show their Covid-19 vaccination status.
“The Covid-19 digital certificate makes proof of vaccination accessible anytime, anywhere,” she said.
Ms Reynolds added that users would be able to control how much of their vaccination history was shared.
“We’re also giving people control over the level of vaccination history they share, as the certificate only shows your Covid-19 vaccination status.”
A hard copy of the certificate will also be available.
READ MORE: Spain opens up to vaccinated travellers
Adeshola Ore8.25am: Hunt: NSW quarantine system working very well
Health Minister Greg Hunt says NSW’s hotel quarantine system is working “very well” after the state’s premier called for the commonwealth to fund a purpose-built facility to supplement its system quarantine system.
After an agreement was reached between the Victorian and federal governments to build a quarantine facility at Avalon, NSW confirmed it would also be open to a similar project. Gladys Berejiklian said if the federal government wanted to increase quarantine capacity it would have to “do it themselves”.
“At this stage, the Prime Minister confirmed in discussions with the Premier that NSW isn’t proposing, nor is the commonwealth seeking from NSW, a facility like that. The NSW system is working very, very well,” Mr Hunt told 2GB radio.
Mr Hunt said the commonwealth would work with any state that presented a proposal for a quarantine facility.
READ MORE: Hotel toxic waste warning ignored
David Murray8.00am: US names Aussies accused in encryption sting
US authorities have accused 17 people including one of Australia’s most wanted men of being connected to a criminal organisation involved in drug trafficking and other offences, after a police sting that duped organised crime networks into using an encrypted communications platform secretly controlled by law enforcement.
Sydney fugitive Hakan Ayik, on the run from Australia for more than a decade over a massive heroin shipment, tops the list of defendants in the indictment unsealed overnight in the District Court, Southern District of California.
The joint Australian Federal Police and FBI sting involved authorities covertly designing, administering and monitoring the ANOM app and placing it into the hands of powerful crime figures who backed its security.
Criminals openly discussed murder plots and industrial-scale drug trafficking and money laundering on ANOM devices, exposing elements of the mafia, Mexican and South American cartels, outlaw motorcycle gangs and Asian triads.
Ayik is among three people named as ANOM “administrators”, and among four named as “influencers”.
READ the full story
Joseph Lam6.45am: 100-plus venues removed from exposure sites list
Victoria’s Covid-19 exposure list dropped significantly overnight, now displaying a third of the number of venues as it did on Tuesday.
On Wednesday morning the list displayed a total of 197 venues compared to the 310 venues listed the day prior, with a single venue added to the list on Tuesday.
The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, which earlier this year became a mass vaccination hub for the state, has been listed as a Tier 3 exposure site, visited by a case on at 10.15am on June 8.
Advice from the Victorian Department of Health is to monitor for symptoms and to get tested immediately and isolate should symptoms develop.
Everyone who is tested for COVID-19 helps us understand how the virus is spreading.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) June 8, 2021
We have testing locations and wait times on our website to make it easier for you to get a test.
Find your local site here: https://t.co/WZI0U7Tsqu [1/3] pic.twitter.com/TNXQl1gYb3
READ MORE: Covid gives dry cleaners a dressing down
Joseph Lam6.25am: NSW extends Dine & Discover voucher scheme
New South Wales residents have been given an extension on their Dine & Discover vouchers, part of a state government bid to boost a struggling economy.
The vouchers, first introduced on March 19, included $100 worth of vouchers to be used in $25 increments, with two for use in hospitality venues and two in entertainment venues.
While 4.26 million people downloaded the vouchers, a number are yet to be used. Originally set to expire on June 30, they will now be valid until July 31.
Digital Minister Victor Dominello announced the extension on Tuesday, encouraging residents to make the most of the program
“Instead of spending winter locked indoors, use your Dine & Discover vouchers to get out and about,” he wrote on social media.
READ MORE: NSW Dine & Discover vouchers — how to get your $100
Nicholas Jensen5.10am: Lockdown to end Friday but restrictions to stay
Melbourne’s lockdown is expected to end on Friday morning, with residents to be restricted from travelling more than 25km from their homes in a bid to stop any city exodus over the Queen’s Birthday weekend.
The Victorian government has established a new raft of measures that will include students returning to school as early as Friday morning.
Masks will remain compulsory indoors, with specific density limits for offices. Restaurants and cafes will be limited to 50 people, with gyms to stay closed.
However, visitors to the homes will remain forbidden, and outdoor gatherings will be capped at 10 people.
According to the paper, the Andrews government held productive discussions on Tuesday night, as they continue to work through the details of “post-lockdown restrictions”, which are expected to be finalised by tomorrow morning.
“The settings are likely to be similar to what happened for regional Victoria last week,” a senior government source told The Herald Sun.
READ MORE: Editorial — Lessons in leadership from the Victorian lockdown
Rachel Baxendale5am: Delta outbreak linked to another hotel breach
Victoria’s Delta variant coronavirus outbreak has been linked to another breach in hotel quarantine, representing the sixth time the virus has escaped one of the state’s quarantine hotels, and the 22nd such breach nationwide.
News that genomic sequencing had connected the coronavirus case of a returned Sri Lankan traveller with that of a cluster of 15 cases centred on west Melbourne came six days after The Australian revealed that residents at a CBD apartment complex were gravely concerned about interactions with staff and medical waste at the Novotel/Ibis Melbourne Central quarantine hotel, where the traveller stayed overnight while highly infectious in early May.
Amid ongoing mystery about the source of the west Melbourne outbreak, which has infected several families and their school and work contacts since first being detected on June 1 in a family that had spent six days in NSW while likely infectious, Acting Police Minister Danny Pearson confirmed on Tuesday morning that genomic sequencing established a link to a man in his 40s who tested positive for coronavirus on May 8, having arrived that day from Sri Lanka.
Read the full story here.
Patrick Commins4.45am: Don’t abandon fiscal constraint, Brennan warns
Productivity Commission chair Michael Brennan has urged the federal government not to abandon decades of fiscal restraint, warning the country at large is at risk of becoming too complacent around the generational costs of “ever-expanding debt and deficit”.
Mr Brennan, one of the government’s top economic advisers, said he had “no argument” with the Morrison government’s current fiscal strategy. But he warned that a “public consensus around fiscal constraint” was at risk of fracturing in the wake of a pandemic that triggered the largest fiscal support package in Australian history, funded by record levels of borrowing.
Mr Brennan also argued that a misplaced drive towards national self-sufficiency in the wake of the pandemic could undermine the country’s future prosperity
He said the nation’s experience with manufacturing protectionism “was not an overly happy one”, noting that “in the past two economic crises, including today, trade has been a big part of Australia’s recovery”.
“We can’t make everything here, but we could certainly make ourselves poorer in the attempt,” he said.
Read the full story here.
More Coverage
‘Unappointable’ bureaucrat now in charge of Rail Loop
The public servant now charged with delivering Australia’s largest housing project in Victoria was deemed not ‘well suited’ for being responsible for ‘complex policy matters’ when he applied for the job of Queensland under-treasurer.
Second top cop ousted in Victoria Police
The Victorian government stands accused of scapegoating the state’s most senior police officers after the second highest ranking executive was shown the door.