PoliticsNow: Parties clash over radical voting reforms
A plan from government MPs would allow voters to preference only one candidate, consider abolishing by-elections, and give governments extended, unfixed four-year terms.
- Warren Snowden to quit politics
- China heaps more pain on wine exporters
- Cashless card trials shelved
- Wheat, cotton next on China hit list
Welcome to live coverage of the latest political headlines from Canberra, as well as our nation’s response to the continuing coronavirus pandemic.
China’s Commerce Ministry said today that it would impose temporary antisubsidy tariffs on Australia-imported wines, adding more levies after hefty antidumping duties applied two weeks ago.
COVID-19’s “profound impact” on the country’s fiscal position will leave the country with a federal deficit at still over $50bn by the end of the decade, while gross government debt will climb over most of the coming ten years, according to the parliamentary budget watchdog’s annual medium term fiscal outlook.
Richard Ferguson 11pm: ‘We’re going to need a bigger house’
The numbers of MPs in the House of Representatives could skyrocket and a constitutional nexus connecting the size of the lower chamber and the size of the Senate could be broken under a radical election proposal put forward by government MPs.
Under the constitution, the House is only allowed to be twice the size of the Senate – a quirk some MPs feel constricts their ability to cater for Australia’s growing population while creating smaller electorates which give people greater access to their elected members.
The Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters’ report into the 2019 election recommends a parliamentary inquiry be held into how the House can increase in size and a constitutional referendum to ensure the Senate does not grow with it. A 1967 referendum seeking to break the nexus between the House and the Senate failed – 59.75 per cent no to 40.25 per cent yes – over concerns about creating more politicians.
Rosie Lewis 10.15pm: Growers call for worker bubbles
A desperate horticulture industry has urged Scott Morrison and the states to agree at Friday’s national cabinet meeting to bring in Pacific Islanders quarantine-free, warning that the country is on track to meet a labour shortage of 26,000 people by March.
The Prime Minister will meet all chief ministers and premiers except Western Australia’s Mark McGowan for the first face-to-face national cabinet this year and the inaugural national federation reform council, which replaced the Council of Australian Governments.
After spending the week in Canberra lobbying cabinet ministers including Employment Minister Michaelia Cash and Acting Immigration Minister Alan Tudge, the National Farmers’ Federation horticulture council said growers were feeling extremely isolated and the government’s incentives to engage the domestic workforce to fill agricultural jobs had failed.
Patrick Commins 9.30pm: Commonwealth paid to borrow
The Australian government has for the first time been paid to borrow, after an investor bought Commonwealth Treasury notes on Thursday morning at a yield of -0.01 per cent.
In a watershed moment in the country’s financial history, the Australian Office of Financial Management auctioned $1.5bn in notes expiring in March 2021, with the highest bidder buying the notes at a price which would offer them a negative return by the time the debt expired in March 2021.
AOFM chief executive Rob Nicholl said “it’s a reflection of the times we are in”.
Michael McKenna 8.45pm: LNP faces huge payout in bitter defamation war
Queensland’s Liberal National Party hierarchy has been slapped with a defamation lawsuit by a Brisbane City councillor who was disendorsed after party powerbrokers made allegations against her to the corruption watchdog.
Former LNP councillor and whip Kate Richards, who was cleared by the Crime and Corruption Commission, has filed a Supreme Court lawsuit against members of the LNP’s governing body, the state executive, as well as the party’s secretive president’s committee.
The extraordinary legal action brought by Ms Richards names her former boss, Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner, among the defendants, as well as former LNP president David Hutchinson, who resigned this year over his links with Clive Palmer.
Ewin Hannan 8pm: CFMEU organiser ‘abused’ female safety rep
The building watchdog has accused a Queensland CFMEU organiser of subjecting a female health and safety consultant to “obscene and derogatory abuse” after the union allegedly delayed a concrete pour on a $6 million apartment site.
Court documents filed by the Australian Building and Construction Commission allege that union organiser, Luke Gibson, called the woman a “f..king dog c..t” three times and “made a sound like a dog barking”.
The consultant was employed by RawCorp, the company building the apartments, to provide health and safety services at the site.
AFP 7.15pm: UK economic growth slows sharply to 0.4pc
Britain’s economy, battered this year by coronavirus and now facing fresh fears of a no-deal Brexit, slowed sharply in October from the previous month, according to official data published on Thursday.
Gross domestic product expanded by just 0.4 per cent in October from September, chalking up growth for the sixth consecutive month, the Office for National Statistics said.
That marked a sharp slowdown from 1.1-percent expansion in September, while analysts warned of a difficult November when a second partial lockdown was imposed in England.
The ONS added on Thursday that GDP remains 7.9 per cent below pre-pandemic levels in February — and noted that the rate of recovery has slowed each month since June.
Output was also hit after more localised measures to control the virus were imposed in parts of northern and central England, as well as in Scotland and Wales.
The data was released as Britain signed a free-trade deal with Singapore, giving it a key foothold in Asia as it seeks to forge its own path after leaving the EU, while talks on a post-Brexit agreement stumble.
The deal largely mirrors an existing EU-Singapore pact, with the city-state saying it will cover more than £17bn ($30.5bn) in bilateral trade.
It came as negotiations between Britain and the EU on a trade relationship following the end of this year’s post-Brexit transition period teeter towards failure.
READ MORE: Three days to fix Brexit deadlock
Richard Ferguson 6.25pm: Radical election reform plan triggers tension
A political fight over Australia’s electoral system has been sparked by a radical plan from government MPs to allow voters to preference only one candidate, consider abolishing by-elections, and give governments extended, unfixed four-year terms.
The Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters recommended a rewrite of the Australian Electoral Act on Thursday including restrictions on non-party activists at election sites, a new “electoral violence” offence for people who lash out at polling booths, and a requirement voters show ID when they lodge their ballots.
Labor has reacted furiously to many of the proposed changes and labelled the report — authored by JSCEM chairman and Queensland Liberal senator James McGrath and other government MPs — an authoritarian attack on democracy.
But there are possible breakthroughs in bipartisan electoral reform, with both major parties looking to kickstart talks on how to expand the size of the House of Representatives.
Senator McGrath said his proposed electoral reforms would make the electoral system fairer and safer.
“As our society changes, so our electoral system should be fine-tuned. Now is the time for immediate action,” he told parliament. “We sleep safely from the banality of evil because we decide who governs. These reforms are about empowering the will of the voter.”
Under the JSCEM recommendations, parliament would consider if by-elections in the House when a MP quits or dies should be replaced by someone picked by the party who won the last election — as in the Senate — instead of holding expensive and compulsory polls.
The reforms would also seek to punish party turncoats by ousting MPs and senators who abandon the parties they were elected under and making their seats vacant.
The optional preferential system — where voters only need to put a “1” next to their candidate of choice and do not need to give any more preferences — is used in the senate and in NSW state elections.
The JSCEM report argues this reform will free voters of the need to preference parties they fundamentally oppose, but Labor say optional preferential votes are wasted.
Senator McGrath’s plan for parliamentary terms would see the lifespan of parliament increased from three to four years but — unlike in most state parliaments — the prime minister would continue to have the power to call elections early and not have to adhere to a fixed date.
The JSCEM report says all Australians should provide some sort of ID before they vote and non-party activists — such as trade unionists of GetUp members — should stand farther away from polling booths than they are currently required to.
Opposition special minister of state Don Farrell said the proposed changes were undemocratic and sought to silence government opponents.
“The Morrison government has launched an outrageous authoritarian-style assault on Australian democracy in a report into the 2019 Federal Election,” he said.
“Using its control of the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters (JSCEM), the government is proposing drastic measures designed to silence its critics, suppress the vote and stop workers and grassroots campaigners from participating in our democracy.”
Adeshola Ore 5.40pm: PM affirms backing for suicide commissioner
Scott Morrison has affirmed his support for a national commissioner for veteran suicide prevention, saying it will be a more permanent solution than a royal commission.
The Morrison government was forced to shelve its national commissioner bill this week after it failed to win the necessary votes to drive the legislation through the Senate. But Attorney-General Christian Porter said the government remained committed to establishing a commissioner and would continue to work on the legislation over summer.
“We’re trying to solve the problem and a one-off royal commission we don’t believe is the best answer here,” the Prime Minister told 2GB radio.
“The Labor party said they would support this back in February. Now they are playing politics. This should not be a partisan issue. This should not be about politics.”
READ MORE: ‘Andrews’ branch-stacking arms race’
Staff reporters 5.13pm: Moody’s may cut Victoria’s AAA rating
On the heels of this week’s credit rating downgrade from S&P, ratings agency Moody’s has placed Victoria’s AAA credit rating on review for a downgrade citing an “erosion” in financial strength.
“The review for downgrade indicates the material risks that Victoria’s credit profile is no longer consistent with a AAA rating,” Moody’s said in a statement.
“The sharp change in the outlook for Victoria’s debt follows an economic recession which will undermine revenue and raise expenses for several years.”
Moody’s expects Victoria’s net direct and indirect debt will exceed 200 per cent of revenue in the fiscal year ending June 2024 compared to 79 per cent in fiscal 2020.
“Combined with the state’s very large capital spending projects, in the absence of new measures to significantly narrow the deficits once the economic environment improves, the debt burden will rise significantly for the foreseeable future”.
The review for a possible downgrade follows S&P this week cutting its rating Victoria to AA from AAA. At the same time it lowered NSW’s ratings to AA+ from AAA.
READ MORE: Lib helps Andrews avoid stack of strife
Isambard Wilkinson 4.55pm: Royal pays first tax bill
Juan Carlos, the former king of Spain, announced he has paid tax for the first time in an apparent attempt to pre-empt prosecution after being forced into exile over corruption allegations.
He paid €680,000 ($913,000) after a voluntary declaration of previously undisclosed income, lawyers said on Thursday (AEDT).
They added in an email: “His Majesty King Juan Carlos remains, as always, at the Tax Service’s disposal for any procedure it considers necessary.”
Juan Carlos, who abdicated in 2014 amid financial scandals, is under investigation for failing to declare money received to cover expenses for him and family members after he stepped down.
The attorney-general confirmed that supreme court prosecutors were instructed to investigate the allegations after eldiario.es, an online newspaper, reported a state investigation into the alleged use of credit cards linked to foreign accounts by the royal family.
At the weekend Spanish newspapers cited unidentified sources in their reports that the former king wanted to confess to non-payment of taxes. Under Spanish law, confessing and paying the outstanding taxes allows offenders to avoid being charged.
The prospect of a lack of a prosecution has angered Spaniards. Jose Luis Abalos, the transport minister, said this week that “everybody is equal before the law, for better or for worse”.
Margarita Robles, the defence minister, spoke of the “fiscal regularisation” of the former king.
Juan Carlos left Spain for the United Arab Emirates but El Mundo reported that he wished to return for Christmas.
The Times
READ MORE: Historic lawsuit may break up Facebook
AFP 4.15pm: US Covid deaths top 3000 in one day
The US registered more than 3000 deaths from COVID-19 in 24 hours — the highest daily toll since April — according to the Johns Hopkins University tally.
US authorities had warned a spike in deaths was coming after millions travelled around the country for the Thanksgiving holiday last month, ignoring pleas to stay home to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
As of 8:30 pm (0030 GMT Thursday), the country had recorded a total of 289,188 Covid deaths, up by 3,071 in 24 hours. It also registered nearly 220,481 new cases.
California, where some 33 million people were back under lockdown this week, saw more than 30,000 cases on Wednesday -- the highest 24-hour tally in a US state, according to the Covid Tracking Project.
The number of virus patients hospitalized in the US continues to break records, hitting 106,000 on Wednesday.
Over the past two weeks the US has exceeded 2,000 Covid-related deaths per day several times, rivalling tolls the worst-hit nation in the world saw in the early days of the pandemic.
Faced with massive and uncontrolled spread of the virus, American authorities have put their hopes in halting its spread on a vaccine.
US experts meet Thursday to examine Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine, which could be given emergency authorization in the coming days.
Some 15 million people have contracted Covid-19 in the US since the start of the pandemic.
READ MORE: Hunter Biden taxes under investigation
Adeshola Ore 3.38pm: End of an era for longest serving MP
Australia’s longest serving MP, Warren Snowdon, has announced his retirement from parliament.
During a speech in the last question time of the year, Mr Snowdon said he would not contest his Northern Territory seat at the next election.
Mr Snowdon said the reason he became an MP was because of the support he had received from Indigenous Australians in the Northern Territory.
“The only reason I became a member of parliament and remain a member of parliament is because of the support I have been getting from the Aboriginal communities across the Northern Territory. To bring a voice in this place. I owe them so much. I have learnt so much, so, so much. I have learned about respect and humility. And I have [learned] patience. Patience. They have such great patience. When I stood up here on 17 September, not here but the old Parliament House, 1987, to give my first speech, I said a number of things.
“As a nation, we have yet to recognise in the court Aboriginal justice which is due. It is still the case.’’
The member for Lingiari, who was first a member of the Hawke government, told parliament his career had taught him about the honour of serving Australians.
“I think we, in this place, need to comprehend how important the public service is to us and to the Australian community,” he said.
He paid tribute to commitment to public service demonstrated on both sides of politics.
“Despite the differences we have we have a common purpose,” he said. “We have people with commitment on both sides of the parliament and we need to recognise that commitment.”
READ MORE: Indigenous child removal ‘like an arrest’
Will Glasgow 3.31pm: China editor reveals details of lunch with Aussie ambassador
Australia’s Ambassador to China Graham Fletcher had the editor-in-chief of the Global Times Hu Xijin over for lunch at the embassy on Wednesday, hours before the nationalistic tabloid decided that “China-Australia relations need to improve”.
Ambassador Fletcher did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Wednesday lunch with one of Australia’s most influential critics in China.
Editor Hu was less discreet, posting a lengthy account in Mandarin on his personal Weibo social media account.
“I was invited to have lunch with the Australian Ambassador to China Mr Graham Fletcher. China-Australia relations are so tense now, I believe it is not easy to be an ambassador to China now,” Mr Hu wrote in a note posted to his 24 million Weibo followers.
Not surprisingly, their discussion focused on the bilateral relationship, a subject the Global Times has covered stridently throughout China’s eight month long trade retaliation campaign against Australia.
READ the full story here
Rachel Baxendale 3.28pm: Crowd of 30,000 allowed at MCG Test
Victorian health authorities and the Andrews government will allow a crowd of 30,000 to attend the MCG for the Boxing Day Test, Sports Minister Martin Pakula has confirmed.
The state government had previously indicated a crowd of at least 25 per cent of the MCG’s 100,000 capacity would be permitted, strongly hinting in recent days at a slight increase on 25,000.
I think this is how it’s done....
— Martin Pakula (@MartinPakulaMP) December 10, 2020
BREAKING: Boxing Day Test capacity increased to 30,000 per day following approval by @VictorianCHO
Tickets 🎫 go on sale at 3pm today@CricketAus pic.twitter.com/b9fQBaBGQA
Shortly before tickets went on sale at 3pm, Mr Pakula tweeted that Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton had approved a crowd size of 30,000 at the iconic event.
The confirmation follows the cancellation this year of numerous flagship sporting events, including the last-minute calling off of Melbourne’s Grand Prix, and the move to Brisbane for the first time in history of the AFL Grand Final.
READ MORE: Pucovski selection a headache
Adeshola Ore 3.06pm: The Fonz has final word in question time
Industrial Relations Minister Christan Porter has called out the opposition for “jumping the shark” as Labor used question time to accuse the Coalition of cutting worker’s pay in its workplace changes.
fairdinkum for sure https://t.co/FQi4qpXvCD
— Henry Winkler (@hwinkler4real) December 10, 2020
“The question really, Mr Speaker, is why are the members for Watson and Grayndler on their motorcycles seeing who can jump the biggest shark. What is going on there?,” Mr Porter told parliament.
Anthony Albanese hit back, telling Mr Porter “a motorbike can’t jump a shark.”
“We’ll explain what the phrase ‘jumping the shark’ means after question time,” Mr Porter responded.
“Why are they both out trying to over-reach each other. Why are they both trying to come out with the most absurd, ridiculous, untruth in a question that they possibly can?”
Adeshola Ore 2.58pm: Labor’s IR bill criticisms ‘totally false’
Industrial Relations Minister Christan Porter has lashed out at Labor’s criticism of the Morrison government’s workplace law reforms, calling them “totally false assertions and premises.”
The Fair Work Ombudsman has now set up a dedicated website for those employers and employees impacted by COVID-19: https://t.co/V94BI2zwb7. The FWO can also be contacted on 13 13 94.
— Christian Porter (@cporterwa) March 27, 2020
Labor MPs used question time today to highlight pay cuts the party argues would be admissible under the government’s “better off overall” test changes.
Mr Porter told parliament that there would be a range of “range of protections” to ensure workers did not face pay cuts under the proposed laws.
“Why would the Leader of the Opposition be sending out his backbenchers to ask questions solely designed and unnecessary to scare people before Christmas?” Mr Porter asked.
“How desperate would you have to be, to send out our backbenchers and ask questions based on totally false assertions and premises. Completely false.”
Under the proposed changes, employers impacted by COVID would have more power to bypass the Fair Work Act’s “better off overall” test.
Adeshola Ore 2.28pm: Porter: There’s nothing to back down on
Anthony Albanese has called on the Morrison government to back down from its industrial relations package, saying it will result in a “cut to take-home pay.”
During question time, The Opposition Leader asked the Prime Minister to scrap its workplace reforms and said it would result in wage cuts for workers.
Industrial Relations Minister Christian Porter rejected the assertion of Mr Albanese’s question.
“The double-negative question was, “Will the PM back down on something which the government has not done,” Mr Porter said.
“We haven’t done it. And, therefore, there’s nothing to back down on,” he said.
Adeshola Ore 2.20pm: PM commends ‘united national effort’
Scott Morrison has commended the “united national effort” of Australians during the pandemic.
During the latest question time of the year, the Prime Minister told parliament he was “deeply grateful” for the people of Australia.
“I have never been more proud of this country as I am today,” Mr Morrison said.
READ MORE: Unis want tertiary shake-up
Agencies 1.58pm: China heaps more misery on Aussie wine exporters
China’s Commerce Ministry said today that it would impose temporary antisubsidy tariffs on Australia-imported wines, adding more levies after hefty antidumping duties applied two weeks ago.
The ministry said the temporary duties of 6.3 per cent to 6.4 per cent will take effect on Friday. The action came after Beijing imposed antidumping duties of 107.1 per cent to 212.1 per cent on Australian wine in late November, as an investigation found exporters dumped cheap wine into the Chinese market.
The latest measure is expected to add more tension to bilateral relations, which went sour after Canberra called for a probe into the origins of the coronavirus, angering Beijing.
Earlier this year, China imposed tariffs of more than 80 per cent on Australian barley products and suspended beef imports from some Australian slaughterhouses. — Dow Jones Newswire
More to come
Angelica Snowden 1.51pm: Thanksgiving’s deadly toll: new US virus record
The US has clocked another daily COVID death record on Wednesday, reporting more than 3000 fatalities on Wednesday.
It is the highest daily death toll since April according to the Johns Hopkins University tally.
American authorities warned a spike in deaths occur after millions travelled around the country for the Thanksgiving holiday last month and ignored pleas to stay home to slow the spread of the virus.
A total of 289,283 Americans have now died due to COVID-19 as the deadly COVID-19 surge raged on in the country.
It also registered nearly 220,500 new cases in 24 hours.
California, where some 33 million people were back under lockdown this week, saw more than 30,000 cases on Wednesday — the highest 24-hour tally in a US state, according to the Covid Tracking Project.
The number of virus patients hospitalised in the US continued to break records, hitting 106,000 on Wednesday.
Over the past two weeks the US has exceeded 2,000 Covid-related deaths per day several times, rivalling tolls the worst-hit nation in the world saw in the early days of the pandemic.
Faced with massive and uncontrolled spread of the virus, American authorities have put their hopes in halting its spread on a vaccine.
US experts meet Thursday to examine Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine, which could be given emergency authorisation in the coming days.
Some 15 million people have contracted Covid-19 in the US since the start of the pandemic.
With AFP
David Penberthy 1.42pm: McGowan’s ‘extraordinary’ snub no laughing matter
Mark McGowan has become a figure of fun in South Australia after he refused to attend Friday’s national cabinet meeting for fear of catching the coronavirus off Steven Marshall.
But neither the SA Premier nor SA-based Western Australia families are seeing the funny side of his somewhat paranoid decision, with Mr Marshall demanding the WA Premier release the health advice on which his Cabinet snub was based.
Mr McGowan insisted on Thursday that his own health advice was that WA residents should keep away from South Australians and that his refusal to sit in the same room as Mr Marshall was a case of leading by example.
READ David Penberthy’s full commentary here
OLIVIA CAISLEY 1.32pm: Labor calls for release of aged care reports
Labor is calling on Aged Care Minister Richard Colbeck to urgently release independent reports into the deadly outbreaks at St Basil’s and Epping Gardens before parliament rises for the summer.
The two homes were the centre of the nation’s worst outbreaks with a number of deceased patients left in their beds for several hours while others were left to languish in soiled beds and clothes without proper food and hydration.
Opposition aged care spokeswoman Julie Collins said Australians must be assured that the government had learnt from its previous failings in the sector following the deaths of almost 700 nursing home residents during the pandemic.
“The Morrison government must immediately release reports on outbreaks of COVID-19 at St Basil’s and Epping Garden to assist aged care homes facing the challenges of COVID-19,” she said.
“It’s not good enough that the Morrison government hasn’t been more transparent about these reports and other reviews into previous outbreaks of COVID-19 in aged care.”
The Australian understands Senator Colbeck has seen the reports and they will be released in coming days.
However, they are unlikely to be released in time for Labor to respond in parliament.
Manager of policy and advocacy at Leading Age Services Australia, Tim Hicks, echoed Labor’s calls.
Adeshola Ore 1.02pm: Too much focus on better off test, says Porter
Attorney-General Christian Porter says there has been too much focus on the government’s proposed changes to the “better off overall” test in its industrial relations package.
Under the proposed changes, businesses impacted by COVID would be given more power to bypass the test Fair Work Act’s “better off overall” test .
“With respect to the omnibus bill there has been focus on one area and not a lot of focus on other areas, which in my observation would be more important,” he said in Canberra.
Mr Porter said the government was committed to a dialogue about its legislation and has flagged it would not be a “take it or leave it” bill.
READ MORE: Gottliebsen — Ultimate power in trade dispute isn’t with Xi
Angelica Snowden 12.55pm: Marshall to McGowan: Show us medical advice
South Australia has gone 12 days without reporting a locally acquired case of COVID-19.
South Australian COVID-19 update 10/12/20. For more information go to https://t.co/e4B14lR2Vd or contact the South Australian COVID-19 Information Line on 1800 253 787. pic.twitter.com/S8Lh1m83IZ
— SA Health (@SAHealth) December 10, 2020
The last reported case of COVID-19 in the state was on November 28.
The news came after South Australian Premier Steven Marshall demanded Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan present health advice that stopped him from attending the first in-person national cabinet meeting on Friday.
Mr McGowan made the call over fears he could contract coronavirus from Mr Marshall, despite South Australia recording 12 consecutive days with no new COVID-19 infections.
WA is the only state that remains closed to SA. Mr Marshall will ask Mr McGowan to lift border restrictions in time for Christmas.
“I will certainly be asking the Premier there to consider the excellent results we have here in South Australia,” Mr Marshall told the ABC.
WA’s border controls require anyone who mixes with SA residents to self-quarantine for 14 days on arrival in the west.
With NCA Newswire
READ MORE: Somyurek accuses Andrews over branch-stacking
Adeshola Ore 12.45pm: Porter explains retreat on veteran suicide bill
Attorney-General Christian Porter says the government is committed to its veteran suicide bill after it failed to bolster support for the legislation in the senate.
Mr Porter confirmed the government shelved the legislation to establish a national commissioner for defence and veteran suicide prevention after it failed to get the numbers to pass the bill in the Senate.
“Perhaps if we’d had more time, it may have been possible to secure that support,” he said.
“It was disappointing that Labor originally supported that model and withdrew support. However, the government’s commitment to that remains absolutely rock solid and we’ll be continuing that work over summer.”
READ MORE: War crimes ‘can’t be swept aside’
Angelica Snowden 12.30pm: Business leaders back ‘practical’ IR revamp
An overhaul of Industrial Relations law has been slammed by the ACTU as taking “workers backwards”, but business leaders say the proposed changes are “practical” and “commonsense”.
Business Council of Australia CEO Jennifer Westacott said a proposed temporary change to the better off overall test is only temporary and there are safeguards to protect employees.
“First of all the parties have to agree … secondly the Fair Work Commission has to agree and thirdly it has to be in the public interest and in exceptional circumstances that are related to COVID,” Ms Westacott told 3AW radio.
“So I am not expecting that to be used very often,” she said. “The other crucial point to make is this whole package - (which will give) more flexibility for part time workers (and make) improvements to the enterprise agreement system - they are all practical, commonsense things that fix up all the problems that have been in the system for ages and made it harder to employ people and give them higher wages.”
Both workers and employers will win if the changes are made, Ms Westacott said.
“Casuals will now have a clear path to be made permanent,” she said.
Asked what would happen if a casual worker was sacked a few weeks shy of 12 months and denied the opportunity for full time employment, Ms Westacott said: “they would have the normal remedies under the Fair Work Act”.
“This a big improvement on what we have got now where there is no pathway...for people to become permanent workers,” she said.
The Fair Work Commission could ignore the better off overall test - BOOT - when considering bargaining agreements for COVID-19 affected businesses even if it means workers would be worse off, under the proposed changes to IR law.
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PATRICK COMMINS 12.00pm: Covid’s budget hole: $50bn deficit after a decade
COVID-19’s “profound impact” on the country’s fiscal position will leave the country with a federal deficit at still over $50bn by the end of the decade, while gross government debt will climb over most of the coming ten years, according to the parliamentary budget watchdog’s annual medium term fiscal outlook.
The October 6 budget forecast the Commonwealth’s underlying cash balance to be the biggest deficit since at least 1971, at $214 billion, or 11 per cent of GDP.
In its latest outlook, the Parliamentary Budget Office projects that the fiscal position will improve over the coming decade, but that there will still be a “significant” underlying cash deficit of $51 billion, or 1.6 per cent of GDP, in 2030-31. Ahead of the federal government’s mid-year economic and fiscal update next Thursday, the PBO’s outlook in 2019 predicted a balanced budget towards the end of this decade.
“This deficit reflects a combination of lower receipts and higher payments that will endure across the medium term,” the report said.
The budget watchdog also projected that bracket creep over the coming 10 years will overwhelm legislated income tax cuts and push average tax rates will increase for all income groups besides the fifth quintile, or those earning above $89,000 a year.
READ MORE: Urgent call to secure critical supply chains
Adeshola Ore 11.46am: Dutton ‘likely to stay in Home Affairs’
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has played down speculation he will move to the Defence portfolio as part of a ministerial shake-up.
The Morrison government will unveil its pre-Christmas cabinet reshuffle next week.
“I think I’m likely to stay in Home Affairs and that ultimately is a decision for the Prime Minister,” he told Sky News.
“There’s always speculation. In the end, there’s one person who knows what the outcome will be and obviously we’ve got a great depth of talent in the Liberal Party and the National Party and it’s always a tough decision.”
“We’ve got a lot of talent on the frontbench, including the Defence Minister.”
READ MORE: Shanahan — Albo must take blame for Labor’s annus horribilis
Staff writers 11.16am: Call for more testing as NSW has another zero day
NSW recorded no new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.
Four cases were reported in overseas travellers. Two previously reported cases, one locally acquired and one acquired overseas, have been excluded following further investigations.
NSW recorded no new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) December 10, 2020
Four cases were reported in overseas travellers. Two previously reported cases, one locally acquired and one acquired overseas, have been excluded following further investigations. pic.twitter.com/oTb1sXitzJ
However, NSW Health has urged more people to come forward for testing.
“While numbers have increased since the weekend, there are still too few people coming forward for testing. With restrictions eased and borders having reopened, now is not the time to be complacent. Please come forward for testing immediately even with mild symptoms,’’ the latest update says.
NSW Health continues to urge people in southwestern Sydney to get tested if they have any symptoms after fragments of the virus that causes COVID-19 were detected at the Liverpool sewage treatment plant.
Adeshola Ore 11.01am: Dropping bill ‘surrendering’ on veterans suicide
Opposition veterans affairs and defence personnel spokesman Shayne Neumann has accused the Morrison government of “surrendering” after it withdrew its veteran suicide bill.
Attorney-General Christian Porter failed to win the necessary votes to establish the government’s national commissioner for defence and veteran suicide prevention.
“It’s a statement of surrender by the Morison government,” Mr Neumann said in Canberra.
He called on the Morrison government to establish a royal commission into veterans suicide.
“Their glorified coroner won’t do it. It’s an individual case by case analysis. It’s simply not good enough,” he said.
“Listen to the families, Prime Minister. Reach across the aisle. We will support you, Prime Minister, in a Royal Commission. Let’s deal with this issue now.”
On Tuesday, Mr Porter circulated 23 amendments to the bill, but was unable to convince Labor or another crossbencher to support the legislation before parliament rises for the summer break. One of the changes clarified that the commissioner would have the same independence as the Office of the Auditor-General.
READ MORE: Suicide bill fails at final hurdle
Richard Ferguson 10.51am: PM on war crime allegations: ‘Innocent until proven guilty’
Scott Morrison says he will uphold the presumption of innocence for anyone connected to the Brereton war crimes inquiry, as Defence Minister Linda Reynolds comes under pressure for labelling the allegations “cold blooded murder.”
At least 19 defence personnel could face charges after the Brereton war crimes inquiry uncovered alleged unlawful killings of Afghan civilians and prisoners.
Senator Reynolds said on Wednesday that the allegations in the inquiry’s final report were not “fog-of-war” and that she can’t unsee what she has read about alleged war crimes.
“All of the matters in (the Brereton) report are not those fog-of-war, split-second decisions about what I do next. These are all incidents of alleged cold-blooded murder,” she said.
“That cannot be swept under the carpet … you cannot look away, I cannot unsee what I read.”
When Senator Reynold’s comments were raised with him on-air, the Prime Minister said on Thursday he understood the concern and his government would always presume people are innocent before they are proven guilty.
“I understand your point, I understand it,” he told 2GB Radio’s Ray Hadley.
“I assure you that everyone is innocent till proven guilty in this country. That is one of the values for which our defence forces have served and fought and died.
“And that principle will be upheld by me and my government.”
READ MORE: War crimes ‘can't be swept aside’
Adeshola Ore 10.42am: Albanese calls for IR bill to be scrapped
Anthony Albanese has opened the last parliamentary sitting day of the year with an attempt to suspend standing orders over the government’s industrial relations package.
The Opposition Leader called on the federal government to scrap its industrial relations legislation, which includes an amendment to the exemptiontion of the Fair Work Act’s better-off-overall test. Mr Albanese told parliament the changes would cut the take-home pay of workers.
Under the changes, businesses impacted by COVID would be given more power to bypass the test.
READ MORE: Porter should prioritise policy alternatives
Adeshola Ore 10.28am: Fruit pickers’ conditions ‘far from paradise’
Opposition home affairs spokesman Kristina Keneally has attacked the federal government’s advertising blitz to lure New Zealanders to travel to Australia to fill labour shortages.
Tourism Australia’s new campaign will encourage Kiwis to “pick your way to paradise by working on Aussie fruit farms” to offset the gaps due to the international border closures.
Senator Keneally said the conditions backpackers and temporary visa holders faced picking fruit in regional Australia was “far from paradise.”
“People are paid as little as $3 an hour. People are exploited. Shocking stories of sexual exploitation.,” she said in Canberra.
“It’s not paradise, Scott Morrison, and no advertising campaign is going to turn it into paradise.”
READ MORE: Brexit talks given 72-hour deadline
Matthew Denholm 10.04am: Dancing, vertical drinking returns to Tassie
Tasmanians will be able to dance and drink standing up in bars, under a relaxation of coronavirus restrictions despite a fourth case of the virus in hotel quarantine.
Public Health Director Mark Veitch said it was important to distinguish between the quarantine cases and community transmission, which had not occurred in the state for the past four months.
“I believe we can allow these activities (dancing, vertical drinking) to occur…safely,” he said, announcing these restrictions would end from Friday night onwards.
This was despite a fourth person, in the same family, testing positive in hotel quarantine overnight on Wednesday.
The four were part of a flight of 118 people who arrived in Hobart on a mercy flight from Delhi on Sunday.
“All 118 returned Australians have undergone their first COVID test, and four have now been diagnosed positive, all from the one family,” Dr Veitch said.
“Our testing program has worked in discovering this case. We are ensuring the family receives the care they need, while being isolated from others.
“We will do the same if further cases are detected. This does not mean that Tasmania has COVID-19 in our community.”
READ MORE: Shopping time as confidence soars
Adeshola Ore 9.55am: Dutton: Welfare card is taxpayers money at work
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has defended the federal government’s cashless welfare card scheme after it failed to make the program permanent in four trial sites.
Social Services Minister Anne Ruston was forced to amend the bill at the last-minute to extend the card by two years in four trial locations — Ceduna, the East Kimberley, Goldfields and the Bundaberg and Hervey Bay region. One Nation and Senator Rex Patrick supported the two-year extension, without which the trials would have expired on January 1.
“It’s designed to help taxpayers’ money, people who work hard for their money and are happy to see some of that money support Australians who are in a tougher position, but not to see that money diverted to pubs or to gambling,” Mr Dutton told Sky News.
“The evidence is there that it works. It works in Indigenous communities and in communities in capital cities.”
Labor says the card, which quarantines 80 per cent of a person’s welfare payment and prevents it from being spent on alcohol and gambling, is punitive and discriminatory towards Indigenous Australians.
READ MORE: Miners paid 40pc of tax bill
Angelica Snowden 9.35am: In Queensland we can dance if we want to
Queensland Health Minister Yvette D’Ath has announced indoor dancing will be allowed in the state from 1am Monday.
Although moshpits and tightly packed dancefloors will not be allowed, Ms D’Ath said she could ease restrictions somewhat after the state has gone 86 days without a locally acquired case of COVID-19.
“What we want to see is dancing spread out across a greater area inside venues,” Ms D’Ath said.
“This is a very positive step forward,” she said.
“We are not just talking about dancing in our nightclubs, I am so pleased seniors will be able to come back into our Leagues clubs and RSLs and do their line dancing during the day.”
Despite patrons now being allowed to “blame it on the boogie” once again they must still socially distance, Ms D’Ath said.
A limit of 1 person per two square metres will apply.
She also reported three new cases of COVID-19 in the state, all were detected in returned overseas travellers in hotel quarantine.
There are now 22 active cases of COVID-19 in the state — the highest since September.
READ MORE: Top route back, ‘every flight full’
Adeshola Ore 9.32am: Australia ‘to monitor’ UK vaccine rollout after reactions
Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack says Australia will monitor the UK’s rollout of the COVID vaccine after the country’s health authorities issued an allergy warning for the jab.
UK health authorities have warned that people with a significant history of allergic reactions should not be given the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine after two healthcare workers had an adverse reaction to the jab during the first week of its rollout.
“As I understand it, those two workers also had ongoing allergic problems. But look, we will make sure that we do the right thing by Australians. We will make it freely available but, of course, we will monitor the situation in the UK,” he told Nine.
“I’m sure that the UK authorities are doing their best management of this in the roll out of the vaccine.”
READ MORE: Ultra-fast sequencing helps trace spread
Angelica Snowden 9.14am: IR bill takes people backwards: ACTU
The government’s proposed overhaul of industrial relations law “takes people backwards”, President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions Michele O’Neil says.
“People have lost jobs and hours and pay, a lot of people have had to use all their annual leave, long service leave and sick leave and of course, people have also kept working to get us through this and really carried Australia through,” Ms O’Neil told the ABC.
The Government wants to cut workers’ pay and conditions. The union movement won’t ever accept that. Let’s do this. pic.twitter.com/OpwyXucyjN
— Michele O'Neil (@MicheleONeilAU) December 9, 2020
“So the last thing we want to see anyone do, and this government do, is to punish the very workers that have done that and this is what this proposal does,” she said.
Ms O’Neil said the ACTU opposed a modification which would allow employers to bypass the “better off overall test”.
“It doesn’t require a business to be negatively impacted by COVID-19, it just says an impact, it doesn’t even make it negative,” she said.
“It means that agreements can be approved that take away workers’ pay and conditions, they go backwards.
“There is already a provision in the act that talks about exceptional circumstances … it was never discussed in any working groups and we’ll oppose it.”
READ MORE: Editorial — Porter pulls back from IR war
Adeshola Ore 9.07am: ‘Every penalty rate up for grabs in IR package’
Opposition industrial relations spokesman Tony Burke says “every penalty rate is up for grabs” in the government’s proposed industrial relations package.
The package would give employers impacted by coronavirus more power to bypass the Fair Work Act’s “better off overall” test
“If you get rid of something called the better-off test, it’s pretty clear what happens. It’s a pay cut and nothing other than a pay cut,” Mr Burke told Sky News.
“After the year people have been through and how cash-strapped people are at the moment, I think for the government to describe it as modest really means they have no understanding of what’s going on out there.”
“Australia has never been a country where you’ve had a race to the bottom on wages. There are countries in the world where they say that’s their pathway. We haven’t been that sort of country and we shouldn’t be that sort of country.”
READ MORE: The Sketch — Not all Labor MPs get it Right
Rachel Baxendale 8.51am: Still no cases in Victoria despite international arrivals
Victoria has recorded its 41st straight day with no new known cases of coronavirus, and its 17th day with no active cases.
Yesterday there were 0 new local cases, 0 new cases acquired overseas and no lost lives reported. 11,625 test results were received - thanks to everyone who was tested, #EveryTestHelps us #StaySafeStayOpen.
— VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) December 9, 2020
More info: https://t.co/lIUrl0ZEco#COVID19Vic #COVID19VicData pic.twitter.com/64aCBhzlht
The numbers come after 11,625 tests were processed in the 24 hours to Thursday, and despite more than 300 international travellers having arrived since Victoria’s hotel quarantine program reopened on Monday.
READ MORE: Ad blitz to lure Kiwi workers
Adeshola Ore 8.42am: Patrick says amendments improve welfare card scheme
South Australian senator Rex Patrick says the government’s amendments to its cashless welfare card scheme, which will see the program extended for two years at trial sites, has improved the package.
Last night, the Morrison government was forced to shelve attempts to make four trial sites of the cashless debit card permanent after senator Patrick said he would not support the legislation. One Nation and Senator Patrick supported the amended legislation, a two-year extension, without which the trials would have expired January 1.
Senator Patrick said he could not support the Morrison government’s attempts to make the four trial sites of the card permanent because of the Coalition’s lack of empirical data to show the scheme reduced crime, domestic violence and substance abuse.
“Unfortunately two years ago they undertook to do proper analysis and that simply didn’t appear,” he told the ABC.
“I went out and about, went to the Northern Territory, went to Ceduna, had a look at how the card was operating, weighed that up with all the other evidence that I had, and just decided that on balance, I couldn’t see that the card was working, certainly not in all places.”
The card, which quarantines 80 per cent of a welfare recipient’s payment, cannot be used to buy alcohol or gambling products.
The program will now be extended until the end of 2022 in Ceduna (South Australia), the East Kimberley (Western Australia), Goldfields (WA) and the Bundaberg and Hervey Bay region (Queensland).
People on income management in the Northern Territory will also be able to choose whether they transition from the BasicsCard to the cashless debit card
READ MORE: Prison population high despite fall in crime
Angelica Snowden 8.38am: Allergic reactions ‘won’t hinder Australian vaccine rollout’
Infectious diseases expert Sanjaya Senanayake says allergic reactions to Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine is unlikely to stop the roll out in Australia, but if there are major issues other candidates will be available.
“We know that with vaccines people can get a serious allergic reaction … that is usually every one in every 1.4 million doses,” Dr Senanayake told the Seven network’s Sunrise.
“When a vaccine has been rolled out to communities we keep looking at the vaccine,” he said.
“Australia is waiting until March to get a vaccine which is useful and if for some reason this vaccine can’t be used we have other vaccines up our sleeves.”
Dr Senanayake said although Melbourne and Sydney had nearly eliminated the virus, sewage testing has revealed COVID-19 could be hiding in parts of the community.
“Metropolitan Melbourne I think it is wonderful how they have met that definition for elimination but the issue with large cities like Melbourne and Sydney is could the virus be hiding in little pockets where people do not have symptoms or very mild symptoms and do not get tested,” he said.
“It is really important that even though we are doing well as a nation, I think there is only one case of local transmission in the last seven days and no one in intensive care, we need to remember to be vigilant and do the right thing in terms of social distancing when we can, getting tested if we have got symptoms and using hand sanitiser vaccine or not.”
READ MORE: Vaccine myths run riot online
Adeshola Ore 8.31am: Labor won’t back IR package if BOOT stays: Albanese
Anthony Albanese says Labor will vote against the government’s industrial relations package if it remains with a modification that would make it easier for employers to bypass the “better off overall” test.
Attorney-General Christian Porter insisted that the bill was not a “take it or leave it” situation and said the government was open to amendments. Under the proposed changes, businesses impacted by COVID would be given more power to bypass the Fair Work Act’s “better off overall” test.
The Opposition Leader said the modification of the exemption for the “better off overall” test was too simplistic.
“Every business has been affected by the pandemic. Some of them have been improved, it must be said in terms of some of the retail outlets have done OK. But every business has been impacted by the pandemic,” he told the ABC.
Asked if Labor would vote against the bill with the “better off overall” test changes, he said “if it stays the way it is at the moment, yes we would.”
READ MORE: Surprise change boosts Labor attacks
Rosie Lewis 8.23am: Cashless debit card trial sites shelved
The Morrison government has had to shelve attempts to make four trial sites of the cashless debit card permanent, instead extending them for another two years after the Senate rejected one of its priority bills.
People on income management in the Northern Territory will also be able to choose whether they transition from the BasicsCard to the cashless debit card, in another concession by the government.
Independent South Australian senator Rex Patrick – who decided the fate of the trials after the government was just one vote short of pushing the legislation through the Senate – revealed late last night he would not support making them permanent because he said the Coalition had not made out its case.
I’m voting NO to the cashless debit card. #auspol #RejectCDCRex #CashlessWelfareCard pic.twitter.com/hKYrvdMfJO
— Rex Patrick (@Senator_Patrick) December 9, 2020
“When I balance up everything I’ve seen, unfortunately, the data to support the concept that the card will achieve what it is intended to achieve is not there,” he told the Senate.
Social Services Minister Anne Ruston was forced to amend the bill at the last-minute and managed to include a sunset clause on the trials in Ceduna (South Australia), the East Kimberley (Western Australia), Goldfields (WA) and the Bundaberg and Hervey Bay region (Queensland) for 31 December 2022.
One Nation and Senator Patrick supported the two-year extension, without which the trials would have ended on January 1.
“Our commitment to this program is on a permanent basis. But we recognise we have more work to do to in the future to convince the parliament they should support this program on a permanent basis too,” Senator Ruston said.
“The continuation of the cashless debit card program is in direct response to calls from community leaders who tell us that it is ensuring more money is being spent on essentials and supporting positive changes. There is no doubt in my mind that this program has saved lives and has been a circuit breaker particularly in regions where previous efforts to curb alcohol abuse had not been successful.”
Designed to reduce welfare-fuelled alcohol, drug and gambling abuse, the debit card, established under the Abbott government, allows people to buy groceries and pay rent but does not work at bottle shops or gambling venues and it cannot withdraw cash.
A large majority of a person’s welfare payment — 80 per cent — goes on the card and 20 per cent goes into their bank account.
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Angelica Snowden 7.50am: US mired in political rows over pandemic
The US continues to battle the coronavirus pandemic and remains mired in political rows over an epidemic that has killed more than 280,000 – the world’s worst toll.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday which sought to guarantee access to vaccines for all Americans, but critics immediately queried what legal force it could have as drug firms have already signed contracts with other countries.
Every waking moment is about one purpose: saving American lives by delivering safe and effective Coronavirus therapeutics and vaccines, General Perna said. pic.twitter.com/SwRZfbEHrK
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) December 8, 2020
Joe Biden, who will take over from Mr Trump in January, urged Congress to come up with funding to stop the virus response from stalling, and unveiled his plan for 100 million jabs in his first 100 days.
“I’m absolutely convinced that in 100 days, we can change the course of the disease and change life in America for the better,” Mr Biden said on Tuesday.
Almost 15 million Americans have contracted coronavirus since the start of the global pandemic, and more than 280,000 have died.
Across the country more than 185,000 new infections were reported on December 9.
Amid surging cases, New York is expected to receive its first doses of the coronavirus vaccine as early as this weekend Governor Andrew Cuomo said.
Mr Cuomo said he expected the US Food and Drug Administration to grant emergency authorisation for the Pfizer-BioNTech jab on Thursday.
“We expect delivery of 170,000 doses as soon as this weekend,” Mr Cuomo said.
“First priority will be for nursing home residents and staff and high-risk hospital workers,” he added.
The FDA announced on Tuesday that the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective, raising expectations the regulator is poised to grant emergency approval.
The virus has killed more than 35,000 residents of New York state, mostly in New York City, which became the epicentre of America’s spring outbreak.
Mr Cuomo said he expected all high-risk hospital staff, such as ICU workers, to have received the first vaccine dose within the end of week two of distribution.
He said priority would be given to poorer Black and Latino communities, which suffered death rates up to twice as high as white neighbourhoods, when a general rollout begins, possibly in early February.
“The fairness of the vaccine is paramount,” Mr Cuomo told reporters.
READ MORE: Trump’s strategic mess will take years to repair
Angelica Snowden 7.25am: Europe opens up to US flights
The first “COVID-tested” flight has arrived in Rome from New York on Wednesday, an initiative designed to open up air routes between Europe and the US which were blocked by the pandemic.
Passengers had to show they had returned a negative virus test within 48 hours of getting on the Alitalia flight from John F. Kennedy airport, and were required to take another test on arrival at Rome’s Fiumicino.
All 100 passengers on board came up negative, according to the AGI news agency, allowing them to avoid a 14-day quarantine required of other arrivals from the United States.
It came after Italy recorded 14,837 new infections and 634 deaths on December 9. The country’s second wave appears to be on a downward trend, with infections steadily falling since a peak of more than 40,000 cases on November 14.
Meanwhile Germany was battling a second virus wave much more deadly than the first on Wednesday with record fatalities.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is urging regions to take much more drastic action to curb the spread, after state leaders agreed measures that would see comparatively modest social restrictions eased even further for the Christmas holidays.
A record 590 people were reported dead after they contracted the virus on December 9. More than 28,000 new infections were reported.
The darkening mood in Germany was in stark contrast to the joy ushered in by Britain doling out the first approved jabs in the Western world on Tuesday.
Both Russia and China have already begun inoculation campaigns with domestically produced vaccines and the United States is expected to grant emergency authorisation soon to the Pfizer-BioNTech jab – the same one used in Britain.
With AFP
Angelica Snowden 7.20am: McGowan shunning in-person national cabinet ‘ridiculous’
Ahead of the first in-person national cabinet meeting this Friday, Simon Birmingham has said news West Australian Premier Mark McGowan would refuse to attend because he did not want to be in the same room as South Australian Premier Steven Marshall was “a little bit ridiculous”.
“Every Australian state has done an outstanding job of suppressing and eliminating COVID,” he said.
“State premiers should set a positive example rather than a negative example.
“Mr McGowan’s decision is contrary to the livelihoods of those Australians who depend on travel.”
READ MORE: Ad blitz to lure Kiwi workers
Angelica Snowden 7.15am: ‘Little evidence’ China stoush linked to US deal
Trade Minister Simon Birmingham says there is “little evidence” other Australian exports – like wine, beef and barley – are being dropped by China as part of its $14 billion agricultural buying commitment to the Trump administration.
It came amid warnings Australian cotton and wheat would be deserted by China due to its commitment to the US.
“That deal … has an uplift factor in terms of commitment China is making to the US in terms of American goods,” Senator Birmingham told Sky News.
“The scale of that is actually quite small,” he said.
He said he did not think it was accurate to conflate the China-US agricultural deal with Australia’s trade stoush with China.
READ MORE: Nine pulls the plug on China Watch
Angelica Snowden 6.45am: ‘Cruise to nowhere’ turns back over positive test
A “cruise to nowhere” off Singapore was cut short on Wednesday after a passenger tested positive for the coronavirus, officials said, a blow to efforts to revive the hard-hit industry.
The voyages – which start and end at the city-state with no stops – restarted last month and marked the resumption of cruises after a months-long hiatus due to travel restrictions.
But early Wednesday morning the holiday calm onboard the Quantum of the Sea was shattered by an announcement the cruise was being cut short after an 83-year-old male passenger had contracted the virus.
“One guest aboard Quantum of the Seas tested positive for coronavirus after checking in with our medical team,” operator Royal Caribbean said in a statement.
“We identified and isolated all guests and crew who had close contact with this guest, and each of those individuals have subsequently tested negative for the virus.”
The news came after Australia’s Health Minister Greg Hunt announced a ban on international cruises would be extended until March 2021.
Mr Hunt said overseas countries with surging coronavirus case numbers highlighted the need to protect the public.
“Australia won’t be fully safe until the international community is safe,” he said on Tuesday.
The “cruises to nowhere” have proved a hit in tiny Singapore after people were unable to go on overseas holidays for months due to travel restrictions.
New daily infections reported in Singapore have hovered between 4 and 23 since October, and there have been just 29 deaths reported since the start of the pandemic.
With AFP
READ MORE: Ultra-fast sequencing helps trace spread
Angelica Snowden 6.30am: Victoria to drop SA border checks from Saturday
Victoria will drop its tough border permit system and instead “spot check” documents from South Australian residents from December 12.
Road checkpoints will not be manned by authorised officers, the Herald Sun reported.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews threw up the state’s borders to South Australians in November after a COVID outbreak, believed to have been started by a hotel quarantine worker.
Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton confirmed South Australian residents still needed a permit but authorities would only be spot checking.
“Operational changes have now been made at Melbourne Airport to coincide with the return of international arrivals,” Mr Sutton said in a statement.
“Given South Australia has had zero cases in the past 10 days, and arrivals from that state present a significantly lower risk, we have moved to a spot check system for those flights, ensuring the international arrival schedule for the Covid Quarantine Victoria program is not impacted.”
READ MORE: Top route back, every flight booked
Angelica Snowden 6.15am: Lockdown leads to Covid baby boom
After a year spent in our homes, Australia is poised for a COVID-19 baby boom in the first half of 2021 amid reports obstetricians and gynaecologists are fully booked from March to May next year.
Sydney obstetrician and gynaecologist Rachael Hickinbotham has lifted her cap from about 18 patients a month to 22 to accommodate the demand.
“I have noticed a relative boom, definitely in March and May,” Dr Hickinbotham said. “There was a lot of anxiety going in (to the pandemic), but when you sit back and reflect, there have been some really positive changes.”
In Melbourne, private obstetrician and gynaecologist Guy Skinner reported a 20 per cent increase in the number of babies booked in to be delivered in March, April and May.
“I have got over 200 women booked in for the first half of the year … which is not usually that full,” Dr Skinner said.
“People don’t feel they are missing out on other opportunities in their life,” he said. “With COVID, there has been a pause which I think has made them re-evaluate and think ‘now is the time to expand the family’. We are certainly busier than we have been for a few years, and I think COVID is a significant part of that.”
READ the full story
Will Glasgow 5.15am: Cotton, wheat next on China’s trade hit list
Australian cotton and wheat farmers have been warned they are likely to be Beijing’s next targets in a trade retribution campaign that is helping China fill its $14bn agricultural buying commitment to the Trump administration while straining its relationship with Canberra.
The Morrison government has been briefed on expected hits to Australia’s $568m wheat and $611m cotton trade to China, which would take the total of agricultural goods banned, disrupted by customs or crippled by tariffs to more than $7bn.
China’s trade restrictions have been extended to timber exports from Tasmania and South Australia, along with more beef suppliers in Queensland and Victoria. The latest moves come as the government negotiates the passage through parliament of foreign influence legislation.
Read the full story here.
Jacquelin Magnay 5am: Vaccine warning after allergic reactions in UK
The Pfizer BioNtech coronavirus vaccine has hit an early hurdle after two people receiving the jab on the first day of the public rollout across the United Kingdom suffered allergic reactions.
The two were health staff workers with significant histories of allergic reactions, requiring both to carry adrenaline.
But their reactions to the vaccine have prompted UK regulators to warn that people who have a history of significant allergic reactions should not currently receive the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
All of the National Health Service trusts dispensing the vaccine through 70 hospitals and centres have been notified of the need to question people about their history of reaction to medicines, food or vaccines.
The mass roll out of the new coronavirus vaccine in the UK was cause for celebration this time yesterday - today, it comes with a warning for anyone with severe allergies.
— Channel 5 News (@5_News) December 9, 2020
It’s after two NHS workers who have had reactions to it.@tessa5news | #5News pic.twitter.com/zr75kwgM6W
Professor Stephen Powis, NHS England medical director said: “As is common with new vaccines the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) have advised on a precautionary basis that people with a significant history of allergic reactions do not receive this vaccination after two people with a history of significant allergic reactions responded adversely yesterday.” He added: “Both are recovering well.”
Read the full story here.
Ewin Hannan 4.45am: Government to bargain on industrial relations reforms
Attorney-General Christian Porter could dump contentious industrial relations changes that risk some employees being worse off to ensure passage of the Coalition’s workplace bill and head off a Work Choices-style political attack.
As Labor and the unions accused the Coalition of declaring war on workers over the proposed changes, Mr Porter insisted the bill was “not a ‘take it or leave it’ situation’’.
His comments came after One Nation cast doubt on whether it would provide crossbench support to the bill, warning the government’s industrial relations proposals would require “many, many, many changes’’.
Mr Porter, who is also the Industrial Relations Minister, said the government was “open to dialogue, and (to) receive suggestions, on any provision in the bill, and that’s a continuation of the process we have had”.
Read the full story here.
Geoff Chambers 4.30am: Australia on track to meet Paris emissions target
Australia is on track to beat its 2030 Paris emissions reduction target by 403m tonnes, with new long-term projections showing the nation was unlikely to need Kyoto carry-over credits to meet its global climate commitments.
Energy Minister Angus Taylor will today release new data showing Australia’s position against the target has improved by 639m tonnes in two years.
The Department of Energy Emissions Projections 2020 report said Australia was 56 million tonnes short of hitting its 2030 target without using Kyoto carry-over credits.
As flagged last month by Scott Morrison, emissions projections have been recalculated taking into account the government’s $1.9bn budget package supporting its Technology Investment Roadmap, the continued take-up of rooftop solar panels, and development of hydrogen and carbon capture and storage industries.
Read the full story here.
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