PoliticsNow: Five women elevated to senior cabinet roles as Morrison unveils major reshuffle; Brisbane to snap lockdown
Scott Morrison shifts Christian Porter and Linda Reynolds, replaces them with Michaelia Cash and Peter Dutton as he moves to end crisis engulfing government.
- Morrison unveils major cabinet reshuffle
- Brisbane to enter three-day lockdown
- Turnbull lands new climate role
- Lib MP ‘uncomfortable’ with Laming
- Newspoll: Backlash for Morrison
- Laming’s exit rocks Libs’ reset
Welcome to PoliticsNow, our live coverage of the latest headlines from Canberra.
Scott Morrison has unveiled a major cabinet reshuffle, moving Christian Porter and Linda Reynolds, and replacing them with Michaelia Cash and Peter Dutton as he moves to end crisis engulfing government.
Greater Brisbane will go into a three-day lockdown after four new locally acquired cases of the UK strain were reported.
Scott Morrison’s approval ratings have tumbled to their lowest point in a year as the latest Newspoll shows the government is struggling to contain the backlash from ongoing sex scandals, rape allegations and issues around the treatment of women.
Max Maddison11.30pm:Merit supporters fight for party
A merit-based movement battling for the “very future of the Liberal Party” has emerged to counter the groundswell of support for gender quotas.
Penned by aspiring Warringah candidate Alex Dore, the Liberals for Merit campaign has circulated a petition online among party members, in addition to an email which declares quota motions are an “astounding betrayal of fundamental Liberal beliefs”.
“If the quota motions are successful, there will be no mainstream political party in Australia left to stand against the dehumanising instruments of collectivism. Who will remain to fight against identity politics when even the party of the individual has abandoned it?” asks Mr Dore, a member of state executive of the NSW Liberal Party.
Geoff Chambers, Simon Benson 10.50pm: Vaccine supremo tipped for vital foreign affairs role
Veteran diplomat Paul Grigson, who is leading the Morrison government’s Vaccine Strategy Integration, is firming as a favourite among senior Canberra bureaucrats to replace Frances Adamson as secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade when her five-year term ends in July.
The Australian understands Mr Grigson, a former ambassador to Indonesia, Thailand and Myanmar, has emerged as a frontrunner to lead DFAT amid rising geopolitical tensions in the Indo-Pacific region and China imposing tariffs and bans on Australian exports.
But Scott Morrison — who announced his cabinet reshuffle on Monday — is expected to delay a major shake-up of department chiefs to maintain stability across the bureaucracy.
Damon Johnston, Rachel Baxendale 10.10pm:‘7300 in-care teens abused’
More than 7000 vulnerable teenagers in state-run residential care suffered serious physical and sexual abuse in just one year, a disclosure that will plunge Victoria’s child protection service deeper into crisis.
Victoria’s Commission for Children and Young Persons has revealed that despite teenagers being placed in residential care for their own safety, they can often be subjected to violence and more than 7300 incidents were reported in 2019-20.
Eighteen children in residential care died that year while there were more than 2000 cases where teens ran away from residential units, according to the commission’s annual report.
Ellie Dudley 9.20pm:Aboriginal opposition to more coercion laws
As the NSW parliament meets to discuss new coercive control laws, Aboriginal advocates are asking to keep the current laws in place, fearing additional legislation could lead to more incarcerations and deaths in custody for Indigenous Australians.
A state parliamentary committee has been formed to recognise coercive control as a mechanism for domestic and family violence, and to facilitate discourse around the current legal framework.
Indigenous advocacy organisations on Monday fronted the Joint Select Committee on Coercive Control to raise concerns that increased police powers on the matter would lead to more Indigenous people behind bars.
“It’s almost certain that if a stand-alone offence is implemented, there will be a further significant impact on the rate of incarceration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people,” Annmarie Lumsden, director of Legal Aid NSW, said.
She said Indigenous people were “already significantly over-represented in the criminal justice system”, being imprisoned at a rate 12 times higher than the non-Indigenous population.
Aboriginal Legal Services principal legal officer Nadine Miles said: “We are concerned that any time police powers are increased, Aboriginal people are caught in the net.
Paul Garvey 8.45pm: Factions jockey before WA Liberals ‘autopsy’
Just who will lead the post-mortem into the West Australian Liberal Party’s disastrous election campaign remains unknown, with rival factions still jockeying to influence the process.
A meeting of the party’s State Council on the weekend highlighted its financial hit from the election and left no clarity over who will lead the autopsy into the campaign.
The terms of reference for the review were scheduled to be distributed to members on Monday night, with the review set to examine not just the election itself but the preceding years of opposition, policy development and costings, finance and fundraising, organisational structure, and pre-selections, memberships and training.
Under-fire state president Fay Duda pledged that current members of parliament, candidates and state executive members would not be part of the review committee, seemingly closing the door on a push from Senator Dean Smith to participate in the process.
The meeting also shed new light on the financial difficulties faced by the party in the wake of its defeat. The electoral rebate received by the party will fall significantly by about $400,000 due to the sharp drop in the party vote.
The financial position hasn’t been helped by the need to fund legal fees, including some disputes between different Liberal Party bodies, while fundraising has fallen sharply in the year leading up to the election.
Patrick Commins8pm: Lockdown a tipping point for business
More than 27,000 Brisbane businesses moving off JobKeeper this week are bracing for a three-day lockdown without the cushion of the emergency wage subsidy, as Queensland’s peak small business group warns the restrictions could be the “tipping point” for many.
As tourism operators braced for another blow to travel plans ahead of the Easter holiday period, analysis by ANZ suggested spending could plunge by 40 per cent this week as shoppers and diners are forced to stay at home.
ANZ economist Adelaide Timbrell said the experience of previous short, sharp lockdowns in Brisbane and other state capitals to control COVID-19 outbreaks over recent months suggested the hit to retail spending would be severe, if temporary.
Steven Swinford7.30pm:Ex-PM ‘thought he’d make $US60m from Greensill’
David Cameron told friends that he stood to make $US60m from the listing of a company at the heart of a lobbying scandal, it has been claimed.
A friend of the former British prime minister said that he was “candid” about the potential windfall from his shareholdings in Greensill after it was valued at $US7bn.
Cameron subsequently sent a series of texts to Rishi Sunak, the chancellor of the exchequer, lobbying him to grant hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer-funded loans to the company.
Sunak referred him to senior officials at the Treasury, who decided to reject the company’s applications for loans. The company went bust, leaving Cameron’s share options worthless. The claim that Cameron had told friends about the potential value of his share options was denied on Sunday by sources close to him.
Greensill used complex financial engineering to fuel the rapid rise of the steel tycoon Sanjeev Gupta, who is fighting to save his empire after the company’s collapse.
FULL STORY
Greg Sheridan6.44pm:Dutton, Payne have work to do in new roles
If the Morrison government is to recover and lead Australia through an exceptionally difficult time, Peter Dutton in Defence and Marise Payne, in both Foreign Affairs and as Minister for Women, will both have to perform at a level neither has ever done before.
Payne was like someone suddenly released from witness protection as she stood next to Scott Morrison. Where had this fluent, self-confident MP been hiding?
Read more from Greg Sheridan here.
Jess Malcolm 6.05pm:Covid moved from bats via another animal: WHO
A draft version of the World Health Organisation report into the origins of COVID-19 has found the transmission of the cornavirus from bats to humans through another animal is the most likely scenario.
It has quashed the theory that it came from a lab leak, according to the report seen by the Associated Press news agency.
The official release of the report has been repeatedly delayed, raising questions about Chinese interference in the findings.
WHO expert Peter Ben Embarek, who led the Wuhan mission, said it had been finished but was still being fact-checked.
“I expect that in the next few days, that whole process will be completed and we will be able to release it publicly,” he said.
READ MORE: Meet the billionaires going green
Richard Ferguson5.30pm: ‘No greater honour’ than Defence job: Dutton
Outgoing Homes Affairs Minister Peter Dutton says there is “no greater honour” than taking on the defence portfolio, adding his new job comes at a critical strategic time for Australia.
Mr Dutton will replace Linda Reynolds, who has been demoted to government services minister following allegations a former Liberal staffer was raped in her office.
Mr Dutton will be the sixth defence minister since the Coalition came to power in 2013.
“There is no greater honour than to represent the men and women of the Australian Defence Forces in government,” Mr Dutton said in a statement.
“It comes at a crucial strategic time for our country and our region. I am very much looking forward to continuing the work of my predecessor Linda Reynolds who has done an exceptional job in this portfolio.”
READ MORE:Turnbull set to head new climate board
Paul Garvey 4.55pm: WA closes border to Queenslanders
Western Australia will close its border to arrivals from Queensland at midnight in the wake of the latest coronavirus outbreak.
WA had already moved to reintroduce a mandatory 14 days of isolation for Queensland arrivals at the weekend, but will now prohibit anyone from entering the state from Queensland without a special exemption.
WA premier Mark McGowan said the tougher restrictions were “necessary” to help keep the virus out of the state.
“It’s going to be disruptive for many people and put many people’s plans in disarray. However, we need to put the health of our WA community first,” he said.
“We are thinking of our friends and family in Queensland as they go into lockdown this evening. They are doing the right thing to keep Queensland safe and protect us all across the country.”
The swift response is the first test of the WA government’s approach to borders in the wake of Mr McGowan’s emphatic election victory.
Mr McGowan’s willingness to close WA’s border to other states, which has helped WA go almost eleven months without a case of community transmission, was seen as a key factor in his landslide election win.
READ MORE: Higgins reacts to radio host’s slur
Mackenzie Scott4.26pm:Brisbane COVID risk exposure sites list grows
The list of COVID affected sites in Brisbane has grown to include several public transport routes and two popular Byron Bay venues.
Queensland Health added 19 new sites to its exposure list on Monday following the discovery of four new cases in the community overnight.
Several locations in regional Queensland towns along the Bruce Highway headed northbound were also listed after one of the new cases, a co-worker of the Strathpine man, spent three days in Gladstone while infectious.
Two Byron Bay venues — the Byron Beach Hotel and The Farm Byron Bay — have also been placed on alert after a COVID-19 ward nurse and her sister attended a bachelorette party on the Northern NSW coast last weekend
The new additions include:
Close contacts:
Friday, 26 March - Spinnaker Park Café, 222 Alf O’Rourke Drive, Callemondah 10.22am- 11.23am
Friday, 26 March - Auckland House, 60 Flinders Parade, Gladstone Central 7.23pm - 9.30pm
Saturday, 27 March - Auckland House, 60 Flinders Parade, Gladstone Central 7.33am - 8.20am
Casual contacts
Sunday, 21 March - Liquorland, Dolphins Central Shopping Centre, Ashmole Road and Klingner Road, Kippa-Ring 4.40pm - 4.50pm
Monday, 22 March - Bunnings Rothwell, Cnr Anzac Avenue and Bremner Road, Rothwell 7.14am - 7.27am
Tuesday, 23 March - Redcliffe Train Line – Kippa-Ring to Lawnton, Kippa Ring to Lawnton 7.00am - 8.00am
Tuesday, 23 March - Redcliffe Train Line – Lawnton to Kippa-Ring, Lawnton to Kippa Ring 2.00pm - 3.00pm
Wednesday, 24 March - Redcliffe Train Line – Lawnton to Kippa-Ring, Lawnton to Kippa Ring 2.30pm - 3.30pm
Thursday, 25 March - Gin Gin Bakery, 41 Mulgrave St,Gin Gin 1.26pm - 1.33pm
Thursday, 25 March - Gin Gin Public Toilet (male) opposite Gin Gin Bakery, Gin Gin 1.25pm - 1.50pm
Thursday, 25 March - Miriam Vale Road Star Roadhouse – male toilet, Miriam Vale 2.35pm - 2.45pm
Thursday, 25 March - Redcliffe Train Line – Lawnton to Kippa-Ring, Lawnton to Kippa Ring 5.45pm - 6.45pm
Friday 26, March - Coles, Stockland Gladstone, Gladstone Central 12.09pm - 12.33pm
Friday, 26 March - Redcliffe Train Line – Lawnton to Kippa-Ring, Lawnton to Kippa Ring 2.30pm - 3.30pm
Friday, 26 March - Woolworths Kippa-Ring, 272 Anzac Avenue, Kippa-Ring 3pm - 3.20pm
Friday, 26 March - Byron Beach Hotel, 1 Bay St, Byron Bay NSW 7.15pm - 8.30pm
Saturday, 27 March - IGA Redcliffe, Redcliffe 12.50pm - 12.55pm
Sunday, 28 March - The Farm Byron Bay, 11 Ewingsdale Road, Ewingsdale NSW 8am - 9.30am
Low Risk
Tuesday, 23 March - Outside Westpac - Peninsula Fair Shopping Centre, 272 Anzac Avenue, Kippa-Ring 3pm - 3.30pm
Forty-five locations have now been identified as high to low risk exposure sites, all of which can be found on the Queensland Health website.
Jess Malcolm4.00pm:Victoria declares Greater Brisbane a red zone
Victoria has declared greater Brisbane will be a red zone under its travel permit system from 6pm tonight.
Any returning residents from Brisbane will need to apply for a permit to return back to Victoria.
Returning travellers will be required to quarantine at home for 14 days upon arrival.
Greater Brisbane includes local government areas of Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan City, Moreton Bay and Redlands City.
The Chief Health Officer has declared that Greater Brisbane (City of Brisbane, City of Ipswich, Logan City, Moreton Bay Region, Redlands City) will be designated a red zone under Victoria’s travel permit system at 6:00pm Victorian time today. More details will come today.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) March 29, 2021
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Richard Ferguson3.27pm:Female, aged care workforces Roberts’ priorities
Outgoing Government Services Minister Stuart Robert says he is “honoured” to take on the employment portfolio, after losing out the Home Affairs post.
The Australian has previously reported Mr Robert was a candidate to replace Peter Dutton in Home Affairs — who is now headed to Defence — but there had been internal pushback.
In a statement on Monday, Mr Robert said workforce participation for women and bolstering the aged care workforce would be among his top priorities.
“As Minister for Employment, Workforce, Skills, Small and Family Business, my priority will be to continue the comeback through building a workforce that can drive Australia’s prosperity,” he said.
“Workforce participation for women, a care workforce for our aged, our people with disability and our veterans is critical to the success of this prosperity. We also need to ensure Australians have the skills to build this workforce.
“We also need to ensure the backbone of Australia’s economic prosperity — small and family business — are given every opportunity to thrive.”
Richard Ferguson3.27pm:‘No regrets’, says Porter of losing Attorney-General role
Outgoing Attorney-General Christian Porter says he will give his new industry and science portfolio “all the energy and commitment” he has, after moving sideways in Scott Morrison’s reshuffle.
Mr Porter lost the attorney-generalship and his position as leader of the house after concerns his defamation suit against the ABC over historic rape allegations levelled against him would lead to a perception of conflict of interests.
He will instead take on industry and science when current minister Karen Andrews moves to the Department of Home Affairs.
Despite losing the Attorney-General’s post over the suit, Mr Porter – a former top prosecutor and law professor – said he did not regret taking the ABC to court over allegations he strenuously denies.
“Given the false claims made about me by the ABC I had no alternative but to launch the defamation proceedings and I have no regrets about taking that course of action,” he said.
“The Federal Court action will allow for the truthfulness of the claims made by the ABC to be tested. I look forward to having these issues determined in a procedurally fair process with actual rules of evidence.”
READ the full story here.
Staff Reporters3.25pm:Panic-buying hits some Brisbane supermarkets
Shoppers have ignored pleas from Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to resist panic-buying, as some supermarket shelves are emptied of toilet paper and long queues form.
At the Gasworks Woolworths, an inner-northern suburb of Brisbane, long lines formed out the door as people rushed to buy items ahead of the 5pm lockdown.
Supermarket managers are reporting that they have been swamped since the three-day lockdown was announced, with waiting times of up to an hour for shoppers to reach the checkouts.
Earlier, Ms Palaszczuk told the 2.5 million Queenslanders affected not to panic buy.
“The supermarkets are full of supplies and you will still be able to go out and get food as part of this lockdown,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
“So please, don’t go out and panic buy today. The food shops will operate as per usual.”
David Swan3.15pm:Cyber-attack could cost Nine $1 million
Already hit by loss of email and interrupted broadcasts, Nine now faces a big cyber clean-up operation, experts say. Read more here
Adeshola Ore3pm:Women’s minister Payne on disgraced Laming
Women’s Minister Marise Payne has echoed the comments of Mr Morrison about disgraced Liberal MP Andrew Laming, saying he has already taken a “very serious step” to confirm he will not re-contest his seat at the next federal election.
The Prime Minister is facing mounting pressure to sack the MP who is accused of abusing female constituents online. It has also been revealed he took photos of a young Brisbane woman while she was bending over and her underwear was exposed.
He is currently on medical leave, seeking counselling and empathy training.
Senator Payne said Mr Laming’s decision to not re-contest was “not something that anyone in these roles takes lightly.”
“He has been here for some years now. His behaviour is clearly inappropriate. He has taken steps to address that, steps the Prime Minister has outlined. That is the minimum that he should do,” she said.
Senator Payne said Mr Laming’s indication that he would leave politics after the next election showed he knew his behaviour was not appropriate.
“I say to my colleagues, across parliaments, across the world, that we have a responsibility in the way we engage with the public,” she said.
“If nothing else, the past few months have taught us that and the importance of doing that respectfully.”
Nicholas Jensen2.46pm:Five women promoted in reshuffle, more in the ranks
Scott Morrison says he’s confident more females will be promoted to cabinet roles in the future, after his reshuffle announcement focused on making women the “drivers” of the issues facing females.
The Prime Minister said policy would now be viewed through a “gender equality lens” with the establishment of a new taskforce to focus on women’s equality.
“There are more that can come in the future and those women are coming through the ranks now,” Mr Morrison said.
“Jane Hume is very new to the ministry but she’s got off to a tremendous start.”
An honour to be asked to take on the role of Minister for Women's Economic Security. The advancement of women has always been a passion for me, and one I've been vocal on in politics since my maiden speech. #auspol
— Jane Hume (@SenatorHume) March 29, 2021
Nicholas Jensen2.29pm:NSW won’t declare Greater Brisbane a hot spot
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has said her government will not declare Greater Brisbane a hotspot, despite the advice given by Annastacia Palaszczuk earlier today.
Ms Berejiklian said she “will follow the health advice rather than the advice of my political colleagues.”
“NSW already has put in place strict precautions on people coming back through the airport.”
“I’m confident that what we’ve put in place will allow us to keep on top of any cases that occur in NSW,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“We also urge anyone in the Byron Bay area with even the mildest of symptoms to come forward for testing and self-isolate immediately,” she said.
NSW Health is advising people against non-essential travel to the Greater Brisbane area, with Ms Berejiklian encouraging people to holiday in NSW if they want to travel.
NSW Health has named two “at risk” locations in Byron Bay:
Friday, March 23 – Byron Bay Beach Hotel, 7.15pm-8.30pm
Sunday March 28 – The Farm Byron Bay, 8am-9.30am.
Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said NSW Health was urgently contacting anyone who had attended these locations during.
Dr Chat said 1321 individuals have been contacted in relation to the Byron Bay Beach Hotel and 166 individuals have been contacted in relation to The Farm in Byron Bay.
“Anyone who has attended the venues at these times are asked to get tested immediately and self-isolate for fourteen days,” she said.
Ms Berejiklian said “it’s an evolving situation and I’m obviously very concerned about the spread of variants … But we’ve been through all this before and we know what we’re doing.”
Meanwhile, the state has recorded no new locally acquired cases of COVID-19, with two new cases acquired from overseas in hotel quarantine.
NSW received results for 8037 tests in the past 24 hours.
5094 cases have been recorded in NSW since the beginning of the pandemic, with officials treating 51 active cases, none of whom are in ICU.
Adeshola Ore2.27pm:Morrison defends stance on Laming
Scott Morrison, who is facing mounting pressure to sack disgraced Liberal MP Andrew Laming, said he has already done “something quite significant” by announcing he will not seek re-election.
Dr Laming is accused of abusing female constituents online. It has also been revealed he took photos of a young Brisbane woman while she was bending over and her underwear was exposed.
“He has done something quite significant. He said he is not seeking re-election,” Mr Morrison said.
“This is not an insignificant thing to do … to walk away from a career in politics.”
Mr Morrison said Mr Laming needed to undertake the behaviour change training and “come back with a completely different attitude, completely different behaviour.”
“He was elected to serve here for three years, in this parliamentary term, and that’s what he intends to do.”
“He is here to serve the people in his electorate and I am following the very same approach that other governments have followed in the past.”
READ MORE:Laming digs in on behaviour
Adeshola Ore2.22pm:‘Prime Minister of female ministers’: Payne’s new role
In further details of Scott Morrison’s cabinet reshuffle, Superannuation Minister Jane Hume’s role will now include a women’s economic security.
Queensland senator Amanda Stoker will now hold an additional assistant minister role for industrial relations and the women’s portfolio.
Government Services Minister Stuart Robert has been shifted to the employment portfolio.
Women’s Minister Marise Payne, who will lead the new task force focusing on women, commended Mr Morrison for increasing the number of females in cabinet.
“I welcome the increase of the number of women in cabinet, to see it back to the highest level,” she said.
Mr Morrison said Senator Payne would now be the “effectively the prime minister” of the new group of female ministers.
Mr Morrison said the taskforce would ensure that women were the “dominant voice” in driving the agenda of the group that will focus on female equality, safety and economic security.
“What I’m seeking to do is ensuring that I’ve got such a strong voice of women in my cabinet, that I want to bring that together in this way to really help drive this agenda.”
Richard Ferguson2.14pm:Shape of Morrison’s 2021 reshuffle
The big moves in Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s March 2021 Reshuffle:
MOVES PORTFOLIOS
Michaelia Cash: Employment to Attorney-General and Industrial Relations
Karen Andrews: Industry to Home Affairs
Linda Reynolds: Defence to Government Services and NDIS
Peter Dutton: Home Affairs to Defence and Leader of the House
Stuart Robert: Government Services and NDIS to Employment
Christian Porter: Attorney-General, Leader of the House, and Industrial Relations to Industry
ENTERS CABINET
Melissa Price: Defence Industry
ADDS PORTFOLIOS
Anne Ruston: adds Women’s Security to Women’s Safety
Jane Hume: adds Women’s Economic Security to Financial Services, Superannuation and Digital Economy (Outer Ministry)
Adeshola Ore2.10pm:Morrison unveils major cabinet reshuffle
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has unveiled a major reshuffle of his cabinet, shifting embattled ministers Christian Porter and Linda Reynolds out of their roles.
As expected, Peter Dutton takes over defence from Senator Reynolds, while Michaelia Cash assumes the role of Christian Porter as Attorney-General
Ms Cash has been filling in for Mr Porter while he is on leave.
“She is a fine Attorney and she is a fine parliamentarian,” Mr Morrison said.
Industry Minister Karen Andrews has been appointed to Home Affairs Minister.
“I first put Karen into the cabinet because I believed so heavily in her abilities,” Mr Morrison said.
Former Attorney-General Christian Porter will now hold a portfolio that focuses on industry, science and technology.
Embattled Defence Minister Linda Reynolds, who is now on medical leave, will take on the portfolio of government services.
Senator Reynolds, who is due to return from medical leave on Friday, was criticised for her handling of former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins’s rape allegation.
Melissa Price will now return to cabinet and retain the portfolio of defence industry.
As he prepared to unveil the cabinet changes, Mr Morrison said the changes “shake up what needs to be shaken up, while maintaining the momentum and the continuity and the stability that Australian needs”.
Mr Morrison also announced a “new cabinet taskforce” that will focus on women’s equality and safety.
It will be co-chaired by the Prime Minister and Women’s Minister Marise Payne.
Nicholas Jensen1.30pm:SA imposes hard border on Greater Brisbane
The South Australian government has announced a hard border with Greater Brisbane will be imposed from 4pm today.
SA Health is instructing anyone who arrives before to this will need to get tested on arrival and self-isolate until a negative result is returned.
Testing will be required on day 5 and 12 of the quarantine period.
Only essential workers, people moving permanently to SA and SA residents will be permitted to enter from Queensland.
They will now have to quarantine for two weeks.
SA Health has recorded zero cases of community transmission, with two international cases recorded in hotel quarantine.
South Australian Premier Steven Marshall said “we are concerned about what’s happening in Queensland. This morning I received a message from Annastacia Palaszczuk, suggesting that South Australia move into a hotspot arrangement with Greater Brisbane. That is precisely what we will do”.
READ MORE:New rules as Brisbane enters lockdown
Adeshola Ore1.12pm:Hunt backs PM’s ‘powerful’ action on Laming
Health Minister Greg Hunt has backed Scott Morrison for “effectively” terminating the career of disgraced Liberal MP Andrew Laming.
The Prime Minister is facing mounting pressure to sack the embattled Queensland MP who has confirmed he will not recontest his seat at the next federal election. Dr Laming is accused of abusing female constituents online. It has also been revealed he took photos of a young Brisbane woman while she was bending over and her underwear was exposed.
He is currently on leave while he undergoes counselling and empathy training.
Dr Laming received a dressing-down from Scott Morrison on Saturday over his behaviour.
“The decision was made to effectively terminate someone’s career. That action that the Prime Minister has taken was strong, clear, immediate, decisive and powerful,” Mr Hunt said.
READ the full story here.
Nicholas Jensen1.05pm:ACT Health declares Greater Brisbane hot spot
The ACT government has identified the Greater Brisbane region as a COVID hotspot, following the Queensland Premier’s decisions to enter a three-day lockdown from 5pm this afternoon.
ACT Health have instructed anyone who has returned from the Greater Brisbane region between March 11 and March 14 to get tested and self-isolate until you receive a negative result.
If you returned from Greater Brisbane from March 15, you need to self-isolate until at least 6pm on April 1.
ACT Health has warned this may be extended to 14 days depending on case numbers.
Richard Ferguson12.45pm:Laming digs in on controversial behaviour
Controversial Liberal MP Andrew Laming has dug in on revelations he took photos of a young woman while she was bent over and her underwear exposed, saying it was not sexually motivated.
Dr Laming has already been forced to leave politics at the next election after he admitted to taking the photo of Brisbane woman Crystal White.
He is now facing calls to leave the Liberals altogether as fellow Coalition senator Sarah Henderson said she is not comfortable being in the same party room as him.
In a statement to Sky News on Monday, Dr Laming said the photo was trying to make light of Ms White’s attempts to stock a small fridge.
READ the full story here.
Adeshola Ore12.42pm:Hunt urges locked-down Brisbane residents to still get vaccinated
Health Minister Greg Hunt has urged Brisbane residents eligible for a COVID vaccine to still attend their appointment as the city prepares to go into a snap three-day lockdown from 5pm.
“Vaccinations are considered a critical reason to leave home,” he said.
“If you are in the Brisbane area, please continue with your vaccination program subject to your general practice being in a position to do so.”
Mr Hunt said people without symptoms would now be eligible to get tested for the virus as well as asymptomatic aged-care residents in Queensland.
More than 540,000 Australians have now received their COVID vaccination.
Mr Hunt said he had authorised the Commonwealth and Queensland Aged Care Response Centre to be established as a pre-emptive measure.
Nicholas Jensen12.05pm:Queensland cases force AFL venue switch
The AFL has confirmed this weekend’s match between the Brisbane Lions and Collingwood will be played at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne instead of the Gabba in Brisbane.
News of the venue change comes hours after Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced a three-day lockdown for Greater Brisbane after four new local cases of COVID-19 were confirmed.
The Lions were preparing to return to Brisbane on Saturday after losing to Geelong on Friday night, but the team will now spend their fifth consecutive day in Victoria awaiting further details.
The Lions held a training session this morning at Port Melbourne before news of the venue change.
Anticipating news of the change, Lion’s coach Chris Fagan said “You’d think it would probably be at Marvel because we’re due to play Collingwood there later in the year so it’d make logical sense for that game to be at Marvel and then hopefully they’ll just swap the fixture later in the year.”
Staff Reporters11.55am:Alerts issued over Gladstone venues
Health authorities have a list of venues that they say may have been exposure sites over the past week.
They are:
Thursday, March 25
Gin Gin Bakery 1.26pm to 1.33pm casual contacts
Miriam Vale Star Roadhouse and Caravan Park 2.35pm to 2.45pm casual contacts
Friday, March 26
Spinnaker Park Café 222 Alf O’Rourke Drive 10.22am to 11.23am. All staff and patrons close contacts
Stockland Gladstone Coles Kin Kora 12.09pm to 12.33pm casual contacts
Stockland Gladstone including BWS West Gladstone 4.46pm to 5pm casual contacts
Auckland House, 60 Flinders Parade 7.23pm to 9.30pm. All staff and patrons close contacts
Saturday, March 27
Auckland House, 60 Flinders Parade 7.33am to 8.20am. All staff and patrons close contacts.
Nicholas Jensen11.50am:Tasmania labels five Qld areas as ‘high-risk’
The Tasmanian government has named five local areas in Queensland as high-risk following advice this morning from Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk that states should now recognise parts of Queensland as “COVID hot spots”.
This morning Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein said anyone travelling to the state from affected areas will not be allowed to enter without undertaking a two-week quarantine period.
The five areas include Brisbane, Logan, Moreton Bay, Ipswich and Redlands.
Melissa Iaria11.35am:What you need to know about Brisbane lockdown
Schools will shut and people will only be able to go out for four essential reasons as Brisbane enters a three-day shutdown on Monday afternoon. Read more
Nicholas Jensen11.25am:NSW Health issues alerts over two venues
NSW Health has named two “at risk” locations in Byron Bay:
Friday, March 23
Byron Bay Beach Hotel, 7:15pm-8:30pm
Sunday March 28
The Farm Byron Bay, 8am-9:30am
Anyone who has attended the venues at these times are asked to get tested immediately and self-isolate until further advice from NSW Health.
Nicholas Jensen11.15am:Zero new community cases in NSW
NSW Health has recorded no new locally acquired cases of COVID-19, with two new cases acquired from overseas in hotel quarantine.
NSW received results for 8037 tests in the past 24 hours.
5094 cases have been recorded in NSW since the beginning of the pandemic, with officials treating 51 active cases, none of whom are in ICU.
Queensland Health has advised the NSW government that two new cases of COVID-19 attended a number of venues in the Byron Bay area from Friday March 26 to Sunday March 28 before returning to Queensland.
Dr Jeremy McAnulty said urgent investigations and contact tracing were currently underway, with NSW Health to provide further updates throughout the day.
NSW Health is advising people against non-essential travel to the Greater Brisbane area at this time.
“We also urge anyone in the Byron Bay area with even the mildest of symptoms to come forward for testing and self-isolate immediately,” he said.
Today’s results come as nine individuals in NSW were identified as close contacts of the Queensland cases.
Adeshola Ore11am:Chalmers says ‘Laming has a history of bullying’
Opposition treasury spokesman Jim Chalmers says there’s no place in parliament for disgraced Liberal MP Andrew Laming following allegations he harassed and bullied women.
Dr Laming has confirmed that he will leave politics at the next election after it was revealed he took photos of a young Brisbane woman while she was bending over and her underwear was exposed. He previously apologised in parliament for harassing two women online.
“Andrew Laming’s got a long history of bullying and belittling and abusing and trolling his own constituents. There are potentially criminal issues at play as well here,” Mr Chalmers told the ABC.
“We’ve made our view clear about that. That’s in the Prime Minister’s hands. Parliament doesn’t come back for another six weeks or so. And so he needs to make the Andrew Laming situation clear.”
Despite calls from within the Liberal Party for Dr Laming to step down immediately, Josh Frydenberg said he had a duty to his constituents to remain a serving MP until the next election.
Labor senator Katy Gallagher said Mr Laming’s behaviour had bought federal parliament into “disrepute”
“His behaviour has been disgraceful and I don’t see any other way of dealing with this other than for him to go,” she told ABC radio.
“It’s just crazy this man can behave this way, admit to behaving this way and for the government to continue to accept his vote.”
Dr Laming is currently on medical leave and seeking counselling.
Greg Brown10.45am:Union move threatens ALP national conference
The Health Workers Union is threatening to pursue 11th-hour legal action to block Labor’s first “virtual” national conference from going ahead on Tuesday, with the union claiming it has been unjustly treated in it’s representation for the event. Read more here
Adeshola Ore10.35am:Ruston says Laming’s planned exit ‘a wise choice’
Social Services Minister Anne Ruston says disgraced Liberal MP Andrew Laming must be given time to “reflect on what he’s done”, despite the parliamentarian facing calls from within the party for an immediate resignation.
Dr Laming has confirmed that he will leave politics at the next election after it was revealed he took photos of a young Brisbane woman while she was bending over and her underwear was exposed. He previously apologised in parliament for harassing two women online.
“The fact that he’s decided not to recontest the next election, is a wise choice for Mr Laming,” Senator Ruston told Sky News.
She said she welcomed that Dr Laming had acknowledged he had not understood the full impact of his actions in-person and online.
“We also need to give him a bit of time to reflect on what he’s done, reflect on the impact of what he’s done on the people he’s done it to,” she said.
“When he comes back from that, that’s the time for a discussion about what it looks like between now and when he chooses not to recontest the next election.”
Adeshola Ore10.25am:Lib ‘uncomfortable’ in party room with Laming
Victorian Liberal senator Sarah Henderson says she is uncomfortable sharing a party room with disgraced MP Andrew Laming, but concedes it is his decision whether he remains in the party until the next election.
Senator Henderson welcomed disgraced Dr Laming’s confirmation that he will leave politics at the next election after it was revealed he took photos of a young Brisbane woman while she was bending over and her underwear was exposed. He previously apologised in parliament for harassing two women online.
“We won’t tolerate it and he has indicated that he won’t be recontesting the next election which I think is the right decision,” Senator Henderson told Channel 7.
“It’s a matter for him whether he wants to leave the Liberal Party. I’m uncomfortable about him sitting in the party room. These are very difficult conversations to have.”
Despite calls for his immediate resignation from several female MPs, Josh Frydenberg has backed Dr Laming staying in parliament for his full term.
Dr Laming’s immediate departure would plunge the Coalition into a minority government.
Ellen Ransley10.15am:Covid party ‘host’ breaks his silence
A Brisbane man with COVID-19 falsely accused of hosting a party while awaiting his test results has broken his silence, saying Queensland Health “mixed up” contact tracing information. Read more here
Nicholas Jensen10.10am:Turnbull to head up climate role for NSW
Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is expected to be recommended for a climate advocacy role in NSW, as state Environment and Energy Minister Matt Kean is tipped to endorse Mr Turnbull for the role of chairman of the NSW Net-Zero Emissions and Clean Economy Board.
Mr Kean is due to front cabinet later this afternoon where he is expected to put forward Turnbull’s name for the appointment.
The report was broken on 2GB’s Ray Hadley Morning Show, which also tried to contact Mr Kean for comment.
“It’s not totally unsurprising Matt Kean would think this is a good idea,” host Mark Levy said. “Anyone who thinks this will be popular with the electorate is either delusional or has another job ready to go to.”
Mackenzie Scott10am:Authorities trace source of nurse’s positive test
Two of Brisbane’s latest cases were already in quarantine when they tested positive for COVID-19 but had been in the community prior.
The two were work colleagues of the 26-year-old Strathpine man who tested positive on Saturday.
Daycare centres will stay open in greater Brisbane, but schools will close from tomorrow, apart for children of essential workers and vulnerable children #qldpol
— Sarah Elks (@sarahelks) March 28, 2021
One of the other new cases is a nurse who worked in the COVID-19 ward at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane. But chief health officer Jeannette Young said the nurse was on leave which makes her believe the case did not originate from there.
Dr Young said a lot of people will be entering in the coming days as the state looks to quickly curb the spread of the highly infectious variant.
“We need to get as many people in quarantine as possible,” she said.
More than 11,600 tests were conducted yesterday.
Sarah Elks9.55am:Palaszczuk: I couldn’t sleep, very worried about cases
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says she apologised for the inconvenience of the lockdown, but she had to follow health advice.
From 5pm, greater Brisbane will go into lockdown, and greater Brisbane will be declared a hotspot by other states. Two individuals have been in Byron Bay while infectious #qldpol#auspol@australian
— Sarah Elks (@sarahelks) March 28, 2021
Ms Palaszczuk said she had a sleepless night last night and was very worried about the situation.
“I apologise for the inconvenience … but health has to come first,” she said. “I have to act on the health advice, I’ve always acted on the health advice.”
“I didn’t sleep last night, I’m very worried, I’m very concerned.”
She said she was hopeful authorities would control the outbreak within the three-day lockdown and that would be enough.
There have been four cases of community transmission overnight: two are work colleagues of the 25-year-old Strathpine man, and authorities are investigating two others.
There is also an alert for Byron Bay – where two cases travelled while infectious – and Gladstone, in central Queensland.
Mackenzie Scott9.50am:Alarm as people travelled while positive
Queensland’s chief health officer Jeannette Young said there are significant concerns of community transmission after people who tested positive for the virus travelled.
Two of the community cases are understood to have travelled to Gladstone and Byron Bay while infectious in recent days, with the number of venues affected.
Ipswich, Logan, Redlands, Moreton and Brisbane council areas will enter lockdown in order to allow contact tracers to track down potential contacts.
Greater Brisbane has been declared a hotspot and Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk judged her counterparts in other states and territories to do the same.
“We need to act swiftly, we’ve done it before and we need to do it again,” Ms Palaszczuk said. “I am very worried. I am very concerned.”
Masks are now mandatory across the state.
Nicholas Jensen9.45am:Premier: ‘This strain is highly infectious’
The Queensland lockdown will encompass Greater Brisbane, including Brisbane, Logan, Moreton Bay, Ipswich and Redlands.
“This is the UK strain of the virus and it is highly infectious,” Ms Palaszczuk said, “we need to do this now to avoid a longer lockdown.”
Ms Palaszczuk said schools would close from tomorrow. “We need to do this, as it will enable our health authorities to get on top of the contact tracing.”
Individuals will only be able to go out for four essential purposes including food, exercise, for essential work and medical reasons.
Mackenzie Scott9.40am:Compulsory masks introduced for Queensland
Greater Brisbane’s three-day lockdown will start at 5pm.
Four new cases of community transmission have been detected in Queensland in the past 24 hours, 10 overall. Two are believed to be close cases of the known cluster which emerged in Brisbane’s northern suburbs last week, while two are being investigated.
Premier Anastasia Palaszczuk said the decision has not been made lightly and was decided due to the highly-infectious nature of the UK-strain.
Compulsory mask-wearing will be introduced in the rest of Queensland after one of the new cases visited Gladstone
Nicholas Jensen9.35am:Brisbane to go into 3-day lockdown
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says Queensland has recorded four new cases of local transmission, with six cases acquired from overseas.
The premier has announced a three-day snap lockdown to combat the spread of local transmission.
Lachlan Moffet Gray9.20am:Crown Resorts inquiry calls for submissions
The Victorian Royal Commission into Crown Resorts has opened its public submissions process and is inviting community members and organisations to contribute their views and ideas to the inquiry.
In a statement, the royal commission said it was particularly interested in submissions regarding criminal activity and influence at Crown Melbourne as well as submissions which address issues concerning problem gambling.
In the royal commission’s first hearing last week, Commissioner Ray Finkelstein said he would prioritise investigating contemporary issues of criminal activity in Crown Melbourne rather than past incidents covered by the NSW Begin inquiry into the company.
On Monday he urged the public to come forward with submissions.
Adeshola Ore9am:Nationals MP calls for support in ‘culture change’
Nationals MP Anne Webster, who made a recent workplace harassment complaint, says all parliamentarians must play a role in changing the culture in politics.
On Sunday, Dr Webster revealed she made a complaint against someone who sexually harassed her inside the chamber last week. She told the ABC she was satisfied with the apology she had received from the person involved.
“We need to change the culture in Parliament House. As representatives of our wonderful people across Australia, they expect more and we should be able to deliver more,” she told the ABC.
“We must change our culture and if we want respect to be the foremost attribute of all our workplaces across Australia.”
Dr Webster was appointed by Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack to lead the Nationals’ response to a review of the workplace culture at parliament.
“I just didn’t think I would be walking through it myself and need to call on the finance department and counselling services last week,” she said.
Staff Reporters8.55am:Premier Palaszczuk to deliver update soon
Annastacia Palaszczuk will provide a COVID-19 update to the media at 8.15am local time (9.15am AEDT). The state has recorded one locally acquired case per day since Friday.
Nicholas Jensen8.50am:Professor Kelly: ‘Easter could be tricky’
Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said he was “very confident that things are going well in Queensland”.
“It’s just those three cases that are closely related. Of course we are not out of this yet, we’ll need to keep doing investigations, but so far so good.”
Professor Kelly said Easter would be “a tricky time with a lot of people on the move … the coming days will really tell us whether this is an issue that is going to be ongoing or something that is a short-term thing.”
“From today, our first vaccines that are produced locally, that is many hundreds of thousands per week, will be rolling off the production line in Melbourne. That’s going to be a very important way out of this pandemic in Australia.”
Queensland Health came under scrutiny yesterday for releasing wrong information which accused a 25 year old man for hosting a house party while awaiting his test results. However, it was later revealed they were housemates.
Ms Palaszczuk defended the actions of Queensland health officials and police, saying they were doing their best to investigate the information they were provided.
READ MORE:Treasurer warns of subsidy dangers
Adeshola Ore8.45am:Broadcaster sacked after Brittany Higgins insult
A veteran radio broadcaster, who called alleged rape victim Brittany Higgins a “silly little girl who got drunk” has been sacked.
Jeremy Cordeaux made the comments on his weekend breakfast radio show.
An apology was read out on behalf of the radio station on Monday morning.
Mr Cordeaux also questioned why Parliament House security guards let Ms Higgins and her alleged rapist into the office of the then defence industry minister Linda Reynolds.
Linda Reynolds apologised and made a damages payout to Ms Higgins after The Australian reported she had called the former staffer a “lying cow.”
Nicholas Jensen8.35am:Palaszczuk backs state’s tracing program
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says she is confident that the state’s contact tracing system can handle recent cases of local transmission despite fears infections have grown.
“At the moment everything is going very well, so we are very comfortable with where things are at,” she told Nine’s Today show this morning.
Asked whether West Australian Premier Mark McGowan’s new restrictions are an over-reaction, Ms Palaszczuk said “that’s entirely a matter for him. I understand that states are concerned. But if there was unlinked community transmission, you would see a lot more restrictions happening for Brisbane at the moment, but so far they are linked.”
“The other good thing we know is that the majority of identified people have these check-in apps which is fantastic.”
Queensland Health is due to provide an update this morning.
READ MORE:Livelihoods crumble as JobKeeper ends
Nicholas Jensen8.25am:One new Covid case reported in Victoria
The positive COVID-19 case was reported in hotel quarantine from a member of an international flight crew. There were zero locally recorded cases.
Today marks 31 consecutive days without a new local case in Victoria.
Victorian health officials received 13,963 test results in the past 24 hours.
The state continues to contact thousands of visitors who have attended “at risk” locations in Queensland.
Health officials have identified three primary close contacts linked to high-risk exposure sites in Queensland, which are now in Hotel Quarantine.
These individuals have each tested negative.
Nicholas Jensen8.20am:‘Could take weeks’ to trace Nine network hack
Today show reporter Lara Vella said the Nine Network had come under “a sophisticated and calculated cyberattack which has fundamentally disrupted things we normally do, from bringing you broadcasts to the way we produce the news this morning”.
“It is a mammoth task to bring you live the Today show this morning,” she said.
“Why has the Nine Network of Australia been targeted? At this stage it is not exactly clear but we know there is a strong possibility that this is looking more and more likely a cyberattack by a foreign country and that it is politically motivated.”
The Nine Network is working closely with the Australian Cyber Security Centre, with Ms Vella saying “it could take days, if not weeks, for this cyberattack and the issues surrounding it to be understood”.
READ MORE:Network chaos amid cyberattack
Adeshola Ore8.05am:Laming ‘needs time’ for counselling
Social Services Minister Anne Ruston says Liberal backbencher Andrew Laming should be given the time to complete counselling while on leave.
Dr Laming will not recontest the next election after he apologised in parliament for using Facebook to harass two female constituents. It has also been revealed he took a photograph of a young Brisbane woman while she was bending over and had her underwear exposed.
In a statement he said he would take empathy training to understand how his actions affected others.
“There’s no doubt his actions have been totally unacceptable,” Senator Ruston told ABC News. “It is reasonable for Mr Laming to receive help.”
She said Mr Laming should understand the impact of his actions and have time to complete the empathy training.
READ MORE:Qld authorities back-pedal on party claim
Nicholas Jensen8am:UN chief condemns Covid vaccine hoarding
UN Secretary-general Antonio Guterres has condemned developed countries for stockpiling COVID-19 vaccines, calling on them to share with the rest of the world to help end the pandemic.
“I’m very concerned with this very unfair distribution of vaccines in the world,” Mr Guterres said in an interview to the Canadian channel CBC.
“It’s in the interest of everybody to make sure that as soon as possible and in a fair way, everybody gets vaccinated everywhere and that vaccines are considered to be a truly global public good,” he said.
The UN chief criticised the “self interest” of wealthy countries for building up vaccine supplies beyond the needs of their populations.
“We have been appealing to developed countries to share some of the vaccines that they have bought and in many situations they have bought more than what they need.”
The secretary-general said that the Covax international system of vaccine aid to disadvantaged countries is having “difficulties because there’s been a lot of hoarding.”
He said that ending the pandemic “depends a lot on having the possibility to vaccinate as quickly as possible the population all over the world”.
Asked about the potential for vaccination passports, Mr Guterres said there must be serious discussion to ensure fairness and to make sure that there is effective global co-operation.
READ MORE:24 million people ordered into lockdown
Nicholas Jensen7.50am:Brisbane Lions stuck in Covid limbo
Queensland’s new COVID-19 cases have caused disruption for round three of the AFL, with Brisbane Lions held in Victoria.
The Lions are due to host Collingwood on Thursday, but new cases in the city have this under a cloud.
A spokesman for the AFL said the league is “closely monitoring” the COVID-19 situation in Queensland, as Lions players tested negative for the virus after their match against Geelong on Friday night.
Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley said on Sunday: “These are matters for the AFL to effectively determine, but we’re working closely with the AFL so as to make sure that, firstly, their COVID-safe plans continue to be in place.”
Fans who attended the game from Brisbane were asked to leave the ground and self-isolate following a decision by the Victorian government to change Brisbane and Moreton Bay into “orange zones” because of community transmission of COVID-19 in Queensland.
The team was given an exemption to play and were due to fly back to Queensland on an 11am flight on Sunday. But an AFL spokesperson said they would keep the team in Victoria.
READ MORE:AFL fixture under a cloud
James Madden7.40am:Nine scrambles to trace source of cyber attack
Today show host Karl Stefanovic says they are still working to understand what caused the cyber attack that disrupted Channel Nine’s broadcasts in Sydney yesterday, as the channel continues to be hampered by technical issues. Read more here
Nicholas Jensen7.30am:‘US states pulling back on mitigation too soon’
US chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci says that the country’s recent plateau in COVID-19 infections is the result of a “premature” easing of anti-virus efforts.
“While the emergence of variants is part of the problem, so are states that are pulling back on the mitigation too soon,” Dr Fauci told CBS.
“When case numbers begin to plateau you’re really in danger of a surge coming up.
“We’ve seen that in our own country, and that’s exactly what’s happened in Europe in several of the countries in the European Union, where they plateaued and then started to come back.”
What's driving new COVID-19 infections? It’s partly variants, plus spring break and the pulling back of some mitigation measures, @POTUS Biden’s Chief Medical Adviser Anthony Fauci tells @margbrennan. pic.twitter.com/yOjoPPgB1n
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) March 28, 2021
Following a winter spike, US infections have come to levels near 50,000 reported per day.
While France, Belgium and Poland tightened curbs as cases surged in Europe, Dr Fauci said “it really is almost a race between getting people vaccinated and having this peak”.
The US has suffered the highest reported absolute death toll at 549,000 since the pandemic began.
READ MORE:Biden doubles vaccine pledge, plans to run again
Nicholas Jensen7.25am:Macron responds to critics of vaccine rollout
President Emmanuel Macron says France will catch up with Britain’s rapid vaccination program “within a few weeks” following a dispute with Boris Johnson over vaccine access.
France’s inoculation program has been criticised as too slow, with 11.5 per cent of its population receiving one or more jabs, compared to 43.79 per cent of Britons.
However, President Macron told Le Journal du Dimanche that France had ramped-up inoculations, while suggesting Britain’s campaign could face headwinds.
“In a few weeks we will have completely caught up with the British, who will meanwhile be increasingly dependent on us to vaccinate their population,” he said.
Meanwhile, the EU has threatened to ban pharma companies from exporting vaccines to well-supplied countries until they deliver on their guarantees to the bloc.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian suggested Britain — which prioritised getting first vaccine doses to as many people as possible — would struggle to obtain the second doses they needed.
“The UK has taken great pride in vaccinating well with the first dose except they have a problem with the second dose,” he told France Info radio.
READ MORE:Boris Johnson: ‘We’ll be dealing with virus fallout as long as I live’
Nicholas Jensen7.10am:McGowan reinstates ‘soft border closure’ with Queensland
Two new COVID-19 cases in Queensland have prompted Western Australia to erect “a soft border closure” with the state.
As he issued an order for all travellers from Queensland to undertake 14 days of mandatory self-isolation upon arrival in Western Australia, Premier Mark McGowan asked people to reconsider travelling to the state over the Easter holidays.
According to Western Australia’s border classification system, Queensland is being upgraded from a “very low risk” to a “low risk” state, meaning all arrivals will be required to complete 14 days of self-isolation, regardless of any COVID-19 test results.
All arrivals from Queensland will now need to complete 14 days of self-quarantine.
— Mark McGowan (@MarkMcGowanMP) March 27, 2021
These new Directions also apply to those people who arrived from Queensland earlier today.
Western Australia is the only state to implement a Queensland-wide self-isolation order, with other states instructing recent arrivals from affected areas to immediately isolate and get tested.
Meanwhile, NSW, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory have also updated their advice to visitors and travellers but have not imposed a statewide order to self-isolate. Anyone who has visited any “at-risk locations” must get tested within 72 hours and isolate until a negative test is returned.
READ MORE:Emergency wards in overdrive
Nicholas Jensen6.50am:Laming ‘must work hard to restore faith’: Frydenberg
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg admitted it had been “a difficult period for the government” after responding to questions this morning about Liberal MP Andrew Laming’s forced exit from politics and the end of JobKeeper.
The Treasurer told Sky News that Dr Laming — who has announced he will not contest the next election — would need to “work hard to restore, not just the confidence of his colleagues, but to restore the faith and trust of those who (elected him) in the first place”.
“That’s a pretty significant step (not contesting the next election) for anyone, let alone someone who’s been in the parliament for more than a decade,” said Mr Frydenberg.
Asked if the Prime Minister still enjoyed the support of the party and the government, Mr Frydenberg said: “Absolutely. I spoke to him numerous times yesterday and his focus is on good government and delivering better outcomes for Australians; we’ve got a budget to prepare and he’s intimately involved in those discussions.
Responding to today’s end of government JobKeeper support the Treasurer also said: “My message to those people who were still on JobKeeper is that just because it ends other support from the Morrison government will continue.”
READ MORE:Josh Frydenberg — ‘Our support does not finish with end of JobKeeper’
Nicholas Jensen6.30am:Officials scramble to trace contacts of Qld case
A local case of COVID-19 detected in Queensland has caused state governments to order thousands of recent arrivals from the affected region to self-isolate and get tested as contact tracers race to contain the potential spread of the virus.
On Sunday, Queensland recorded one new case of locally transmitted COVID-19, which was later confirmed to be the brother of the 26-year-old Stafford man who tested positive earlier in the week. However, the man has already fully recovered and is not currently infectious.
Queensland’s Chief Health Officer Dr Jeanette Young said the man could have had the infection historically, but it was most likely to be a recent infection.
Health officials later claimed the man had held a party after being ordered to self-isolate. But the details regarding the new case were revealed to be false, with Queensland Police stating five people were present at the house, including individuals who were permitted to be there.
The Queensland government has since upgraded their health orders for a number of Brisbane exposure sites, with anyone having visited them being directed into mandatory 14-day isolation.
SATURDAY, MARCH 20
■ Black Hops Brewery, East Brisbane, 12.22pm-1.51pm
■ Green Beacon brewing Co., Teneriffe, 2pm-3.12pm
■ Eatons Hill Hotel, Eatons Hill, 3.44pm-5.30pm
MONDAY, MARCH 22
■ PCYC, Lawnton, 7.16am-8.10am
■ Bunnings, Lawnton, 3.15pm-3.30pm
■ Strathpine Plaza Shopping Centre, Strathpine, 3.43pm-3.49pm
TUESDAY, MARCH 23
■ Zambrero, Lawnton, 12.51pm-12.55pm
■ Lawnton Fruit Market, Lawnton, 1.57pm-2.05pm
■ Nellas Gourmet Tucker, Lawnton, 3.37pm-3.47pm
■ Poolwerx, Strathpine, 3.15pm-3.57pm
■ BWS, Strathpine, 6.15pm-6.30pm
■ Dan Murphy’s, Strathpine, 7.26pm-7.36pm
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24
■ Hungry Jacks, Strathpine, 7.47pm Drive through
■ Lawton Country, Markets Lawnton, 2.36pm-2.43pm
THURSDAY, MARCH 25
■ Ceres Pizza Café, Strathpine, 7.00pm-7.58pm
READ MORE:Queensland lockdown out as party pooper tale debunked
Simon Benson4.50am:Backlash hits Morrison over treatment of women
Scott Morrison’s approval ratings have tumbled to their lowest point in a year as the government struggles to contain the backlash from ongoing sex scandals, rape allegations and claims it is failing to address the systemic issues around the treatment of women.
An exclusive Newspoll for The Australian shows voters have rounded on the Prime Minister over his handling of the concerns, with a seven-point fall in the key indicator measuring satisfaction with his performance as leader.
However, the Coalition appears to have been spared further political damage with popular support for the Liberal and Nationals’ parties lifting a point to 40 per cent against a one-point fall for Labor to 38 per cent.
The two party preferred vote of 52-48 per cent in Labor’s favour remains unchanged on the results of the previous Newspoll conducted a fortnight ago.
In the first signs that the litany of issues that have engulfed Canberra since February have become a top-of-mind issue for voters, Mr Morrison’s approval ratings fell from 62 per cent to 55 per cent in the space of the past two weeks.
It is the first time in more than a year that his approval ratings have not been in the 60s.
Read the full story here.
Geoff Chambers4.45am:Andrew Laming’s forced exit rocks Liberal Party’s reset
Scott Morrison’s move to end the crisis engulfing his government by stripping responsibilities from two senior ministers has been derailed by Andrew Laming’s forced departure from politics after the Queensland MP admitted to harassing women online.
Dr Laming, who will not contest the next election but will remain in the Coalition party room, joins Defence Minister Linda Reynolds and Attorney-General Christian Porter as the third Liberal MP to take medical leave this year.
In response to a series of government scandals, the Prime Minister will announce a major cabinet reshuffle on Monday, which is expected to promote former leadership rival Peter Dutton into the Defence portfolio.
Despite some internal resistance against scandal-prone Government Services Minister Stuart Robert being elevated into the Home Affairs portfolio, The Australian understands he remains the frontrunner for the key national security job. Some senior government figures have been pushing Mr Morrison to instead consider promoting Social Services Minister Anne Ruston.
Read the full story, by Geoff Chambers, Sarah Elks and Michael McKenna, here.
Sharri Markson4.30am:Labor sex assault claim forwarded to police
The opposition has referred to the Australian Federal Police an anonymous historical sexual assault allegation concerning a senior Labor figure.
The fact Labor has been forced to refer the complaint, which it believes is not credible and is politically motivated, highlights how all manner of allegations against political figures can be weaponised in the current, febrile Canberra climate. It also shows how unsubstantiated claims are likely to receive greater political and police attention than previously.
Labor has pushed for an inquiry into claims levelled against Attorney-General Christian Porter after he was named in an anonymous complaint made by the friends of a deceased woman who had withdrawn a request for a police investigation.
The Australian understands the Labor figure at the centre of the allegation categorically dismisses the claim as false and vexatious. The allegation was made in writing over the past month in an anonymous letter purportedly by a person claiming to have been sexually assaulted three decades ago.
Read the full story here.
Additional reporting: Mackenzie Scott, Simon Benson
Be ‘very careful’ over DeepSeek: Science Minister
Ed Husic has advised caution about downloading DeepSeek given 'trust issues' over artificial intelligence, and expects to see 'parallel' censorship and national security concerns raised about the Chinese AI disruptor similar to the discussion about TikTok.
How our blinkered leaders created a gas import absurdity
How did this bizarre situation come to pass? How is it that a country so blessed with resources, including large reserves of natural gas, can achieve such a ridiculous and costly arrangement?