PoliticsNow: Defence Minister Linda Reynolds has new doctor’s certificate to miss next sitting fortnight of parliament
Defence Minister Linda Reynolds has a new doctor’s certificate that will allow her to avoid the next sitting fortnight of parliament, including Senate estimates.
- 4500 GPs to join vaccine rollout
- Bishop push for new parly processes
- Porter enduring ‘inquiry by default’
- Rape recollections ‘body memories’
- Call for second Wuhan virus probe
Welcome to live coverage of the latest headlines from Canberra.
Defence Minister Linda Reynolds has a new doctor’s certificate that will allow her to avoid the next sitting fortnight of parliament, including Senate estimates. Senator Reynolds’ cardiologist has signed off on the new certificate, giving her until April 2 before she needs to return to work.
Australia will enlist more than 4500 GP clinics in its bid to keep its vaccine rollout on schedule.
Former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce has called for an inquiry into allegations levelled against Attorney-General Christian Porter instead of a “salacious” inquisition.
And former Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said new induction processes and independent counselling should be introduced at Parliament House to address claims of mistreatment of women.
Joseph Lam10.50pm: No Zuckerberg tantrums in negotiations
Josh Frydenbger says Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg did not throw a tantrum during negotiations surrounding Australia’s news media bargaining code, despite having a reputation for doing so.
The Federal Treasurer told Sky News’ Chris Smith on Sunday that Mr Zuckerberg kept his cool.
“The discussions at all times were productive, constructive and polite,” he said.
Mr Frydenbger said conversations with Google were not easy but they pathed way for reaching a deal with Facebook.
“They were very difficult conversations as well,” he said.
“It helped create the momentum for the ultimate outcome with Facebook.”
My Frydenberg said it was important to understand that Google and Facebook’s threats were different; the first threatened to leave Australia while the latter only threatened, and later did, remove news fromAustralians.
READ MORE: Mature-age learners driven back to school
Joseph Lam10.50pm: Economy defied expectations: Frydenberg
Josh Frydenberg says the Australian economy has outdone the government’s expectations as the nation struggles to get out of the COVID-19 recession.
Appearing on Sky News on Sunday, the federal Treasurer told Chris Smith his government’s wage subsidies were a true lifeline.
“I can just tell you one thing if,” Mr Frydenberg said.
“The economy is performing better than we expected on ever our most optimistic forecast during the pandemic.”
Asked about a Medicare Levy increase to fund better aged care, Mr Frydenberg refused to speculate but hinted at lower taxes.
“I’m not going to reveal the outcomes of our deliberations right here,” he said before adding: “We are a party of lower taxes.”
READ MORE:Biden Covid rescue plan clears Senate
David Ross10.15pm:Watchdog’s secret check on Nine
The nation’s corporate regulator opened a file into whether a Nine Entertainment insider was involved in possible inappropriate share trading just weeks before the company’s financial results were disclosed to the market last year.
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission initially wrote to Nine on August 4, requesting information about the matter, with correspondence between the company and the regulator continuing until August 21. Both Nine and ASIC declined to respond to questions, but sources with knowledge of the deliberations said it was no longer an ongoing line of inquiry.
The Australian has confirmed that ASIC had written to Nine about the shares traded between January and July 10 last year. The regulator declined to release documents relating to their queries because it would “cause significant stress and personal reputational damage” and because a third party had “objected to the release of the documents”.
Ewin Hannan9.30pm:Fireys’ union chief tops pay list at $470k
Australia’s highest paid union leader, United Firefighters Union secretary Peter Marshall received $470,280 last financial year, $51,000 more than the previous 12 months, and well over double the amount paid annually to ACTU secretary Sally McManus.
Disclosure statements filed with the government’s union regulator show CFMEU Victorian construction division secretary John Setka received $268,104 over 12 months, a 16 per cent or $38,262 rise on the $229,842 he declared the previous year.
The highest individual annual remuneration disclosed to the Registered Organisations Commission was by former Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief Mark Stone, who was paid $506,366 in the 2019-20 financial year, having left the position at the end of 2019.
Greg Sheridan8.55pm: Defence not a place for those with stress issues
Can Linda Reynolds really continue as Defence Minister?
In the latest development, she has another medical certificate lasting nearly another month. Everyone wishes the Defence Minister a speedy recovery. No one doubts the genuineness of her illness. But is this situation really in the national interest?
The government now has two members of cabinet’s critical national security committee — Reynolds and Attorney-General, Christian Porter — on sick leave.
The controversies surrounding rape allegations over the past few weeks have rocked the government. Labor has played the politics of these issues in a ruthless fashion. Much of the controversy surrounding Porter is wildly unfair, but it is still having a destabilising and partially crippling effect on the government.
Stephen Rice8.15pm:State defies PM over 2050 net zero deadline
The NSW government has announced a $750m plan to reduce carbon emissions and invest in clean technologies, in a further challenge by Energy and Environment Minister Matt Kean to the Morrison government’s refusal to commit to a 2050 deadline for net-zero emissions.
Mr Kean boasted that NSW was “leading the way in the race towards net-zero emissions” with the plan, which will provide $380m to support existing industries to retool with low emissions alternatives and $175m to set up low-carbon industries such as green hydrogen. A further $195m will be allocated to research to develop new clean technologies.
Announcing his Net Zero Industry and Innovation Program, Mr Kean again committed NSW to an agenda to reduce emissions by 35 per cent by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2050.
Adeshola Ore, Ben Packham7.40pm:Jab deliveries to rise despite Italy’s ban
Health Minister Greg Hunt says Australia will soon be delivering more than 500,000 COVID vaccinations a week, despite the Morrison government being behind in its inoculation targets.
On Sunday, Mr Hunt announced the federal government would enlist more than 4500 GP clinics to administer COVID jabs to ramp up its national vaccine rollout.
More than 81,000 Australians have been vaccinated in the first fortnight of the rollout, including more than 23,000 aged-care residents. The government has fallen well behind its initial target to vaccine 80,000 people a week.
It is also aiming to have four million Australians vaccinated with their first dose by early April.
“We will soon be delivering well over 500,000 vaccinations a week, while making sure we have the contingency for second vaccinations, and that will continue to grow and that is a wonderful outcome for Australians,” said Mr Hunt, who on Sunday was vaccinated alongside Julia Gillard.
Patrick Commins6.55pm:WA budget ‘best in the world’
Western Australia has recorded the best budget performance in the world through the pandemic, underpinned by a boom in mining royalties that have shielded the state’s bottom line from the worst recession in nearly a century.
The combination of collapsing revenues and surging spending have left a sea of red ink across most of the country. But exclusive analysis by S&P Global Ratings obtained by The Australian show how Western Australia has been a standout not only among the nation’s states and territories, but also against other similar jurisdictions around the world.
On S&P’s measure, the state will run the slightest of cash deficits in 2020-21 equivalent to 0.6 per cent of state revenues. (S&P measures deficits differently to the states.) The next best financial position was the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, running a deficit of 8.7 per cent.
Jeffrey Wall, Anthony Bergin6.10pm:Pandemic on our northern doorstep likely to get worse
The COVID pandemic has presented one of the greatest challenges to our Pacific island neighbours. To date, the islands have done well.
Countries such as Tuvalu, Nauru, Tonga, Kiribati and Niue are among the few in the world with no cases of COVID. The same is true for the Cook Islands, Tokelau and the Federated States of Micronesia
These small countries have largely cut themselves off from the rest of the world. The only people coming in have been very carefully managed repatriation flights.
The Pacific can’t risk letting in COVID: most islands have limited medical facilities and very high rates of diabetes, heart disease and other non-communicable diseases that put their populations at risk if COVID spread in their small nations. Sadly, there’s evidence that there’s been an upsurge in COVID cases across Papua New Guinea.
Nick Tabakoff 5.30pm: Four Corners to explore Porter allegations
Normally full of previews for its next show, Four Corners’ Twitter feed was unusually quiet for most of the weekend. Diary hears that’s because reporter Louise Milligan was working overtime to get up a story for Monday night’s show, following Attorney-General Christian Porter’s revelation last week that he is the man at the centre of historical rape allegations.
MONDAY ON #4CORNERS: ‘BURSTING THE CANBERRA BUBBLE.’ Don’t miss it. Here’s a preview #CanberraBubble#auspolpic.twitter.com/rbTXSeyg7j
— Sally Neighbour (@neighbour_s) March 7, 2021
The result, revealed by Four Corners executive producer Sally Neighbour on Sunday, will be Bursting the Canberra Bubble — a nod to Milligan’s Four Corners story in November, Inside the Canberra Bubble.
Milligan and her team gave a weekend deadline for interviews, and was said to be on the hunt for ministerial proxies for Porter, who is unlikely to appear while on mental-health leave.
Agencies 4.30pm:China exports spike to highest in decades
China’s export growth jumped to the highest in over two decades, official data shows, with imports also surging in a sharp bounceback from the coronavirus outbreak that had brought activity to a near halt.
Electronics and textile exports such as masks contributed to the spike in outbound shipments, as demand for work-from-home supplies and protective gear against the virus outbreak soared during the pandemic.
Exports spiked 60.6 per cent on-year in the January-February period, well above analysts’ expectations, while imports rose 22.2 percent, official data showed on Sunday.
The latest customs figures stand in stark contrast to last year’s fall of around 17 per cent in exports and 4 per cent drop in imports.
The country struggled to contain the spread of COVID-19 early on, with consumers staying home and businesses seeing a slow return to operations.
The customs administration said comparison to last year is also likely to have bolstered the latest figures, saying in a statement that the “low base is one of the reasons for the larger increase this year”.
On Sunday, official data showed that electronics exports rose 54.1 per cent, while textiles including masks rose 50.2 per cent.
China’s overall trade surplus came in at $US103.3bn ($134bn), its customs administration said.
Chinese authorities started combining January and February trade data last year, while it battled the coronavirus outbreak.
This is in line with how some other indicators are released, to smooth over distortions from the Lunar New Year holiday, which can fall in either month.
READ MORE: Let’s put our energy into innovation to help fix the planet
John Collingridge3.45pm:Gupta’s house of cards teeters
Managers at one of Sanjeev Gupta’s UK steel businesses held a discreet meeting last month. The subject had serious implications for them personally as well as the hundreds of staff they employ: were they trading while insolvent?
Under UK company law, the directors of a business can be held personally liable for its debts if it continues trading when they know it is insolvent.
Bosses at the steel company, who decided the business was still viable for now, had every right to be worried — and even more so after the events of last week. Their business, which we are not naming, has had a hand-to-mouth existence since being acquired as part of the tycoon’s dash for growth, under the umbrella of his Gupta Family Group Alliance. However, with suppliers demanding cash upfront, it has not been able to manufacture for weeks, and staff have been told to prioritise customers who are willing to pay cash in advance.
The company may not be able to hold out for much longer. Last week, Greensill Capital, the finance firm that has fuelled Gupta’s rise and counts former British prime minister David Cameron as an adviser, was tipped into a death spiral when one of its main backers, Credit Suisse, suspended $US10bn ($13.6bn) of investment funds.
Ben Packham2pm:Reynolds should go to backbench: Keneally
Labor frontbencher Kristina Keneally said it was time for Senator Reynolds to go to the backbench.
“Is the Minister for Defence Linda Reynolds trying to pretend that she is well enough on the one hand to continue as Defence Minister but is not well enough on the other to front up and answer questions to the parliament and estimates?” she said.
“Her position is untenable.”
Opposition defence spokesman Brendan O’Connor said the government could not use Senator Reynolds’ absence to dodge “valid and ongoing questions regarding hugely expensive defence contracts”.
“We expect the acting Defence Minister Marise Payne must be accessible and cooperative with the Senate, especially during the upcoming senate estimates session.
“There are serious questions that unanswered about a range of defence issues, including the mishandled $90 billion submarine program.
“The government can’t use the Minister’s absence as an excuse to evade accountability.”
READ MORE:Reynolds’s ‘lying cow’ jibe on Higgins
Ben Packham1.05pm:Linda Reynolds to extend her sick leave
Defence Minister Linda Reynolds has a new doctor’s certificate that will allow her to avoid the next sitting fortnight of parliament, including Senate estimates.
Senator Reynolds’ cardiologist has signed off on the new certificate, giving her until April 2 before she needs to return to work.
The certificate was issued on March 3, before The Australian revealed she had called former adviser Brittany Higgins a “lying cow” in her office.
It was based on a March 2 consultation. Senator Reynolds has been prescribed new medication for her pre-existing heart condition, the efficacy of which is being monitored.
“Senator Reynolds has advised Prime Minister Scott Morrison of her doctor’s assessment and will continue to consult with the Prime Minister as required,” Senator Reynolds spokeswoman said.
“Foreign Minister Marise Payne has also been advised of the situation and will continue to act as Defence Minister until Senator Reynolds returns.
“Senator Reynolds is recuperating well and looks forward to resuming her duties as Defence Minister as soon as possible.”
Her leave extension comes amid growing speculation in political and defence circles that she will not return to her portfolio.
Scott Morrison is backing Senator Reynolds over her handling of allegations by Ms Higgins that she was raped by a former colleague in the minister’s office in March 2019.
However she is also under immense pressure in her portfolio over the troubled $90bn submarine program, and Defence’s failure to formally respond to the Brereton report more than three months after it was released.
Senator Reynolds apologised to Ms Higgins on Friday for referring to her as a “lying cow” after her former staffer threatened legal action.
READ MORE:Linda Reynolds ‘deeply sorry’ for ‘lying cow’ comment
Gerard Cockburn12.30pm:Queensland offers travel vouchers to boost tourism
The Queensland government has launched new travel vouchers in a bid to revitalise the far north of the state’s tourism industry.
On Sunday, the state government announced it will release 15,000 travel vouchers for Queenslanders wanting to visit Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef.
Have you heard about our $200 travel vouchers? We're launching Cairns Holiday Dollars to give Queenslanders the chance to experience Tropical North Queensland. @StirlHinchliffe@MichaelHealyMP#goodtogo#thisisqueenslandhttps://t.co/olBc9f2PrT
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) March 7, 2021
The Cairns Holiday Dollars vouchers which are only available to residents of the sunshine state are valued up to $200 and are designed to be a 50 per cent discount on eligible tourist attractions in the region.
From Monday, holiday goers can register interest for the vouchers on Queensland.com.
The draw to receive a voucher will be between March 8 and 11, with successful applicants needing to book a tourism experience between March 15 and June 25.
Read the full story here.
Rhiannon Down11.45am:NSW records zero local cases, two in quarantine
NSW has recorded zero locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, and two new cases have been identified in hotel quarantine.
The tally brings the total number of cases in NSW since the beginning of the pandemic to 5020, according to health authorities.
Some 9727 tests were reported before 8pm last night, compared with the previous day’s total of 11,594.
NSW recorded no new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night; the 49th consecutive day without a locally acquired case.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) March 7, 2021
Two new cases were acquired overseas, bringing the total number of cases in NSW since the beginning of the pandemic to 5,020. pic.twitter.com/WCQe5Zbj5h
NSW Health has urged the community to remain vigilant, as the state records 49 consecutive days without a case of community transmission.
“With new cases being regularly detected among overseas arrivals, there is still a risk of COVID-19 spreading into the NSW community,” a NSW health spokesperson said.
“It is important that everyone continues to watch out for any signs that could indicate COVID-19 and to come forward for testing if they have even the mildest of symptoms.”
READ MORE:Incoming ship ban sinks cruise sector’s hopes of relaunch
Adeshola Ore11.30am:Hunt invites Gillard to get vaccine alongside him
Former prime minister Julia Gillard has received the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine today, alongside Health Minister Greg Hunt and Health Department secretary Brendan Murphy.
The first dose of the imported AstraZeneca vaccine was administered on Friday after the first shipment of the jabs landed in Australia last week.
Ms Gillard said she was “delighted” Mr Hunt had invited her to be vaccinated alongside him.
“Me being here today is a visible representation that no matter what side of politics you barrack for, no matter whom you intend to vote for, there is a united message and that united message is please get vaccinated,” she said in Melbourne.
The federal government has announced it will enlist more than 4500 GP clinics in its bid to keep its vaccine rollout on schedule.
Local doctors will be brought in for phase 1b of the rollout, which targets older people and those with certain underlying conditions, from March 22.
READ MORE:Australian rollout to include 4500 GP clinics as it moves to phase 1b
Scott Henry11.05am:Queensland records one new case in quarantine
Queensland has recorded one new COVID-19 case in hotel quarantine. The case was acquired overseas. Over the past 24 hours 4110 Queenslanders were tested.
Sunday 7 March – coronavirus cases in Queensland:
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) March 7, 2021
• 0 new locally acquired cases
• 1 overseas acquired case
• 25 active cases
• 1,351 total cases
• 1,995,956 tests conducted
Sadly, six Queenslanders with COVID-19 have died. 1,316 patients have recovered.#covid19pic.twitter.com/cA7JRLzwRc
READ MORE:Row over plans for airport quarantine
Adeshola Ore10.30am:Ruston to crossbench: don’t delay legislation
Social Services Minister Anne Ruston has warned the crossbench against delaying legislation negotiations with the Morrison government in the wake of a historic rape allegation against Attorney-General Christian Porter.
The Australian has reported that Scott Morrison’s industrial relations bill faces months of delay as key crossbenchers call for a planned March vote on the reforms to be shelved following the rape claim against Mr Porter. On Friday, South Australian senator Rex Patrick said he supported an independent investigation into the allegations against Mr Porter and called for him to stand aside while the probe occurred.
“I’d be pretty disappointed if the crossbench sought to hold up important legislation, particularly at a time like now,” Senator Ruston told Sky News.
“We’ve got the JobSeeker rate increase coming into parliament in the next sitting week, the week after next, and to think that the crossbench might decide to challenge the ability for that to pass through the parliament on a completely unrelated issue I think would reflect badly on them.”
Mr Porter has emphatically denied the allegation against him.
READ MORE:Rape stalemate threat to Scott Morrison’s agenda
Scott Henry10am:Victoria records zero new COVID cases
Victoria has recorded its ninth day of no new locally acquired COVID-19 cases. There are now five active cases remaining across the state with 11,024 tests completed across Saturday. No new cases were reported in hotel quarantine.
Yesterday there were no new cases reported. 11,024 test results were received. Thank you to those who got tested - #EveryTestHelps.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) March 6, 2021
More later: https://t.co/lIUrl0ZEco#COVID19Vic#COVID19VicDatapic.twitter.com/6Meu3dK7Ol
READ MORE:PM urges Andrews to accept travellers
Adeshola Ore9.30am:‘We’ve learned a lot about how to improve workplaces’
Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins says an independent review into workplace culture at federal parliament will ensure allegations of assault are not disseminated through the media.
Ms Jenkins will head the independent inquiry into workplace at Parliament House and its process of handling allegations of sexual harassment and assault.
The Morrison government established the inquiry in response to the 2019 rape allegation by former Liberal Party staffer Brittany Higgins. Allegations of sexual assault have engulfed the Coalition in recent weeks, with a historic rape claim against Attorney-General Christian Porter set to stall the government’s industrial relations bill.
Ms Jenkins said the inquiry would investigate issues in parliament that would also resonate in other workplaces.
“We have the opportunity, with cross party support, to really map out a future where we won’t be having to read in the paper, a whole range of issues that are coming to light from day to day,” she told Sky News on Sunday.
Read the full story here.
Darren Cartwright 8.15am:More than 4500 GP clinics enlisted for vaccine rollout
Australia will enlist more than 4500 GP clinics in its bid to keep its vaccine rollout on schedule.
Local doctors will be brought in for phase 1b of the rollout, which targets older people and those with certain underlying conditions, from March 22.
Health Minister Greg Hunt said the change would “ensure an efficient and equitable distribution of vaccines across the country”.
Until now, the vaccines had only been administered at hospitals and aged care centres.
Overall, more than 4500 accredited general practices will participate in Phase 1b of Australia’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout which he says is one the greatest logistical challenges in the nation’s history.
“More than 1000 general practices will commence from the week of 22 March 2021, with a rapid scale up over the following four weeks. This will ensure an efficient and equitable distribution of vaccines across the country,” Mr Hunt said.
“Phase 1b of the rollout includes vulnerable populations, such as older people and people with certain underlying conditions.”
The strategy to rapidly deliver vaccine inoculations includes a collaboration between the Australian Medical Association (AMA), The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), and the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM).
The inoculation start dates are to be staggered with dosage allocation to be dependent on vaccine availability.
AMA president Dr Omar Khorshid said general practitioners (GPSs) had have a proven track record with flu vaccinations of older Australians and those living with chronic disease who would make up the majority of the Phase 1B rollout.
Read the full story here.
Staff writers8.15am:Abbott ‘in line’ for new job, replacing billionaire
Former prime minister Tony Abbott is being mooted as a replacement for Kerry Stokes when the Perth billionaire’s term as chairman of the Australian War Memorial expires later this year, reports NewsCorp Sunday newspapers.
Mr Stokes, a noted philanthropist and generous supporter of veterans and their families, has been on the council of the war memorial in Canberra since 2007, and was appointed chairman in November 2015.
His term was due to expire last year, but he received a rare extension for 12 months at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the Morrison Government wanting to ensure continuity at the top of the organisation following the decision by then-director Brendan Nelson to retire.
But Mr Stokes’ term will now expire on July 31 and Mr Abbott, who joined the Australian War Memorial council in 2019 to replace the historian and journalist Les Carlyon, is being considered as a potential replacement.
Read the full story here.
Staff writers6am:‘Unspeakably sad’: Bishop reflects on spate of claims
Julie Bishop has called for Parliament House to introduce new induction processes and independent counselling in order to address claims of the mistreatment of women.
The call comes in the wake of a spate of claims against Australian politicians and political staffers, including former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins’ allegations that she was raped by a colleague in 2019, and the death of a woman who alleged Attorney-General Christian Porter raped her when they were both students in 1988. Mr Porter categorically denied the allegations, telling a press conference this week that the incident never occurred.
“The last few days have left me unspeakably sad,” Ms Bishop told Samantha Armytage in the second episode of Stellar’s Something To Talk About podcast.
“I have so much sympathy for women who are victims of sexual abuse or other illegal, violent acts and the physical and emotional trauma that surrounds it. It’s just so terribly sad.”
In the candid sit-down interview, the former deputy leader of the Liberal Party said that behaviour that occurs within Parliament House would not be tolerated in the private sector.
Read the full story here.
Caroline Schelle5.15am:Joyce slams ‘inquiry by default’ force on Porter
Former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce has called for an inquiry into allegations levelled against the Attorney-General instead of a “salacious” inquisition.
“Christian Porter may not want an independent inquiry but he has got one by default. A demeaning, cathartic inquisition by the press and Opposition,” Mr Joyce wrote in a lengthy social media post yesterday.
The call comes after Mr Porter publicly denied allegations he raped a 16-year-old girl during a debate competition at the University of Sydney in 1988, when he was 17.
The Nationals MP called for a “confidential” inquiry into the allegations levelled at the country’s chief law officer.
Mr Joyce said the media coverage achieved little “beyond ratings as salacious dissonance” and did not offer solace to any party involved.
It would be a more dignified and appropriate alternative for an “emotive and serious allegation”, he wrote.
Read the full story here.
Richard Guilliatt5am:Surreal quality to rape accuser’s body memories
The woman who accused Attorney-General Christian Porter of rape described her recollections as “body memories” and suggested they may have resurfaced after many years while she was undergoing psychotherapy.
In a statement she wrote in June last year, the woman acknowledged that her memories of the alleged rape in January 1988 had a “surreal” quality, and described herself as being prone to dissociative mental states.
According to the documents, the woman suffered at various times from an eating disorder and bipolar disorder. She had consulted multiple counsellors, including the Sydney psychologist Katie Thorncraft.
Ms Thorncraft is listed as a staff psychologist at Purify Essential Wellness, a northern Sydney centre owned by Anne-Maree Zofrea, a “Clairvoyant and Certified Angel Intuitive”.
Ms Thorncraft is a practitioner of Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing, a quasi-hypnotic counselling technique which has been subject to evidentiary restrictions in Australian courts because of its potential to affect memory.
Read the full story here.
Jess Malcolm 4.45am: Call for new Wuhan probe amid ‘Chinese interference’
Global experts are calling for another investigation into the origins of COVID-19, amid concerns of Chinese interference with the last one.
Academics from around the world have penned an open letter, demanding “unrestricted international forensic investigation”.
The letter aims to raise public awareness that half of the joint team convened by the WHO was made up of Chinese citizens. It holds concern that these members may have limited “scientific independence.”
Signatories said there were a range of issues with the first investigation, including investigators lacking skills to investigate whether the virus originated in a laboratory or research-related accident, a lack of mandates or access to data, and a heavy reliance on assurances from Chinese counterparts rather than independent investigation. “Because we believe the joint team process and efforts to date do not constitute a thorough, credible, and transparent investigation, we call on the international community to put in place a structure and process that does,” the letter read
“Finding the origins of SARS-CoV-2 is critically important to both better addressing the current pandemic and reducing the risks of future one.
“Unfortunately, well over a year after the initial outbreak, the origins of the pandemic remain unknown.”
The group is calling for a new team to be established, made up of experts from various fields, and who have uncontrolled access to all sites, including the wet markets in Wuhan.
READ the full story here.
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