PoliticsNow: Scott Morrison confronts vaccine rollout fears
Scott Morrison has moved to allay concerns about the vaccine rollout, declaring that while the pace ‘might not have been what we hoped’, the delivery of jabs is accelerating.
- PM’s rallying call after ‘tough’ month
- Senate warned on jobs over IR bill
- Coalition loses ground with both sexes
- Porter launches defamation action
Welcome to PoliticsNow, our live coverage of the latest headlines from Canberra.
Scott Morrison has urged his MPs to support each other after a ‘tough’ month, amid calls from within the Coalition for the parties to push back against claims of being ‘anti-women’. Treasurer Josh Frydenberg is standing by Australia’s rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine as Nationals MP Matt Canavan calls for a halt amid international concerns over the jab.
Failure by the Senate to pass the Coalition’s industrial relations bill would force a significant number of at-risk businesses into collapse, costing a “massive number of jobs that could otherwise be saved”, insolvency experts have warned.
Rhiannon Down 10.30pm: Air pollution passes pre-pandemic levels
Air pollution has soared past its pre-pandemic levels globally, according to research by ADDS European Space Agency.
The quantity of potentially toxic air pollution, called PM2.5, dipped last year as transport and industry dropped off during extended lockdowns throughout the world, the IQAir quality report found.
The levels dropped 11 per cent in Beijing, 13 per cent in Chicago, 15 per cent in New Delhi and 16 per cent in London the data showed, but has returned to pre-COVID levels in recent months.
Australia also experienced significantly higher rates of pollution last year due to devastating bushfires.
Meanwhile, other measures of pollution, such as nitrogen oxide (NO2) levels, indicated levels had far surpassed those of years past. After NO2 levels dropped 40 per cent in Chinese cities Beijing and Chongqing, they had since shot up and had nearly doubled since 2019 in Chongqing.
READ MORE: Covid’s northern exposure to PNG outbreak
Patrick Commins 9.45pm:MPs brace for ‘rough’ JobKeeper landing
Josh Frydenberg has told a joint Coalition partyroom meeting to “be prepared for a rough couple of months” when JobKeeper ends in two weeks, and said the government would “respond with targeted programs where appropriate”.
The Treasurer’s comments came as industry sources told The Australian they expected the tourism and aviation support package revealed last week would be the first of three phases of support for the hardest-hit sectors, with further announcements expected in the May federal budget, or before.
The Treasurer on Tuesday told Coalition MPs and senators the private sector was now leading the recovery, but new figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed the hospitality sector continued to trail well behind the national labour market recovery.
Rosie Lewis 9pm:‘Alleged ALP culprits must out themselves’
Labor frontbencher Mark Dreyfus has called for men in the party who sexually harass or assault female colleagues to out themselves, as senior MPs warn that they cannot investigate allegations unless complainants come forward.
Dozens of anonymous allegations shared on a private Facebook group for current and former Labor staffers have been published this week, including that a married man “plied” a woman with drinks before having non-consensual sex.
“The next day he texted to demand she take the morning after pill and blamed her for what happened, saying she was so drunk she came on to him,” it was alleged. “He threatened: ‘Tell no one.’ ”
After Labor cabinet secretary Jenny McAllister urged male colleagues who had made women uncomfortable to think about how to change their behaviour and apologise, Mr Dreyfus, the opposition’s legal affairs spokesman, told the ABC men at the centre of allegations should self-identify “as far as that’s possible”.
“I’m not sure about the mechanism that we’d go about it because … this is a closed Facebook group. The allegations have been put forward on an anonymous basis. But men who have been perpetrators of these kinds of acts need to reflect on their conduct, they need to be part of the change we need to take place.”
Rhiannon Down8.25pmCormann ‘was not aware’ of Higgins’ allegations
Mathias Cormann says he did not know the details of the alleged rape of Brittany Higgins when he left parliament.
“I was not aware of what is alleged to have occurred back when the events occurred,” the former finance minister told ABC’s 7.30 on Tuesday night.
“But shortly before I left, I was made aware by the President of the Senate of an incident. I wasn’t aware of the full detail.”
Mr Cormann, who left politics to serve as secretary-general designate of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, said he was not informed about the incident and did not probe for details.
“I wasn’t aware back at the time in any shape at all, at the time of the alleged incident,” he said.
“Shortly before I left, I was made aware of some … footage having been maintained and I think that is something that Simon Birmingham has also indicated to you.”
Mr Cormann also defended his role in dismantling a carbon price in Australia, after he backed a carbon price scheme as a viable option to curb emissions in his new role.
“What I’m pitching is a global effort to achieve global net emissions by 2050,” he said.
“What I would say to you and to everyone is that we have to recognise that different parts of the world come into this issue from different starting positions facing different contexts and environments.
“And ultimately what matters is the net contribution that each part of the world makes to the overall global effort, and what we need here is, for ambitious and effective action on climate change to be truly effective, it needs to be globally coordinated.
“(For) it to be appropriately multilaterally coordinated, but we’ve also got to recognise that different parts of the world have different opportunities to contribute to that global effort.”
READ MORE:How Cormann won over the European OECD states
Max Maddison 8.15pm:McKay attacks Labor ‘treachery’ over polling woes
NSW Labor leader Jodi McKay has read her shadow cabinet the riot act but a party room meeting that bad polling numbers “don’t matter” because Gladys Berejiklian will be taken down by the state’s corruption watchdog.
After days of worsening relations with two powerful unions, Labor sources told The Australian that Ms McKay had used a shadow cabinet meeting on Monday to “double down” on her comments.
She told the meeting that she was going “to be f..king tough” and “call out” bad behaviour.
Ms McKay had earlier publicly described the actions of Australian Workers Union secretary Daniel Walton and Health Services Union boss Gerard Hayes as “straight out of the Eddie Obeid and Joe Tripodi playbook”, a reference to two former powerbrokers who had been found corrupt.
Shadow cabinet sources described Ms McKay’s comments in the meeting as “bizarre” and said it showed she “doesn’t get the labour movement” and “ultimately it isn’t going to end well”.
At a separate party room meeting on Tuesday morning, Ms McKay told Labor MPs that the actions of Mr Walton and Mr Hayes were “treachery on a scale I’ve never seen before”.
Dennis Shanahan 7.30pm:Hypocrisy haunts Labor’s no-retreat pursuit
Anthony Albanese is locked into pursuing Christian Porter over historical allegations of rape: there’s no retreat, no surrender.
Yet there is a real chance and a real risk that Labor will begin to suffer from its own inaction and hypocrisy over allegations of sexual assault and rape within the ranks of the ALP.
There’s also virtually no chance of getting an independent inquiry into historical allegations of rape 33 years ago against the Attorney-General.
While the Opposition Leader and his deputy, Tanya Plibersek, continue to attack Scott Morrison for his handling of allegations against Porter and failing to “listen” to women about sexual assault, the Prime Minister is prepared to call out Labor’s double standards.
For the moment, the government suffers from an impression of instability and the “toxic culture” of Parliament House but growing allegations of sexual assault among Labor staffers and historical parallels are giving Morrison a much-needed chance to return political fire.
Paul Garvey 6.45pm:McGowan weighs power and politics
Mark McGowan will face his first test over how to use the power given to his government at the weekend’s West Australian election when he decides on resources to allocate to the remnants of his political rivals.
The Liberal Party, which is on track to emerge with just three of 59 lower-house seats, looks all but certain to lose opposition party status to the Nationals when McGowan’s government is formally sworn in on Friday.
The Nationals are ready to become the official opposition party, which will mean their leader, Mia Davies, will be entitled to ministerial-style resources including up to a dozen staff.
She will also move into the formal opposition leader’s office within Parliament House.
The current staff in the opposition leader’s office are set to be out of a job by the end of the week.
The abysmal showing by the Liberals at the weekend is set to see their reimbursement from the WA Electoral Commission — of about $1.98 per vote received — fall off a cliff.
David Charter6pm:Jill Biden campaigns to reopen schools
Jill Biden is spearheading the campaign to reopen America’s schools as quickly as possible amid signs she intends to be a hands-on first lady both in selling the administration’s achievements and steering policy.
She is visiting schools in two states this week on the administration’s Help is Here tour to explain her husband’s $US1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, in particular the $US170bn it earmarks for education and safe reopening.
Ms Biden, 69, has travelled more extensively than her husband since they moved into the White House, with a three-day tour of military bases on the west coast in Washington state and California last week and visits to schools in Connecticut and Pennsylvania at the start of the month.
Agencies5.30pm: US accuses China of ‘disinformation’ over envoys
The US has accused Chinese state media of publishing “disinformation” about its diplomats in Hong Kong as it denied its staff invoked immunity to avoid isolating after positive coronavirus tests.
Washington temporarily closed its consulate on Monday to conduct deep cleaning and contact tracing after two employees were infected with the virus.
The consulate — and Hong Kong health authorities — have said the pair were headed to a hospital isolation ward as required by the city’s anti-coronavirus rules.
But state media outlets and a leading pro-Beijing trade union have accused the employees of invoking diplomatic immunity, which US officials flat out rejected on Tuesday.
“The disinformation from PRC state media about these two cases not complying with quarantine is false,” a State Department spokesperson said.
“We reject these efforts to spread disinformation about a critical public health issue.”
The reports of diplomatic immunity first ran on Monday in Dot Dot News, an online news outlet in Hong Kong.
It is part of an opaquely owned media group that answers to Beijing’s Liaison Office.
Following the reports, China’s state-run Global Times tabloid repeated the diplomatic immunity accusation and accused US officials of “arrogant outlaw behaviour”.
On Tuesday morning Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing leader said the two infected consulate workers were already in hospital and that US officials were complying with regulations.
“I’m happy to notice that the US consulate also issued a press release yesterday saying that they will follow our advice and support our work,” chief executive Carrie Lam said.
Nonetheless Hong Kong’s largest pro-Beijing labour group — the Federation of Trade Unions — went ahead with a small protest outside the US consulate shortly after Ms Lam finished speaking.
Four members of the union held up banners with slogans that included “No privilege, no exceptions” and “Strong condemnation of virus-spreading behaviour in spite of social morality”.
Public gatherings of more than four people are banned in Hong Kong because of the coronavirus.
Hong Kong has kept infections low thanks to some of the strictest quarantine measures in the world, recording some 11,000 infections and 200 deaths since the pandemic began.
READ MORE:‘Massive job loss’ warning to crossbench
John Ferguson5pm:Lib leader wields axe after failed coup
Victorian Liberal leader Michael O’Brien has started wielding the axe after the failed leadership coup.
Leadership aspirant Brad Battin has been told he will be demoted from his frontbench positions.
And two other frontbenchers — Ryan Smith and Nick Wakeling — were hanging by a thread on Tuesday afternoon.
Both are expected to be dumped as Mr O’Brien seeks to regain control of the parliamentary party.
A bid for a leadership spill vote this morning failed 22 to 9, forcing Mr O’Brien to act against his enemies.
READ MORE:Vic Libs leader survives spill push
Olivia Caisley4.30pm:‘Australian safety our first priority’: Kelly
Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly says he “wouldn’t be surprised” if some Australians were more reluctant to take the AstraZeneca vaccine after some European countries decided to halt inoculations due to reports of blood clotting, but insists he still has confidence in the jab.
Professor Kelly on Tuesday said there had been an overall “drift away” from vaccine hesitancy since Australia began rolling out the jabs.
“In terms of vaccine hesitancy, in fact up to the last surveys we’ve done in the last week we’ve found a drift towards less vaccine hesitancy,” he said. “Over the last few weeks since we started the vaccine rollout that hesitancy has diminished which was a very good sign.”
Professor Kelly said that while reports out of Europe “may increase hesitancy”, he didn’t yet have any evidence to suggest that was the case.
It follows calls from Nationals Senator Matt Canavan who is pushing the government to pause the rollout of the AstraZeneca jab after a number of European countries suspended the vaccine due to purported links to blood clots.
Professor Kelly said he wanted to make it “very clear” that safety was the government’s first priority and he remained confident in the AstraZeneca jab, which both Health Minister Greg Hunt and Department of Health Secretary Brendan Murphy have received.
“I would make it very clear that here in Australia safety is our first priority and in any large vaccine rollout we do expect to see unusual events and we monitor very closely and carefully for those...,” he said. “So we do always take it (health concerns) seriously, we do investigate, but in this situation, I can absolutely say I remain confident in the AstraZeneca vaccine, that it is safe, and at this point there is no evidence that it causes blood clots.”
READ MORE: Revealed: the real reason for the toilet paper wars
Ellie Dudley4.00pm:Australian experts quash doubts about AstraZeneca
Australian experts have quashed doubts surrounding the safety of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, despite some European countries pressing pause on the jab.
Last week, Denmark was the first country to halt its use of the vaccine last week after reports of blood clots in some people, including one person who developed multiple clots and died 10 days after receiving their first dose.
READ MORE: The facts about AstraZeneca vaccine
Chandni Vasandani3.28pm:Indonesia the latest nation to suspend AstraZeneca rollout
Indonesia has become the latest country to suspend the use of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine “pending review” from the World Health Organisation, it announced late on Monday, citing reports of blood clotting in some recipients of the jab.
“The food and drug monitoring agency will delay the implementation of AstraZeneca as we await confirmation from the WHO,” the country’s health minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin told a parliamentary hearing.
Indonesia’s food and drug monitoring agency (BPOM) had authorised the vaccine for emergency use after the government received 1.1 million doses of AstraZeneca via the COVAX procurement scheme on March 8. Another 10 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines are to be delivered through the international vaccine sharing scheme in coming months.
Indonesia has one of the highest COVID-19 infection rates in Asia and has struggled to control the spread of the virus.
READ MORE:Nations pause AstraZeneca rollout
Natasha Robinson3.10pm:No reason to pause AstraZeneca rollout: TGA
Australia’s medicines regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration, says it has no evidence of a “biologically plausible relationship” between the AstraZeneca vaccine and blood clots.
Responding to the suspension of the AstraZeneca vaccine by France, Germany and Italy, who have now joined other European nations in suspending the AstraZeneca rollout, the TGA said there was no reason to pause Australia’s administration of the vaccine.
“To 15 March 2021, the TGA has not received any reports of blood clots following administration of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in Australia,” the regulator said in a statement. “AstraZeneca has submitted to the TGA a detailed summary of adverse events reported globally related to blood clots to 8 March, as part of the sponsor’s routine safety reporting obligations.
“The TGA does not have any evidence of a biologically plausible relationship that could suggest a cause and effect relationship between vaccination and blood clots.”
Indonesia has now become the first country outside of Europe who has suspended the AstraZeneca rollout.
Adeshola Ore3.03pm:Morrison government ‘unequivocally’ backs jab: Hunt
Health Minister Greg Hunt says the Morrison government “unequivocally” supports the AstraZeneca vaccine after Nationals Senator Matt Canavan called for the rollout of the vaccine to be stopped due to safety concerns.
Senator Canavan called for the government to pause the rollout of the AstraZeneca jab as a growing list of European countries suspended the vaccine due to purported links to blood clots. But the World Health Organization said there was no proven link between the vaccine and reported side-effects.
“We support the continued rollout. There have been views expressed. We disagree with them,” Mr Hunt told parliament.
He said the vaccine would help save and protect lives.
Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration said there was no evidence of a “biologically plausible relationship” between the AstraZeneca vaccine and blood clots.
READ MORE:No reason to pause AstraZeneca: TGA
Adeshola Ore2.43pm:Porter won’t be involved with court, ABC upon return
Scott Morrison says Attorney-General Christian Porter will not be involved in any ministerial duties that relate to the Federal Court or the ABC when he returns to parliament after he launched defamation proceedings against the public broadcaster.
The Australian has reported that Mr Porter is prepared to take the witness stand and give evidence under oath to deny rape allegations in a defamation case against the ABC. The Attorney-General, who will resume his duties on March 13 after taking almost a month off for his mental health, launched Federal Court defamation proceedings on Monday against the ABC and journalist Louise Milligan, claiming he had been subject to a malicious trial by media.
“In the abundance of caution and to avoid any perception of any conflicts of interest that may arise, the Attorney-General when he returns will not perform certain functions in his office that may relate to the Federal Court or to the ABC,” the Prime Minister told parliament on Tuesday.
READ MORE:A-G turns tables on his media pursuers
Olivia Caisley2.37pm:Morrison moves to allay concerns over vaccine rollout
Scott Morrison has moved to allay concerns about the timing of the vaccine rollout, declaring that while the original pace “might not have been what we hoped”, the delivery of jabs was starting to accelerate.
The Prime Minister told colleagues in a joint party room meeting on Tuesday that the pace would pick up once Melbourne-based biotechnology giant CSL begins producing one million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine per week from the end of March.
“He spoke about the flow and the pipe. Flow is how many vaccines that you have access to and can be produced, and then the pipe is the pipeline in which you try and push that flow through,” Mr Morrison said according to a government spokesman.
“And at this stage, the flow has been restricted by the supply out of Europe.”
He said that the government would “closely watch the metrics” of the rollout each day to ensure the vaccine administration was happening quickly enough and said the number of those delivering the jabs would be “scaled up by other means” if the national GP network isn’t able to keep up with demand.
Health Minister Greg Hunt also weighed in on Australia’s use of the AstraZeneca vaccine after a number of European countries suspended its use over fears it causes deadly blood clots.
He cited Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration and the World Health organisation after they both backed the use of the vaccine despite concerns over clotting.
He said safety was the “exclusive consideration” of the TGA and there was no evidence in Australia or Europe over “causation or correlation” between the AstraZeneca vaccine and blood clotting.
One MP asked why Australia doesn’t halt the use of the vaccine for a few days until more information becomes available, but this was disputed by some MPs, with one warning against any “over-reaction” to the concerns raised in Europe.
READ MORE:Officials baffled by infected guard
Adeshola Ore2.21pm:Morrison defends response to March 4 Justice
Scott Morrison has defended his response to yesterday’s March 4 Justice demonstrations, after the Prime Minister told parliament rallies in other countries could be “met with bullets”.
On Monday, Mr Morrison said it was “good and right” that tens of thousands of Australians gathered to demand an end to gendered violence. He then added “not far from here, such marches, even now, are being met with bullets. But not here in this country.”
On Tuesday, Mr Morrison accused Anthony Albanese of misrepresenting his comments after the Opposition Leader said Mr Morrison had represented it as a “triumph” that demonstrators in Australia would not be met with violence.
“There is the opportunity for Australians to speak with such a voice in this country,” the Prime Minister told parliament.
“Sadly it is the truth, as I was seeking only to represent yesterday, Mr Speaker, that in many countries sadly that is not the case. That is a cause for celebration of Australia’s democracy.”
READ MORE: Discard stigma of shame: Higgins
Rosie Lewis2.19pm:PM’s rallying call after ‘tough’ month
Scott Morrison has urged his MPs to support each other after a “tough” month for the government, amid calls from within the Coalition for the parties to push back against claims of being “anti-women”.
With two cabinet ministers on leave and the government facing sustained pressure over its handling of rape allegations, the Prime Minister told colleagues they must remained “extremely focused”.
Reflecting on his trek along the Black Cat Track in Papua New Guinea, which he said was incredibly narrow and skirted cliffs and bends, Mr Morrison said: “We’ve been on narrow paths before, colleagues, and we’ve walked them together.
“Sometimes the path is wide and we can walk more gently but the path is now narrow and so we must watch out for each other and we must support each other.”
As well as sexual harassment claims embroiling the Morrison government, the slower than expected start of the vaccine rollout has been concerning MPs and their constituents.
The Coalition has slumped to one of its worst electoral points since the 2019 federal election, with the government’s primary vote now matching Labor’s on 39 per cent.
Labor has catapulted into an election winning two-party-preferred lead of 52-48 per cent.
Five government MPs spoke out about the issue of women in parliament in Tuesday’s Coalition party room meeting, with one saying “we have to push back against a narrative from the ALP that the Coalition’s anti-women”.
Another MP said more needed to be done to engage women in the Coalition – which has just 26 per cent female representation compared to Labor’s 46 per cent – and improve a pipeline of potential female candidates.
READ MORE:No gender bias in Coalition slump: Newspoll
Charlie Peel1.50pm:LNP campaign strategist Michael O’Dwyer resigns
Liberal National Party state director Michael O’Dwyer has resigned and will not renew his employment contract when it expires at the end of April.
Mr O’Dwyer told party members of the decision in an email on Tuesday, where he said he’d advised LNP president Cynthia Hardy of his decision in the middle of last year.
He has told friends he will be pursuing business interests.
Ms Hardy and party trustees have formed a selection panel and engaged a recruitment agency to find a replacement.
The resignation follows anger within the ranks of the LNP over the party’s culture, a destabilising campaign against former parliamentary leader Deb Frecklington and a poor result in the October state election when they lost five seats to Labor.
Adeshola Ore1.35pm:Canavan ‘a threat to public support for vaccine’: Albanese
Anthony Albanese has accused Nationals Senator Matt Canavan of undermining public confidence in COVID vaccines after he called for the government to halt the rollout of the AstraZeneca jab due to safety concerns.
A growing list of European countries have stopped the vaccine due to purported links to blood clots. But the World Health Organization said there was no proven link between the vaccine and the reported side-effects.
The Opposition Leader today told caucus Senator Canavan’s comments were a threat to public support for the vaccine.
READ MORE:European nations pause AstraZeneca rollout
Adeshola Ore12.57pm:Health chief: No evidence of blood clots with AstraZeneca
Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly says the Australian government remains confident in the AstraZeneca COVID vaccine, as a growing list of European countries suspend the vaccine due to purported links to blood clots.
Nationals Senator Matt Canavan has broken ranks with the government and called for the government to pause the rollout over safety concerns. But the World Health Organization said there was no proven link between the vaccine and reported side-effects.
“There is currently no evidence that it causes blood clots,” Professor Kelly said,
He said the European Medicines Agency was investigating reports of blood clots in people who have been vaccinated with the jab but had “reinforced its view” that AstraZeneca should continue to be used.
“Other countries, such as Canada and the UK are continuing their AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine rollouts on the basis that there is no indication that the vaccine caused these events in Europe and have seen no such information within their own systems, Professor Kelly said.
He said that “not every event following a vaccine” is caused by the inoculation.
“We take these events very seriously and investigate, just as countries overseas are currently doing as a precautionary measure,” he said.
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Ellie Dudley12.39pm:‘Do not halt jab: Experts issue extreme warning
The Director of the Surveillance of Adverse Events Following Vaccination in the Community has urged health officials not to suspend the AstraZeneca vaccine, out of fears it would dent the confidence in the jab.
Nigel Crawford said the Australian government should act with “extreme caution” following the suspension of the AstraZeneca vaccine in European countries and Indonesia, out of fears Australians would not accept the jab when the rollout resumed.
“So far, data from the phase 3 clinical trials and real-world rollouts suggest blood clots and other “thromboembolic” events occur no more frequently in people vaccinated with the AstraZeneca shot than they do in the general population,” he said.
“As vaccine safety experts, we agree it’s very important to investigate these safety concerns thoroughly.”
Professor Crawford said suspending the rollout could have serious adverse effects, referencing the issues that arose when in 2014 Japan suspended the Human Papillomavirus vaccination and uptake dropped from 70 per cent to 0.03 per cent.
“We would urge extreme caution in pausing rollouts while investigations are underway,” he said.
“Once a vaccine rollout is paused, it can sometimes dent vaccine confidence so much that it struggles to recover, as seen in Japan with the Human Papillomavirus vaccine.”
READ MORE: Ten ways to fix the Canberra culture
Richard Ferguson12.08pm:Craig Kelly joins call to halt AstraZeneca rollout
Crossbench MP Craig Kelly is calling on the Morrison government to halt the distribution of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
Mr Kelly — who left the Liberal Party last month — told The Australian he backed Nationals senator Matt Canavan’s call to suspend AstraZeneca after European countries raised the alarm over the vaccine and its purported links to blood clots.
“Italy, France, Spain, Germany, they’re all suspending AstraZeneca. The list goes on,” Mr Kelly said on Tuesday.
“What happened to taking a precautionary approach? To first do no harm? We can do it in this country where we have had no deaths this year.
“And we can still vaccinate people with Pfizer. It’s not an anti-vax position. We can afford to take time and investigate.”
READ MORE:Durie — Facing facts on economic growth
Ellie Dudley11.42am: List of countries suspending AstraZeneca grows
Latvian has joined the growing list of European countries who have suspended the rollout of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine over blood clot fears.
The country’s health authorities are asking doctors” not to use the opened vials of the AstraZeneca vaccine and not to open new ones,” the Baltic state’s health agencies said in a joint statement.
Spain, Portugal and Slovenia have also announced they will delay the rollout of the jab.
The suspensions are not limited to Europe, with Indonesia also announcing it will suspend inoculations. AstraZeneca has been heralded as the cheapest vaccine, and was billed as the vaccination of choice for poorer nations.
They said the decision was “a precautionary measure” based on reports of side effects from other European countries, but confirmed that no such cases have been confirmed in Latvia.
The measure will be in effect for up to two weeks, they added.
The European Medicines Agency will hold an emergency meeting on Thursday to decide whether measures are needed over concerns that some people developed pulmonary complications after receiving the jab.
The World Health Organisation continues to encourage countries to use the jab, adding it does “not want people to panic”.
READ MORE: Trading Day — ASX up, despite lower oil, iron ore
Ellie Dudley11.35am: Urgent call for boost in PNG aid against virus crisis
The escalating COVID-19 outbreak in Papua New Guinea has sparked calls for an urgent foreign aid boost across the country.
The Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) today released a report highlighting how Australian NGOs’ work with locals across the Indo-Pacific region has helped prevent the spread of the virus and combat the economic impact of the pandemic.
ACFID CEO Marc Purcell called on the Australian government to increase its investment to help with PNG’s current crisis and enable countries to better handle outbreaks in future.
“Australia’s aid effort was a critical forward defence against COVID over the past year,” Mr Purcell said.
“There is no steady state for a pandemic, it either multiplies or dwindles. We must double down on the global vaccination effort and build stronger health systems in our region. This is the best way to fight poverty and instability in our neighbourhood and beyond.”
The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in PNG has increased dramatically in recent days, and the health system is on the verge of collapse.
The worsening outbreak has created “major concerns” for the Queensland government – PNG’s closest neighbour to the south – which found 50 per cent of residents it tested were infected with the virus.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk today confirmed she is in talks with Scott Morrison over the growing threat.
READ MORE: PNG ‘a catastrophe waiting to happen’
Ellie Dudley 11.16am: Zero local cases as NSW seeks answers on infection
New South Wales recorded no new locally acquired cases, and two in overseas arrivals.
Only 6257 tests were reported to 8pm last night, down from 8199 in the previous 24 hours.
The announcement comes amidst fears of an outbreak, after a security guard at the Sofitel hotel in Sydney tested positive for the virus over the weekend.
WATCH: Dr Jeremy McAnulty provides a #COVID19 update for Tuesday 16 March 2021 pic.twitter.com/z1riRtady0
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) March 16, 2021
“Investigations are still underway to determine the source of infection in the case announced on Sunday,” NSW Health’s Dr Jeremy McAnulty said.
“As reported yesterday, genomic sequencing results show a match to the viral strain of a COVID-positive returned traveller who was in the Sofitel Wentworth quarantine hotel while infectious.
“The genome sequencing results indicate the strain found in the hotel quarantine guest and security guard is the more transmissible B1.1.7 variant of the virus (also known as the UK variant).
“Testing continues on close contacts of the case, who remain asymptomatic.”
Dr McAnulty added the household contacts of the case have all tested negative.
NSW Health is continuing to call on any person who displays COVID-19 symptoms to come forward for testing.
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EWIN HANNAN 11.06am: Failure to pass IR bill to cost ‘massive number of jobs’
Failure by the Senate to pass the Coalition’s industrial relations bill would force a significant number of at-risk businesses into collapse, costing a “massive number of jobs that could otherwise be saved”, insolvency experts have warned.
The professional body for restructuring, insolvency and turnaround experts said on Tuesday
that already distressed businesses would be at a higher risk of insolvency if the bill was not supported by the Senate cross bench.
The bill is set to be brought on for debate in the Senate on Tuesday, but the government requires the support of crossbenchers which are pushing for a raft of amendments.
The government’s bill seeks to prevent employers from being exposed to billions of dollars in backpay. It would allow employers to offset previously paid casual loadings against a leave claim by a casual found to be permanent by a court.
The government says the changes will give certainty to employers who faced a “massive liability” of up to $39bn due to Federal Court decisions that workers on regular casual shifts were entitled to seek paid leave.
READ the full story here
Ellie Dudley11.03am:Queensland health chief backs AstraZeneca
Queensland Chief health officer Sonya Bennett has voiced her support for the AstraZeneca rollout, despite widespread concerns regarding the safety of the jab.
On Monday France, Italy and Germany stopped using the AstraZeneca vaccine after Ireland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Bulgaria had suspended its use due to pulmonary issues arising in Norwegians who had been inoculated.
“Just because something happens temporarily in time with the vaccine, it doesn’t mean it’s associated (to it),” Dr Bennett said.
“The number (of people who have shown pulmonary problems) does not appear to be any higher than what we’d expect to see in the community.”
Both the Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said they would happily take either of the vaccines offered to them.
READ MORE: Push to suspend vaccine rollout
Ellie Dudley10.38am: Palaszczuk asks Brisbane for 72 hours more patience
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced the current COVID-19 restrictions in Brisbane will remain for another 72 hours.
This includes the closure of all hospitals, aged care and disability services in Greater Brisbane to visitors.
The Greater Brisbane region encompasses the Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan, Moreton Bay, and Redlands local government areas.
Queensland has recorded no new cases of locally-acquired COVID-19, and only two in hotel quarantine over the past 24 hours.
A total of 21,861 vaccinations have now been administered in the state.
Deputy chief health officer Sonya Bennett also confirmed CCTV footage “hasn’t shown any clear breach of any kind.”
She said the health authorities were feeling “very reassured” that there have been no new cases.
“With respect to the healthcare worker at the PA, we’re feeling very reassured about those circumstances and how they’re unfolding. Both the hospital and health service has contacted over 1000 people to determine whether they’re contacts or not,” she said.
“Those that have been determined to be close contacts, 58 per cent of those have already tested negative. So, that’s really good news and we’re very reassured by that.”
Talks with Morrison about PNG
Ms Palaszczuk confirmed she is in talks with Scott Morrison over the growing COVID-19 threat in Papua New Guinea.
“I had a discussion with the Prime Minister last night,” she said. “We’ll be speaking later on again today, and we had a very good discussion.”
“I’m not going to go into any further details until I get an update later on today.”
READ MORE: PNG aid boost to stifle Queensland outbreaks
Adeshola Ore 10.29am: Albanese gets second jab, assures vaccines are safe
Anthony Albanese has received his second dose of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine.
Last month, the Opposition Leader received his first dose in a bid to encourage the public to get vaccinated.
“I know that for many parts of the country, the vaccine rollout is way behind schedule. The Government needs to get on top of this, and we won’t stop telling them,” the Opposition Leader said on Twitter.
“But when it’s your turn to get vaccinated, please do it. Vaccinations are safe. They’re effective. They save lives.”
Second vaccination done.
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) March 15, 2021
A huge shout out to all the frontline health workers who haven’t stopped for over a year. You got us through the pandemic, and you’re the ones getting us out of it. Thank you. pic.twitter.com/d8W07nFoE1
Earlier today, Josh Frydenberg rejected suggestions that Australia should suspend the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine amid international concerns it causes deadly blood clots. Nationals MP Matt Canavan has broken ranks with the government and called for the AstraZeneca vaccine to be suspended.
Adeshola Ore10.17am: Limits on Labor to investigate sex assaults: Plibersek
Opposition women’s spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek says the Labor Party is “limited” in investigating anonymous claims of sexual assault and harassment made in a private Facebook group by staffers.
On Monday, Anthony Albanese urged women in the Labor Party to come forward with allegations. Stories of sexual assault and harassment have been shared in a Facebook group for former and current female Labor staffers. The posts include allegations of married senior staff members propositioning female staffers, messaging them up to 50 times in a single evening and victim-blaming.
“We are limited without knowing who the complainant is or who the complaint is made against. It’s very hard to take action in those circumstances,” Ms Plibersek told Sky News.
“But my message, my very clear message is we are up for this conversation. We need to change culture in our own party as well as across the parliament.”
READ MORE: Signs, sealed, delivered: hear me roar
Ellie Dudley 10.12am: Sutton opens up on his ‘inescapable burden’
Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton has opened up about the “significant struggle” that came through navigating the state through the second coronavirus wave and the toll it took on his mental health.
Professor Sutton discussed the “heavy burden” that came from leading the state in its COVID-19 response while people were contracting the virus and dying, in a podcast from the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency.
“My wellbeing struggle, and it has been a struggle really, through August, especially, was that there was not a moment of any day for weeks and weeks on end, when I wasn’t thinking about the people who were dying, the many, many people who became infected in our second wave,” Professor Sutton said.
More than 800 people have died from COVID-19 in Victoria, and more than 20,000 contracted the virus.
Professor Sutton spoke openly about the support he found from being with his family, but the guilt he felt from any form of relaxation.
“I’m pretty free about saying there were some really significant struggles there,” he said.
“Part of the solution is to recognise that you’re not at your best, that it feels like an inescapable burden.
“The love and support of your family, there’s no substitute for it. The same for my colleagues.”
READ MORE: ‘I felt awful as a father’
Adeshola Ore9.42am: US Secretary of State congratulates Cormann
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has congratulated Australia’s former finance minister Mathias Cormann after he was elected as the new head of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Mr Cormann will be the Asia-Pacific region’s first head of the Paris-based economic organisation, which represents 37 member nations.
“Your leadership and problem-solving experience are needed now more than ever,” Mr Blinken wrote on Twitter.
Congratulations, @MathiasCormann on your selection as the next OECD Secretary General. Your leadership and problem-solving experience are needed now more than ever. Working together, we can overcome the economic challenges we face and build a green and inclusive future.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) March 15, 2021
READ MORE: How our Mathias won over EU states
Robert Gottliebsen9.36am: If I could ask the Defence Minister questions
Around the nation, political commentators are, perhaps unfairly, linking the long, medical-induced absence of Defence Minister Linda Reynolds to her reluctance to answer questions on the Brittany Higgins affair. But now that we have played a significant role in forming the Quad alliance with India, the US and Japan, defence strategies are in focus.
Suddenly, people in high places both here and among our partners are realising that the Australian defence department has made serious errors in committing more than $300bn to three highly speculative defence equipment ventures covering aircraft, submarines and frigates. Already one venture, the Joint Strike Fighter /F-35, has fallen well short of its aims.
The department does not want penetrating questions to be directed to Senator Reynolds because in her current pressured situation she might reveal the truth.
Accordingly, they will be greatly relieved if the defence minister does not have to answer until the defence heat has cooled.
So let me dream up the sort of questions that defence people do not want asked and then provide what, in my view, are “truthful” answers to what are now very embarrassing questions.
READRobert Gottliebsen’s answers here
John Ferguson 9.14am: Victorian Liberal leader survives spill push
Victorian Liberal leader Michael O’Brien has survived attempts to overthrow him.
The party room rejected a bid by frontbencher Brad Battin to force a ballot.
The ballot was defeated 22 votes to 9.
It comes after the anti-O’Brien forces appeared to split according to support for Battin or former leader Matthew Guy.
Mr O’Brien had arrived at Spring Street with the key support of Liberal Upper House MP David Davis.
Mr O’Brien flagged changes to the Liberal frontbench, declaring: “We are looking forward to getting back to work.”
Mr Battin was overt in his desire to lead the party in the future but said he respected the party room decision.
Adeshola Ore 9.12am: Frydenberg rejects halt to AstraZeneca rollout
Josh Frydenberg has rejected suggestions Australia should suspend the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine amid international concerns it causes deadly blood clots.
The World Health Organisation has urged countries not to pause AstraZeneca COVID vaccinations. It said there was no evidence of a link between the vaccine and blood clots.
However, Nationals MP Matt Canavan has voiced concerns as European countries line up to suspend their rollout programs.
“They have not found any causal link between the vaccine and blood clots,” the Treasurer told Sky News this morning.
Mr Frydenberg also cited that the United Kingdom had delivered 12 million doses of the AstraZeneca jab, and they “haven’t seen the problems.”
AstraZeneca will provide Australia’s primary vaccine supply as it is being manufactured by CSL in Melbourne.
Trade Minister Dan Tehan said the federal government would continue to listen to the “best medical advice.”
Overnight (AEDT), France, Italy and Germany stopped using the AstraZeneca vaccine after Ireland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Bulgaria had suspended its use. Austria is also investigating some medical issues and whether they were related to the vaccine.
Mr Frydenberg said senior members of the government — including Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly — met on Monday to “hear first-hand how the vaccine rollout will continue.”
READ MORE: Officials baffled by infected guard
Adeshola Ore 8.52am:Nationals MP Canavan calls for halt to AstraZeneca
Nationals Senator Matt Canavan has called for the rollout of the AstraZeneca COVID vaccine to be stopped in Australia as a growing list of European countries suspend its use over fears it causes deadly blood clots.
Overnight (AEDT), France, Italy and Germany stopped using the AstraZeneca vaccine after Ireland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Bulgaria had suspended its use. Austria is also investigating some medical issues and whether they were related to the vaccine.
“It’s time we do follow Europe and suspend our vaccine rollout,” Senator Canavan told Sky News.
“I don’t see how we could continue when basically the whole of Europe is worried about this vaccine.”
Senator Canavan said Australia was encouraging a “culture of suppression” about concerns regarding COVID vaccines.
“We shouldn’t suppress legitimate concerns and issues and clearly there are legitimate concerns and issues given the decisions that have been made by almost every European country.”
READ MORE: ‘War room’ meets to plot Covid recovery
Adeshola Ore 8.34am:PM’s bullet comment ‘made right to protest point’
Victorian Liberal senator Sarah Henderson has defended Scott Morrison’s response to yesterday’s March 4 Justice demonstrations, after the Prime Minister told parliament rallies in other countries could be “met with bullets”.
During question time on Monday, Mr Morrison said it was “good and right” that tens of thousands of Australians gathered to demand an end to gendered violence. He then added “not far from here, such marches, even now, are being met with bullets. But not here in this country.”
“I think the Prime Minister was simply making the point that it’s very important in our country that we can protest, we all have a voice,” Senator Henderson told the ABC.
“Not just the 100,000 women who attended yesterday, but Australia’s 13 million girls and women, and we should never take our democracy for granted.”
Senator Henderson said she was “very proud” to attend yesterday’s Women’s March 4 Justice in Canberra after senior cabinet members defended their decision to not participate.
Women’s Minister Marise Payne said she stood by her decision to not attend the demonstration on Monday and pointed to the offer the Prime Minister’s office had made for the organisers to meet her and Scott Morrison. The event’s organisers rejected the offer for a private meeting and said it would be “disrespectful” to hold the conversation behind closed doors.
“It was a very moving march and rally and whether Coalition MPs and senators were inside the building or outside, we were all listening,” Senator Henderson said.
“It was disappointing that the protest organisers would not meet with the Prime Minister or the Minister for Women. It was a unique opportunity to canvas a range of very important issues. And I know that that offer still remains open, so I do hope that they take it up.”
Josh Frydenberg said he did not attend the march because the Prime Minister had already offered for the organiser’s to have a private meeting with Mr Morrison and the Women’s Minister.
READ MORE: Editorial — Another step in a long campaign for equality
Ellie Dudley8.31am:Victoria records zero new local virus cases
Victoria has recorded no new cases of locally acquired COVID-19, and none in overseas arrivals.
Yesterday there were 0 new cases reported. 12,638 test results were received. Thank you to everyone who got tested #EveryTestHelps.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) March 15, 2021
More later: https://t.co/lIUrl0ZEco#COVID19Vic#COVID19VicDatapic.twitter.com/piiGXqBukA
A total of 12,638 tests were conducted in the 24 hours to midnight last night, and the state now has two active cases.
READ MORE: Andrews out of action for six weeks
James Madden 8.28am: News Corp reaches content deal with Facebook
News Corp has reached a multi-year agreement with Facebook, which will see the tech giant pay the media company for displaying its news content on the social media platform’s Facebook News product.
The agreement, announced on Tuesday morning, follows a similar agreement struck between News Corp and Google in February.
The agreement with Facebook involves News Corp Australia and includes The Australian national newspaper, the news.com.au news site, major metropolitan mastheads like The Daily Telegraph in New South Wales, Herald Sun in Victoria and The Courier-Mail in Queensland and regional and community publications.
Sky News Australia has also reached a new agreement with Facebook which extends and significantly builds on an existing arrangement.
The three-year deal follows an agreement reached in October, 2019 in which News Corp publications in the United States receive payments in exchange for access to additional stories for Facebook News.
News Corp now has agreements with Facebook, Google and Apple to provide access to journalism and related content for a potential audience of millions around the world.
News Corp and its leadership, including Executive Chairman Rupert Murdoch, Co-Chairman Lachlan Murdoch and Chief Executive Robert Thomson, have championed the cause of the tech platforms compensating news publications for content for many years.
Ellie Dudley 8.19am:Link to latest Covid case may never be found: Berejiklian
Gladys Berejiklian has said NSW health authorities “may never find a link” for the positive COVID-19 case found in a hotel quarantine worker over the weekend.
“We have to accept we may never find a link,” the Premier said at a press conference this morning.
“Similar to the Avalon cluster, we still don’t know the main link.”
Ms Berejiklian confirmed there had been no cases of community transmission in NSW, at least up until “a few hours” before she spoke at 7.30am.
The unknown source of the case is “no reason” for state leaders to close their borders ahead of the Easter long weekend, she added.
“There is no reason for anywhere in Australia to block internal borders,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“Even if one state takes an adverse view and makes a snap decision to close a border everyone loses confidence.”
In response to growing concerns surrounding the safety of the AstraZeneca jab after the rollout was suspended in many European countries, Ms Berejiklian said: “The best health advice we’re getting in Australia is that it’s absolutely safe.”
“Our regulators are some of the toughests in the world. They wouldn’t have given AstraZeneca the tick if it wasn’t safe,” she said.
Ms Berejiklian has already received one dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, and said “I wouldn’t have taken it if I hadn’t done my homework.”
Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said NSW health authorities are yet to confirm how the security guard contracted the coronavirus, when she addressed reporters yesterday.
While the authorities have identified a returned traveller of the Sofitel hotel who has been genomically linked to the security guard, Dr Chant said there was “no clear or obvious breach of how it happened.”
READ MORE: Citizens’ right to return home is not guaranteed
Adeshola Ore 8.07am: Porter case ‘an excuse’ to remain silent: Plibersek
Opposition women’s spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek says the government will use the Attorney-General Christian Porter’s defamation case as an “excuse” to not answer questions about the rape allegation against him, as Labor escalates its calls for an independent inquiry into the matter.
The Australian has reported Mr Porter says he is prepared to take the witness stand and give evidence under oath to deny a historic 1988 rape allegation against him in a defamation showdown with the ABC. The Attorney-General, who will resume duties on March 31 after taking almost a month off for his mental health, launched proceedings on Monday against the ABC and journalist Louise Milligan, claiming he had been subject to a malicious trial by the media.
“What really worries me is this will be used as an excuse for the government to not hold an independent inquiry and to stop answering questions about the Christian Porter matter,” Ms Plibersek told the ABC.
“The former Solicitor-General said this could have been referred to the current Solicitor-General for advice. That hasn’t happened.”
READ MORE: Porter outmanoeuvres the mob and turns tables on media pursuers
Ellie Dudley7.53am:AstraZeneca suspension an ‘over-reaction’
An Australian infectious disease expert has insisted the AstraZeneca vaccine suspension sweeping Europe is “an over-reaction.”
On Monday France, Italy and Germany stopped using the AstraZeneca vaccine after Ireland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Bulgaria had suspended its use due to blood clots and heart issues arising in those who had received the jab.
Dr Paul Griffin, an infectious disease physician in Brisbane, said the inoculation is safe as concerns grow about the use of the drug.
“AstraZeneca released some really useful information where they have looked at over 17 million who have received this vaccine,” he told Channel 9’s Today.
“There’s only been 37 or so of these events which would be less than you’d expect in a population of this size.
“So this is an over-reaction and we can still be confident of the safety of the vaccine.”
Dr Griffin also said the European health officials are being overcautious.
“I think it’s just the way they operate. I think they like to overreact,” he said.
“It’s the right thing to do to investigate that to make sure none of those events represent a safety concern. In this case, we have enough information to know that is the case.”
READ MORE: Merkel heir could pay price after drubbing
Ellie Dudley7.48am:Sharkie ‘disappointed’ Payne didn’t attend rally
Crossbench MP Rebekha Sharkie has condemned the actions of Marise Payne who did not attend the Women’s March 4 Justice in Canberra.
The Women’s Minister defended her decision yesterday on ABC’s 7:30 by saying she had been willing to participate in a private meeting with Scott Morrison and the organisers of the event.
Ms Sharkie, however, said she was “disappointed” in Ms Payne’s choice.
“I’ve got to say I was disappointed that Marise Payne did not come out yesterday,” she told the ABC.
“There were other Coalition MPs who were out there, and good on them for coming out.”
“Every member of Parliament, every senator, should have walked out of the doors. But certainly the Minister for Women.”
READ MORE:Ex-ALP staffer wants all sides to ‘end the rot’
Ellie Dudley7.36am:AstraZeneca rollout to go ahead despite clot worries
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the Australian government would proceed with the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine as planned, despite a suspension of the jab sweeping Europe.
On Monday France, Italy and Germany stopped using the AstraZeneca vaccine after Ireland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Bulgaria had suspended its use due to pulmonary issues arising in those who had been inoculated.
Mr Frydenberg, however, said senior members of the government — including Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly — met on Monday to “hear first-hand how the vaccine rollout will continue.”
“They have not found any causal link between the vaccine and blood clots,” he told Sky News.
Mr Frydenberg also cited that the United Kingdom had delivered 12 million doses of the AstraZeneca jab, and they “haven’t seen the problems.”
AstraZeneca will provide Australia’s primary vaccine supply as it is being manufactured by CSL in Melbourne.
READ MORE: France, Italy, Germany pause AstraZeneca vaccine
Ellie Dudley7.30am:Frydenberg defends decision to not attend rally
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has defended his decision not to attend the Women’s March 4 Justice rally in Canberra.
Thousands of people — predominantly women — gathered on the lawn outside parliament on Monday, to protest gendered violence and sexual assault off the back of multiple rape allegations in the cabinet.
“I didn’t go to the march because the prime minister offered a meeting of the leaders of that march and they turned him down and I think that was unfortunate,” he told Sky News.
He added that the rally was a “powerful moment outside the parliament” to protest an issue “we must take seriously.”
When asked about Christian Porter’s defamation case against the ABC over their reporting of a historic rape allegation against him from 1988, Mr Frydenberg refused to comment.
“You’re not going to expect me to comment on matters that are now before the courts,” he said
“Both Christian Porter and the ABC will have their day in court.”
Mr Frydenberg said he had been in “regular contact” with Mr Porter since he went on mental health leave, and had found him to be “in good spirits”.
READ MORE:Porter to testify in rape ‘trial’ against ABC
Ellie Dudley7.15am:Morrison showed ‘lack of courage’, Lambie says
Senator Jacqui Lambie believes Scott Morrison’s decision to not attend yesterday’s March 4 Justice rally in Canberra showed a lack of courage.
Appearing on Channel 9’s Today, Ms Lambie said the Prime Minister should have personally attended the rally on the lawns of Parliament House as well as met with organisers in private.
“This is what I’ve said all the way along for Scott Morrison — when the going gets tough the tough gets going and unfortunately it takes a lot of courage to stand out in front of those women and he did not show he had the courage,” she said.
“It would have looked better for him to say I’m out here, I’ve listened.”
She also blasted the women of the Liberal Party for not attending the protests, telling them to “stop hiding behind your men.”
“Get out there,” Ms Lambie said.
“We already know you’ve got problems in your own party. That’s been going on for years.
“I do not want to see you leaving Parliament and saying something then. Have the courage to stand up and do something right and say something now.”
Former opposition leader Bill Shorten said he believed Mr Morrison “pulled the wrong rein”.
“Sometimes when you’re a leader you have to front up even if you don’t think they will be giving you a bunch of flowers,” he said.
“What the people were saying yesterday, and the men supporters, is they’ve had enough, talking about the same problems decade in and decade out.”
READ MORE:‘Discard stigma of shame’, Brittany Higgins tells rally
Ellie Dudley6.30am:White House calls on Trump to campaign for vaccine
The White House has called on former president Donald Trump to join the public campaign urging Americans to take the COVID-19 vaccine.
President Joe Biden’s press secretary, Jen Psaki, highlighted that all other living former presidents, including Barack Obama and George W Bush, had delivered announcements encouraging the uptake of the jab.
Mr Trump has largely been silent since leaving the White House and moving to his luxury resort in Florida.
“Every other living president … has participated in public campaigns. They did not need an engraved invitation to do so. So he may decide he should do that. If so, great,” Ms Psaki said.
“If former president Trump woke tomorrow and wanted to be more vocal about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine, certainly we support that.”
.@PressSec: "Well, if former President Trump woke up tomorrow and wanted to be more vocal about the safety and efficacy of the… vaccine, certainly we'd support that." pic.twitter.com/ScPOH78En8
— The Hill (@thehill) March 15, 2021
More than 107 million doses of the vaccine have been administered in the US, and the country is on track to produce far more than it will need to vaccinate its whole population.
Polls indicated Republican men, who were more than likely to be Trump supporters, were the most hesitant to receive the vaccine.
Mr Trump and his wife Melania received their vaccinations behind closed doors before leaving the White House in January.
READ MORE:COVID-19 hero, now pariah — the fall of Andrew Cuomo
Simon Benson5.10am:Newspoll reveals Coalition losing ground with both sexes
The Coalition has lost ground with both men and women voters since allegations of sexual assault in parliament were first raised in February, with no clear evidence at this stage that a loss of popular support for the government is gender biased.
Exclusive Newspoll analysis used aggregated data of the two polls conducted since former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins’s allegations that she had been raped by a colleague in then defence industry minister Linda Reynolds’s office in 2019 and the more historical recent rape allegations levelled against Attorney-General Christian Porter, which he has denied.
This was done to provide a reliable data set and larger sub samples by gender, which was then compared to Newspoll’s December quarterly analysis data.
The analysis shows that popular support for the Coalition among male voters had fallen from 44 per cent to 42 per cent while support from women voters had fallen from 41 per cent to 39 per cent.
Read the full story here.
Adeshola Ore5am:‘Discard stigma of shame’, Higgins tells protesters
Brittany Higgins says women must free themselves from the “stigma of shame” and take ownership of their survival stories in a powerful address to thousands gathered outside Parliament House — the building where she was allegedly raped in March 2019.
In an emotional address before demonstrators at the Women’s March 4 Justice in Canberra, the former Liberal staffer said it was time for leaders “on both sides of politics stop avoiding the subject and sidestepping accountability”.
“By staying silent, I felt like it would have made me complicit and if something of this nature had happened again, my ongoing silence would have inadvertently said to those people in charge that you can treat people in this way and it’s OK,” she said in her first public appearance since alleging she was raped by a colleague in the parliamentary offices of then defence industry minister Linda Reynolds.
Read the full story, by Adeshola Ore and Rosie Lewis, here.
Sharri Markson4.45am:Porter ready to take witness stand in ABC showdown
Christian Porter says he is prepared to take the witness stand and give evidence under oath to deny rape allegations in a defamation showdown with the ABC.
The Attorney-General, who will resume duties on March 31 after taking almost a month off for his mental health, launched proceedings on Monday against the ABC and journalist Louise Milligan, claiming he had been subject to a malicious trial by media.
Mr Porter’s legal team has accused the ABC of publishing “false allegations against him’’ in an online story that revealed a senior cabinet minister was facing historical rape allegations.
Mr Porter’s lawyers argued the legal action would allow the claims to be “determined in a court in a procedurally fair process” but Labor has escalated demands that Scott Morrison launch an independent inquiry into the allegations and demanded that the Attorney-General stand aside.
Read the full story, by Sharri Markson, Nicola Berkovic and Geoff Chambers, here.
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