PoliticsNow: Scott Morrison issues warning to EU on supply of COVID-19 vaccines
Scott Morrison has written to the EU about the supply of vaccines to the region and ‘will be taking this up very strongly’.
- Morrison warns EU on vaccines
- GPs well equipped to bolster rollout: PM
- ‘No need for future Queensland lockdowns’
- China actions ‘threaten’ global stability: Blinken
- AstraZeneca vaccine ‘safe, effective’
Welcome to PoliticsNow, our live coverage of the latest headlines from both Canberra and our response to the coronavirus crisis.
Scott Morrison has issued a warning to the EU over the supply of the Covid vaccine. As the next phase of national vaccine program targets six million people from Monday, the PM says GPs and 1000 clinics are ready.
After quashing a potential outbreak in eight days, Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young says there are unlikely to be further statewide shutdowns. New US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has begun a meeting with his Chinese counterparts on the front foot, saying China’s actions “threaten the rules-based order that maintains global stability”. European regulators have approved the AstraZeneca vaccine for use after an emergency review found it was “a safe and effective vaccine”, piling pressure on more than a dozen nations to resume inoculation programs.
Ben Packam10.00pm:‘Security risk’ scientists kept on staff at top universities
Scientists denied taxpayer-funded grants on national security grounds remain on staff at some of the nation’s top universities, with the institutions finding no reason to dismiss them.
A federal parliamentary inquiry into national security risks facing the higher education sector heard at least one of the rejected grants was a proposed collaboration with Chinese scientists.
The Australian Research Council told the inquiry it referred 18 grant applications to Home Affairs late last year for further checks, after being alerted to “sensitivities” — in-part by media reporting.
The Australian revealed last month that former education minister Dan Tehan rejected five of those applications in December, amid a crackdown on projects that could hand military or economic advantage to foreign adversaries
Read the full story:‘Security risk’ scientists kept on staff at nation’s top universities
The Times 8.16pm:Health chiefs confirm Oxford covid jab safe to use
European countries rushed to resume use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine yesterday after regulators gave it their resounding backing.
Germany, France and Italy are due to restart today after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) reached a “clear scientific conclusion” that it was safe.
Boris Johnson, the British prime minister, said the decision should put to bed any concerns about the vaccine, stressing: “The Oxford jab is safe and the Pfizer jab is safe. The thing that isn’t safe is catching Covid.”
He said he would be vaccinated today adding: “The centre where I’m getting jabbed is currently using the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine for those receiving their first dose, and that is the one that I’ll be having.”
His comments came as Jean Castex, the French prime minister, also said he would have the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab today.
The Times
READ MORE:We need flu mindset for Covid, says Berejiklian
Rhiannon Tuffield7pm:Uni of Qld condemns anti-China activist
Former student Drew Pavlou ‘painted himself as a victim and the university as villain’ in a dispute over China, the institution’s chancellor now claims. Read more here
Tom Crystal6pm:PM issues warning to EU on vaccines
Scott Morrison says he has written to the European Union and is waiting for a response about the availability of COVID-19 vaccines.
Mr Morrison plans to ensure Australia, and Papua New Guinea, get the vaccines that the federal government has already paid for.
“We will be taking this up very strongly,” the Prime Minister said. “It’s not right for advanced countries in Europe to deny the supply of vaccines to developing countries who need it desperately, like Papua New Guinea
“We will do our bit, we’ll pay the freight, as we are, and for the product, so they (the EU) won’t be out of pocket.
“But they will be helping a country that is in desperate need of receiving those vaccines. And we look forward also to gaining further support from our Quad partners to the level and commitment that we recently made”.
Chandni Vasandani5.00pm:Indonesian Muslim body says AstraZeneca ‘haram’
Indonesia’s rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine — already suspended over blood clot concerns — faces a fresh challenge after the country’s most power Muslim body said the vaccine contained “haram (impure) elements”.
The Indonesian Ulema Council’s (MUI) fatwa commission, made up of Islamic scholars, ruled on the issue issued this week — around the same time the Indonesian government postponed the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine in its national immunisation program — but has not yet released a formal statement.
The country’s batch of 1.1 million doses, delivered on March 8, is nearing its expiration date, as health authorities debate its use.
At least another 10 million doses of vaccines are scheduled to arrive early next month.
“Our review shows that the AstraZeneca vaccine contains elements of pig in it and that is haram for Muslims,” senior MUI cleric Hasanuddin told The Australian on Friday.
“It is still okay to be used, considering that we are facing a health emergency and Covid-19 vaccine is low in stock.”
Professor Hasanuddin said that given the choice, he would prefer to receive the Sinovac vaccine, which the MUI declared in January to be “pure and halal”.
But if there was “no alternative” he would take AstraZeneca. He recommended fellow Muslims do the same.
Nicholas Jensen4.20pm:Vaccine delay in SA after Pfizer sent to WA
A delivery of Pfizer vaccine due to arrive in South Australia has been mistakenly sent to Western Australia, causing an early delay to the state’s rollout.
Aged care facilities part of the Phase 1A rollout were told by the federal Department of Health that COVID – 19 vaccinations would not be happening today as scheduled, according to reports by the ABC.
Care homes were originally told the delay was due to a logistical issue.
It remains unclear how many vaccine doses were included in the delivery, but some were expected to be second-round doses for aged care residents.
SA Premier Steven Marshall told the ABC this afternoon that he did not “know anything about [the] shipment”.
“The logistics, the procurement, and the approval and distribution of the vaccines is the responsibility of the Federal Government.”
“We are doing work in terms of the administration of those doses.
“I don’t have any information on that particular shipment, but the good news is in South Australia we have access to both the Pfizer and AstraZeneca.”
Logistics company DHL holds a government contract for the delivery and storage of Pfizer vaccines, which require storage below -70 degrees Celsius.
A spokeswoman for SA Health said the state government’s vaccine shipment for healthcare and quarantine workers would not be impacted by the delivery error.
READ MORE:Our jab strategy ‘won’t achieve herd immunity’
Natasha Robinson3.55pm:TGA backs Europe on AstraZeneca vaccine safety
The Therapeutic Goods Administration has endorsed the findings of the European Medicines Agency on the safety of the AstraZeneca vaccine, but it is not clear whether Australia will follow Europe’s lead in updating the vaccine’s product information in the wake of several cases of rare blood clotting disease.
The European Medicines Agency found that AstraZeneca was “a safe and effective vaccine” and that the vaccine was not associated with an overall increase in the risk of blood clots.
The EMA will update the vaccine’s product information to provide warnings to doctors and patients about possible serious and rare side effects.
Even though the vaccine was not associated with an overall increase of blood clotting disorders, there were a very small number of cases of very rare blood clotting disorders associated with low platelet counts, and the EMA could not rule out a link with the vaccine in these cases.
These included a rare type of blood clotting disease associated with low levels of blood platelets known (disseminated intravascular coagulation) and extremely rare cases of clots in the vessels that drain blood from the brain (cerebral venous sinus thrombosis).
The EMA said in a statement that its safety committee “was of the opinion that the vaccine’s proven efficacy in preventing hospitalisation and death from COVID-19 outweighs the extremely small likelihood of developing DIC or CVST.
“However, in the light of its findings, patients should be aware of the remote possibility of such syndromes, and if symptoms suggestive of clotting problems occur patients should seek immediate medical attention and inform healthcare professionals of their recent vaccination. Steps are already being taken to update the product information for the vaccine to include more information on these risks.”
The TGA said in a statement: “The TGA continues to closely monitor the safety of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine and will work with AstraZeneca to update Product Information as required. If we detect a safety concern, we will take rapid action to address it and promptly provide information to the public.”
READ MORE:Benefits outweigh risks: Europe
Natasha Robinson3.20pm:Our jab plan won’t achieve herd immunity
Australia will not achieve herd immunity with its current vaccine strategy of using the Pfizer and AstraZeneca jabs, a University of Sydney study says. Read more here
Adeshola Ore2.30pm:GPs at the ready to bolster vaccine rollout: PM
Scott Morrison says Australia’s GPs are well equipped to bolster the nation’s vaccine rollout, ahead of the next phase commencing on Monday.
Phase 1b will focus on vaccinating six million Australians including older people and those with underlying medical conditions. From Monday, 1000 GP clinics will be involved in vaccine administration before the network is ramped up to more than 4000.
Earlier this week, The Australian Medical Association and the Royal Australian College of GPs called for “urgent clarity” in the commonwealth’s booking system for COVID-19 vaccinations in a joint statement, saying GP clinics had been inundated with inquiries from patients who they were unable to book in for vaccinations when it launched.
The Prime Minister today met with a group of doctors in Melbourne.
“Our GPs around the country do about 300,000 vaccinations on any given week … vaccinations is what you do, among many other things, in providing that primary healthcare around Australia,” he said.
“So the strategy for this national vaccine rollout, put together by Professor Murphy, together with all the experts that he’s drawn together for this purpose, has very much relied upon that experience and the network.”
READ MORE:AstraZeneca benefits outweigh risks: Europe
Matthew Denholm1.35pm:Hobart to NZ – with no quarantine – in Air NZ deal
Kiwis will be able to fly directly to Hobart with no COVID-19 quarantine requirement as soon as Anzac Day, under a deal between Air New Zealand and the Tasmanian government.
The direct route – the first for more than 20 years – was announced on Friday by Premier Peter Gutwein, who invited Kiwi PM Jacinda Ardern to be among the first arrivals.
Mr Gutwein would not reveal the extent of a subsidy being provided to Air NZ under the two-year deal, citing commercial in confidence, but said it would depend on the volume of passengers.
A full “travel bubble” with NZ would not be in place until that country lifted its restrictions on arrivals from Tasmania, but this could also occur by Anzac Day, he said.
“I’m hopeful it will (occur by then) and if not some time very close to that,” Mr Gutwein said. “I think New Zealanders, in same way as Australians and Tasmanians … have had a real desire to travel.
“I think there will be real demand from NZ and Tourism Tasmania have already been in that market with a taster exercise reminding people just how good Tasmania is.
READ MORE:Give us scenery, and certainty, in NZ bubble
Max Maddison1.30pm:Daryl Maguire final ICAC report out next week
The final ICAC report into Daryl Maguire’s alleged corrupt dealings with Canterbury City Council will be handed down early next week, with the disgraced former Liberal MP to discover whether he will face criminal charges.
The 2018 Operation Dasha probe, which was focused on former councillors Michael Hawatt and Pierre Azzi, ensnared Mr Maguire after recorded phone conversations revealed he was trying to take cuts from property deals for a “mega big” developer.
In a brief statement, the Independent Commission Against Corruption said the final report would be handed to NSW Parliament on Monday afternoon.
“The NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) will furnish its Operation Dasha investigation report, concerning the former Canterbury City Council, to the President of the Legislative Council on Monday 22 March 2021 at 2.45pm,” the statement said.
The ICAC probe brought an end to Mr Maguire’s political career after he was forced to resign from the Liberal Party shortly after the public hearings in July 2018. However, the scandal was followed two years later by the Operation Keppel investigation into Mr Maguire’s alleged use of his public office to run an illegal “cash for visa” scheme.
The hearings also revealed NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and the former Wagga Wagga MP had been in a clandestine relationship for several years.
READ MORE:No Glad-handing for evasive Premier
Richard Ferguson12.15pm:Federal WA seat axed in AEC redistribution
First-term Liberal MP Vince Connelly’s Western Australian seat of Stirling is set to be abolished by the Australian Electoral Commission, in a pre-election blow for Scott Morrison.
Stirling, in the inner north of Perth, will now be split up and its voters will go to two Liberal seats – Moore and Curtin – and two Labor seats in Perth and Cowan.
The AEC has moved to remove a federal seat from Western Australia’s parliamentary delegation due to a drop in the state’s population.
On the margins for federal seats now proposed by the AEC, Scott Morrison would head into the next election on a minority footing and hold only 75 seats.
The AEC decision is a reprieve for Indigenous Australians Minister Ken Wyatt and Attorney-General Christian Porter.
Senior Liberal sources have previously told The Australian the AEC’s decision on Pearce would likely influence Mr Porter’s decision to run again at the next federal election.
Sarah Elks11.57am:No need for future Queensland lockdowns: CHO
Queensland is unlikely to go into lockdown in the future, after quashing a potential COVID-19 outbreak in eight days.
Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said after a doctor tested positive to COVID-19 on Friday night, authorities had managed to control a potential outbreak.
“(There’s) no need to go into lockdown, when we’ve got responses like this, we’ve handled it beautifully,” she said.
After the doctor tested positive, and two guests at the Grand Chancellor Hotel in quarantine also tested positive, restrictions were placed on visitors to hospitals, aged care, and disability services in greater Brisbane.
About 650 contacts for those three people were successfully traced, and placed into isolation or quarantine.
Dr Young said it was not clear how the virus had spread between the two guests at the hotel, who were in different rooms and never left their rooms. But she said it appeared that one of them was a “superspreader” who had travelled from Eastern Europe and had infected – through no fault of their own – the doctor and the other hotel guest.
She said it was likely that the virus had escaped from the first traveller’s room into the corridor when they opened their hotel door to receive a meal, and then flowed into the second traveller’s room when they opened their door.
“We are going to see more (outbreaks like this),” Dr Young said.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said there had been no progress with the federal government on a private proposal to set up a regional quarantine facility at Toowoomba, to take the pressure of Queensland’s hotel quarantine system.
Due to the outbreak in Papua New Guinea, Queensland has recently been recording as many as eight or nine new cases in quarantine every day. Positive cases are then moved into hospitals.
“There may come a time when that (caring for patients in hospital) proves difficult … we’ll have to look at contingency plans,” she said.
While other states have dedicated hotels to care for COVID-19 cases, Ms Palaszczuk said Queensland did not want to do the same.
”The best place for people is in hospital,” she said.
Nine new cases were identified in hotel quarantine overnight, with six from PNG. There are now 57 active cases of COVID-19 in Queensland, all being treated in the state’s hospitals.
READ MORE:Queensland lifts lockdown after virus scare
Sarah Elks11.45am:Restrictions to be rolled back in Queensland from midday
Visitors will be able to return to hospitals, aged care, and disability services in greater Brisbane from midday today.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the relaxation in restrictions came after a doctor from the Princess Alexandra hospital in Brisbane tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday night last week.
But there had been no cases of community transmission since.
“We know this has been tough for families and loved ones, but your patience has helped keep our most vulnerable safe,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said the doctor had done an excellent job, to get tested as soon as “the first hint” of COVID-19 symptoms emerged.
“We’ve not found any (other) positives at this stage,” Dr Young said.
READ MORE: Shock development with ‘border jumpers’
Richard Gluyas11.40am:ASIC moves fast to redress ‘failures’
ASIC expects to finish implementing recommendations from the Thom review of the agency’s expenses row before the end of this month.
In his first public appearance since returning to his position as ASIC chairman in early February, James Shipton said it was clear that the Auditor-General and the reviewer Vivienne Thom had identified some “significant” failures in the regulator’s processes and procedures.
“Significantly, following the issue of the (Auditor-General’s) letter to the Treasurer, the Commission took immediate action to rectify the problems and improve relevant policies, procedures and governance arrangements,” Mr Shipton said in an opening statement to ASIC’s oversight committee on Friday.
“I acknowledge the swift and good work done by my fellow Commissioners on this during my absence.”
Adeshola Ore11.38am:Albanese urges response to landmark agriculture report
Anthony Albanese has urged the Morrison government to respond to a landmark agriculture workforce report, after a separate union report revealed widespread wage theft on Australian farms.
The Opposition Leader has today launched a Unions NSW report which reaffirmed widespread exploitation of workers in the horticultural industry, with some workers paid as little as $1.25 an hour.
Earlier this month, the government made public the National Agriculture Labour Advisory Committee’s workforce strategy, which called for sweeping changes to fix both the labour shortage exacerbated by international border closures and the exploitation of workers. It recommended undocumented workers be granted amnesty to stay in Australia to tackle the crippling labour shortages which have plagued the industry.
“It’s important the government responds to that report. But it’s also important that they respond to the issues of ensuring that all Australians have access to a minimum wage,” Mr Albanese said.
Mr Albanese also took aim at the Morrison government who on Thursday gutted key elements of its industrial relations bill, dumping proposals to criminalise wage theft and managing only to pass casual employment measures that will largely benefit business.
“What we saw yesterday was the government cutting its own industrial relations bill and leaving just one change intact, a change that makes workers more insecure,” he said.
READ MORE:Workers paid $1.25 to pick fruit
Ellie Dudley11.31am:NSW residents urged to stay indoors this weekend
State authorities are urging Sydneysiders to remain indoors today and tomorrow, as NSW is battered with heavy rain.
Up to 50mm of rain is expected to fall in Sydney today, and another 120mm tomorrow.
The Bureau of Meteorology yesterday also issued flood warnings for the Myall Rover, the Nambucca river, the Orara River, the Camden Haven River and the Bellinger River.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian urged people to stay home this weekend, ironically while addressing a press conference about the new Dine & Discover vouchers.
“Normally we’re telling people to travel around New South Wales, but this weekend is an exception,” she said.
“If you did have plans to travel on the roads, please reconsider. We just want everybody to stay around and close to their home and to be safe.”
The Bureau of Meteorology has urged those on the mid-north coast of NSW to be prepared, due to “potentially life-threatening conditions.”
“Take precautionary action and monitor the conditions,” Agata Imielska, a senior climatologist at the BOM told a press conference.
“Right now, we are seeing very dangerous potentially life threatening rainfall on the mid-north coast.
“We have already seen flash flooding … we are expecting that to continue.”
Ms Imielska also urged Sydneysiders to stay home this weekend.
READ MORE:‘Life-threatening’: Deluge hits coast
Ellie Dudley11.10am:Another day of no local cases in NSW after hotel scare
NSW recorded no new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.
Five new cases were acquired overseas, bringing the total number of cases currently being treated by NSW Health to 54.
NSW recorded no new locally acquired cases of #COVID19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) March 19, 2021
Five new cases were acquired overseas, bringing the total number of cases in NSW since the beginning of the pandemic to 5,067.
There were 11,872 tests reported to 8pm last night. pic.twitter.com/EFBeJ6bTSx
There have been no new cases of local transmission associated with the Sofitel Wentworth Hotel, following the identification of three cases – a security guard and two travellers – known to be genomically linked.
There were 11,872 tests reported to 8pm last night, compared with the previous day’s total of 14,049.
READ MORE:Aussies furious at wild protest
AFP11.00am:China’s actions ‘threaten’ global stability: Blinken
China’s actions “threaten the rules-based order that maintains global stability,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday at the opening of a two-day meeting with Chinese counterparts in Alaska.
The US side will “discuss our deep concerns with actions by China, including Xinjiang”, where Washington has accused Beijing of “genocide” against Uyghur Muslims, Blinken said at the Anchorage summit with the Chinese Communist Party’s top diplomacy official, Yang Jiechi, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
He added that there would be dialogue on “Hong Kong, Taiwan, cyber attacks on the United States, economic coercion toward our allies”.
President Joe Biden’s national security Adviser Jake Sullivan added that the United States did not want conflict with China but welcomed tough competition with its strategic rival.
“And we will always stand up for our principles for our people, and for our friends,” Sullivan warned.
However the Chinese Communist Party’s top diplomat threatened “firm actions” against “US interference” and called for an end to the “Cold War mentality” stunting the rivals’ relationship.
“China is firmly opposed to US interference in China’s internal affairs,” Yang Jiechi, the director of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Foreign Affairs Commission Office said at the summit in Alaska.
“We have expressed our staunch opposition to such interference, and we will take firm actions in response.
“What we need to do is to abandon the Cold War mentality, and the zero sum game approach.”
AFP
READ MORE:‘Killer’ Putin will pay the price: Biden
Ellie Dudley10.26am:‘All hands on deck’: Premier’s jab at vaccine rollout
Gladys Berejiklian has again slighted the federal government for the speed of the COVID-19 vaccine roll out.
The Premier has long rallied for the Morrison government to be more transparent about the roll out, and allow NSW to pitch in to have as many people vaccinated as quickly as possible.
“If we are serious about getting the roll out done by October, then we need all hands on deck not some hands on deck,” she told a press conference this morning.
Ms Berejiklian confirmed she is in talks with the NSW health authorities to understand the capacity of the state, to present to the federal government as an opportunity to expand the program.
She said while people with underlying health issues may still have to go to a private practice for the jab, by letting NSW hubs assist with the roll out, the federal government could “take the pressure off the GP network.”
Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello is currently in talks with the federal government to share data from the Service NSW app, in the hopes of centralising information for Australia.
READ MORE:Premier’s border demand
Adeshola Ore9.50am:Smelter deal to ‘keep the lights on’: Morrison
Scott Morrison says a five-year rescue package for the Victoria’s Portland aluminium smelter will secure jobs and “keep the lights on” across the state.
The future of the smelter has been secured after a long awaited electricity supply deal was struck with the nation’s biggest energy retailers, saving 500 jobs and bringing an end to looming fears the facility would be axed.
The Prime Minister has today unveiled the package and delivered a speech at the smelter in western Victoria.
He said the deal would ensure the “reliability of the grid across Victoria”.
“It’s great news for Portland, it is great news for the jobs here in Portland and the many thousands of jobs that exist beyond the gates of this tremendous facility,” he said.
READ MORE:Jobs saved as Alcoa’s Portland aluminium smelter gets its lifeline
Ellie Dudley9.43am:NSW’s dine and discover voucher scheme begins
The NSW roll out of the $25 Dine & Discover vouchers has commenced, with more than 60 local government areas able to redeem from today.
Throughout March, each week a new list of LGAs will become eligible for the vouchers, with the aim of them being accessible to everyone by the end of the month.
“We want everyone in NSW to get out and about and enjoy what NSW has to offer,” NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet told a press conference this morning.
He said initiatives such as this help NSW set “the gold standard globally” and urged citizens to spend their vouchers in the hard-hit Sydney CBD.
NSW residents aged 18 and over can apply for four x $25 vouchers, worth $100 in total.
– Two $25 Dine NSW Vouchers to be used for dining in at restaurants, cafes, bars, wineries, pubs or clubs. These can be used from Monday to Thursday.
– Two $25 Discover NSW Vouchers to be used for entertainment and recreation, including cultural institutions, live music, and arts venues. These can be used seven days a week.
The vouchers cannot be used on public holidays, and are valid until June 30 2021.
READ MORE:State to shout you lunch, pay for the movies
Adeshola Ore9.17am:Health Minister committed to October jab rollout date
Health Minister Greg Hunt says the government remains committed to ensuring every Australian receives their first COVID vaccination dose by October, despite the NSW Premier warning her state’s deadline could be in jeopardy.
On Thursday, Gladys Berejiklian said New South Wales would not achieve its target of vaccinating six million residents by October unless the Morrison government communicated to the states about amount of doses given to GP clinics.
“Our goal remains for first doses for all Australians that seek it by the end of October,” Mr Hunt told Sky News.
“We’re always vaccine supply dependent but we’re in a strong position because we have our domestic manufacturing … that puts us in a very, very strong position.”
Mr Hunt said the commonwealth had communicated with NSW about their vaccine supplies.
“They have over 70,000 doses on hand that can be administered at any time in their inventory at the moment.”
READ MORE:Our jab strategy ‘won’t achieve herd immunity’
Adeshola Ore9.08am:Hunt welcomes Europe’s AstraZeneca ruling
Health Minister Greg Hunt has welcomed Europe’s medical regulator’s ruling that the AstraZeneca vaccine is “safe and effective” after several countries in the region banned its use due to purported links to blood clots.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Thursday that the AstraZeneca vaccine should continue to be used and that it wasn’t associated with an overall increase in the risk of blood clots. The finding will put pressure on 17 European countries to reconsider their current ban on using AstraZeneca.
“I think this is a very important piece of global medical news,” Mr Hunt told Sky News.
“We’ve seen it rolled out with over 11 million doses that have been administered in the UK. It’s saving lives, it’s protecting lives. It will do that here in Australia and it will do that around the world.”
READ MORE:AstraZeneca benefits outweigh risks: Europe
Perry Williams8.52am:Morrison, Tehan to announce smelter rescue package
Prime Minister Scott Morrison will join Trade Minister Dan Tehan at Portland on Friday morning to announce a five-year rescue package for the Victorian aluminium smelter.
The deal to keep the smelter open was brokered between AGL Energy, Origin Energy and Alinta, as revealed by The Australian.
Mr Tehan’s electorate of Wannon includes Portland with the minister working behind the scenes to ensure the manufacturing plant remained open. A media conference will be held at 9.30am.
Portland has been under threat of closure for more than a year, after majority owner Alcoa flagged a review of its future if a new, cheaper energy contract could not be negotiated ahead of the expiry of the current deal — and a four-year subsidy agreement with the Victorian government — in July.
Portland is owned by Alcoa, ASX-listed Alumina – which together control 55 per cent of the operation – along with Japan’s Marubeni and China’s CITIC Resources, each with a 22.5 per cent.
READ MORE:Jobs saved as Alcoa’s Portland aluminium smelter gets its lifeline
Tim Dodd8.40am:Student satisfaction plunges with online learning
The lack of face-to-face learning during COVID-19 sent student satisfaction levels plunging in Australian universities last year, with the proportion of students reporting a positive educational experience dropping from 78 per cent to 68 per cent.
The most disaffected students were at the University of Melbourne where barely half (52 per cent) of students said they were satisfied with their educational experience in 2020, down from 78 per cent in 2019.
Two other large Victorian universities, Monash and RMIT, had satisfaction levels of only 60 per cent. But some universities managed to survive the force shift to online learning during COVID without leaving students dissatisfied.
Adeshola Ore8.36am:There will be teething problems with rollout: Dutton
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has conceded there will be “teething problems” with the nation’s vaccine rollout, ahead of the next phase commencing on Monday.
From today, 100 commonwealth vaccination clinics will begin taking bookings for the next stage of the rollout which begins on Monday.
It comes after the launch of the government’s COVID vaccine online booking system failed to operate on the day of its launch this week, with doctors’ surgeries caught off-guard by an overwhelming number of inquiries.
Phase 1b will focus on vaccinating six million Australians including older people and those with underlying medical conditions. From Monday, 1000 GP clinics will be involved in vaccine administration.
“The hotline is going to be jammed,” Mr Dutton told Channel 9.
“These teething problems will happen but there are almost a quarter of a million people who have been vaccinated already and the numbers will ramp up dramatically.”
READ MORE:Our jab strategy ‘won’t achieve herd immunity’
Ellie Dudley8.10am:Victoria records another day of no new cases
Victoria has recorded no new cases of COVID-19 in the community, nor in overseas travellers.
The state conducted 16,426 tests in the 24 hours to midnight, and now have two active cases.
Yesterday there were no new cases reported. 16,426 test results were received. Thank you to everyone who got tested - #EveryTestHelps.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) March 18, 2021
More later: https://t.co/lIUrl0ZEco#COVID19Vic#COVID19VicDatapic.twitter.com/bB0bys7yHC
The Victorian authorities are yet to announce when they will resume accepting international arrivals.
READ MORE:AstraZeneca benefits outweigh risks: Europe
Ellie Dudley8.07am:Plibersek death threats ‘completely unacceptable’: Dutton
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton says the death and rape threats Tanya Plibersek has been sent are “completely unacceptable”.
The Shadow Minister for Women appeared on Sky on Thursday evening to speak of threats she had received from stalkers, and protection she needed from the Australian Federal Police as a result.
Mr Dutton said despite his differences with Ms Plibersek, he wouldn’t wish that on anyone.
“A threat against any person, whether it’s in a relationship, in a workplace, against a member of parliament, it’s completely unacceptable,” he told Sky News today.
“There’s no place for violence in our society … not against anyone.”
He said his whole family had received death threats and now, he too, had permanent protection from the AFP.
“It’s something you live with regrettably, and I’d prefer to go about my business without that.”
The Prime Minister, the Attorney-General and the Treasurer also have full time security.
READ MORE: MPs’ plan to boost foreign workers
Ellie Dudley7.30am:Canavan again warns against AstraZeneca jab
Queensland senator Matt Canavan has again warned people against receiving the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, despite European regulators declaring overnight that it was “safe and effective”.
European Medicines Agency executive director Emer Cooke said its committee had concluded that the vaccine “was not associated with an increase in the overall risk of thromboembolic events or blood clots.”
We must end the idea that just because a medical treatment is safe for MOST, ALL must take it.
— Matthew Canavan (@mattjcan) March 18, 2021
Health authorities have ruled that the AstraZeneca vaccine rollout can continue but they also find a "possible link to rare blood clots." pic.twitter.com/s3Qje8wtCU
After earlier this week calling for the AstraZeneca rollout to be paused in Australia, Mr Canavan today continued to raise doubts over the vaccine’s safety.
“We must end the idea that just because a medical treatment is safe for MOST, ALL must take it,” he wrote on Twitter.
“Health authorities have ruled that the AstraZeneca vaccine rollout can continue but they also find a ‘possible link to rare blood clots’.
Our health authorities should update the information around risks of the AstraZeneca vaccine given findings overnight. And our doctors should be untagged from giving this information to their patients.”
Our health authorities should update the information around risks of the AstraZeneca vaccine given findings overnight. And our doctors should be untagged from giving this information to their patients. pic.twitter.com/DGCRmKFcUP
— Matthew Canavan (@mattjcan) March 18, 2021
READ MORE:Australia’s jab strategy ‘won’t achieve herd immunity’
Ellie Dudley7.05am:Biden to meet 100 million dose target ahead of schedule
Joe Biden has announced his administration will complete their promise to administer 100 million vaccine shots in their first 100 days in office tomorrow.
“I’m proud to announce that tomorrow, 58 days into our administration, we will have met my goal of administering 100 million shots to our fellow Americans,” the US President told a press conference Friday morning (AEDT).
“That’s weeks ahead of schedule.”
Earlier this week, Mr Biden signed a sweeping trillion-dollar COVID-19 stimulus package into law, in the hopes to both boost domestic growth and spur global recovery.
The package will inject $1.9 trillion in aid into the pandemic-damaged economy by funding small businesses, extending unemployment benefits that were due to expire in days, and sending direct payments of as much as $1400 to many Americans starting this month.
Mr Biden joked that not only would he get 100 million shots in people’s arms, but 100 million checks in people’s pockets.
READ MORE:Biden’s welcome mat hurts Australia
Ellie Dudley6.55am:‘Job isn’t done, despite employment rebound’
Despite a shocking post-COVID turn around for the Australian economy, with workforce recovery running 10 months ahead, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has said “the job isn’t done.”
A surging labour market has driven the number of jobs in the nation above pre-pandemic levels and slashed the unemployment rate to 5.8 per cent.
Mr Frydenberg previously stated budget recovery would begin for the economy when the unemployment rate dropped below 6 per cent. This morning, he said the government would “wait and see”
“There could be anything waiting around the corner,” he told Sky News. “We are still seeing new variants pop up.”
He labelled 5.25 per cent unemployment as the magic number for when recovery would begin.
When asked if he was worried about the $90bn JobKeeper wage subsidy coming to an end, Mr Frydenberg said it was “the right policy.”
“It’s consistent with what the Reserve Bank have said, and with what the treasury tells me,” he said.
He added that keeping JobKeeper running for longer could have “adverse effects” such as propping up unsustainable businesses for the long term.
READ MORE:Jobs boom wipes out losses from pandemic
Ellie Dudley6.30am:Worldwide COVID-19 vaccine doses top 400 million
More than 400 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered around the world, despite the suspension of the AstraZeneca vaccine in more than 20 countries.
The past 100 million people vaccinated got their jabs in 11 days — six times faster than it took to give the first 100 million, according to an AFP tally.
By Thursday at least 402.3 million doses had been given in more than 158 countries across the globe.
While the roll out in poor countries has been slow to kick off, vaccinations are at last starting under the UN’s Covax program.
It’s 100 days since Margaret Keenan became the first person in the UK to be given a COVID-19 jab.
— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) March 17, 2021
A huge thank you to everyone involved in this extraordinary national effort.
Let’s keep going! pic.twitter.com/kStNT8pah0
Israel is in the top spot so far, with nearly three out of five of its population having received at least one dose. Around a half of Israeli have received a second dose.
The United Kingdom (38 per cent), the United Arab Emirates (between 35 and 70 per cent), Chile (28 per cent), the United States (22 per cent), Bahrain (22 per cent) and Serbia (16 per cent by March 12) are also doing well.
READ MORE: EU threatens to seize factories, stop jab exports
Jacquelin Magnay5.30am:Regulator rules AstraZeneca vaccine ‘safe and effective’
European regulators have approved the AstraZeneca vaccine for use after an emergency review found it was “a safe and effective vaccine” — but it will provide warnings about possible serious and rare side effects to doctors and patients.
The findings, coming after concerns the vaccine caused blood clots and may have been a factor in some deaths, will put pressure on 17 European countries to reconsider their current ban of using AstraZeneca.
EMA’s safety committee (PRAC) concludes that the benefits of the #COVID19Vaccine AstraZeneca still outweigh its risks despite possible link to rare blood clots associated with low levels of blood platelets.
— EU Medicines Agency (@EMA_News) March 18, 2021
👉Read more: https://t.co/WCdaKqOPxBpic.twitter.com/0NO8kh5a48
Most Australians are expected to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine, most of which will be manufactured under licence by the CSL laboratory in Victoria.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Thursday that the AstraZeneca vaccine should continue to be used and that it wasn’t associated with an overall increase in the risk of blood clots.
Emer Cooke, the EMA executive director, said: “This is a safe and effective vaccine, its benefits in protecting people from COVID-19 with the associated risks of death and hospitalisation outweigh the possible risks.
“The committee also concluded that the vaccine is not associated with an increase in the overall risk of thromboembolic events or blood clots.”
Read the full story here.
Stephen Lunn5.15am:Border closures see first population fall in 40 years
Plunging overseas migration due to international travel restrictions has pushed Australia’s population lower for the first time since records began 40 years ago.
The nation’s population fell by 4200 people in the September quarter to 25,693,059, the first time there has been a decrease since the Australian Bureau of Statistics started collecting this quarterly data in 1981.
The annual population growth to September 2020 was 220,500, a rate of just 0.87 per cent, also the lowest since 1981.
Read the full story here.
Patrick Commins5am:Jobs boom wipes out losses driven by COVID-19
A surging labour market has driven the number of jobs in the nation above pre-pandemic levels and slashed the unemployment rate to 5.8 per cent, a result that reveals a workforce recovery running 10 months ahead of the Reserve Bank’s forecast.
As economists hailed the “stunning” post-COVID-19 turnaround from January’s 6.3 per cent unemployment rate, Scott Morrison seized on the figures as justification for the government’s withdrawal of emergency income support at the end of the month.
The Prime Minister said the $90bn JobKeeper wage subsidy scheme had “done its job”.
Australian Bureau of Statistics figures showed that employment lifted by 88,700 last month — triple the expected result — pushing the number of Australians in work past 13 million. Full-time jobs accounted for all of the lift in net employment.
Read the full story, by Patrick Commins and Geoff Chambers, here.
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