PoliticsNow: Scott Morrison takes swipe at Daniel Andrews over ban on international arrivals
The PM delivers a shot at Victoria’s ban on international arrivals, while lauding NSW for doing ‘the best job in the world’.
- PM takes a shot at Daniel Andrews
- Vic ‘no closer’ to resuming international arrivals
- Vic records three new local cases
- PM to get jab ‘soon'
- Frydenberg, Zuckerberg speak again today
Welcome to The Australian’s rolling coverage of news from Canberra amid the ongoing pandemic.
Scott Morrison has taken a swipe at Daniel Andrews over his state’s ban on international arrivals. Victoria has recorded three new locally acquired cases linked to the Holiday Inn cluster, and is no closer to setting a date to resuming accepting international arrivals.
Angus Taylor has warned Australia’s biggest companies that they must be more transparent in outlining and achieving plans to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Hundreds of aged-care centres in more than 200 towns across the nation will start administering coronavirus jabs from next week.
Rhiannon Down 8.30pm:UK vows to donate millions of spare vaccines
Hundreds of millions of the UK’s left over vaccine doses will be donated to the developing world, Boris Johnson says.
The UK Prime Minister challenged other countries to match the pledge to donate 80 per cent of the government’s surplus doses to COVAX, flagging the possibility of future “vaccine diplomacy”.
Mr Johnson said the first donations would be made only when every UK citizen had the chance to receive the jab.
“The development of viable coronavirus vaccines offers the tantalising prospect of a return to normality,” he said.
“But we must not rest on our laurels. As leaders of the G7 we must say today: never again.”
Mr Johnson said the move would also benefit UK citizens as the world would not be safe until it had been vaccinated against COVID-19.
Some 16 million Britons have so far received at least one dose of a vaccine, according to media reports.
READ MORE: Covid central and Dan’s run of ‘bad luck’
Rhiannon Down7.00pm:Holiday Inn case moved to intensive care
A COVID patient linked to the Holiday Inn cluster has been moved to intensive care.
The Department of Health and Human Services said the person was in a “stable condition” when they were transported on Friday night.
The age or gender of the person, who was one of 22 cases linked to the outbreak, was not revealed.
It comes as Victoria recorded three new cases of local transmission after two parents and a child tested positive in the past 24 hours.
Two of the cases were former residents of The Holiday Inn and already in isolation when the transmission was discovered.
The DHHS has identified 3515 primary close contacts linked to the cases, which includes 59 people who were household or social contacts, and 1342 contacts were linked to exposure sites.
READ MORE:Italy’s balconies fall silent as new wave bites
Rosie Lewis6.25pm:Ex-Liberal staffer asks AFP to reopen rape case
Brittany Higgins, the former Liberal staffer who was allegedly raped in a ministerial office at Parliament House, has “re-engaged” with the Australian Federal Police to proceed with a formal complaint against her alleged perpetrator.
Five days after she went public with her story, which has embroiled the Morrison government, Ms Higgins said she expected the AFP would handle her complaint “in a timely manner” and demanded she be able to participate in drafting the terms of reference for an independent review in parliament’s workplace culture.
Ms Higgins alleges she was sexually assaulted in then defence industry minister Linda Reynolds’ parliamentary suite on March 23, 2019, after a night out drinking.
David Rogers5.59pm: ASX hits 3-week low as US futures sink
Australia’s sharemarket fell sharply to a three-week low as rising bond yields sparked some jitters globally.
But after falling as much as 1.7 per cent to 6769.9 points on light volume, the index finished down 1.3 per cent at 6793.8 as global markets pared intraday falls.
S&P 500 futures were down 0.2 per cent in late trading after falling 0.5pc intraday and regional markets also recovered substantially from sharp intraday falls.
Wall Street Journal5.24pm:Bob Dole diagnosed with lung cancer
Former senator Bob Dole, the longtime Republican Senate leader who was the party’s nominee for president in 1996, said he has been diagnosed with stage four lung cancer and will begin treatment next week.
STATEMENT BY SENATOR BOB DOLE ON HEALTH CHALLENGES pic.twitter.com/ndRxqNWb30
— Senator Bob Dole (@SenatorDole) February 18, 2021
“While I certainly have some hurdles ahead, I know that I join millions of Americans who face significant health challenges of their own,” said the 97-year-old in a tweet on Friday AEDT. He said he would start treatment on Tuesday.
Mr Dole fought in World War II and lost most use of his right arm and hand after being wounded in battle. He entered politics after returning home, winning a seat in the Kansas legislature before successfully running for the U.S. House and then Senate. In 1976, Mr. Dole was picked as then-President Gerald Ford’s running mate in his unsuccessful re-election bid. After serving as the top Republican in the Senate, Mr. Dole won the GOP presidential nomination in 1996, but lost to Democrat Bill Clinton.
Cameron Stewart4.55pm:Joe Biden faces a major policy challenge
Joe Biden’s push to ease the hardline border security of the Donald Trump era has led to a surge in the number of families trying to illegally enter the US.
The trend looms as one of the first major policy challenges for the new president and coincides with House Democrats introducing Mr Biden’s sweeping immigration bill offering pathways to citizenship for 11 million undocumented migrants. Read more here
Ben Packham4.40pm:China warned about ocean ‘harassment’
Australia will “strongly oppose” Chinese attempts to treat the waters of the East and South China Seas as their own, vowing with Japan, the United States and India to uphold the sovereignty of regional partners. Read more here
Ewin Hannan4.20pm:Shop customers may have to prove vaccination
Employers will be able to require customers and visitors to prove they have been vaccinated as a condition of entry to their premises, new updated guidance by Safe Work Australia about the vaccine rollout says. Read more here
Erin Lyons4pm:Berejiklian reveals when she’ll get vaccination
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says she will wait in line to get the COVID-19 vaccination.
While Scott Morrison plans to get the jab early, in order to show Australians the Pfizer vaccine is safe, Ms Berejiklian will wait her turn, which is likely to align with the availability of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in a couple of weeks.
Both leaders were on the ground at the Royal Prince Alfred Vaccination Hub on Friday to make sure all systems are in place.
Ms Berejiklian reiterated her stance on not making the vaccine mandatory but said “incentives” would be in place, particularly around air travel and hospitality to encourage people to get the jab.
“It will be up to private organisations. I presume airlines might say they want people vaccinated on international flights,” she said.
“Hospitality venues may be able to ease restrictions further if people are vaccinated … there’s a whole range of things, I don’t want to speculate.
“(But) if you look at our track record in NSW, we don’t like to force anyone to do anything.”
The Premier would not elaborate on whether mandating vaccines for hotel quarantine workers will be written into their public health order.
“It’s early days,” she said. “I have overwhelming confidence that the feedback I’ve received from the (workers) that I come into contact (with) is that the vast majority of people working in quarantine systems are enthusiastic it will give them an extra level of protection not just for themselves but for their families.”
— NCA NewsWire
READ MORE:Cancel culture is becoming absurd
Max Maddison3.15pm:PM takes a swipe at Andrews over travel ban
Scott Morrison has taken a swipe at Victoria for suspending overseas arrival, saying the state is offering “zero”, as he lauded NSW for doing “the best job in the world” in managing COVID-19.
After Daniel Andrews locked down Victoria for the third time, halting international arrivals into Melbourne, Mr Morrison and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian took aim at the Labor leader.
“Not sure where Victoria is up to,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“Zero,” Mr Morrison added.
With NSW’s hotel quarantine system handling around 3000 arrivals a week, Mr Morrison heaped praise on NSW and Ms Berejiklian.
“The work I have seen here is as impressive as anywhere you’ll find, I believe, around the world,” Mr Morrison during a tour of Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred hospital on Friday morning.
“Sydney shines on a bright day but it certainly has shined here during the course of this pandemic.”
READ MORE:US set to reach herd immunity by April
Richard Ferguson3.10pm:Senate inquiry ‘proof free speech is strong’
News Corp Australasia chief Michael Miller has told a Senate inquiry into media diversity that the hearing itself ‘is evidence of free speech’. Read more here
Joseph Lam2.45pm:Facebook hit with furious global backlash
International media outlets have lashed Facebook as bully using ’brute force tactics’ over its Australian ban. Read more here
Friday's front page:#delete FACEBOOK#tomorrowspaperstoday#BBCPapers#skypaperspic.twitter.com/pLXn7nOv02
— Metro Newspaper UK (@MetroUKNews) February 18, 2021
Jared Lynch2.30pm:Cochlear repays $25m in JobKeeper funds
Cochlear says returning $25m in government support is the ‘right thing to do’, as it reported improved trading conditions. Read more here
Simon Caterson2.10pm:Ruby Princess ‘cascade of failures’ revealed
A new account of the Ruby Princess debacle exposes the opaque nature of the cruise industry and the enormous cost to our national psyche. Read more here
Patrick Commins1.30pm:Retail recovery extends into the new year
Australia’s COVID-19 boom in retail trade continued as turnover lifted in January, despite a lockdown hitting Queensland spending. Read more here
Rachel Baxendale12.45pm:Vic ‘no closer’ to international arrivals
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says he is no closer to nominating a date for his state to resume taking international arrivals, as he awaits expert advice on hotel quarantine and more infectious strains of the virus.
“I’m not any closer today to being able to nominate a date when international arrivals will begin coming back to Melbourne,” Mr Andrews said on his way in to state parliament on Friday morning.
“We’ve got some medical experts, infection control experts looking at not just quarantine, but our entire response to the UK strain and the dreaded possibility of the South African strain arriving here.
“That is the most appropriate thing to do. I do appreciate that there are large numbers of Australians who want to get home, but we’ve got to make sure that whatever we do is safe.
“It’s appropriate to take the time to look at those things, and as soon as we can update you, we will.
“That’s exactly what I’ve told the PM. I can’t provide a date today, but as soon as I can, I will.”
Asked why the review was taking so long, Mr Andrews said: “It’s not just about looking at hotel quarantine, it’s about looking at many issues in the context of a strain that’s a more infectious strain.”
“It’s an examination of what across the board might need to change because the virus is in fact changing, and that’s not a one or two hour process, that’s not a one day process, it does in fact take time, and I think that Victorians would want me to let the experts have a look across the whole field before we start to have flights come back.”
As The Weekend Australian reported on Saturday, according to the most authoritative source of data on the detailed epidemiology of transmission risk, the UK government executive agency Public Health England, a person who is infected with the UK strain of coronavirus will pass the virus on to 14.7 per cent of their close contacts, compared with 11 per cent for the original Wuhan strain of the virus, meaning the UK strain is roughly 34 per cent more infectious.
Of Victoria’s two most recent UK strain clusters, the first in a hotel quarantine worker at the Grand Hyatt was not transmitted to any other person, despite the man visiting a swathe of exposure sites over a busy weekend in Melbourne’s southeast, while the Holiday Inn cluster of 22 cases has been confined to residents and workers at the quarantine hotel and those who either live or ate a meal with them.
READ MORE:UK variant: false facts are more infectious
Rachel Baxendale12.40pm:‘No obvious’ link between sewage and known Vic cases
Victorian coronavirus testing commander Jeroen Weimar says there are “no obvious connections” between any known positive coronavirus cases and three unexpected detections of viral fragments in sewage from locations in Melbourne’s outer east, outer southeast, and inner southeast.
Victoria’s Department of Health confirmed late on Thursday that viral fragments had been detected at Wantirna South and Boronia, which includes Bayswater, Ferntree Gully, Knoxfield and Tremont in Melbourne’s outer east, Carrum Downs and Skye in the outer southeast, and St Kilda East, Caulfield North, Caulfield, Balaclava and Elsternwick in the inner southeast.
“We have no obvious connections between the new locations that are flagged up and any known positive cases,” Mr Weimar said.
“We are therefore asking people in a couple of areas to be particularly vigilant for any potential symptoms they may have.
“At this point in time it’s an isolated set of detections, so we’re not excessively worried.
Rachel Baxendale12.25pm:Australian Open close contacts released from quarantine
Victorian coronavirus testing commander Jeroen Weimar said more than a third of the 1507 primary close contacts associated with a coronavirus case in a hotel quarantine worker at the Grand Hyatt Australian Open quarantine hotel had been released from isolation after completing 14 days.
“We now have around 942 left,” Mr Weimar said.
“We contacted around 350 people yesterday to stand them down as primary close contacts and that work continues over the coming days.
“When you are a primary close contact, it is a challenging situation.
“You’ll be concerned, of course, not only about your health, but also about the support you need to isolate safely, and my thanks to so many people for doing the hard yards in isolation and I’m glad to see with Grand Hyatt now starting to appear in the rearview mirror, and of course we’re keen to be getting on with our Day 11 testing on the Holiday Inn and, and I’m hopeful of good progress over the next week.”
READ MORE:Socialism skulking under cover of Covid
Rachel Baxendale12.10pm:Holiday Inn cluster reaches 3515 close contacts, all isolated
Victorian Coronavirus Testing Commander Jeroen Weimar said the Holiday Inn outbreak of 22 positive cases now extended to 3515 primary close contacts, all of whom are in isolation.
Of those, 59 are household members and people who attended a private gathering in Coburg, in Melbourne’s north, on February 6, with nine people who have since tested positive for the virus.
Another 1342 close contacts visited known exposure sites, while the remainder are hotel quarantine workers or former residents, or people who visited Melbourne Airport’s Terminal 4 on Tuesday February 9, when a positive case was working at the terminal’s Brunetti cafe.
Mr Weimar said 21,292 test results processed on Thursday brought the total number of tests since the outbreak emerged on February 7 to about 275,000.
Mr Weimar said two of the state’s three latest coronavirus cases linked to the Holiday Inn outbreak had left the hotel, as planned, on Sunday February 7.
It was late that same day that an authorised officer became the first staff member at the hotel to test positive for the virus.
“That was the departure date for all the third floor residents of the Holiday Inn,” Mr Weimar said.
“They were contacted that night, on Sunday night, and identified as casual contacts, given the positive case we identified on Sunday night, and they were then identified as primary close contacts on Tuesday, where we identified the other cases.”
Mr Weimar said the parent and child were among 88 residents who left the Holiday Inn on the 7th of February, all of whom have all been in isolation since then.
“They were all tested on the 10th, on the Wednesday. Most of them returned a negative test result. They’ve now, we have three positive, and we’ll continue those Day 11 tests with the rest of our cohort,” he said.
“It continues to build this picture of this super spreader event on the third floor at the Holiday Inn or the 3rd or 4th of February.
“Their incubation period appears to have been somewhat longer, so they did not test positive on the 10th, so six, seven days after their exposure period, and again, the conversation we’ve had recently, we know that some people will present far later in that 14 day period. That’s why it’s so important we do that Day 11 testing.”
Mr Weimar said all 88 would also be obliged to submit to Day 14 testing.
He said the family had been staying in the same corner of the third floor of the hotel as other residents who have since tested positive.
READ MORE:‘Cascade of failures’ that unleashed disaster
James Madden11.46am:I don’t give direction to editors: News Corp exec chairman
News Corp Australasia executive chairman Michael Miller has told the Senate inquiry into media diversity that, contrary to former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s claims earlier today, News Corp executives do not instruct senior editors on which stories to pursue.
“I don’t give direction to editors,” Mr Miller said.
“Editors choose how and what they publish.”
Adeshola Ore11.37am:Greens move for independent inquiry into rape allegations
Greens Senator Larissa Waters says she will move to establish an independent inquiry into how the government handled the alleged rape of a former Liberal Party staffer.
This morning, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he asked his most senior bureaucrat to “test” whether members of his staff knew about the alleged rape of Brittany Higgins before last Friday, following the publication of an explosive new text message that casts doubt on his timeline of events.
The Australian has reported that one of the Prime Minister’s staffers was “mortified” after learning of an incident involving Ms Higgins in early April 2019.
I will move this motion on Monday, to set up an independent inquiry into who knew what, when about Brittany Higgins’ alleged rape and the coverup of the bungled process that ensued. And how to make sure it never happens again. #auspolpic.twitter.com/8EjDj2w4VD
— Larissa Waters (@larissawaters) February 18, 2021
On Twitter, Senator Waters said she would move a motion in the Senate on Monday to establish a review into “who knew what, when about Brittany Higgins' alleged rape.”
Earlier this week, Labor and the Greens demanded an external review of parliament’s workplace culture, informed by the experience of staff across the political spectrum.
READ MORE: PM to ‘test’ his staff over rape allegations
Joseph Lam11.30am:NSW two new cases, Queensland zero
NSW recorded two new COVID-19 cases overnight among overseas returned travellers.
Fridays marks 33 days since a locally-acquired case of COVID-19 has been transmitted in the state.
NSW recorded no new locally acquired and two overseas-acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night, bringing the total number of cases in NSW since the beginning of the pandemic to 4,956. pic.twitter.com/fvv4SIvXHs
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) February 19, 2021
Testing rates are slowly dropping in NSW recording 16,970 cases overnight, down from
23,463 tests on Wednesday.
Queensland has recorded zero new cases of COVID-19 after conducting 9277 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.
Queensland has seen at 1320 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic, six of which remain active.
Testing numbers reached 1,897,133 today,
Friday 19 February – coronavirus cases in Queensland:
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) February 18, 2021
• 0 new cases
• 6 active cases
• 1,321 total cases
• 1,897,113 tests conducted
Sadly, six Queenslanders with COVID-19 have died. 1,307 patients have recovered.#covid19pic.twitter.com/enyqVhMmA2
READ MORE:US will have herd immunity by April
James Madden11.15am:‘This is democracy working’, News Corp head tells inquiry
News Corp Australasia executive chairman Michael Miller has told a Senate inquiry into media diversity that the hearing itself “is evidence of our nation’s embrace of free speech.”
“It is simply a fact that we are living in the most diverse news media marketplace in Australian history and to deny that is to turn a blind eye to the modern world,” Mr Miller said.
“Surely this committee doesn’t believe real news media needs more controls, more regulation, and more constraint.
“Democracy is messy; it’s a work in progress that relies on the robust and open exchange of news, views and opinions and a recognition that all people have a right to hear a range of views.
“On any given day you will hear people on the ABC highly critical of the views of people on News Corp platforms and those people will be firing back.
“This is not democracy failing, this is democracy working. “
Richard Ferguson11.12am:‘Without fact’: News Corp head lashes Rudd claims
News Corp Australia executive chairman Michael Miller has lashed former prime minister Kevin Rudd’s claims the company has a “nearly 100 per cent print monopoly” in Queensland, accusing the ex-Labor leader of misleading a senate inquiry and ignoring facts.
Mr Rudd told a senate inquiry into media diversity on Friday morning that a royal commission into the media partly because of the market power of News Corp Australia, publisher of The Australian.
Mr Miller hit back at the former prime minister at the inquiry later on Friday, and said News Corp only prints six newspaper titles in Queensland and does not have the monopoly he claimed.
“Not only are they misleading, they are without fact. He repeatedly says that News Corp has 100% of print in Queensland. There are 46 newspapers printed in Queensland. News Corp prints six of them,” Mr Miller told the senate.
“I think he has misled this committee with his submission and assertions.”
Mr Miller told the senate inquiry that its very existence was evidence that Mr Rudd’s views were free to be aired despite his complaints about News Corp.
“This inquiry is evidence of our nation’s embrace of free speech. A former Prime Minister’s objections to News Corp, who then mobilised his social media followers, is in a large part why we’re here,” he said.
“I do respect, and I’ll defend the former PM’s right to hold his views. I suspect his problem might be that he only respects those views that agree with his.”
Rachel Baxendale 10.55am:Vic cases all from Holiday Inn
Victoria’s three latest coronavirus cases are a two parents and their child, two of whom were quarantined at Melbourne Airport’s Holiday Inn after returning from overseas, Health Minister Martin Foley has confirmed.
Mr Foley says the two were previous residents on level three of the hotel, where hotel workers and two other residents caught the UK strain of the virus from another recently arrived family of three.
“One member of the household, who was not at the Holiday Inn, was considered a secondary contact and had been isolating with the … other family members,” Mr Foley said.
“All three had negative tests – multiple negative tests – between the 10th and 12th of February.
“All have been quarantining at home during their infectious periods.
“The family took their day 11 test at a drive through site close to their home yesterday and, as a result, returned that (positive) test.
“Initial reports and interviews were underway last night and those interviews have continued today.”
READ MORE:Quarantine plans not on menu
Adeshola Ore10.50am:PM calls on Facebook to ‘come to table’
Scott Morrison says the federal government is calling on Facebook to “come back to the table” and engage with the government’s media bargaining code following its sweeping ban of news content in Australia.
On Thursday, Facebook announced its decision to ban both users and publishers from sharing or viewing news content, citing Australia’s proposed media bargaining code which it said “fundamentally misunderstands the relationship between our platform and publishers”. The legislation, which passed in the House of Representatives this week, is due to be debated in the Senate next week.
“Come back to the table and we will sort it out. Our record as a government is resolve,” the Prime Minister said.
“I would just say to Facebook, this is Australia, if you want to do business here, you work
according to our rules.”
Mr Morrison said the government would listen to “technical issues” of the legislation as it had done with Google to reach a “sensible arrangement.”
News Corp has become the latest publisher to sign a deal with Google. Earlier in the week, Nine and Seven West also reached deals with the tech giant.
READ MORE: New balls, please Josh
Richard Ferguson10.40am:Facebook ban ‘proof of monopoly abuse’
Former prime minister Kevin Rudd says Facebook’s ban on Australian news content has strengthened the need for a royal commission into the media.
Mr Rudd told a senate inquiry said the sweeping ban – which also captured state health and fire services, domestic violence prevention hotlines, and retailers – was proof any monopoly in the media market was open to abuse.
“I don’t want Facebook determining my future, I don’t want Murdoch determining my future,” he said.
“Monopoly of itself is wrong, in principle. Whether it’s in politics, whether it’s in the economy or whether it’s in the news media of any form.”
READ MORE:‘Assault' an act of madness
Adeshola Ore10.35am:PM: DPMC to probe Higgins texts
Scott Morrison has not ruled out that his office were aware of the alleged rape of a former Liberal Party staffer in 2019.
The Australian has reported on new text messaging which reveals one of the Prime Minister’s staffers was “mortified” after learning of an incident involving Brittany Higgins in early April 2019. In the text message, the Prime Minister’s staffer said he would alert the chief of staff about the incident involving Ms Higgins. Mr Morrison said his office first found out about the alleged rape last Friday, despite Ms Higgins claiming that three of his staff members had prior knowledge of the incident.
On Friday, Mr Morrison said the secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet would investigate the reports as part of their investigation into the alleged incident.
“We have had that conversation this morning and I would expect that to be considered in the scope of what he is already doing,” he said.
“If there was anything different here, I would like to know.”
READ MORE:New texts put spotlight on PMO
Richard Ferguson10.30am:Rudd: Nine Newspapers now centre, hard right
Former prime minister Kevin Rudd has declared Nine Newspapers are now “centre-right” and Guardian Australia is in the “centre” in his testimony to a senate inquiry into media diversity.
Mr Rudd is calling for a royal commission into the media and has attacked News Corp Australia, the publisher of The Australian, several times in his testimony.
The ex-Labor prime minister also said Nine Newspapers – including The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, and The Australian Financial Review – are now centre or hard right in his view.
“It’s fair to say that what is now Nine Newspapers – The Sydney Morning Herald, and The Age certainly – I would put them in a centre right category,” Mr Rudd told the senate inquiry.
“And how do you how do you reach that as a barometer of judgment? Simply editorial opinion on critical questions.
“For example, on industrial relations and other such as the editorial position, the Australian Financial Review it’s pretty hard right position.
“You go to the other non physical paper which was the Guardian, which would range between the centre and center left.”
READ MORE:Facebook tactics backfire
Adeshola Ore10.20am:PM to get jab ‘very soon’
Scott Morrison says he will receive the Pfizer COVID vaccine “very, very soon” in a bid to encourage Australians that the jabs are safe.
“In the first round I will take the Pfizer vaccine and so will my Chief Medical Officer,” he said.
Mr Morrison said NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Health Minister Greg Hunt would receive the AstraZeneca vaccine.
“These are all great vaccines. They’re not better than each other but it is important for us as leaders – and this is my health advice that I demonstrate – I’m happy to get it, I think it is important people understand it is safe.”
“There is no way I can say that more than rolling up my sleeve and getting the vaccination.”
READ MORE: Hillsong founder’s shock decision
Adeshola Ore 10.12am:PM: TGA to approve AstraZeneca vaccine next month
Scott Morrison says he hopes the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s approval of the locally-made AstraZeneca vaccine by CSL will occur in the next month.
“I can assure you I won’t be doing anything that would seek to place any undue pressure on them going through the proper medical process that they should follow,” he said.
“Our Therapeutic Goods Administration is the world standard and that is critical to Australians having confidence.”
This week, the TGA’s granted provisional approval for AstraZeneca Pty Ltd for its COVID-19 vaccine, making it the second COVID-19 vaccine to receive regulatory approval in Australia.
Adeshola Ore10.07am:PM: government plan vaccine passports
Scott Morrison says the federal government is working with “international partners” to investigate how to plan vaccine passports, as the country prepares for the Pfizer vaccine rollout to begin on Monday.
The federal government has announced that digital vaccination certificates will be created through the Medicare app as a permanent record of Australian’s vaccinations.
“This is a process we’re still working with international partners with. And what we want is a proper accreditation process which can load up into that system,” the Prime Minister said.
“It’s about getting a level of confidence across many jurisdictions to enable that outcome,” he said.
Mr Morrison said the imported AstraZeneca vaccine will arrive in Australia “very soon”
This week, the The Therapeutic Goods Administration granted provisional approval for the AstraZeneca COVID vaccine, making it the second COVID-19 vaccine to receive regulatory approval in Australia.
“We are looking forward to the arrival of the AstraZeneca vaccines in Australia very soon,” he said. “Then it will follow the same process for preparing for its rollout as it has with the Pfizer vaccine. We’re close”.
READ MORE: Aged care first jab off the rank
Rachel Baxendale10.05am:Foley, Weimar address media at 10.30am
Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley and Testing Commander Jeroen Weimar are due to address the media at 10:30am.
The press conference comes after three new coronavirus cases were confirmed on Friday morning, all of which have been linked to the Holiday Inn cluster and are in people the Health Department says have been in isolation throughout their infectious period.
It also follows the detection of viral fragments in sewage in Melbourne’s south and east.
The Health Department confirmed late on Thursday that weak detections of viral fragments had been picked up in a wastewater sample collected on February 15 from the Wantirna South and Boronia area in Melbourne’s east, and in samples collected on 16 February in the Carrum Downs and Langwarrin area, in the outer southeast and in the St Kilda, Caulfield and Caulfield North area, in the inner southeast.
Anyone who has any symptoms of COVID-19 is urged to get tested, especially if they live in or have visited one of these areas during these periods:
– Wantirna South or Boronia from 13 to 15 February (includes parts of Bayswater, Ferntree Gully, Knoxfield and Tremont)
– Carrum Downs or Langwarrin from 13 to 16 February (includes parts of Skye)
– St Kilda East or Caulfield North from 13 to 16 February (includes parts of Balaclava, Caulfield and Elsternwick)
“Fragments of the virus detected in wastewater may be due to a person with COVID-19 being in the early active infectious phase or it could be because someone is continuing to shed the virus after the early infectious period,” the Health Department said.
READ MORE:Swedes told shutdown on cards
Joseph Lam10.00am:Union chief lashes ‘irresponsible’ Facebook
The president of Australia’s peak media union says Facebook’s move to ban news content from Australian viewers was “incredibly irresponsible”.
Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance’s Marcus Strom told the BBC it was clear the social media giant was trying to avoid abiding by Australian law.
#MEAAmedia President @strom_m spoke to @BBCWorld about Facebook's shocking decision to block all news in Australia today. pic.twitter.com/rVN62itKby
— MEAA (@withMEAA) February 18, 2021
“The idea that you have free internet and monopoly power in an interesting one to hold at the same time,” he said.
“This is a global tech giant flexing its monopoly power and trying to avoid abiding by the laws of Australia.”
Mr Strom said the laws were simple and would set a standard globally.
“This is not just about Australia, this is about precedent globally,” he said.
“In the United States Facebook is facing investigation by the US trade commission.
“Technology companies should just pay a little bit back from the advertising revenues that they’ve been hoovering up over the last 10, 15 years.”
The union applauded deals Google had made in recent weeks.
READ MORE:Facebook ‘pulls the big guns out’
Adeshola Ore9.50am:SA Libs forced into minority
South Australia’s Liberal government has been plunged into a minority after Liberal MP Fraser Ellis revealed he had been charged following an investigation by the state’s anti-corruption body.
In a late-night parliamentary sitting, the first-term MP told parliament he had been charged with offences stemming from a recent investigation by the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption.
Mr Ellis said he would suspend his Liberal membership and move to the crossbench, leaving the Marshall Liberal government with 23 out of 47 seats lower house seats.
Mr Ellis said he was “completely innocent” and would be “vigorously defending” the allegations.
The member for Narungga was one of several MPs investigated by ICAC over their use of the Country Members’ Accommodation Allowance.
READ the full story
Richard Ferguson9.40am: Rudd speaks against media bargaining code
Former prime minister Kevin Rudd has come out against the Morrison government’s media bargaining code, saying it will “entrench” Australia’s concentrated media market.
Facebook’s sweeping ban on Australian news content in response to the proposed code has caught up both major media companies and dozens of smaller outfits in the last day.
Mr Rudd – who wants a royal commission into the media – told a senate inquiry into media diversity on Friday morning that the code may have merits, but he believes it is too beneficial for major media companies, especially News Corp Australia.
“The digital media bargaining code does not address the fundamentals of the existing media monopoly in this country which is Murdoch,” he said.
“In fact, the actions taken entrench the powers of the existing Murdoch media monopolies – whatever the merits or demerits may be of the regime which has been proposed for both Google and Facebook.”
Mr Rudd has pursued a campaign against News Corp Australia, the publisher of The Australian, for many months and pushed the petition which sparked the senate inquiry.
READ MORE: Unsocial network blocks millions
Adeshola Ore9.00am:Albanese: Texts cast doubt on PM claims
Anthony Albanese says newly revealed text messages between a former Liberal Party staffer who alleges she was raped in a ministerial office and a Prime Minister’s staffer cast doubt over when Scott Morrison’s office knew about the alleged incident.
The Australian has reported on new text messaging which reveals one of the Prime Minister’s staffers was “mortified” after learning of an incident involving Brittany Higgins in early April 2019. In the text message, the Prime Minister’s staffer said he would alert the chief of staff about the incident involving Ms Higgins.
“It completely contradicts what the Prime Minister has said,” the Opposition Leader told the ABC.
“It’s just incomprehensible that the Prime Minister’s Office, given a reported sexual assault had occurred 50m from his office, wouldn’t have then had a discussion about handling the
issues, and about what needed to be done in terms of a response.”
Mr Morrison said his office first found out about the alleged rape last Friday, despite Ms Higgins claiming that three of his staff members had prior knowledge of the incident.
READ MORE: Text puts PMO in spotlight
Richard Ferguson9.00am: Media diversity inquiry set to start
Senior executives from News Corp Australia and the Nine Network will front the senate on Friday morning as an inquiry into Australian media diversity gets underway.
A day after Facebook launched a sweeping ban on Australian media content, News Corp Australia chairman Michael Miller and ex-Nine chief executive Hugh Marks will be asked by senators about the current state of the nation’s media and the challenges facing it.
The media diversity inquiry – led by Greens senator Sarah Hanson Young – was called off the back of a petition to parliament calling for a royal commission into the media.
The Australian revealed late last year that petition was infiltrated by overseas cyber actors who littered it with fake and absurd names like “Jesus Christ”, “nacho nacho”, and “this sucks.”
Former prime minister Kevin Rudd – who pushed the royal commission petition – will also appear in front of the senate inquiry.
READ MORE: We must de-claw Facebook and set example to world
Rachel Baxendale8.55am:Victoria high risk workers to receive first jabs
Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley has confirmed workers most likely to come into direct contact with a suspected coronavirus case will be the first Victorians vaccinated from Monday under the federal government’s COVID-19 vaccination program.
“Following arrival of the vaccine, from Monday, trained Victorian health professionals will start delivering doses of the Pfizer vaccine to hotel quarantine and health hotel workers, airport and port workers, high-risk frontline health staff and public sector residential aged care staff and residents,” Mr Foley said.
“Public health services operating hospital vaccination ‘hubs’ will administer the Pfizer vaccines at dedicated hospital facilities, hotel quarantine settings, Melbourne Airport, or through mobile outreach teams.”
Mr Foley revealed three hospitals: Austin Heath in Melbourne’s northeast, Monash Health in the southeast, and Western Health in the west would deliver the initial vaccines to Victoria’s most at-risk workers, with Monash receiving assistance from Alfred Health in Melbourne’s inner southeast.
Victoria’s hospital vaccination hubs will deliver the vaccine to public sector residential aged care patients and workers, with the federal government taking responsibility for providing the vaccine to residents and workers in private sector aged and disability care.
Barwon Health in Geelong will begin its public sector residential aged care program from next week, but the rollout will not begin in other regional centres including Albury-Wodonga, Ballarat, Bendigo, Shepparton and Traralgon for another few weeks.
Barwon Health is expected to trial and outreach model to be adopted by the other regional hospitals, as well as vaccinating port of entry workers based in Portland, in Victoria’s far southwest.
The Commonwealth has allocated 12,000 initial doses of the Pfizer vaccine for use at the hospital vaccination hubs in the first week of the program, with 59,000 doses of the vaccine expected to be provided to Victoria over the first four weeks.
Rachel Baxendale8.40am:Victoria records three new local cases
Victoria has recorded three new locally acquired cases of coronavirus in the 24 hours to Friday.
However, the Health Department says all three are linked to the Holiday Inn outbreak “and have been isolating at home during their infectious period”.
Yesterday there were 3 local cases reported and 0 in hotel quarantine. Thanks to all who were tested: 21,292 test results were received. #EveryTestHelps. More later: https://t.co/lIUrl1hf3W#COVID19Vic#Covid19VicDatapic.twitter.com/opcvwvhfSJ
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) February 18, 2021
The latest figures come after 21,292 tests were processed on Thursday.
They bring the total number of cases linked to the Holiday Inn outbreak to 22, and the total number of known active cases in Victoria to 27.
Yesterday there were 3 local cases reported and 0 in hotel quarantine. Thanks to all who were tested: 21,292 test results were received. #EveryTestHelps. More later: https://t.co/lIUrl1hf3W#COVID19Vic#Covid19VicDatapic.twitter.com/opcvwvhfSJ
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) February 18, 2021
Adeshola Ore8.30am:PM’s claims over alleged staffer rape ‘less than persuasive’
Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has said Scott Morrison’s claims that his office only became aware of the alleged rape of a former Liberal Party staffer last Friday are “less than persuasive.”
The Australian has reported on new text messaging which reveals one of the Prime Minister’s staffers was “mortified” after learning of an incident involving Brittany Higgins in early April 2019 – casting doubt over whether senior members of the Prime Minister’s office found out only last Friday about the alleged rape in a ministerial suite.
Speaking in parliament on Thursday, Mr Morrison stood by his timeline that his office first found out about the alleged rape last Friday, despite Ms Higgins claiming that three of his staff members had prior knowledge of the incident.
“For me, it’s a bit like what Malcolm Turnbull has said, it doesn’t ring true when you have a case of such gravity, involving this young woman, who is alleging rape in a ministerial office that this would not of immediately been informed and provided as a report to the Prime Minister’s chief of staff,” Mr Rudd told the ABC.
“The processes that I would see that would be normally in place is that immediately, if such an event occurred, in a government that I led, then the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, as the chief staffer of the entire operation, would have been mandatorily advised.”
READ MORE: Text messages put PM’s office in spotlight
Jared Lynch8.25am:Big business rallies behind vaccination program
Corporate Australia is beginning its own COVID-19 vaccine information programs to help stave off further costly lockdowns and protect workforces against a virus that is predicted to linger in the community for years to come.
As Victoria, the nation’s second-biggest state economy, reels from its third lockdown — which ended on Wednesday night after five days — Australia’s biggest companies are throwing their full support behind the Morrison government’s efforts to vaccinate as many Australians as possible.
From Monday, the first Pfizer jabs will be administered to frontline health workers and border and quarantine staff, as well as some of the most vulnerable members in the community.
For most other Australians, they will begin to be inoculated with the AstraZeneca vaccine from early next month.
Wesfarmers chief executive Rob Scott said the COVID-19 vaccinations would help to catapult the country back to some kind of normality.
“Confidence is fragile so rolling out the vaccine we think will help with both consumer and business confidence,” Mr Scott told The Australian.
“I think it is hard to know, but there is no doubt that as the vaccine is rolled out and as we see fewer of the serious health risks associated with COVID, which the vaccines are meant to help, then there will clearly be a boost to confidence.
READ the full story
Ticky Fullerton8.10am: Ban proves Facebook another publisher
In his blunt action to delete news from the Facebook platform, Mark Zuckerberg has demonstrated beyond doubt that Facebook is a publisher.
By choosing the pages it wants to display for the public, Facebook’s behaviour goes to the heart of what is it to be a publisher — curation.
Facebook’s decision to ban individuals as well as news sends a capital letter message about how the company sees its users.
Early on Thursday, West Australian Opposition Leader Zak Kirkup, three weeks out from the state election, found his Facebook page wiped. That is interfering in elections, or at least for a publisher it would be, whether inadvertent or not.
Emergency services in the west, plagued by fires, were blindsided as they too had pages wiped off the platform.
Regardless of how much “news” is returned to the platform, as Facebook refines just who and what news is still good for posting, Facebook is curating.
Facebook is the second US tech giant to threaten the Australian government in less than a month as the media code heads to the Senate for approval.
READ the full story
Joseph Lam8.00am:ACT set for new COVID-19 normal
Some argue the great Australian tradition is to stand at the pub bar and have a beer with friends and family. From Saturday, residents in the ACT will do just.
As the ACT further eases COVID-19 restrictions, the state hopes to introduce a new COVID-19 normal.
Under eased restrictions, Canberrans will be able to stand up to enjoy a beer both indoors and outdoors at pubs, venues will be allowed to have 25 people or one per two square metres, enclosed outdoor venues with grandstands and tiered seating can operate at 100 per cent capacity and cinemas and indoor venues will be allowed up to 75 per cent capacity.
Events and gatherings will be allowed to host up to 500 people under the new rules. Events with between 501 and 1000 people will need to notify ACT police and events with over 1000 people will require an exemption.
Joseph Lam7.30am: Frydenberg, Zuckerberg to speak again today
Josh Frydenberg will again speak to Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg on Friday following the social media giant’s decision to ban news in Australia.
This will be the third time the Federal Treasurer will speak to Mr Zuckerberg this week following conversations on Sunday and again on Thursday as the news ban was rolled out.
Mr Frydenberg said the pair had exchanged messages on Thursday following the ban which he described as “heavy handed” and damaging to Facebook’s reputation in Australia.
Mr Frydenberg told Sunrise on Friday that in Australia “we are in the middle of a digital revolution”.
“The rest of the world’s eyes are looking upon Australia because they know it’s a very important issue,” he said.
“This is a very important issue.
“It’s about levelling the playing field; it’s about seeing journalists for rewarding original content.”
Mr Frydenberg said the announcement of deals with Google earlier in the week were a “result of positive negotiation”.
READ MORE:Ban sweeps up domestic violence, emergency sites
Joseph Lam6.35am:WHO probes other animals over virus beginnings
World Health Organization inspectors have found that ferret badgers and rabbits are able to carry COVID-19 and were sold at a Chinese market where many early cases emerged.
As WHO continues to probe the origin of the pandemic it says further investigation is needed into the suppliers of animals at the Wuhan market.
Some animals have been linked to a region of China near southeast Asian borders where the closest known relatives of the virus have been found in bats, Wall Street Journal reported.
WHO are yet to learn all species of animals sold at the market and whether they were alive or dead and sold legally.
While the Wuhan market remains the centre of the investigation, it is not yet known whether the virus was transmitted from an animal to people or whether it originated from elsewhere.
READ MORE: Biological weapons lab ‘leaked virus’
Geoff Chambers5.45am:Big business receives net zero emissions rocket
Energy Minister Angus Taylor has warned Australia’s biggest companies that they must be more transparent in outlining and achieving plans to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, as the government prepares to name and shame businesses that fail to deliver on commitments.
In a letter to the chief executives of every ASX200 business, Mr Taylor outlined reporting obligations under the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting scheme overseeing emissions pledges by corporations.
Ahead of the Clean Energy Regulator releasing a discussion paper on Friday about establishing an annual Corporate Emissions Reduction Transparency report, Mr Taylor told 530 businesses, including the big four banks, mining giants and insurance firms, that the government expected transparency and accountability.
“Many Australian businesses are making ambitious commitments to reduce emissions. Our shared challenge is to translate commitments and ambition into real and tangible outcomes,” he wrote. “This requires a practical plan, and a commitment to transparency and accountability.”
READ the full story
Olivia Caisley 5.30am: Aged care first off the jab rank
Hundreds of aged-care centres in more than 200 towns across the nation will start administering coronavirus jabs from next week in the largest vaccination exercise in Australia’s history.
Health Minister Greg Hunt on Thursday said a team of 500 specialist nurses would be deployed around Australia to help administer the first tranche of Pfizer vaccines to the elderly, with frontline healthcare and aged-care workers next in line.
He said phase “1a” of the rollout would involve three priority groups, including aged-care and disability residents and staff, quarantine and border workers, and frontline health workers.
Priority will be given to aged-care centres, with 250 homes receiving 30,000 doses, and hotel quarantine, with 50,000 units allocated for those workers.
There will be 16 Pfizer hubs, where priority quarantine and health workers will be able to get the vaccine; 60,000 doses are set aside for second injections and as a precaution against a break in the supply chain from the EU.
READ the full story
Oliver Moody5.15am:Swedes told shutdown is on cards
Sweden has warned that it could be forced to shut down shopping centres, restaurants, gyms and swimming pools as it attempts to ward off a third wave.
Those who break Swedish coronavirus rules could also be fined $300 in the first serious penalty for violating restrictions, the government announced.
The country’s infection rate has dropped substantially since the peak of the second wave in December, but progress has ground to a halt and appears to have gone into reverse in some parts of the country. It emerged on Wednesday that the number of cases in Stockholm had risen by almost a quarter within a week.
“I know we all feel a strong yearning for normality,” Swedish Health Minister Lena Hallengren said. “But the situation in Sweden is still serious. The infections are spreading at a fast rate.
“There is a significant risk of a third wave of infections. We have no information about the shutdowns today … but it’s clear that we don’t want to wait until it’s too late.”
Sweden has largely avoided the lockdown measures that have been imposed across most of Europe. It has recorded 12,569 COVID-19 deaths, a per capita mortality rate ten times higher than Norway and Finland, and roughly the same as France’s.
READ the full story
Additional reporting: Adeshola Ore
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