PoliticsNow: Olympians get early access to vaccines; Pause on all flights from India until May 15
More than 2,000 athletes and support staff heading to Tokyo will be vaccinated before the Games; India flights paused until May 15.
- AusPost hearing ‘a shambles’
- Aussies seek to leave India
- Energy chief quits in coal row
- Calls for Boris to resign
Welcome to our rolling political coverage amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Scott Morrison has announced a pause on all flights to Australia from India until May 15.
West Australian Premier Mark McGowan has questioned why returned travellers from India are arriving covid positive with certificates saying they do not have the virus.
The appearance of all Australia Post board members before a Senate inquiry into Christine Holgate’s ousting postal service has been branded an “absolute shambles”.
Paige Taylor 9.30pm: Voice ‘a far cry’ from Uluru Statement: ALP
Labor says that although it will not oppose the Morrison government’s plan for a legislated Indigenous voice, it is a far cry from the one called for in the landmark Uluru Statement from the Heart.
Distinguished Indigenous academics Marcia Langton and Tom Calma have overseen detailed work on the proposed design of the voice and will soon lead a senior advisory group as it considers what Australians have said about it in public consultations.
Labor leader Anthony Albanese and Indigenous Affairs spokeswoman Linda Burney reiterated their plan for a constitutionally enshrined voice at Uluru on Tuesday ahead of the fourth anniversary of the National Constitutional Convention. Held at Uluru, the convention resulted in the famous call for “Voice, Treaty, Truth”.
Tom Dusevic8.45pm: Hunt pans scrutiny of top health experts
Health Minister Greg Hunt has warned frequent parliamentary scrutiny of top officials is detracting from their ability to manage the COVID-19 vaccine rollout and the broader health crisis.
In a letter on Tuesday to the chair of the Senate Select Committee on COVID-19, Labor’s Katy Gallagher, Mr Hunt said he was “concerned that recent demands on the Department of Health are detracting too much from their daily responsibilities”.
“In particular, two hearings with senior officials in less than two weeks is a significant commitment of time taken away from their focus on the vaccine rollout which is crucial to the health and prosperity of Australians,” Mr Hunt wrote.
Ellie Dudley 8.10pm: Novavax vaccine by September: Murphy
The federal government expects the Novavax vaccine to be available in Australia by September, Health Secretary Brendan Murphy says.
The Novavax vaccine is yet to be approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration, but Dr Murphy said it would arrive in Australia by Quarter 3.
“We might see some by Quarter 3, which would be my recollection, it’s September, but it could even be August. All (Novavax are) saying is that they’re confident of giving us some,” he said.
Ellie Dudley 8pm: No plan to vaccinate stranded Aussies
The federal government does not plan to organise the vaccination of stranded Aussies before they board a flight home, Health Secretary Brendan Murphy says.
“That would be a very complex logistical issue to actually source vaccines,” Dr Murphy told a hearing for the Senate Select Committee on COVID-19 on Tuesday.
Committee chair Katy Gallagher suggested it could offset some of the risk associated with the hotel quarantine program, Dr Murphy said “it is not being pursued at the moment.”
Ellie Dudley 7.45pm:Government ‘happy’ with hotel quarantine
The federal government is “happy” with the way the hotel quarantine system is being conducted, according to chief medical officer Paul Kelly.
“There is always going to be breaches, and there has to be ways that we can improve on that,” he told a hearing for the Senate Select Committee on COVID-19 on Tuesday.
“We are happy. Yes, we are working with the states ... to continue to have this as the best quarantine system in the world.”
Health Secretary Brendan Murphy said there are “no existing options” that would be appropriate to house returning travellers at this time.
Ellie Dudley7.30pm: Children key to herd immunity: Kelly
It will be “difficult” to achieve her immunity if children are not vaccinated, chief medical officer Paul Kelly says.
Herd immunity occurs when a large portion of a community becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration is yet to approve the use of COVID-19 vaccines in children, which take up 30 per cent of the Australian population.
Professor Kelly said more than 70 per cent of Australians must be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity.
“The more people that are vaccinated, the more protection we have as a community,” he said on Tuesday night.
“It’s true that with the proportion of of the Australian community who were at a younger age who currently can’t be vaccinated... they could be able to recreate outbreaks in Australia, even if we got to a very high rate of vaccination.”
Ellie Dudley7.20pm: Murphy dismisses fears over pregnant women
Health Secretary Brendan Murphy has quashed the suggestion that the COVID-19 vaccine could cause adverse outcomes for pregnant women.
“The ATAGI (Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation) advice is that at the moment there’s no evidence that any of the vaccines have any adverse impact on pregnancy,” Dr Murphy told a Senate Select Committee on COVID-19 hearing on Tuesday.
“There has been quite a bit of vaccination of people who turned out to be pregnant in the UK.”
He added that pregnant women should discuss any concerns with their doctor.
Ellie Dudley7.15pm:Better PPE won’t stop hotel infections: Kelly
Improving the PPE of hotel quarantine workers will not necessarily stop the transmission of COVID-19 within facilities, chief medical officer Paul Kelly says.
At a Senate Select Committee on COVID-19 hearing on Tuesday night, limited protection for hotel quarantine workers was blamed for infections in a Perth hotel last week.
Professor Kelly said: “That’s only part of the protective mechanism.”
“There can be holes in each of the protections, as long as they don’t line up you’re going to be fine.
“There’s a whole range of things you can do to protect people within the hotel quarantine environment, including arrival numbers, pre-departure attention testing, good hotel infrastructure, good ventilation in the hotels, post-arrival testing.”
He repeated that health authorities “expect” tranmission to occur in quarantine, but are working to help stop it from spreading into the community.
Ellie Dudley7.10pm: No plans for new quarantine program: Kelly
Purpose-built quarantine facilities are not being planned as an alternative to the hotel program, Chief medical officer Paul Kelly says.
The proposed purpose-built facilities would be similar to the program in Howard Springs. However, Professor Kelly said there were no plans to build more.
“In terms of looking at alternatives to (hotel quarantine), that would be a decision of the government to go down those lines,” Professor Kelly told a Senate Select Committee on COVID-19 hearing on Tuesday evening.
“We’ve provided, and through the AHPPC, as well as directly from me, advice to government about how to make quarantine safe.”
Professor Kelly said health authorities “expect” transmission within hotel quarantine but aim to stop the spread throughout the public.
“The important thing is that it doesn’t transmit outside of quarantine,” he said. “And then, if it does, that it’s picked up quickly.”
Ellie Dudley6.50pm: Concerns over low weekend vaccine numbers
The federal Health department has been criticised for low vaccination numbers on the weekends.
Chair of the Select Committee on COVID-19 Katy Gallagher highlighted the fact no vaccinations were recorded in aged care and disability facilities over the Anzac Day weekend.
Health Department associate secretary Caroline Edwards said: “There are reduced numbers on Saturday and Sunday.”
Health Secretary Brendan Murphy said many aged care facilities hesitated to allow vaccinations over the weekend.
“We did find, senator, that many aged care facilities were very reluctant to allow us to vaccinate on weekends, because they felt they have different staffing structures,” he said.
When Senator Gallagher pointed out that COVID-19 can still spread on weekends, Professor Murphy said: “Fortunately it’s not circulating in our community just at the moment.”
READ MORE: Elite club trousers $2m Covid subsidy
Ellie Dudley 6.11pm: Olympians granted access to Covid vaccines
Olympic athletes and support staff heading to Tokyo will be prioritised to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, national cabinet announced on Tuesday.
The group will receive the jab under group 1b of the coronavirus vaccine rollout, alongside groups including critical and high-risk workers who are employed and elderly people aged 80 and over.
Supplies of the COVID-19 vaccine will be made available to about 2050 Australians identified by the Australian Olympic Committee and Paralympics Australia.
Minister for Health and Aged Care Greg Hunt said: “We want to see our athletes head to Tokyo to compete and then return to Australia safely.”
The AOC said the news provided comfort and certainty for athletes and officials travelling to Tokyo to represent Australia.
“My personal thanks to Health Minister Greg Hunt and Sports Minister Richard Colbeck for their support and commitment — and of course to national cabinet for making this important decision,” CEO Matt Carroll said.
“There will be hundreds of very grateful athletes, coaches and their families relieved to know that their hard work over five years has been worth it. This added layer of assurance is what they were seeking.”
Associate Health Secretary Caroline Edwards told a Senate Select Committee on COVID-19 hearing on Tuesday night she had yet to see the press release, but believed the athletes would be categorised in phase 1b as “Australians deployed overseas”.
“Obviously going to Japan, they will be mixing with people from many other nations,” she said, defending the decision.
Committee chair Katy Gallagher raised concerns the Olympians would be vaccinated before others who need the vaccine.
“I’m not really disputing the vaccination, I’m thinking that they are going to get vaccinated ahead of other other priority groups,” she said.
Ellie Dudley5.43pm:Perth hotel ‘shouldn’t have been used for quarantine’
President of the Australian Medical Association Omar Khorshid says the Perth Mercure Hotel at the centre of WA’s latest lockdown should not have been used as a hotel quarantine facility.
Transmission occurred within the hotel last week between guests within the hotel, eventually plunging the Perth and Peel regions into a three-day lockdown.
Documents released by the state government revealed ventilation within the 1970s hotel had been identified on April 8 as the riskiest among WA’s 10 quarantine hotels.
Dr Khorshid said it was “very frustrating” that the lockdown could have been prevented.
“We understand that the hotel was due to be closed, that it’s not used for that purpose anymore, but that decision, hadn’t been enacted yet,” he told a hearing for the Senate’s Select Committee on COVID-19 on Tuesday.
“That is very frustrating, I think, for Western Australians given the very clear evidence from the government itself, that it could have been prevented if it had been a little faster and following the advice.”
READ MORE: Hotel quarantine offer a lifeline
Ellie Dudley 5.23pm: AMA highlights concerns on vaccine indemnity
The Australian Medical Association President Omar Khorshid has highlighted concerns around vaccine indemnity, calling on the federal government to “resolve the issue.”
Dr Khorshid said it was “likely” general practitioners who are administering COVID-19 vaccines could be sued by anyone injured in the process of getting the vaccine.
“In other countries, the practitioners that are participating are formally indemnified by the government. That’s not the case here in Australia,” he told a hearing for the Senate’s Select Committee on COVID-19 on Tuesday.
“That gap is covered in their individual interactions with patients, and there’s no risk to patients here, but there is a risk to our indemnity industry.”
Dr Khorshid called on the federal government to provide “more appropriate” quarantine facilities for returning Australians.
“We believe Australia needs better access, particularly during this pandemic, to purpose-designed quarantine facilities,” Dr Khorshid said.
“At the end of the day it’s, it’s about achieving the appropriate separation to avoid contamination... in particular, avoiding transmission of any infectious disease to the staff providing care.”
Dr Khorshid suggested quarantine facilities be moved to the “outskirts” of major cities, to avoid spreading the virus and consequent lockdowns.
“It’s been suggested, and we would agree, that the outskirts of major cities may be places where you could build an appropriate facility that would have access to health care but not within our CBD environment,” he said.
“(Not in) our high rise building type environment where it’s much more difficult to ensure the separation between people.”
READ MORE: Dying in the streets as hospitals swamped
Staff Reporters4.55pm:How the global fight against the virus is tracking
Ellie Dudley4.35pm:The latest Covid-19 vaccination numbers
A total of 1,969,337 vaccine doses have been administered across Australia, with 32,037 people getting the jab over the past 24 hours.
The federal government has given 1,226,431 doses, 22,163 of which were administered on Monday.
NSW continues to lead the pack of states and territories in the number of doses given, having administered 195,007 in total.
Victoria (191,644) follows close behind and Queensland (137,087) shortly after that.
Under the 100,000 dose mark is WA (89,571), Tasmania (34,295), SA (54,273) and the ACT (25,979).
The NT is rounding up the end of the group at 15,050 doses.
Jane Golley4.20pm:Academic clarifies comments on Uighur abuse
I am extremely concerned that my comments, centred on threats to academic freedom and the need to assess evidence, may have offended the many Uighurs I have no doubt are suffering. Read more here
Staff Reporters3.50pm:Albanese says Australians now ‘trapped’ overseas
The federal Opposition Leader has responded to the suspension of flights from India, urging Scott Morrison to come up with a national quarantine system.
An estimated 10,000 Australian citizens and permanent residents stranded in India. With the pausing of flights, they are now trapped.
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) April 27, 2021
The Morrison Government has failed to provide a national quarantine system. If hotels aren't suitable, they need to build an alternative.
Ellie Dudley3.30pm:Premier Palaszczuk backs PM’s India move
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has praised Scott Morrison’s decision to temporarily ban all flights from India.
I welcome the Federal Government's decision to increase aid to India. We stand united to help.
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) April 27, 2021
The Prime Minister has announced a pause on passenger flights from India until May 15, as infection rates in the country continue to soar.
He also announced a support package providing aid in the form of ventilators, masks and other medical equipment to the country.
Taking to Twitter, Ms Palaszczuk said the move was “the right decision at this time.”
“I welcome the federal government’s decision to increase aid to India. We stand united to help,” she said.
“I know the decision to suspend flights will be difficult for families, but it is the right decision at this time.”
Max Maddison3.10pm:Quarantine system ‘the envy of the world’
The Prime Minister has defended Australia’s hotel quarantine system, saying while it isn’t “100 per cent foolproof”, it’s the envy of the rest of the world.
Amid calls from Premiers to create purpose-built facilities to house returning international travellers, Scott Morrison highlighted that only 13 infections had occurred at hotel quarantine facilities from over 140,000 visitors.
With only two of those incursions resulting in the spread of the virus in the community, Mr Morrison said while not perfect, the current arrangement was a “very strong system”.
“Well a 99.99 per cent success rate, I think, is pretty good. I think there’s not a country in the world who wouldn’t want a quarantine system that has been working as effectively as that. But it is not 100 per cent foolproof,” he told a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.
READ MORE:India faces unprecedented crisis
Staff Reporters3pm:Morrison: we won’t shut off India
The Prime Minister says the pause on flights from India is temporary, in order to manage the arrival of people from the Covid-hit country.
“We don’t think the answer is to forsake those Australians in India and just shut them off, as some have suggested,” Mr Morrison said. “We will resume the repatriation flights from India.”
Rhiannon Down2.48pm: Pause on all flights from India until May 15
Scott Morrison has announced a pause on all flights to Australia from India until May 15.
The move comes after a meeting this morning of the National Security Committee of Cabinet.
The Prime Minister also announced a support package providing aid in the form of ventilators, masks and other medical equipment to India as infection rates in the country continue to soar.
Mr Morrison expressed his concern for the country, which has recorded rocketing virus case numbers, and remains an important ally to Australia.
Adeshola Ore 2.31pm: Privatising AusPost never arose, Chairman says
Liberal senator David Fawcett asked board members if there had been any discussion about privatising Australia Post.
Christine Holgate previously told the Senate inquiry she was forced out of the postal service because she opposed recommendations in a Boston Consulting Group review that she sell off the parcels business.
But Chairman Lucio Di Bartolomeo said the subject of privatisation had “never arisen” with shareholders or discussions with board members.
“It has not been the subject of any discussion I’ve been involved in,” he said.
Director Michael Ronaldson said suggestions that board was seeking to privatise the postal service were a “complete and utter beat up”
“The board has never discussed privatisation,” he said.
FOLLOW updates from the Senate inquiry into Australia Post here
Rhiannon Down2.25pm: WA lockdown ‘had no preventive effect’
Infectious disease specialist Clay Golledge has slammed the WA lockdown, saying it had no effect in preventing any infections.
Dr Golledge said the decision to lockdown two million people over a single case in a returned traveller, who went on to infect two close contacts, was out of proportion.
It comes as the state records another day of zero community transmission, after the lockdown was lifted at midnight last night.
“It didn’t really achieve anything,” he told Sky News.
“In that sense I guess you could say all the lockdown achieved was perhaps to stop people moving around until the other contact traces could identify the risk context.
“But really two cases of community transmission to be draconian to take these measures was over the top, it seems the WA government has learned nothing and is using a sledge hammer to put in a nail.”
READ MORE: PVO — Mocking PM for evangelical views is unbecoming
Staff writers2.07pm: PM set to speak after security meeting
Scott Morrison will be holding a press conference at 2.30pm following a meeting this morning of the National Security Committee of Cabinet.
The Prime Minister is expected to announce a ban or tougher restrictions on travel with India, as well as Australia’s offers of assistance as the subcontinental nation battles a catastrophic wave of the coronavirus pandemic.
Follow the announcement in the livestream above.
Rhiannon Down2.01pm: Words matter: Wong questions Pezzullo over China
The federal opposition has called for restraint when it comes to rising tensions with China.
Labor Senator Penny Wong has called for a halt to recent saber rattling with the nation, after Home Affairs secretary Michael Pezzullo declared the “drums of war” were beating.
“In national security, in diplomacy, words matter,” she said.
“I said for some time I think that in relation to China, Australians would benefit from the Morrison government approaching that relationship with less politics and more strategy.
“I have to say it is really up to the government to explain how it is beneficial to Australia and how it furthers our national interests having a senior public servant make those remarks.”
Senator Wong said the government needed to explain how Mr Pezzullo’s remarks were “consistent with government policy and how they further Australia’s national interests”.
“I think words matter and this is not the sort of language that we generally use when we are trying to be sober and cautious,” she said.
“My view about this is this: When it comes to issues of national security, when it comes to issues of foreign policy, when it comes to issues as sensitive as Taiwan, our language should be sober and it should be cautious.”
READ MORE: 'Get ready to fight for our liberty’
Rhiannon Down1.51pm:Bring stranded Aussies back from India: Wong
Labor senator Penny Wong has urged the federal government to bring home Australians stranded in India as a matter of urgency, as the country’s COVID-19 crisis spirals out of control.
Senator Wong said the need for a secure national quarantine system had been exacerbated for the crisis, calling on the government to take action.
“We would urge Mr Morrison to work as closely as we are able within the Indian government to determine how Australia can best support India through this time of crisis,” she said.
“We do that because India is our friend and we also do that because we know that Australia is most secure if we can combat the virus everywhere.”
Senator Wong expressed concern about the 10,000 Australian citizens and permanent residents whose lives were at risk in India, and held the government responsible.
“The government has refused to step up and look at how it might establish quarantine facilities outside of our national cities,” she said.
“The government has also failed to ensure there are national standards for hotel quarantine which is also being called for.
“Time after time Mr Morrison has simply failed to discharge his responsibility when it comes to quarantine. As a consequence of that, Australians are at risk. Australians are at risk because they are stranded overseas, including in India and the broader Australian community is at risk.”
FOLLOWlive ASX updates at Trading Day
Adeshola Ore 1.35pm:Holgate exit ‘not of AusPost board’s making’
Australia Post director Michael Ronaldson has told the inquiry that the departure of former boss Christine Holgate was “not of the board’s making.”
The former Abbott government minister and Liberal senator said it was not the responsibility of the Australia Post board to apologise to Ms Holgate about the treatment she received.
“The moment Senator Kitching asked her question in estimates and the Senator knows full well why that was done and on whose behalf that was done and the fact it was a bit of payback, from that very moment this thing got completely out contro,” he said.
Mr Ronaldson also accused the Senate committee of attempting to “take scalps”.
Director Jan West agreed that an apology was not owed, but said it was important to “reflect” on what had led the board to where it was now.
Director Deidre Willmott said it was Ms Holgate who had decided her position was “untenable” — not the board.
Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie asked the board how they would feel about reinstating Ms Holgate as the chief executive of Australia Post.
Chairman Lucio Di Bartolomeo replied “Australia Post needs to move on.”
“It is bigger than any one person. It is more important than any one person.”
When Ms Holgate was asked at the inquiry two weeks ago what it would take for her return to Australia Post as the chief executive, she said “the chair would have to go.”
Angelica Snowden1.15pm: Belt and Road deal ‘a federal act’
Victoria’s acting Premier James Merlino has dodged questions about the federal government’s decision to rip up the state’s Belt and Road agreement, in his first public appearance since the decision was made.
“My response is similar to responses from other ministers who have been out over the last few days. It’s a federal government act, it’s a federal government decision, we respect that,” Mr Merlino said.
“In terms of the broader impact I assume … that the federal government took all of that into account.’’
Asked if the state government would miss the agreement, now it was off the political plate Mr Merlino responded: “what we will continue to do is exactly what we’ve done for the last six years and that is engaging with jurisdictions around the world to maximise opportunities for Victorian businesses and Victorian jobs.”
“That has been our focus, whether it’s these agreements, whether it’s the work of the Victorian government business offices around the world, it’s about building relationships and building opportunities to create jobs,” he said.
READ MORE: Water licence given to group with China ties
Jared Lynch12.58pm:AusPost board member hearings ‘a shambles’
The appearance of all Australia Post board members before a Senate inquiry into Christine Holgate’s ousting postal service has been branded an “absolute shambles”.
Before any director could utter a word, the inquiry was informed that former Liberal federal and state director, Tony Nutt, could not attend the hearing, falling ill at the last minute. He will instead appear at another hearing on May 3.
But the problems did not end there, with the inquiry’s chair Senator Sarah Hanson-Young then criticising the Australia Post board members appearing via video link instead of in person.
None of the Senators could hear any of the board members, prompting Senator Hanson-Young to exclaim: “this is why we actually asked the Australia Post board to be here in person”.
“What an absolute shambles”.
But Liberal Senator Sarah Henderson called for calm. “I understand that it was not the preference (to appear via video link). But it may well be nothing to the board and there could be issues at our end.”
The inquiry has taken a brief adjournment to sort out its technical difficulties with the Australia Post board.
READ the full story here
Angelica Snowden12.48pm:Victoria set to unveil purpose-built quarantine
Victoria’s acting Premier James Merlino says the state government will likely announce the location of the state’s purpose built, cabin style quarantine facility on Thursday or Friday this week.
“I’ll have more to say in terms of alternate quarantine facilities later in the week, in terms of what the business case says, in terms of what location, in terms of the model,” Mr Merlino said.
“I’ll be out not tomorrow but later in the week on Thursday or Friday, I will be in a position to talk in full detail about what the business case is and what our next steps are.”
It came after reports a site at Avalon airport, which is backed by Premier Daniel Andrews’ associate Lindsay Fox, was no longer considered a first preference for the alternative hotel quarantine facility.
While Mr Merlino would not confirm specifics of the report, a story in The Age said a site at Cherry Creek in Victoria’s southwest was being considered as the frontrunner.
Mr Merlino also supported West Australian Premier Mark McGowan’s call for the federal government to step up its involvement in managing hotel quarantine.
“The point that Mark McGowan makes is absolutely true. Quarantine is a federal government responsibility that’s the fact of the matter,” he said.
“Now, we stepped up more than 12 months ago and committed to establishing and running hotel quarantine because there was no equivalent large scale Commonwealth quarantine facility.
“But we are more than 12 months in and you would think that the Commonwealth would have made serious plans to establish, not one, but a number of federally run Commonwealth quarantine facilities.”
Victoria’s health minister Martin Foley said all 260 passengers, air and ground crew except one had tested negative to COVID-19 after they were deemed close contacts of a positive case from Perth on Friday.
Authorities were waiting on the result of the one remaining test.
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Adeshola Ore 12.44pm: Cartier watches cost $7.50 per post office
Licensed Post Office Group executive director Angela Cramp has repeated the postal union’s calls for the Australia Post board to be overhauled.
Ms Cramp, who appeared alongside Christine Holgate during the first Senate inquiry, has returned wearing suffragette white to demonstrate her support for the former Australia Post boss.
LPOs make up about two thirds of Australia Post’s network and are franchised owned. Ms Holgate is lauded by LPO owners for her Bank@Post deal, which delivered millions of dollars to help their customers with banking services.
Ms Cramp also told the hearing the cost of the four Cartier watches, which Ms Holgate gifted to four executives for securing the lucrative deal, equated to $7.50 per post office.
“We totally reject the notion that it was wasted tax pay money,” she said.
FOLLOW updates from the Senate hearing into Australia Post here
Rhiannon Down 12.31pm:Queensland goes another day with zero local virus cases
Queensland has recorded zero new cases of community transmission and two cases in hotel quarantine in the last 24 hours.
Queensland #COVID19 update 27/04/21
— Queensland Health (@qldhealthnews) April 27, 2021
Queensland has recorded 2 new cases of COVID-19 today.
These new cases were acquired overseas and detected in hotel quarantine. pic.twitter.com/aoDulsXuMG
The state currently has 15 active COVID-19 cases and 14 patients in hospital.
READ MORE: Businesses penalised for typos, poor English
Paige Taylor12.15pm:‘Dodgy overseas tests hurting hotel quarantine’: McGowan
West Australian Premier Mark McGowan has questioned why returned travellers from India are arriving Covid positive with certificates saying they do not have the virus.
As two million people in Perth and the southern region of Peel emerge from a three-day lockdown caused by an outbreak from hotel quarantine, Mr McGowan stressed imminent changes to the testing requirements for returned travellers was essential.
He said covid-positive travellers from India had put strain on the hotel quarantine system in WA, which he said accepted more returned travellers per capita than any other state.
“Some of the tests that are being conducted in India either aren’t accurate or aren’t believable,” Mr McGowan said.
“If the test is not accurate or a bit dodgy that is impinging the integrity of the system.”
WA agreed to take 1025 returned overseas travellers a week. However, Mr McGowan negotiated a temporary lower intake in February and March after coronavirus escaped the hotel room of an infected family and infected a guard.
WA will get another concession from Thursday, when the state’s intake will fall from 1025 per week to 512 a week until May 30.
Mr McGowan said a recent flight of returned overseas arrivals to Perth carried 79 passengers, 78 of whom had been in India. He expected many of them would have coronavirus.
READ MORE: Covid exodus from the IPLA begins
Angelica Snowden12.11pm:Victoria’s plan to bring foreign students in
Victoria’s acting Premier James Merlino says he is “hopeful” the federal government will approve his plan to allow up to 120 international students and other “economic arrivals” back into the state.
“We put that proposal to the federal government and that initial proposal was rejected. I’ve said publicly, a number of times that we would put a revised proposal back to the federal government, that’s exactly what we’ve done,” Mr Merlino said.
“It meets all the concerns, all the criteria from the federal government. So for example, it will be separate from hotel quarantine,” he said.
“It is above the cap, so it’s above the 1000 cap. And also, it requires industry payments.”
Industry, including universities, are on board with the plan Mr Merlino said.
It is unclear how many spots will be reserved for international students versus other types of workers but a consistent portion will be allowed in per week.
READ MORE:Dying in the streets as hospital swamped
Rhiannon Down 12.07pm: NSW confirms another quarantine hotel leak
NSW health authorities have confirmed another leak in hotel quarantine, after it reclassified a COVID-19 case in a returned traveller in the Mercure Hotel as local transmission.
The returned traveller, who tested positive for the highly infectious South African variant, was found to have the same strain as another family in an adjacent room.
“Of the three returned travellers, two were family members and stayed in connecting rooms,” NSW Health said in a statement.
“The third traveller, whose case has been reclassified as locally acquired, stayed in an adjacent room.
“All three people share the same viral sequence for the B1.351 variant of concern, first identified in South Africa.”
It comes as the state recorded zero new cases of local transmission and 12 overseas acquired cases in 24 hours until 8pm.
Health authorities have renewed calls for residents to keep getting tested in high numbers if they experience any symptoms.
“There were 4,790 tests reported to 8pm last night, compared with the previous day’s total of 7,415,” NSW Health said.
“Testing rates in NSW are currently very low. NSW Health strongly urges anyone with even the mildest of symptoms, including sore throat, runny nose, cough, fever or headache to isolate and get tested immediately, and remain isolated until a negative result is received.”
NSW Health also administered 2,671 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.
READ MORE:PM gets top marks for handling pandemic
Paige Taylor12.05pm:No new cases in WA after lockdown ends
West Australian Premier Mark McGowan has confirmed no new cases of coronavirus have emerged from the state’s second hotel quarantine outbreak in three months.
As two million people in Perth and the southern cities of the Peel region emerged from lockdown on Tuesday morning, Mr McGowan told ABC local radio there had been no community transmissions since Saturday.
WA chief health officer Andy Robertson hinted on Monday there was reason to believe no new positive cases had been detected from remaining contacts of the people infected, saying health authorities were generally alerted early in the testing process to a positive result.
Students returned to school on Tuesday though people continue to work from home for the rest of the week.
Masks are mandatory until midnight Friday.
READ MORE: Elite club trousers $2m Covid subsidy
Angelica Snowden 10.47am:Victoria reopens border to Perth
Victoria’s hard border with the Perth and Peel region will fall from midnight tonight.
Health minister Martin Foley said the areas would move to “orange zones” under the state’s border permit system.
Yesterday there were no new local cases and 4 new cases acquired overseas (currently in HQ) reported.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) April 26, 2021
- 3,369 vaccine doses were administered
- 16,875 test results were received
More later: https://t.co/FrqsjewwxB
#COVID19Vic#COVID19VicData pic.twitter.com/FKocQvLsCX
“We are forecasting the red zone for Perth and Peel region will be lifted as of midnight,” Mr Foley said.
It comes after Western Australia’s lockdown ended at midnight on Monday.
READ MORE: Margin Call — Old AFL bosses join forces
Rhiannon Down10.10am: AMA backs calls for federally-run quarantine
Australian Medical Association president Omar Khorshid has backed calls for the federal government to develop a bulletproof hotel quarantine system.
“We would like to see our governments working together to develop alternatives to the hotels,” Dr Khorshid told ABC.
“We have to acknowledge the hotels have been successful, but we’re now over a year into the pandemic and it looks like there’s going to be at least another year before we’re not going to be needing these facilities anymore. “So, we can expect more breaches, even with the best systems that we can design.”
Dr Khorshid said the risk of leaks from hotel quarantine would remain as long as case numbers around the world continued to climb, including most recently in India.
“With complete carnage going on overseas, we need to continue to protect our country,” he said.
“And the best way to do that we can see would be to develop specific facilities along the lines of what we see in Darwin, near Darwin at Howard Springs. “That is designed to keep people safe, to keep people healthy, to give them a reasonable quality of life while they’re in quarantine, but most importantly to protect Australia from this terrible virus.”
READ MORE: Surplus in sight as iron ore aids budget
Adeshola Ore9.44am:‘Entire AusPost board should be stood down’
The divisional secretary of the union representing postal workers has called for the entire board of Australia Post to be stood down, as he accused its members of carrying out the federal government’s agenda to privatise the postal service.
Divisional Secretary of the Communications Electrical Plumbing Union Greg Rayner appeared at the Senate inquiry into the departure of former Australia Post chief executive Christine Holgate. All board members are set to be grilled before the inquiry this afternoon.
Ms Holgate previously told the inquiry that several of the board members had links to the Liberal Party. She said she was forced out of the postal service because she opposed recommendations in a Boston Consulting Group review that she sell off the parcels business.
Mr Rayner said the entire board of Australia Post needed to be stood down so new members could be appointed through an independent process.
“We need to start from scratch so that we can get Australia’s postal network back on track,” he said.
“This inquiry has uncovered seriously problematic decisions in Australia Post and it’s time the board was held to account.”
He said the board needed to be independent so they would not be tasked with carrying out the government’s agenda to privatise the postal service.
“Our concerns of such an agenda have been verified by Ms Holgate’s testimony at the committee and her tabling of sections of the secret BCG report,” he said.
“It is clear that the government and the board of Australia Post intended to engage in so-called efficiencies that would have led to the loss of as many as 8000 jobs along with the closure of up to 230 suburban post offices.”
READ MORE: Holgate plays mediation card
Adeshola Ore8.54am: ‘Frank talk on China, Taiwan welcome’
Nationals Senator Matt Canavan says Home Affairs secretary Michael Pezzullo’s warning that the “drums of war” are beating is a “frank” assessment of the risks Australia faces in the Indo-Pacific region.
The Australian has reported Mr Pezzullo, who is tipped to take the top job at Defence, said in his Anzac Day message to staff that Australia must strive for peace, “but not at the cost of our precious liberty”.
Senator Canavan told Sky News he welcomed the “frank talk” about the situation Australia faced amid growing tension between the West and China.
“I think on the balance of risks here we face too much minimisation of the threat, too much ignorance of how difficult things may get very quickly,” he said.
“That leads us into these fantasy paths where we want to follow a yellow brick roads to net zero emissions, not rebuild our manufacturing, industrial and defence capacity to deal with the clear and imminent threat that exits before us”
“It’s no doubt there are the drums of war beating in our region at least in regards to Taiwan. It’s not clear exactly what that may mean for us but there may be a risk of a wider conflict. We should absolutely be prepared for that.”
READ MORE: Editorial — Hearing the drums of war as strategic climate changes
Rhiannon Down 8.31am:Palaszczuk joins chorus on purpose-built quarantine
Annastacia Palaszczuk has joined the chorus of state premiers, calling for reform of the nation’s hotel quarantine system.
The Queensland Premier said the federal government needed to introduce purpose-built, regionally located facilities to prevent further leaks from CBD hotels.
“I think it’s absolutely vital that we set up these quarantine facilities,” Annastacia Palaszczuk told Today.
“It minimises the risk. And we’ve got to stop talking about it and we’ve got to do it. We’ve got to have some action.
“So I’m calling on the federal government, once again, listen to the health advice.”
It comes as Mark McGowan issued desperate pleas to the federal government to relieve states of the burden of hotel quarantine, after a leak caused Perth to be plunged into lockdown.
Ms Palaszczuk has doubled down on proposals to build a facility near Toowoomba, near the airport to decrease the risk of a spread.
“The AMA has come out very strongly in support of these regional quarantine facilities,” she said.
“I think we absolutely need to be putting it front and centre. We could have had the facility in Toowoomba built by now. It would be right next to the airport. And all we need from the federal government is a very simple answer yes or no.
“Mark McGowan has suggested Christmas Island. All of these options need to be put on the table. The AMA is now backing us in on this so it is the health experts that are saying this is what’s needed.”
READ MORE: Crisis boss accused of ‘misleading inquiry’
Rhiannon Down8.24am:More work needed on domestic violence: Premier
Annastacia Palaszczuk has called for Australia to step up and protect women from domestic violence, following the death of Gold Coast woman Kelly Wilkinson.
The Queensland Premier said the government was looking at how Ms Wilkinson was dealt with by police after it was revealed the mother of three had reached out to authorities before her death.
“This is another big body of work that’s also being undertaken by Margaret McMurdow, the retired Supreme Court judge,” Ms Palaszczuk told Today.
“So no-one else in Australia is doing this at the moment. It’s not the full answer. But it is the next stage of reforms that we need here in Queensland.
“Because we’ve got a lot of women in our cabinet, we’re very, very passionate about this. “And we really want to see this work front and centre. So we will look at the recommendations when they come forward.”
Ms Palaszczuk also flagged the state’s progress in introducing coercive control laws.
READ MORE: ‘No words’ — family mourns their angel Kelly
Adeshola Ore 8.14am: Housing returned travellers in CBD ‘doesn’t make sense’
Anthony Albanese says impending tougher restrictions on travel with India highlights the need for Australia to fix its quarantine system.
The federal government is expected to impose a ban or tougher restrictions on travel with India and is preparing to send ventilators and medical equipment to support thousands of COVID patients in the country’s hospitals.
Last week national cabinet agreed on a 30 per cent reduction in passenger numbers for Australians returning from India on government-facilitated flights over May, as well as a 30 per cent reduction on commercial flights direct from India. It followed a spike in COVID cases from India in hotel quarantine.
The Opposition Leader said Australia needed to “get quarantine right” to prevent COVID cases leaking into the community.
“We know that the issue of housing people in CBD hotels doesn’t make sense compared with making sure appropriate facilities are put in place such as what was recommended to the government by Jane Halton,” he told ABC Radio.
Mr Albanese said it was “absurd” that state and territory governments were in charge of getting people home safely via hotel quarantine.
READ MORE:Quarantine security told to get out
Rhiannon Down 8.09am:Federal government ‘should run hotel quarantine’
Labor MP Jason Clare has called on the federal government to take control of hotel quarantine.
The Blaxland MP was drawn into the fray after Gladys Berejiklian hit out at Mark McGowan yesterday, calling on WA to pull its weight.
“If the federal government actually did their job, you know you’ve got state premiers here fighting over how you should run hotel quarantine,” Mr Clare told Sky News.
“The federal government should be running quarantine and the federal government should be running the vaccination program, the fact that they can’t do either is the reason that the states are fighting.
“Because they’re offloading their responsibilities to the states. The federal government couldn’t roll out a yoga mat, the way they’re going at the moment. They need the states to help them do this, but they should pick up their guy by a bigger role, and run quarantine systems themselves.”
Mr Clare also urged the government to intervene and pull stranded Australians out of India and organise charter flights, as the country becomes engulfed by the virus.
“The government needs to have a look at those Aussies that are desperately still trying to get out of India,” he said.
“There are cricket players there, there are Australian nationals that have been trying to get out for months and months.”
READ MORE:Letters — Asking the hard questions over quarantine
Michael Pezzullo 8.00am: The drums of war are growing louder
One of the nation’s most powerful national security leaders has declared the “drums of war” are beating and Australia must be prepared “to send off, yet again, our warriors to fight”.
Home Affairs secretary Michael Pezzullo, who is tipped to take the top job at Defence, said in his Anzac Day message to staff that Australia must strive for peace, “but not at the cost of our precious liberty”.
Amid growing tensions between the West and China, with Taiwan a potential flashpoint, Mr Pezzullo said free nations continued to face the “sorrowful challenge” of being “armed, strong and ready for war”.
“In a world of perpetual tension and dread, the drums of war beat – sometimes faintly and distantly, and at other times more loudly and ever closer,” he said.
READ Michael Pezzullo’s full commentary here
Rhiannon Down7.38am:‘Take medical advice, use purpose-built quarantine’
Medical experts have called on the government to move towards purpose-built quarantine facilities over CBD hotels.
University of NSW epidemiologist Mary Louise McLaws said governments needed to think in the long term and invest to allow travellers to return without putting a community at risk.
“I hear the minister saying that they take medical advice,” she told Today.
“Well, the medical advisory panel needs to really sit up and send a very strong message to all the states and territories that now there really needs to be a national approach.
“That they need to follow a national building of purpose-built hotels.
Professor McLaws also called for rapid results testing to be introduced in hotel quarantine, so health authorities know the risks they are dealing with.
“They now need to start using some science and these tests that I’m suggesting is rapid antigen tests,” she said.
“Real time, 15 minutes, a third of the price of the PCR, that tell you immediately, as people are touching down in Australia, what risk they pose to the quarantine station.
“And you give them an immediate test before they leave the quarantine system so that we don’t see all the sacrifice that Australians and the business sector have given with an inadvertent leak into the community that can be prevented by these tests.”
READ MORE: Business hotel quarantine offer a lifeline
Rhiannon Down7.15am:Time to close border to India has passed, Shorten warns
Bill Shorten has joined calls for Australia to close its borders with India, as the country battles a tidal wave of COVID-19 infections.
The former opposition leader said the time to close the nation’s borders had already passed, following a case in a returned traveller from India last week which sent Perth into lockdown.
“It is well past time to shut our borders to flights from India,” he told Today.
“And one very good humanitarian reason to do it is if we don’t have COVID here we can use some of our supplies, which we are not using to fight it, we can send it to India for India.
“They are our friends, we should send them what we can, but time to close the borders. They should have been closed days ago.”
Mr Shorten also stressed that the government needed to continue to try and rescue Australians stranded in the virus-ravaged country.
“You have to try to do special flight,” he said.
“Australians should always be supported home, but as a general principle let’s close the borders from traffic from India and then we can send them some supplies.
“Where we have Australians trapped over there we have to try to see how we get them home.
“But as a general rule I think most Aussies are saying close the borders, so then at least we can help our Indian friends in India rather than having to fight more COVID in Australia.”
READ MORE:Dying in the streets as hospitals overwhelmed
Rhiannon Down7.00am:AstraZeneca vows to fight as EU sues
AstraZeneca has vowed to defend itself against EA allegations that it failed to meet its advance purchase agreement resulting in a vaccine shortfall, after Brussels launched legal action on Monday.
“AstraZeneca regrets the European Commission’s decision to take legal action over the supply of COVID-19 vaccines,” the pharmaceutical company said in a statement.
“Following an unprecedented year of scientific discovery, very complex negotiations, and manufacturing challenges, our company is about to deliver almost 50m doses to European countries by the end of April, in line with our forecast.”
AstraZeneca has stringently denied the allegations, citing global issues in producing and delivering vaccines adding that they were “difficult to manufacture”.
“AstraZeneca has fully complied with the Advance Purchase Agreement with the European Commission and will strongly defend itself in court,” the company said.
“We believe any litigation is without merit and we welcome this opportunity to resolve this dispute as soon as possible.”
European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides said on Monday, that the priority remained for the EU to ensure “vaccine deliveries take place to protect the health of (Europe)”.
READ MORE:Premier stands by lockdown call
Rhiannon Down6.45am:Germany set to abolish quarantine for travellers
Germany will move to abolish self-isolation requirements for travellers who have been fully vaccinated or who have already contracted COVID-19.
The government’s draft paper would allow millions of Germans to holiday in hundreds of countries over the European summer.
Currently travellers are required to undertake ten days of home quarantine after they return from “high risk” areas including France, Italy and the US.
The new freedoms would not apply to travellers returning from 11 areas with high case numbers of the new variants including India, Brazil, South Africa and the Moselle region of France, which borders Germany.
Travellers would also be required to prove they tested positive for the disease more than a month earlier and recovered.
READ MORE: Hotel quarantine a lifeline
Geoff Chambers 6.30am:Aussies seek to leave India ahead of flight ban
Australians in India are attempting to return home ahead of an expected travel ban on the country.
The federal government is expected to impose a ban or tougher restrictions on travel with India over the coming days, with DFAT officials preparing Australians in the country for the likelihood of a ban.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison will convene a meeting of the National Security Committee of Cabinet on Tuesday to decide on upgraded border restrictions with India, as his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi confronts a catastrophic virus outbreak, with more than 350,000 daily infections and thousands of deaths.
Mr Morrison last week announced a 30 per cent reduction in passenger numbers for Australians returning from India on government-facilitated flights over May, as well as a 30 per cent reduction on commercial flights direct from India.
The dramatic increases in new infections and deaths in India has forced the government to decide on tougher restrictions or a blanket ban, similar to the height of the pandemic with China, Italy, South Korea and Iran.
High Commissioner to India Barry O’Farrell on Monday confirmed there had been a surge in Australians trying to get home.
“I think the list is still about 8000 and that’s after we’ve returned a total of 17,000 people since March of last year,” he said.
READ the full story
Michael McKenna 6.00am: Energy chief Van Breda quits in coal row
The head of Queensland’s largest power company has quit after facing internal criticism over his comments last week that it was planning to transition from a dependence on coal to renewables.
After almost 10 years as the state-owned Stanwell Corporation’s chief executive officer, Richard Van Breda resigned without explanation on Friday — two days after telling a future energy summit in Gladstone of planning to “retire” the state’s major coal-fired power generators.
The corporation’s generators — Stanwell, Tarong and Tarong North, with the latter two fed by its own Meandu coalmine — are among the country’s youngest coal-fired power plants and are not scheduled to close for up to two decades.
Stanwell employs about 1000 people at its plants and mine in central Queensland, where the debate over climate change and risk to jobs in the transition from coal to renewables has been a recurring issue across a string of marginal seats at state and federal elections.
The comments sparked anger within the local community and mining and electrical unions.
READ the full story
Ellie Dudley5.35am: Calls for Boris to go over ‘bodies pile high’ remark
Boris Johnson has been called on to resign over reports from unnamed sources that he said he would rather see “bodies pile high in their thousands” than order a third COVID-19 lockdown.
The British Prime Minister’s alleged comments first appeared in a front-page headline in the Daily Mail on Monday, and have since been supported by the BBC and ITV.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the report, based on unnamed sources, was “not true” and had been “categorically denied by practically everyone”.
“None of this is serious,” he told Sky News. “The prime minister has been utterly focused on delivering, alongside cabinet colleagues, the response to COVID.”
British Labor MP David Lammy took to Twitter to say the comments were “venal, selfish and irresponsible.”
Historians will judge @BorisJohnson as the most venal, selfish and irresponsible Prime Minister this country has ever had. pic.twitter.com/3rQapxqwzT
— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) April 26, 2021
Meanwhile, SNP leader in the UK parliament Ian Blackford called for Mr Johnson’s resignation.
“These comments are utterly abhorrent. If they are true, @BorisJohnson has a duty to resign.
“The Prime Minister must now come to Parliament to give a statement, and face questioning, on these shocking claims and the growing Tory sleaze scandal engulfing Westminster.”
These comments are utterly abhorrent. If they are true, @BorisJohnson has a duty to resign.
— Ian Blackford (@Ianblackford_MP) April 26, 2021
The Prime Minister must now come to Parliament to give a statement, and face questioning, on these shocking claims and the growing Tory sleaze scandal engulfing Westminster. pic.twitter.com/B7KDPoRuBK
Mr Johnson has been the subject of intense criticism over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic in the UK, where more than 127,000 people have died from the virus.
Geoff Chambers 5.20am:PM gets top marks for handling Covid
More than two-thirds of Australians support Scott Morrison’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic — including a majority of Coalition, Labor and Greens voters — despite setbacks in the vaccine rollout and clashes with state governments over delivery and hotel quarantine.
An exclusive Newspoll survey conducted for The Australian revealed support for the Prime Minister’s management of the pandemic was holding up, with 57 per cent of Labor voters, 54 per cent of Greens voters and 89 per cent of Coalition voters saying he had handled the crisis well.
However, the latest poll — based on 1514 interviews conducted between April 21-24 — showed total support for Mr Morrison’s role in leading the pandemic response had fallen to 70 per cent, down from 85 per cent in April 2020 at the height of the outbreak.
A total of 27 per cent of respondents believe Mr Morrison is handling COVID-19 badly, nearly double the 14 per cent result he recorded one year earlier.
Satisfaction with Mr Morrison’s management of the vaccine rollout was more subdued, with 53 per cent of voters rating the government positively compared with 43 per cent who were dissatisfied.
READ the full story
Warning of 70pc rise in energy bills in decade
Australians have endured substantial increases in their energy bills and a think tank has warned more is inevitable without policy changes.
‘No eligibility on limits’: $44bn NDIS open to all disabilities
NDIS Minister Amanda Rishworth says there will be no tightening of what disabilities are eligible for the scheme despite the government facing a mammoth effort to rein in its costs, with Labor to instead launch a new review panel.