PoliticsNow live news: National reopening plan ‘unwise’, WA Premier Mark McGowan says
WA Premier Mark McGowan has criticised the commitment made by the other states and Scott Morrison, saying he doesn’t believe in the ‘artificial deadline’ of Christmas.
- National reopening plan ‘unwise’: Premier
- All states but WA open by Christmas
- Andrews funds infectious diseases institute
- Promising results for UQ vaccine
- Mink mutation ‘won’t affect vaccines’
- Regions are trade ‘collateral damage’
Welcome to live coverage of the latest headlines in politics and Australia’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. WA Premier Mark McGowan says the national plan to reopen before Christmas is ‘unwise’. All states but WA will open their borders by Christmas. Daniel Andrews has pledged $155 million to establish a new Australian Institute of Infectious Disease. An Australian-made coronavirus vaccine is showing promising early results, as it appears to be safe and effective among the elderly.
Charlie Peel 8.30pm: Tourism operators frustrated by border delay
ourism operators hit by reduced interstate Christmas holiday bookings are frustrated by the lack of assurance from Annastacia Palaszczuk over the prospect of the Queensland borders opening to Sydney and Victoria next month.
After Friday’s national cabinet meeting, the Premier said she was hopeful of lifting COVID-induced border restrictions before Christmas, but did not budge on her refusal to lock in a date, despite two weeks of no cases in Victoria.
She said the decision to open borders to Victorians and greater Sydney would be reviewed at the end of the month.
Ms Palaszczuk said the national cabinet had agreed that opening all borders by Christmas was desirable, but she would wait on advice from Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young at the end of the month before making a decision. “There is a national aspiration to have the borders open before Christmas,” she said. “In relation to Victoria, we are very encouraged with what is happening down there and we will be looking very closely at the end of the month at Victoria and also NSW.”
Asked whether the decision to delay the border reopening decision to the end of the month would deter interstate holiday-makers, Ms Palaszczuk said it would not prevent people from booking ahead in hope. “They could book and then at the end of the month they can pay the rest of their deposit,” she said.
Qantas reiterated its calls for Queensland to take a “risk-based approach” and open the borders with Sydney
Read the full story here.
Imogen Reid 6.36pm: Christmas holiday travel remains up in the air
Families hoping to follow through on travel booked for the start of the school holidays have been left on tenterhooks after today’s announcement following national cabinet.
Despite airlines and struggling tourism operators accepting bookings to Queensland throughout December, the state known for its tropical climate and paradisal locations remains firmly closed off from Sydneysiders and Victorians.
While national cabinet has today recommitted to opening domestic borders “by Christmas”, it is unclear whether borders will be open by the start of school holidays. Some private schools finish as early as December 10, while most state schools finish the year on December 18.
Olivia Caisley 6.04pm: Thailand relationship now ‘strategic partnership’: PM
Scott Morrison has elevated Australia’s relationship with Thailand to that of a “strategic partnership” amid a heightening of tensions between Canberra and Beijing.
Ahead of the virtual East Asia Summit on Saturday, the Prime Minister said he had met virtually with his Thai counterpart, Prayut Chan-o-cha to discuss the partnership.
“Today, with my Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, I have elevated our relationship to that of a Strategic Partnership,” Mr Morrison said.
“In view of the evolving strategic shifts in the region, through this Strategic Partnership we will enhance cooperation in key areas, including defence and security, cyber affairs, anti-money laundering and combating transnational crime.”
Mr Morrison said the historic announcement built on a joint commitment made by the two leaders at last year’s East Asia Summit in Bangkok.
He said the announcement would strengthen economic recovery and political and security cooperation between the two nations.
“Our trading relationship will grow even more important as both countries recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.”
READ MORE: Cheap $1.5bn loan crucial for Jakarta
Darren Cartwright 5.35pm: Queensland roads the deadliest during lockdown
Queensland had Australia’s deadliest roads during the peak of the pandemic and was the only jurisdiction to record more road fatalities, new data shows.
Australian Road and Research Board (ARRB) figures reveal there was a 10 per cent decrease in the number of road deaths, nationally, between March and August compared to the average number of fatalities for the same period between 2017 and 2019.
Alarmingly, every state and territory except Queensland recorded fewer deaths in 2020 compared to the average number of fatalities over the previous three years.
Read the full story here.
Susan Kurosawa 5.16pm: Pandemic shapes our language around travel
Words and phrases of the pandemic? Some seem to inhabit every sentence and drill into our brains. Once upon a time, we’d say they’d gone viral. Pivot is the worst, with its suggestion of rotating wildly and, in some cases, collapsing. I much prefer pirouette, which suggests elegance and fine timing. The new normal? Yes, an acceptable description, although the meaning of normal has been diminished. Something like “the new reality” works better, and let’s add the rider of “for now”. The reset button? Over it.
In the world of travel, usually a breeding ground for ridiculous catchphrases, things have been relatively quiet, although I loathe the word bubble. Maybe that’s because a bubble is an ephemeral thing. Whoosh, it floats away, just like all the chatter about which destinations will fall within so-called tourism bubbles. There’s been a quiet shift to referring to these catchments as “corridors” but let’s hope we can set foot in these mythical (for now) realms without taking a wrong turn or hitting a locked door.
Read the full story here.
Darren Cartwright 4.55pm: HK crew tested en masse off NSW coast
The crew of a Hong Kong-flagged oil tanker have been tested en masse for COVID-19 following a NSW Police operation to meet the ship on the high seas.
The Haruna Express has been anchored some three nautical miles off the coast for clearance to dock in Sydney, NSW Police said.
A police boat ferried COVID-19 test kits to the ship on Thursday following reports several crew members on-board the vessel had been displaying coronavirus symptoms.
The 28,000-tonne oil tanker was denied entry to a NSW port and ordered to remain offshore until further notice.
The vessel will not be allowed into Port Botany until negative results are confirmed for all crew members.
Read the full story here.
Paul Garvey 4.22pm: National reopening plan ‘unwise’: Premier
Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan has criticised the commitment made by the other states and Prime Minister Scott Morrison to reopen state borders by Christmas, branding the plan as unwise.
WA is the only state not to pledge to reopen by Christmas at Friday’s meeting of the national cabinet, although it will significantly unwind its border restrictions for arrivals from all states bar Victoria and NSW from Saturday.
Mr McGowan said his state’s approach to borders would only be shaped by the advice from health authorities.
“I don’t believe in an artificial deadline. We are going to be guided by health.
“Christmas is important, but the health of Western Australians is more important, and setting up an artificial deadline for Christmas I don’t think is wise. And so that’s why we didn’t agree.”
WA has enforced the country’s strictest border controls for 222 days, and has successfully fought off a High Court challenge to the measures from Queensland billionaire Clive Palmer.
Arrivals from Tasmania, Queensland, South Australia, the ACT and the Northern Territory will no longer need to spend two weeks in quarantine upon entry into WA.
Mr McGowan has previously said that Victoria and NSW will need to record 28 days without a case of community transmission before quarantine restrictions are lifted for arrivals from those states.
WA could well end up lifting its border restrictions well before that date if Victoria and NSW continue their run of no new community cases, despite Mr McGowan’s comments about the Christmas commitment by the other states. Victoria has gone a fortnight and NSW has gone seven days without any community transmission, suggesting they could potentially hit that 28-day target by the end of this month and early next month respectively.
But Mr McGowan stressed that lifting the quarantine requirement for those remaining states would not be automatic upon reaching that 28-day milestone.
“We’ll take health advice closer to that day and make a decision based upon the circumstances,” he said.
READ MORE: Why we must temper the joy on vaccine
Samantha Sanghera 4.10pm: All I want for Christmas is … no Zoom
The news that at least one vaccine might eventually be available for coronavirus has, it seems, provoked as many questions as it has answered. Will the low temperature at which it needs to be stored make distribution difficult? Will enough people have been vaccinated by late December to make family Christmases possible? What will those of us who have enjoyed not socialising now use as an excuse to get out of things?
As for HR departments, the uncertain timing of the potential jab means they are still wrestling with the question of what to do about Christmas office parties this year. An issue that has in recent days troubled every business publication from Forbes, which published an article bearing the headline “How to save the office Christmas party”, to This Week in Facilities Management (”What will the office Xmas party look like this year?”), Fast Company, looking at how to plan a virtual office party that doesn’t suck, HR News, reporting that according to one survey 30 per cent of British office workers will not have a Christmas party this year, and The HR Director, saying that nine out of ten Christmas parties will be virtual.
Read the full story here.
Lachlan Moffet Gray 3.23pm: How the pandemic split the world in two
NYU Stern School of Business Professor, serial entrepreneur and business podcaster Scott Galloway has blasted “sociopathic” big tech and the US government, while outlining the profound implications of COVID-19 for the US economy and its big players.
At the SOHN Hearts & Minds Investment Conference 2020, Professor Galloway detailed his views on some of the biggest investment opportunities from the pandemic.
Some of the changes include the penetration of e-commerce and online grocery shopping, which saw a respective 10 and six years’ worth of growth in the US, he said.
Meanwhile, the number of people working from home or living with their parents have hit record highs, while the savings rate and retail trading levels hit record highs due to government stimulus and trading platforms like Robinhood “addicting young men.”
Professor Galloway said the rising level of inexperienced retail traders has a correlation with the market cap increases of “story stocks” like Tesla. Meanwhile, he added, the S&P500’s make-up is becoming “more like” its top seven companies as tech stocks including Google, Apple and Facebook represent a larger proportion of the market.
These larger companies also tell a tale of two economies: the largest 10 companies on the S&P500 have seen a median 9.6 per cent year-to-date return against a broader 11 per cent decline.
Read the full story here.
Charlie Peel 2.44pm: Origin decider to be played in front of capacity crowd
Suncorp Stadium will be able to host a capacity crowd for Wednesday’s State of Origin decider after the Annastacia Palaszczuk announced coronavirus restrictions would be eased.
The Premier has not budged on her steadfast refusal to open the state’s borders, despite two weeks of no cases in Victoria, saying the decision to open borders to Victorians and greater Sydney will be reviewed at the end of the month.
Outdoor stadiums are currently allowed to host up to 75 per cent of their usual capacity, but as of 4pm Tuesday, that will increase to 100 per cent.
The stadium capacity boost is among a number of coronavirus restrictions to be lifted in Queensland following a national cabinet meeting on Friday.
“This means the cauldron can be filled to 100 per cent capacity for State of Origin on Wednesday night,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
“Let’s fill Suncorp and cheer our mighty Maroons on.”
The changes include increasing the number of people allowed to gather in homes and public spaces from 40 to 50 people, increasing capacity at indoor, seated ticketed venues from 50 per cent to 100 per cent, and allowing dancing in outdoor venues.
Up to 200 guests will be able to attend weddings and funerals and indoor premises will be able to increase their capacity from one person for every four square metres to one per two square metres.
Queensland has also increased its number of hotel quarantine spaces for international arrivals by a further 150 to 1300.
Ms Palaszczuk said the national cabinet had been in agreement that opening all borders by Christmas was desirable, but she would wait on health advice from chief health officer Jeannette Young at the end of the month before making a decision.
“There is a national aspiration to have the borders open before Christmas,” she said.
“In relation to Victoria, we are very encouraged with what is happening down there and we will be looking very closely at the end of the month at Victoria and also NSW.
“There may be some hotspots but Dr Young will assess this at the end of the month.”
Asked whether the decision to delay the border reopening decision to the end of the month would deter interstate holiday-makers, Ms Palaszczuk said it would not prevent people from booking ahead in hope.
“They could book and then at the end of the month they can pay the rest of their deposit,” she said.
Newly-appointed Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said there was only one new case of coronavirus recorded in the state but it was acquired overseas and detected in hotel quarantine.
Two months have passed since the last locally acquired case in Queensland.
Dr Young said Victoria’s two weeks without the virus was promising but she still had to wait before making a decision on the border.
“We’ve got to wait,” she said.
“There’s a reason why it’s 28 days before that decision.”
READ MORE: Palaszczuk eases restrictions on weddings, sporting events
Jill Rowbotham 2.38pm: The vaccine is coming, so who should get it first?
A specific class of “superspreaders” should be top of the queue for any COVID-19 vaccine once the most vulnerable groups have been treated and we already have the means to identify them, a new study argues.
Using data collected from 600,000 people using social network app Momo, a team led by Macquarie University computer scientist Bernard Mans argues the most effective way of putting a brake on potential outbreaks is by identifying people who have been the most mobile, and come in contact with the most people.
“It’s impossible to really, truly record who you meet all the time without enormous means, but also there are privacy issues,” Professor Mans said. “And with the indirect contacts, you can’t know the people you have been indirectly in contact with by entering the lift after them.”
Read the full story here.
Angelica Snowden 2.08pm: SA border with Victoria to open from December 1
Victorians will be able to travel to South Australia from December 1, premier Steven Marshall has announced following a National Cabinet meeting.
“This has been a border which has been in place for an extended period of time,” Mr Marshall said.
“It’s been a very important border to keep our state safe, but this border will be removed as of midnight on 1 December and this will be a huge relief to people as we head into December,” he said.
“I know this is a moment that many people have been waiting for, for quite a long period of time.”
It means that anyone from Australia will be able to visit the southern state without quarantining.
Mr Marshall also said he was pleased South Australians would be able to travel to Western Australia from midnight tonight.
He said self check in technology would be available from November 20, to allow COVID safe check ins at venues.
READ MORE: Australians to be jabbed by end of 2021
James Hall 1.57pm: Restrictions on weddings, sports eased in Queensland
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has eased a number of restrictions impacting crowd and guest limits at weddings, sporting events and funerals.
Weddings will now be able to host 200 people and the number of guests allowed to dance is unlimited from Tuesday November 17.
Funerals will also be permitted to have 200 people, while restrictions are also eased on movie theatres and live music with the gap between performers and the crowd reduced from 4 metres to 2 metres.
Outdoor events will be able to host up to 1500 and stadium capacity at sporting events will increase from 75 per cent filled to 100 per cent.
READ MORE: Palaszczuk eases restrictions on weddings, sporting events
Angelica Snowden 1.30pm: Tanker crew wait on test results
Crew on-board an oil tanker off the coast of Sydney are waiting COVID-19 test results before they receive clearance to dock in NSW, police say.
“About 3pm yesterday (Thursday 12 November 2020), the NSW Police Force’s Marine Area Command deployed Police Launch WP25 to deliver 25 COVID-19 test kits to the Haruna Express,” NSW police said in a statement.
“WP25 remained alongside the 28,000-tonne oil tanker while all 21 crew members on-board were tested, before the test kits were returned for analysis by NSW Health.”
Further information about the operation will be provided at a 2.30pm press conference.
READ MORE: Virus effect on mental health revealed
Richard Ferguson 1.20pm: Quarantine restraints delays international students return
Any attempts to bring international students back to Australia will be delayed due to hotel quarantine restraints, Scott Morrison has warned.
The Prime Minister and Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews will meet face-to-face for the first time since March next week to discuss Melbourne reopening its hotel quarantine regime.
But Mr Morrison said current caps on overseas arrivals mean Australians trying to get home must take priority over foreign students.
“The challenges we have in getting Australians home means the ability to move and take international students back at this time through quarantine arrangements does not present itself,” he said.
“It’s Australians coming home first. That is the Commonwealth policy, that is our policy, and that is the policy that is also being followed by the National Cabinet.
“We need to use every available space that we have in quarantine, and it is not simply a matter of other rooms and hotels to do it.
There is also the police, the support that is needed to properly run quarantine and he helped support that is needed in addition to that.”
READ MORE: Non banks in funds fight
Richard Ferguson 1.15pm: Biden to be given COVID tracing review
US President-elect Joe Biden’s team will be handed a national cabinet review into Australia’s COVID contact tracing regime, as Mr Biden looks to this country for tips on how to control the pandemic.
Scott Morrison – who spoke to the victorious US Democrat on Thursday – said his government would work with the Biden presidential transition team on how to set up a good tracing system.
“(The tracing review) tells the story of why Australia is being successful and will continue to be successful,” the Prime Minister said in Canberra.
“ We will copy that to the US administration as given President-elect Biden’s interest in this issue.
While he is not able to get on a plane and go there, Dr Finkel and his colleagues would be able to assist whoever, wherever they are, to learn from Australia’s experience.”
READ MORE: US election result won’t be overturned
Richard Ferguson 1.00pm: All states but WA open by Christmas
Scott Morrison says all states – except Western Australia – have agreed to open their borders by Christmas.
After the national cabinet on Friday morning, the Prime Minister said all states would implement recommendations on how to perfect their COVID contract tracing regimes.
The metrics from the tracing review – conducted by Chief Scientist Alan Finkel – will be embedded into a timeline for opening internal borders and keeping them open.
“The plan importantly embeds public health metrics in ensuring that when Australia opens safely that it remains open safely, and that is incredibly important,” Mr Morrison said.
“The things that need to happen and importantly the work of Dr Finkel’s National Contact Tracing Review – which identifies additional metrics that are needed to ensure we are always aware that we are staying on track – and have the protections in place to keep Australia open.”
READ MORE: Plea to let holiday heavens open
Ben Packham 12.50pm: Morrison’s PNG visit in doubt amid political chaos
Scott Morrison’s visit to Papua New Guinea is in doubt amid a mass defection of MPs from PNG Prime Minister James Marape’s majority coalition to the opposition benches.
Dozens of PNG MPs have deserted the government, swinging in behind former prime minister Peter O’Neill.
The political chaos comes just days ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit to the country and the scheduled tabling of PNG’s budget in the parliament next week.
If Mr Marape is unable to pass his budget, he will struggle to hold on government.
Under PNG rules, Mr Marape would not normally be able to be challenged in a vote of no confidence until November 30.
Gerard Baker 12.25pm: There’s a strategy behind Trump’s sulking
Electoral fraud is part of American folklore. From the earliest days of the republic, allegations of ballot stuffing, voter suppression and the rich tradition of dead men voting have been a routine feature of close elections.
Brendan Byrne, the famed governor of New Jersey, a state notorious for eye-catching results over the years, once quipped, “When I die I want to be buried in Hudson county so I can remain active in Democratic politics.”
So the suggestion that last week’s results, registering the decisions of close to 160 million people, might include a number of ballots that wouldn’t pass a casual smell test shouldn’t come as a surprise. Almost half the country voted by mail and despite assurances that mail-in balloting is no less safe than in-person voting, it is self-evidently more subject to fraud or simple error.
Erin Lyons 11.50am: Virgin offers 500,000 fares from $75
Virgin Australia is slashing the price of more than half-a-million fares as part of its latest flight sale frenzy with discounted seats up for grabs on various routes across the country.
The airline’s “Go You Good Thing” sale is running until midnight next Friday and aligns with the release of the company’s latest campaign ‘You Can’t Keep A Good Thing Down’.
Fares start from $75 from Sydney to Ballina, while a ticket from Perth to Melbourne will set travellers back $169.
Virgin Australia said it launched the sale and coinciding campaign to celebrate coming out of voluntary administration on Tuesday.
The travel industry has been rocked by the coronavirus crisis, but with borders set to reopen many Aussies will be looking to get moving again.
All fares include 23kg of luggage and seat selection.
Discounted fares are available for travel dates between the beginning of December to June 23 next year.
READ the full story
Olivia Caisley 11.45am: UQ vaccine ‘could be available July 2021’
Mr Hunt on Friday said the initial data showed the Australian vaccine was “proving to be safe” and producing a positive antibody response, declaring it an “extraordinary development”.
It comes as the Therapeutic Goods Association confirmed it expects to be able to approve the first coronavirus vaccine in late January, with jabs of five million people to begin in March.
“The initial data is very clear that the vaccine is proving to be safe through phase one clinical trials and that it is proving to produce a positive antibody response,” Mr Hunt said on Friday. “That means it is doing its job.”
“That may come as a positive surprise to many people here in Australia and around the world but what it shows is that we are ahead of schedule,” he said.
CSL is making the vaccine ahead of time so it can be released immediately, if trials prove successful.
“ … CSL will now move for regulatory approval to commence phase three clinical trials before the end of this year and that is an extraordinary development,” Mr Hunt said.
“It means that this vaccine will potentially be available, subject to the results of those trails, for delivery to Australians early in the third quarter of 2021. Our national goal is to ensure that all Australians who seek to be vaccinated are vaccinated by the end of 2021.”
READ MORE: UN hopes for vaccines within months
Angelica Snowden 11.30am: Female tradies welcome new skills funding
Melbourne based architect Sally Holbrook hoped to build her new house with an all-female trades team to promote women in construction and tackle the “hyper masculine” industry culture, but after two years of planning she is still searching for her dream team.
Ms Holbrook wanted to have more female role models in the industry and planned to employ women to build her “bespoke” home in Coburg in Melbourne’s north – but the few female tradies she could find were not competitively priced or appropriately qualified.
“What we found is that there are more and more women entering the construction industry, but they are … younger, less experienced women,” the 40-year-old said.
“Finding a competitive trades person who is female … there’s not very many of them and you don’t really have many options,” she said.
NSW treasurer Dominic Perrottet announced this week a $57.4 million commitment over four years for a new Trades Skills Pathways Centre designed to attract more women into construction.
He said it was a critical step to address a skills shortage in NSW and boost the number of women in trades on Tuesday.
“We’re determined to ease skills shortages across the State to power our economy, and women and mature workers play a vital role in that,” Mr Perrottet said.
Ms Holbrook said there were “tricky design details” to her home which she started designing in 2018 and described as not a “straight forward or standard house” that will be built on a small plot using every centimetre of space.
“The idea stemmed from issues I had observed on sites in my career in terms of a hyper masculine culture,” she said.
“I wondered why there weren’t any women on site and perhaps wondered if that would make any kind of difference or improvement to that culture.
“That was the impetus for the idea … using my own house as a prototype to try and promote women in the industry.”
Despite finding a female builder – Nadia Warren – who Ms Holbrook planned to collaborate with “in one way or another” on the project, she conceded she will need to employ men and women.
Ms Warren said there are challenges for women in the industry but overall it is “really positive”.
“There is no reason why women can’t excel in any trade,” the 34-year-old said.
READ MORE: Tourist plea to let holiday heavens open
Angelica Snowden 11.10am: No new cases in NSW
No new cases of locally acquired COVID-19 were reported in NSW overnight, setting Australia up to record six straight days of zero community transmission.
No cases of locally acquired #COVID19 were diagnosed in NSW in the 24 hrs to 8pm last night. 1 case was reported in an overseas traveller in hotel quarantine, & 2 previously confirmed cases have been excluded after further testing bringing total number of cases in NSW to 4,293. pic.twitter.com/Ejjz9OGUJV
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) November 13, 2020
One case was reported in an overseas traveller in hotel quarantine, and two previously confirmed cases have been excluded after further testing.
There were 18,941 tests reported last night.
READ MORE: Governments ‘drowning in debt’
Anne Barrowclough 11.00am: US election ‘most secure in American history’
The US Department of Homeland Security has refuted Donald Trump’s clams of widespread voter fraud, calling the election the “most secure in American history.”
The DHS said in a statement: “The November 3rd election was the most secure in American history … There is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised.”
Start your stopwatch for the POTUS explosion https://t.co/Egnkn3YeYu
— Jonathan Swan (@jonathanvswan) November 12, 2020
The Election Infrastructure Government Coordinating Council (GCC) Executive Committee, which is part of the DHS, said in a statement: “When states have close elections, many will recount ballots. All of the states with close results in the 2020 presidential race have paper records of each vote, allowing the ability to go back and count each ballot if necessary. This is an added benefit for security and resilience. This process allows for the identification and correction of any mistakes or errors. There is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised.
“Other security measures like pre-election testing, state certification of voting equipment, and the U.S. Election Assistance Commission’s (EAC) certification of voting equipment help to build additional confidence in the voting systems used in 2020.
“While we know there are many unfounded claims and opportunities for misinformation about the process of our elections, we can assure you we have the utmost confidence in the security and integrity of our elections, and you should too. When you have questions, turn to elections officials as trusted voices as they administer elections.”
READ MORE: Old guard needs to get out of the way
Richard Ferguson 10.25am: Scrap internal border closures for Christmas: Hunt
Health Minister Greg Hunt says internal border closures should be scrapped and it is time for families to reunite for a post-COVID Christmas.
Scott Morrison and the premiers are currently discussing the issue of borders at a national cabinet meeting, with Queensland and WA still reluctant to open up to NSW and Victoria.
Mr Hunt told Brisbane’s 4BC radio there is no medical reason any longer to keep borders shut.
“We’ve had zero community cases of transmission in four out of the last five days, and there’s no reason for any state or territory to be closed to any state or territory,” he said.
“And that means that family can potentially reunite, whether it’s for weddings, for birth, whether it’s for funerals, whether it’s just simply for Christmas or common humanity.
“And so, there are no medical reasons, no medical barriers – and I say this respectfully.
“We are an island sanctuary, but we are one single country and the medical advice to us is absolutely clear.”
READ MORE: Why Aussie vaccine beats overseas rivals
Angelica Snowden 10.23am: Increase sewage testing in capital cities: expert
Infectious diseases expert Peter Collignon says all metropolitan cities in Australia should be conducting sewage testing everyday to help keep COVID-19 under control.
“The more we do it, the easier it is to do and the more accurate it is,” Professor Collignon told the ABC.
“We get rid of the false positives and false negatives and we learn more,” he said.
“Even though we found it it doesn’t mean there is active reflection because it may reflect what happened three weeks ago, but I think what is most important is to give us an early warning that things might be going off the rails before we may have a lot of people testing positive.”
Professor Collignon said the sewage testing was useful as surveillance, even in Europe or the US where a second wave of the virus has led to record daily infections and deaths.
“I think it is useful for everywhere around the world to do it,” he said.
“It is an important supplement … it can help predict or confirm what might happen in a week or two weeks time or if testing is not as good as it should be and you’re being overwhelmed.”
Sewage testing has been conducted across the country, with Western Australia most recently adopting the method as an early warning sign for undetected COVID cases.
READ MORE: COVID, cabinet and Victoria’s management fad fail
Cameron Stewart 10.15am: GOP Senators: Give Biden access to security briefings
Senior Republicans have called for Joe Biden to be given access to White House intelligence briefings even while they refuse to recognise him as the winner of the election.
The move reflects the growing tension between Donald Trump’s refusal to recognise Mr Biden’s victory and the need to help prepare the president-elect for office.
Most Republicans have sided with the president as he has pushed ahead with legal challenges to the election result, claiming widespread electoral fraud.
But senior Republican Senators Chuck Grassley, Lindsey Graham and John Cornyn each said on Friday (AEDT) they would support Mr Biden receiving briefings, even as they refused to recognise him as the president-elect.
“Whether he actually gets the product itself, I think the information needs to be communicated in some way,” Senator Cornyn said. “If, in fact, he does win in the end, I think they need to be able to hit the ground running.”
When asked if Mr Biden should receive intelligence briefings – which are standard for all incoming presidents during the transition period – Senator Graham said ‘I think so,’ while Senator Grassley said “I have no problem with that.’
From 200,000 votes to less than 10,000 votes. If we can audit the total votes cast, we will easily win Arizona also! https://t.co/3eZHjdZL98
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 12, 2020
Mr Trump continued his pattern this week of staying inside the White House with no official duties while firing out tweets alleging electoral fraud.
“From 200,000 votes to less than 10,000 votes. If we can audit the total votes cast, we will easily win Arizona also!’ he tweeted.
READ the full story
Staff writers 10.05am: Pompeo to visit Golan Heights, West Bank
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is reportedly planning to visit the Golan Heights and an Israeli settlement in the West Bank next week, in a first for an American secretary of state.
Mr Pompeo’s visit to the Psagot settlement on the West Bank and the Golan Heights will be controversial, as all US administrations have treated both areas as occupied territory since 1967.
The trip also has domestic political significance ahead of a possible presidential run in 2024, Axios website reports.
Mr Pompeo has repeatedly highlighted his close links to Israel, including by addressing the Republican National Convention from Jerusalem.
He was also the first secretary of state to make an official visit to the Western Wall in Jerusalem.
The US embassy in Israel and the Israel’s Shin Bet security agency are preparing for the unprecedented trip, Axios reports.
READ MORE: Biden to tell PM: America is back
Angelica Snowden 9.55am: Andrews sticks with Sunday timetable to ease restrictions
Ahead of Melburnians being allowed to travel into the regions this weekend, Daniel Andrews would not indicate further measures which could be wound back after the state recorded a 14th straight day of no new COVID cases.
“I would love to be able to make all sorts of announcements today about all the rules coming off. That would not be smart and would essentially betray the sacrifice so many people have made,” he said.
“But next Sunday I feel very confident we will be able to take the steps I foreshadowed last week and give Victorians a sense of what that COVID normal Christmas is going to look like.”
Mr Andrews also said he would continue to mandate masks as an “insurance policy”, but in the future their use could be reduced to some environments.
He also said former health boss Kym Peake chose not to renew her contract, and did not resign.
“Her contract came to an end this week and she rather than seeking her contract to be extended for a further period she has made a decision that for her and her family the best thing is to go and do other things,” Mr Andrews said.
He warned Victorians to keep COVID safe ahead of the ‘ring of steel’ between Melbourne and the regions lifting this weekend.
“Go down and enjoy regional Victoria … but you have got to do it in a safe way,” Mr Andrews said.
“I don’t want this weekend to be one of only a few weekends when people have that freedom,” he said.
“I want it to be part of a COVID normal and a COVID normal Christmas.”
READ MORE: Biden in market for Covid tips
Anne Barrowclough 9.45am: GOP megadonor tells Trump: face reality
A Las Vegas newspaper owned by a Republican megadone has published an editorial telling Donald Trump he is insulting the American public by continuing to claim voter fraud.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal, owned by billionaire Sheldon Adelson, listed by Forbes as the 28th richest person in the world, told Mr Trump to face reality and concede, saying that without concrete evidence his continued claims of voter fraud “does a disservice to his more rabid supporters” because the idea is “simply false.”
“In fact, rhetoric from Trump surrogates alleging widespread illegal activity has been devoid of detailed evidence supporting the charge that there was a concerted effort to ‘steal’ the election through corruption,” the editorial states.
“An electoral system that involves the participation of 150 million Americans will have its share of issues, but it’s an insult to reason and logic to argue that isolated irregularities constitute proof of a grand national conspiracy.”
The paper noted that a number of Republicans outperformed pre-election polls and asked: “Why, if there were some orchestrated Democratic attempt to rig the balloting, did the party underachieve in congressional and statewide balloting across the country?”
READ MORE: Biden barred from world leaders’ messages
Natasha Robinson 9.35am: Cancer diagnoses fell as pandemic started
Cancer Australia research has revealed diagnostic procedures for two of Australia’s most commonly diagnosed cancers fell by alarming levels at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, with marked reduction in surgical procedures for some cancers.
A new national report – Review of the impact of COVID-19 on medical services and procedures in Australia utilising MBS (Medicare Benefits Schedule) data – revealed significant reductions in lung and prostate cancer procedures and services, as patients avoided their doctors amid the initial wave of infections at the end of March.
Cancer Australia chief executive Dorothy Keefe said the data was not surprising considering many people stayed away from visiting their doctors during the pandemic‘s first wave.
“We postulated that this would happen but we needed to see the data to demonstrate that it had happened,” Professor Keefe said.
“It teaches us that we need to be acutely aware of cancer diagnoses in the next six to twelve months, that we really need to focus on ensuring that we catch up, as it were, and look after all of these people properly.”
Between March and April, prostate cancer PSA blood testing fell by 41 per cent, diagnostic procedures for lung cancer dropped by 27 per cent, while both MRI and prostate biopsy procedures decreased by 25 per cent for the same period.
“Any potential delays in diagnoses and treatment in response to these reductions may lead to more advanced stages of cancer at diagnosis and poorer patient outcomes,” the report said.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in Australia, and the fifth most prevalent diagnosed cancer. For Australian men, prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer.
Rebecca Urban 8.45am: Andrews announces new Australian Institute of Infectious Disease
Premier Daniel Andrews announced the latest COVID-19 statistics while also pledging $155 million to establish a new Australian Institute of Infectious Disease.
Mr Andrews said the institute, which would be the biggest in the region, would directly employ 300 people and have the capacity to support 5000 jobs.
He said discussions were underway with the Commonwealth to contribute a further $250m to the project.
“This is an investment in changing lives and saving lives,” he said.
Angelica Snowden 8.40am: Victoria records 14 days of zero cases
Victoria has clocked a fourteenth straight day of no new COVID-19 cases, Premier Daniel Andrews says.
Yesterday there were 0 new cases and 0 lives lost. There are 3 active cases, 1 with unknown source. Thanks to all who were tested, there were 12,001 results received. #EveryTestHelps #StaySafeStayOpen https://t.co/pcll7ySEgz #COVID19Vic pic.twitter.com/6m16AgK2VR
— VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) November 12, 2020
Mr Andrews confirmed the rolling case average is zero and just one mystery case remained.
He said chasing zero cases everyday was not the aim, although it was positive.
“The aim is to have as low numbers as possible and to be able to stop the spread of this virus as we take safe and cautious steps to open up,” Mr Andrews said.
There were 12,0001 tests conducted overnight with more than 3.7M recorded since the start of the pandemic, a “truly impressive” feat Mr Andrews said. No deaths
Angelica Snowden 8.30am: Bolton: Trump will never admit defeat
Donald Trump’s former national security advisor John Bolton says he is not likely to ever accept defeat after Joe Biden claimed victory in the US presidential election.
“What I’m trying to say is not to be critical of the Republican Party, but to get the party to say Donald Trump’s interests are not the same as ours,” he told the Nine network.
“Donald Trump is advancing his interests, we need to advance the country and the party’s interests,” he said.
Mr Bolton published a critical account this year of his time in the Oval office with Mr Trump.
He said Mr Trump had not produced any legitimate evidence to substantiate his claims the election was “stolen”.
“For all the people who say you know the president has a right to make these claims and under the various state laws, yeah, that’s true,” he said.
“I don’t think anybody can dispute that but really that’s beside the point.
“We are at the stage really past the time when we need to see the evidence of these claims of fraud and it has not materialised in cases and several different states, several have been thrown out of court by the trial judges already.”
READ MORE: How Trump could swing the electoral vote
Angelica Snowden 8.20am: Marles: PM holding our military to account
Scott Morrison’s government is holding Australia’s military to account, ahead of the release of a war crimes report opposition defence spokesman Richard Marles says.
“I think the prime minister is right when he says that we are going to be shocked by what is brought to light when these substantive allegations ultimately do come into the public,” Mr Marles told the Nine network.
“I would say that the way in which the government is going about this, and indeed the way in which the defence force is going about this is almost unique in the world,” he said.
“We are holding ourselves to account and that is ultimately what Australians and other members of the defence force can take heart from in terms of knowing that we have one of the most ethical militaries in the world by virtue of the way we are treating this.”
Home affairs minister Peter Dutton agreed the “brutal truths” about the conduct of Australian soldiers were serious and said the opposition had worked constructively with the coalition on the issue.
“These are serious allegations and yes the soldiers are put under enormous strain and stress and we expect there to be a high standard to be adhered to,” Mr Dutton said.
“Given the gravity of the allegations it’s appropriate that we set up a process which will be in part ordered by the Australian Federal Police and a special investigator to look at each of the cases that come before us,” he said.
READ MORE: War atrocities will shock nation: PM
Angelica Snowden 8.00am: Promising results for UQ vaccine trials
An Australian-made coronavirus vaccine is showing promising early results, as it appears to be safe and effective among the elderly.
Early results from the University of Queensland vaccine trial show it led to development of virus neutralising antibodies in elderly patients, the Adelaide Advertiser reported.
It is also understood trials are ahead of schedule.
Health minister Greg Hunt is expected to tour the UQ laboratory today and provide an update on the vaccine.
“Their initial lead is that the vaccine through the phase 1 trials is proving to be safe and just as importantly it’s showing a positive response, which means it has got neutralising antibodies,” Mr Hunt said.
“Especially in the elderly. The elderly cohort is responding well,” he said.
The news came after Pfizer announced its vaccine candidate was 90 per cent effective and Australian authorities confirmed they would seek to fast track regulatory approvals of the drug in a bid to vaccinate five million people from March next year.
National Cabinet will meet today and discuss the rollout of a vaccine.
READ MORE: Follow the quarantine road to the wrecker of Oz
Angelica Snowden 7.50am: PM must ‘bring people along’ on borders
Scott Morrison needs to “bring people along” to support Australian states to open up their borders ahead of Christmas, Labor’s deputy leader Richard Marles says.
“We need to see leadership from the Prime Minister,” Mr Marles told the Nine network.
“(When our) founding fathers … set up our nation, the idea was that the Commonwealth would engage in co-operation with the states but all we have seen from this prime minister from day one is going to the sidelines whenever things have got difficult,” he said.
“They have got difficult with internal borders so he needs to bring people along on a process which sees our borders open up before the end of the year.”
National Cabinet will meet today to discuss where borders are expected to be debated.
READ MORE: Healthy appetite for innovation
Agencies 7.45am: Pope Francis congratulates Biden
Pope Francis has spoken with Joe Biden by telephone to offer “blessings and congratulations” to the US president-elect on his victory, the Democrat’s transition team said in a statement.
Mr Biden, 77, is only the second Catholic elected to the US presidency, after John F Kennedy in 1960.
“The president-elect thanked His Holiness for extending blessings and congratulations and noted his appreciation for His Holiness’ leadership in promoting peace, reconciliation, and the common bonds of humanity around the world,” according to a readout of the call provided by Mr Biden’s office.
Mr Biden “expressed his desire to work together on the basis of a shared belief in the dignity and equality of all humankind on issues such as caring for the marginalised and the poor, addressing the crisis of climate change, and welcoming and integrating immigrants and refugees into our communities.”
During the election race, Mr Biden quoted Pope John Paul II, frequently invoked his Irish Catholic roots and pledged to “restore the soul of America” after four years of acrimony.
He also regularly carried a rosary that belonged to his late son Beau Biden.
Pope Francis himself has had strained relations with Mr Trump. In early 2019 he called Mr Trump’s wall project on the US-Mexico border “madness.”
In 2015 the Pope met with then-vice president Mr Biden in Washington when Francis delivered a speech in the US Capitol to a joint meeting of Congress.
READ MORE: This election won’t be overturned
Anne Barrowclough 7.40am: Trump aide Lewandowski tests positive
Corey Lewandowski, a senior adviser for the Trump campaign, has tested positive to the coronavirus.
Mr Lewandowski has been pursuing legal action in Philadelphia over election results which the Trump team claim were fraudulent. He told CBS he believed he was infected while in Philadelphia, but he also attended an election night party at the White House after which a number of staff have tested positive. Mr Trump’s Chief of Staff Mark Meadows tested positive on Friday.
Mr Lewandowski said he wasn’t experiencing any symptoms and was continuing to work on legal attempts to halt certification of election results from quarantine.
As Georgia prepared to recount ballots in the state by hand, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has also sid he would self isolate after his wife tested positive.
Chris Harvey, elections director for the secretary of state’s office, has told county election officials they must begin the hand tally by 9am Friday local time (1am Saturday AEDT) and complete it by 11:59pm Wednesday (3.59pm Thursday AEDT). The state certification deadline is November 20.
READ MORE: Trump digs in with more lawsuits
Agencies 7.10am: New restrictions in US amid record cases
The US is slapping new restrictions on daily life in a bid to contain the COVID-19 pandemic amid a second wave which is more widespread and intense compared with the first.
Governors in New York, Maryland, Minnesota, Iowa, Utah and other states imposed more measures as US cases topped 100,000 for the ninth day in a row on Wednesday.
A new @CDCMMWR evaluates CDC’s symptom-based screening program for #COVID19 at designated U.S. airports from January 17 to September 13, 2020. Learn more: https://t.co/jllRgxI86U. pic.twitter.com/016N8eGZi1
— CDC (@CDCgov) November 12, 2020
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine on Wednesday imposed a stricter mask order to allow authorities to briefly close businesses which repeatedly flout rules. He put new restrictions on congregating at receptions and warned gyms and bars may close.
While governments in Europe and the UK have imposed broad lockdown measures as coronavirus cases rise, many states have so far resisted full lockdowns and claimed they know more about how the virus spreads, and how to prepare hospitals and that they want to avoid struggling businesses and households.
In California, a total of 11 counties were put under more restrictive guidelines including Sacramento and San Diego.
“We anticipate if things stay the way they are, that between this week and next week over half of California counties will have moved into a more restrictive tier,” California Health and Human Services Secretary Mark Ghaly said.
“That certainly is an indication that we’re concerned and that we have to keep a close watch.”
Last week, the state had a seven-day average of around 4,500 cases.
More than 8,000 new daily infections were reported on Tuesday, and again on Wednesday. The state last saw those types of numbers in late August when California was experiencing a severe surge, along with Arizona, Florida and Texas.
In New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a 10pm curfew for most bars and restaurants and will limit gatherings at private residences to 10 people.
“If these measures are not sufficient to slow the spread … we will turn the valve more, and part of that would be reducing the number of people in indoor dining,” Mr Cuomo said.
Dow Jones
READ MORE: Fauci: Don’t despair, don’t give up
Angelica Snowden 6.30am: Britain’s COVID-19 deaths surpass 50,000
Britain has become the first country in Europe to record 50,000 coronavirus deaths as the country continued to battle a deadly second wave of the pandemic.
There were 595 deaths within 28 days of a positive test reported on Wednesday, taking the total to 50,365. A fortnight ago the daily figure was 310.
National restrictions are in place across England until 2 December.
— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) November 12, 2020
âž¡ï¸ https://t.co/shgzOurdZC pic.twitter.com/KSXAIWNRmH
Public Health England medical director Yvonne Doyle said deaths would continue to rise.
“Sadly the upward trend is likely to continue and it will be several weeks before any impact of the current measures, and the sacrifices we are all making, is reflected in the data,” she said.
Hospitals are treating 14,196 COVID-19 patients, 1,219 of whom are on ventilation. About 1,518 were admitted on Saturday, up from 1,239 a fortnight earlier.
British Medical Association’s council chairman Chaand Nagpaul said the death toll of 50,000 “should never have been reached”.
“(It was) a terrible indictment of poor preparation, poor organisation by the government, insufficient infection control measures, coupled with late and often confusing messaging,” he said.
On #WorldPneumoniaDay, let's remember that some people with #COVID19 develop pneumonia. To stay safe:
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) November 12, 2020
-#WashYourHands
-#WearAMask
-Keep physical distance
-Cough, sneeze safely
-Open windows as much as possible
We are #InThisTogether!pic.twitter.com/OG4obvjav6
Experts said it was difficult to compare death tolls between countries, partly because they were recorded differently.
Many observers preferred to study excess deaths: the total from any cause above what would be expected based on recent annual averages.
An interim analysis by the Office for National Statistics in July found that other countries had recorded higher peaks in excess deaths but the UK had “the highest levels of excess mortality in Europe for the period as a whole”.
If and when the @Pfizer & @BioNTech_Group vaccine is approved, we will be ready to start using it.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) November 9, 2020
But the biggest mistake we could make now would be to slacken our resolve at such a critical moment.
We must continue to work together to protect our NHS and save lives. pic.twitter.com/C4OOjCvtVF
Britain has the fifth highest recorded death toll in the world but its total is far lower than America, with 236,042 deaths, Brazil with 162,397, India with 127,059 and Mexico with 95,027.
Belgium and Spain have higher coronavirus deaths per million population than Britain.
Britain has recorded 742 per million, whereas Spain has recorded 831 and Belgium 1,140. — with THE TIMES
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Jacquelin Magnay 5.30am: Mink virus mutation ‘won’t affect vaccines’
Dr Anthony Fauci is confident Denmark’s new mink coronavirus variant will not have any impact on vaccines in development, predicting there will be “three or four immediate vaccines” made available soon to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Denmark researchers raised fears a week ago that it could impact on vaccine efficacy and the United Kingdom immediately banned any incoming passengers and freight from Denmark.
Such was the initial concern the Danish government passed a new law to cull all 17 million mink in Denmark and implemented a lockdown in the north of the country to stop the spread of the mink mutation.
ICYMI: Dr. Anthony Fauci on @GMA: “Help is really on the way.†“The cavalry is coming.â€
— George Solis (@GeorgeSolis) November 12, 2020
Discusses what #COVID19 vaccine rollout could look like.@6abc pic.twitter.com/pbQ8FpjCcd
In an address to Chatham House in London, Dr Fauci said his team at the United States National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases looked at the binding sites of the mink mutation, where the spike protein binds to the Ace 2 receptor.
“It doesn’t appear at this point that the mutation identified in minks is going to have an impact on vaccines and vaccine-induced response,” Dr Fauci said.
“It might impact on monoclonal antibodies against the virus, but we don’t know yet; at first cut it doesn’t look like a big problem for current vaccines to produce an immune response.”
‘Science is felt to be authoritative and there has been a push back on authority. People do not like to be told what to do.’
— Chatham House (@ChathamHouse) November 12, 2020
Listen to Dr Fauci discuss the backlash against science and the polarization of the pandemic live:
Read the full story here.
Will Glasgow 5.15am: ‘We’re collateral damage’: China timber ban bites
China has escalated its trade assault on regional Australia, banning Victoria’s $260m timber trade and leaving the state’s forestry industry in despair.
At least two shipments expected to depart this week from Portland, a city of 10,000 in the state’s west, have been cancelled after Chinese authorities said a pest known as bark beetle had been detected in earlier cargo.
Portland locals fear the suspension is the latest instalment in China’s sweeping trade retaliation campaign, a fortnight after Queensland timber was banned and as restrictions on wine and lobster exports loom.
“We’re collateral damage in the whole thing,” Port of Portland chief executive Greg Tremewen told The Australian.
“The view from the industry is this a government relations issue, not a biosecurity issue.”
Read the full story here.
Olivia Caisley 5am: Bushfires, borders, vaccine on National Cabinet agenda
Scott Morrison will accept all recommendations of the bushfire royal commission, with the response to be discussed at national cabinet today along with the reopening of borders and the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.
The commission made 80 recommendations, including new powers for the commonwealth to intervene in natural disasters, deploy the Australian Defence Force more swiftly and override states in “exceptional” circumstances.
It also called for the creation of a new “authoritative disaster advisory body” to improve the co-ordination between governments, an all-hazard emergency warning app and a national fleet of water bombers.
Also on the agenda at national cabinet will be the Finkel National Contact Tracing Review that is stress-testing the systems of all jurisdictions, the rollout of coronavirus vaccines, caps on international air passenger arrivals and federation reform.
Read the full story here.
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