PoliticsNow: Facebook to restore news content to feeds
News will be back on Facebook as the social media giant strikes a deal with the Morrison government over the media bargaining code and signs a letter of intent with Seven West Media.
- Facebook ‘has re-friended Australia’: Treasurer
- Facebook to restore news content
- Craig Kelly quits, moves to crossbench
- JobSeeker to rise by $50
- Second Pfizer shipment arrives
- Boris lays out roadmap to open UK
Welcome to rolling coverage of new from Canberra and around the nation amid the ongoing pandemic.
Facebook has ‘re-friended Australia’, says Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, as its revealed
Australian news will be back on the platform under a new deal struck between the global media behemoth and the Morrison government.
Scott Morrison says the Coalition will “continue to function” successfully after Craig Kelly quit the Liberal Party over his views on coronavirus treatments which differed from those of the government.
Scott Morrison says a $50 fortnightly increase for JobSeeker payments will provide a “social safety net” for Australians as the country moves out of the COVID recession.
David Swan 11.15pm:World tells tech giants to pay up
News publishers in Europe, the US and Britain are pushing for their own versions of a news media bargaining code, with Australia’s protracted brawl with the tech giants expanding to multiple fronts overseas.
Major publishing groups in the EU have teamed with Microsoft to call for the Digital Single Market Copyright Directive — which comes into force in June — to be expanded to include a law like Australia’s media bargaining code legislation.
“The experiences in France and Australia have shown us that there’s a real need for a binding instrument to address inherent imbalances in bargaining power with gatekeepers, which undermine the potential of Europe’s press sector,” Fernando de Yarza, president of News Media Europe, said. “We look forward to working with Microsoft and others on a solution that allows for a healthy and diverse online news media ecosystem.”
Ewin Hannan10.40pm:CFMEU division in bid for divorce
The CFMEU’s mining and energy division will move to split from the country’s most militant union, becoming the first division to use the Coalition’s new union demerger laws.
About 300 members of the division’s national convention will on Monday vote on a motion backing an application to the Fair Work Commission for a ballot to consider splitting from the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union. Senior officials said they believed the national convention would support the holding of the ballot, although the union’s construction division in Queensland on Tuesday urged members to vote against splitting, saying it would “play into the hands” of the Coalition.
Capitalising on the civil war engulfing the CFMEU, Attorney-General Christian Porter brought in laws to permit disaffected divisions to vote to break away and form their own union, taking their assets and members with them.
Simon Benson, Geoff Chambers9.55pm: Dole up as jobs market surges
More than half a million workers came off wage subsidies in January compared with December, smashing Treasury forecasts for the jobs recovery as the Morrison government ushered in the largest year-on-year increase to the dole since 1986.
The unexpected jump in the number of Australians returning to work or finding new jobs will bolster the government’s decision to end the JobKeeper program next month and comes as 1.95 million Australians on working age welfare payments are to be handed an extra $25 a week.
The $9bn boost for welfare recipients will be tied to a strict new mutual obligation test requiring employers to report any job applicant who refuses to take a position offered to them.
Patrick Commins9.15pm: Disappointing raise fails poverty and parity benchmarks
The biggest increase in the dole since 1985 may sound impressive but it has gone only some of the way to reverse a 20-year trend of unemployment benefits falling ever further behind the minimum wage, the Age Pension and poverty line.
Social Services Minister Anne Ruston called the extra $4 a day for single jobseekers a “very significant increase”, while Deloitte Access Economics partner Chris Richardson said the new rate was “markedly fairer”.
It was certainly not the outcome for which welfare groups and many economists had been hoping.
Charlie Peel8.30pm:Airport quarantine talks still up in the air
The federal government says it is still waiting on a “formal proposal” from the Palaszczuk government detailing operational plans to use a privately built workers camp to house international arrivals in quarantine.
Annastacia Palaszczuk was frustrated by the claim on Tuesday, saying it was “ridiculous” and Scott Morrison should “get on with it” and approve the use of the facility near Toowoomba, 125km west of Brisbane, to reduce the risk of the virus infecting hotel quarantine workers and spreading into the community.
The Premier is awaiting commonwealth approval for planes arriving into Queensland from overseas to land at the Wellcamp airport, from where they would be shuttled to purpose-built 1000-room quarantine accommodation nearby. The airport is owned and operated by the family-run Wagner Corporation, which has submitted a pitch to build the 1000-room accommodation facility at its own cost.
Rachel Baxendale7.45pm:Alternative draft to emergency powers
Three Victorian barristers including Marcus Clarke QC have drafted COVID-specific legislation as an alternative to an ongoing state of emergency ahead of next week’s upper house vote on the Andrews government’s request for a nine-month extension to its extraordinary powers.
Mr Clarke and fellow barristers Vanessa Plain and Jason Harkess’s draft bill would amend the Public Health and Wellbeing Act to include a provision for detention/quarantine for people entering Victoria and/or infected with COVID-19, plus masks on public transport without the need for a state of emergency.
Rosie Lewis 7.05pm: Labor on the fence over new JobSeeker rate
Labor has refused to nominate a new JobSeeker rate for unemployed Australians, as welfare and charity groups condemned the Morrison government’s permanent increase of $50 a fortnight.
The Australian Council of Social Service said the single biggest increase in unemployment benefits since 1985 was a “heartless betrayal of millions of people” that showed a “complete lack of humanity and empathy”.
The base rate of JobSeeker will increase from $40 a day to about $44 under the proposed changes.
Welfare recipients currently receive get $51 a day because they are paid the temporary coronavirus supplement on top of JobSeeker until March 31.
Opposition social services spokeswoman Linda Burney said it was not Labor’s intention to stand in the way of welfare recipients receiving extra money but the party wanted to scrutinise the government’s tougher mutual obligation requirements before finalising a position.
Asked on Tuesday what rate Labor would like JobSeeker to be set at, Ms Burney said: “Labor has not determined an amount, and I will not be pushed into naming an amount today.”
James Madden6.30pm:Facebook in news deal with Seven West Media
Seven West Media is the first major Australian media company to agree to a commercial arrangement with Facebook, with the digital giant to pay the Kerry Stokes-owned group for the use of its news content.
The announcement of the deal came just hours after Treasurer Josh Frydenberg revealed that Facebook was restoring Australian news content to its platform following a six-day blackout. The federal government’s decision to make technical amendments to its media bargaining code had also encouraged Facebook to resume negotiations with Australian media companies, Mr Frydenberg said on Tuesday.
The letter of entent between Seven and Facebook is subject to the signing of a long-form agreement, expected to be executed over the following 60 days. Financial details of the arrangement were not disclosed.
My Stokes said: “The establishment of this new partnership with Facebook is a significant move for our business and reflects the value of our original news content across our successful metropolitan and regional broadcast, digital and print properties.
“On 15 February we announced a LOU for a partnership with Google, to provide news
content to the Google Showcase product.
“Together, the two announcements are a strong recognition of the quality and credibility of
our leading news brands and entertainment, and will enable us to continue to build our digital
platform.”
READ MORE: Apple to take bite out of Facebook tracking
Greg Brown5.52pm:Labor backs amendments to media bargaining code
Labor has backed the amendments to the media bargaining code, assuring its passage through parliament.
Opposition communications spokeswoman Michelle Rowland said the deal between the government and Facebook was welcome.
“From the outset, Labor has provided constructive, in-principle support for a workable Code to address the bargaining power imbalance between digital platforms and Australian news media,” Ms Rowland said.
“We are pleased that amendments will be moved to provide further clarity on a range of matters. While some questions remain, Labor offers support for the amended Code.”
The government is likely to put the amendments to the Senate this evening.
READ MORE:Australia’s Facebook brawl sparks international action
Marc Bennetts 5.50pm:EU slaps curbs on Putin loyalists
Four of President Vladimir Putin’s most loyal security service allies are having sanctions imposed on them by the EU over the Kremlin’s crackdown on Alexei Navalny, as the bloc ignored threats from Moscow that it would sever diplomatic ties.
The four officials to be subject to visa bans and asset freezes are said to include Alexei Bastyrkhin, the head of the powerful Investigative Committee, and Viktor Zolotov, who leads the National Guard. Both men are long-time associates of Mr Putin.
Russia’s prosecutor general and the head of the FSIN prison service are also believed to be on the list, Reuters reported on Tuesday. The sanctions list will be finalised after it has been approved by EU lawyers.
Paul Garvey 5.25pm:Slow start to WA frontline worker vaccinations
Western Australia’s health minister says he is confident the numbers of hotel quarantine workers booked to receive the COVID-19 vaccine will start to increase in the coming days.
The state’s 3500 frontline hotel quarantine workers were at the front of the queue to receive the vaccine from Monday, but WA health minister Roger Cook on Tuesday said that less than 1000 had booked in for their injection so far.
A clinic opened at Fremantle Port on Tuesday to start vaccinating at-risk port workers, while a similar facility will start operating at Perth Airport from Wednesday.
Mr Cook said he was not concerned by the rate of bookings among quarantine workers to date.
“We are in the process of contacting them all and making sure their bookings are at a time that is convenient for them and the clinic,” he said.
While the vaccine isn’t mandatory for at-risk workers, Mr Cook said he expected security contractors to redeploy staff who did not want the injection out of the quarantine hotels.
“If we have contracts with Security companies and those security guards don’t want to be vaccinated, we will probably ask those security companies to have that guard work in another part of their operation,” he said.
“We want to keep our frontline workers safe.”
Meanwhile, the findings from an inquiry into the recent infection of a hotel quarantine security guard and the government’s subsequent decision to lock down Perth and WA’s South West should be released shortly.
Mr Cook said the initial findings from the inquiry had been delivered to the Department of Premier and Cabinet ahead of their upcoming release.
Some two million West Australians were locked down for five days after the security guard tested positive. The infection did not lead to a single case of community transmission, with none of the man’s close contacts subsequently contracting the virus.
READ MORE:Arthritis drug shows promise in Covid fight
Rachel Baxendale4.55pm:We can rebuild: Vic treasurer on credit rating downgrade
Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas says ratings agency Moody’s’ decision to downgrade the state’s credit rating from AAA to AA1 with a “negative” outlook is a reflection of the fact that the coronavirus pandemic is continuing to have an enormous impact on economies around the world.
Moody’s warned in its Tuesday downgrade, previously flagged in December, that Victoria’s “governance has weakened, with policy priorities leading to a very sharp increase in the state’s debt burden for a prolonged period, significantly diminishing the state’s capacity to respond to future shocks.”
The downgrade follows a double downgrade by fellow ratings agency Standard and Poors.
Mr Pallas said no one was “immune” from the impacts of the pandemic.
“But Victoria is more strongly placed than most jurisdictions in the world to recover. The sacrifices of each and every Victorian in driving numbers down – and keeping them down – mean we can re-open and rebuild,” he said.
“We – like the federal government and other states and territories across Australia – are borrowing to drive investment, create jobs and revive our economy – and we’re already seeing the benefits with Victoria creating more jobs in January than anywhere else in the nation.
“We make no apologies for using our balance sheet to protect household budgets and support Victorians. As the economy strengthens, our budget position will strengthen.”
Opposition treasury spokeswoman Louise Staley said the Andrews government’s 2020 budget had elevated government debt to $155bn – the highest of any state in the country.
“Now that both major credit rating agencies have downgraded Victoria’s rating, that debt will cost more to repay, meaning less money for roads, schools, hospitals and police,” Ms Staley said.
“What this says is that Victoria is as riskier place to invest in than other states due to the mismanagement of the Andrews Labor government.”
Adeshola Ore4.12pm:Facebook has ‘re-friended Australia’: Frydenberg
Josh Frydenberg has declared that Facebook has “re-friended Australia” after the social media giant struck a deal with the Morrison government regarding its media bargaining code.
“Facebook has committed to entering into good faith negotiations with Australian news media businesses and seeking to reach agreements to pay for content,” The Treasurer said.
Mr Frydnberg and Communications Minister Paul Fletcher said the amendments to the government’s bargaining code were intended to “operate and strengthen the framework for ensuring news media businesses are fairly remunerated”.
Under the changes, the government will notify a platform ahead of any intention to force it to comply with the code.
“A final decision on whether or not to designate a digital platform would be
made no sooner than one month from the date of notification,” Mr Frydenberg and Mr Fletcher said.
Arbitration will only be at a “last resort” if commercial deals between digital giants and publishers cannot be reached.
Mr Frydenberg stressed that the legislation still remained a mandatory code.
“The code maintains its key measures, namely it is a mandatory code. A world leading code,” he said.
Mr Frydenberg also thanked Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg for his negotiations.
“It has been a difficult process, but these are really important issues,” he said.
READ MORE:Facebook brawl sparks international action
Adeshola Ore4.05pm:Labor senator Bilyk on leave of absence
Labor Senator Catryna Bilyk will take a leave of absence from Parliament after being diagnosed with a meningioma.
In a statement, Labor said the Tasmanian senator would take time away from parliament while she undergoes medical treatment for the tumour.
“Senator Bilyk continues to serve her constituents and encourages any Tasmanian in need of assistance on Federal matters to contact her office,” a statement read.
“She has been treated successfully for two brain tumours in 2008, so she looks forward to returning to full duties and attending Parliament when her health allows.”
Richard Ferguson4.02pm:Joyce wants Kelly to join the Nationals
Former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce wants now-independent MP Craig Kelly to join the National Party.
The Australian revealed in early February that a number of Nationals MPs wanted Mr Kelly to defect from the Liberals and join their ranks, believing he would give the Coalition a foothold in the outer suburbs and that his views on energy and climate sit best in their ranks.
On Tuesday, Mr Joyce said the Nationals was the best avenue for Mr Kelly to express his views on coronavirus and energy, and that the Nationals should represent the whole nation.
“The whole point of a parliament is that people can argue and win their cases ... we shouldn’t be shutting anyone up,” Mr Joyce told The Australian.
“The Nationals has the greatest capacity for expressing views. I did this with Nationals senators on securing two federal parliament seats for the Northern Territory, we’ve done it on nuclear energy.
“The government should neve give up on keeping a vote.”
Mr Joyce later told Sky News he visited Mr Kelly in a personal capacity to offer his support after he chose to leave the Coalition.
READ MORE: Kelly vows to pursue unorthodox Covid treatments
Olivia Caisley4.00pm:Reynolds says she met with AFP twice after alleged rape
Defence Minister Linda Reynolds has told the Senate she met with the Australian Federal Police twice following the alleged rape of Brittany Higgins in her office.
Senator Reynolds said she met with the AFP on April 1 and 4, 2019 after her former staffer alleged she was raped by a colleague.
She said she was joined in that first meeting by Ms Higgins but that was quickly rejected by Labor. Opposition sources said Ms Higgins had texted the party to say that had never happened.
“I met on the first of April with the AFP, Brittany and my chief of staff, (where it) became apparent to me that the matter was more serious than a security breach, which I had been previously advised,” Senator Reynolds said.
“By way of follow up, I met briefly with the AFP on the 4 April at their request.”
Senator Reynolds explained she started the second meeting alone but was later joined for a brief period by her then Chief of Staff, Fiona Brown.
However, Labor Senate leader Penny Wong seized on the response to declare that Ms Higgins denied attending any meeting with both the AFP and Senator Reynolds, to which the Defence Minister said she would need to take the question on notice.
“I will check what I said yesterday and what I said today against my recollections and I will come back at the first opportunity to clarify.”
Earlier, Trade Minister Simon Birmingham told the Senate that it was his understanding the alleged perpetrator had not been issued with a sponsored pass to re-enter Parliament House after he was terminated from Senator Reynolds’ office.
However, Senator Birmingham said he could not rule-out whether the alleged rapist had ever returned to parliament house as a guest because the sign-in sheets are handwritten and could not be searched easily.
Rosie Lewis 3.51pm:Former staffer ‘had no Parliament pass since 2019’
Scott Morrison has confirmed the former male staffer accused of raping Brittany Higgins in a ministerial office has had no pass to access Parliament House since March 27, 2019.
“After seeking advice from the Department of Parliamentary Services at the request of Minister (Linda) Reynolds’ office, DPS cancelled the APH access pass of the male staff member in question on the 27th of March, 2019, and no pass - either staff or sponsored - has been issued to this person since that time,” the Prime Minister said.
Mr Morrison was still checking whether the former staffer had lobbyist meetings or communications with ministers, their staff or department officials since he lost his job with then defence industry minister Senator Reynolds.
Ms Higgins alleges she was raped by the man, who was a colleague, in Senator Reynolds office on March 23, 2019, after a night out drinking.
READ MORE:PM acts ‘quickly’ over former staffer access
Adeshola Ore 3.32pm: PM accused of walking away from workplace review
Scott Morrison has rejected Labor’s suggestion that he is abandoning one of his government’s workplace inquiries in the wake of the alleged 2019 rape of a former Liberal Party staffer.
Last week, Mr Morrison appointed Western Australian MP Celia Hammond to examine the culture within coalition MPs’ offices and the protocol for dealing with complaints and incidents after Brittany Higgins alleged she was raped in Parliament House in March 2019.
On Tuesday, Mr Morrison said Ms Hammond’s review would now be consolidated into a wider independent review that Finance Minister Simon Birmingham is spearheading.
During question time, Labor MP Sharon Claydon accused the Prime Minister of walking away from one of the four reviews it has announced since the alleged incident.
“I can’t confirm that because that is not what happened,” Mr Morrison said.
Mr Morrison said Ms Hammond had recommended that best-practice would be for the review to be conducted by “engaging the broader cross-party process.”
“I welcome that,” he said.
Greg Brown3.18pm: Facebook to restore news content to feeds
Australian news will be back on Facebook under a new deal struck between the global media behemoth and the Morrison government.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Communications Minister Paul Fletcher say changes to the News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code were “intended to operate and strengthen the framework for ensuring news media businesses are fairly remunerated”.
Under the changes, the government will notify a platform ahead of any intention to force it to comply with the code.
“A final decision on whether or not to designate a digital platform would be
made no sooner than one month from the date of notification,” Mr Frydenberg and Mr Fletcher said.
“The government has been advised by Facebook that it intends to restore Australian news pages in the coming days.”
Facebook is yet to strike any commercial agreements with news organisations, as required under the Morrison government’s reforms.
Facebook Australia and New Zealand managing director William Easton said the company was pleased to have reached an agreement with the Morrison government.
“We have consistently supported a framework that would encourage innovation and collaboration between online platforms and publishers,” Mr Easton said.
“After further discussions, we are satisfied that the Australian government has agreed to a number of changes and guarantees that address our core concerns about allowing commercial deals that recognize the value our platform provides to publishers relative to the value we receive from them.
“As a result of these changes, we can now work to further our investment in public interest journalism and restore news on Facebook for Australians in the coming days.”
Arbitration will only be at a “last resort” if commercial deals between digital giants and publishers cannot be reached.
“These amendments also add further impetus for parties to engage in commercial negotiations outside the Code – a central feature of the framework that the government is putting in place to foster more sustainable public interest journalism in Australia,” they said.
Rosie Lewis 3.15pm: Not all Coalition MPs on board with Jobseeker rise
The permanent $50 fortnightly increase to JobSeeker has dominated discussion in the Coalition’s partyroom, with one MP saying they could not support the change.
That MP said there was debt the government needed to pay off and they would find it difficult to tell struggling businesses about the $9bn commitment to increase the dole over the forward estimates.
Another MP said they support lifting the base rate when the budget was heading to surplus but Australia’s high debt to GDP ratio had changed their mind.
There were 18 contributions from Coalition members and senators, with several MPs suggesting those people who had been on JobSeeker for more than 12 months should be moved onto the controversial cashless debit card.
There were also concerns the government need to have better messaging around the per day calculations of JobSeeker, with welfare groups lashing the $3.50 a day extra to the unemployed.
Adeshola Ore 2.56pm: PM tells of concerns about Craig Kelly staffer
Scott Morrison says he has “long expressed” concerns about a staff member of Craig Kelly who is under police investigation for inappropriate conduct towards women.
Earlier today, Mr Kelly said he was quitting the Morrison government and moving to the crossbench to speak more
The controversial MP has said he is quitting the Morrison government and moving to the crossbench in order to be able to speak “frankly” and “fearlessly” on issues as he represents his electorate.
The ABC has reported that Frank Zumbo is still working in the office of Mr Kelly despite being the subject of an apprehended violence order.
“I have long expressed to Mr Kelly my concerns about that staff member,” Mr Morrison said.
“He has long understood what my expectations were about how he would deal with that matter.”
Mr Zumbo denies the allegations.
READ MORE: Defence names top special forces soldier
Jess Malcolm1.52am:JobSeeker rise a ‘heartless betrayal’ for unemployed
Australian Council of Social Service CEO Cassandra Goldie has slammed the federal government’s decision to increase the JobSeeker payments by $50 a fortnight, calling it a “heartless betrayal” for millions of Australians.
The change is slated to take effect when the COVID-19 supplement ends next month, returning the welfare payment back to its original benchmark of 40 per cent of the minimum wage.
“What we’ve got today represents a heartless betrayal of the millions of people who have been hit by unemployment,” Ms Goldie said.
“There is still just one job available for every nine people who are looking for paid work.”
“This Government has announced an increase of $3.50 per day. This $3.50 per day is a mean-spirited and complete betrayal of what is needed.”
Ms Goldie said the decision will mean millions of Australians will not be able to afford basic human needs, creating a lack of trust within the community.
“The government has turned its back on what people have needed and it has ignored the best of all the good, hard work that people from across the business, the economic community, the union movement and the social sector.”
READ MORE:PM lands in the middle with dole increase
Adeshola Ore1.30pm:Albanese takes swipe at PM over jabs
Anthony Albanese has taken a swipe at Scott Morrison for abandoning plans for a joint public vaccination, alongside Greens Leaders Adam Bandt.
The Opposition Leader and Mr Bandt both received their coronavirus jab in Canberra this morning, in a bid to encourage Australians to get vaccinated.
But Mr Albanese told a caucus meeting that as late as Saturday, the government had planned for Mr Morrison, Mr Albanese and Mr Bandt to be vaccinated together on Tuesday morning.
He told Labor MPs “there is nothing this bloke won’t micromanage,” according to a caucus spokesperson.
Mr Albanese added that he felt uncomfortable getting the vaccine ahead of essential workers, but said the health advice was that political leaders should be amongst the first to be vaccinated to boost public confidence about the jabs.
READ MORE: Long road for office-home juggling act
Adeshola Ore 1.13pm: PM doesn’t see Kelly moving to Nationals
Scott Morrison says he does not anticipate Craig Kelly, who will move to the crossbench, will join the Nationals’ party room.
Mobile users: Click here to read Mr Kelly’s letter to the PM
The Australian has previously reported Nationals MPs had considered adopting Mr Kelly in an attempt to gain a foothold in outer suburbs.
Asked if he had any concerns, Mr Kelly would join the Nationals, Mr Morrison said “No I don’t, but that’s really a matter for others.”
Mr Morrison, who previously saved Mr Kelly from electoral defeat in his southern Sydney seat of Hughes, said Mr Kelly’s preselection was a matter for the Hughes MP.
Mr Morrison said he first found out about Mr Kelly’s resignation when he told the Coalition partyroom that he would leave the Liberal Party today.
READ MORE: Nationals MPs want to woo Kelly from Liberals
Jess Malcolm1.09pm:‘Fantastic achievement’: NSW vaccinates 1300 on day one
Gladys Berejiklian has confirmed there were 1300 people vaccinated in NSW yesterday.
The NSW Premier said this was a “fantastic achievement” and that the government has plans to scale up these numbers.
“We have every intention of vaccinating at least 35,000 people in the first three weeks,” Ms Berejiklian said. “So far, the response has been very positive and enthusiastic.”
“We keep a close eye on every single person who has received the vaccine and make sure that everything goes to plan.”
The doses given signify the beginning of the NSW vaccination roll out to frontline health workers, quarantine workers and aged care residents.
Ms Berejiklian said she is continuing to pressure the federal government for more information on the vaccine supply, considering the large numbers her state is taking in overseas arrivals.
READ MORE: Rex cuts flights, blames Qantas
Rachel Baxendale 12.55pm: Moody’s downgrades Victoria to AA1
Ratings agency Moody’s has downgraded Victoria’s credit rating from AAA to AA1, warning that the state’s “governance has weakened, with policy priorities leading to a very sharp increase in the state’s debt burden for a prolonged period, significantly diminishing the state’s capacity to respond to future shocks.”
The agency has also downgraded the Treasury Corporation of Victoria’s issuer rating to from AAA to AA1, its backed senior unsecured medium-term note program rating from AAA to AA1, and its backed senior unsecured shelf rating from AAA to AA1, as well as downgrading the state’s baseline credit assessment from AA1 to AA3.
“The outlook is negative,” the agency said.
“The downgrades reflect a marked erosion in Victoria’s governance of its public finances, at a time when the state faces substantial operating deficits as it responds to the pandemic-induced economic disruptions and embarks on a significant capital spending program,” Moody’s Vice President and Senior Credit Officer John Manning said.
“As a result, the state’s debt burden will rise sharply and remain elevated for the remainder of the decade.”
Other leading ratings agency Standard & Poors also cut its AAA rating on VIC in December.
Moody’s forecasts that the state’s net direct and indirect debt will exceed 200 per cent of its revenue in the fiscal year ending June 2024 compared with 79 per cent in 2019-2020, and is unlikely to stabilize before the end of 2024-25.
“The state’s policy priorities are focused on restoring growth and jobs, in the short and medium term. Based on current policy plans, any potential reduction in debt, close to previous levels, will only commence in the long term (in about 8-10 years) and be largely achieved through operating surpluses,” Mr Manning said.
“As a result, higher operating expenses and lower revenues, combined with large capital spending plans, will drive the state’s debt burden significantly and persistently higher in the next 4-5 years.
“The weakening in Victoria’s stand-alone credit profile, from very strong levels, is indicated in its fiscal 2021 budget which projects average fiscal deficits - based on net lending/borrowing as a percentage of revenue - of 37.1 per cent annually over the four years to fiscal 2023, significantly higher than the 9.7 per cent previously projected in the fiscal
2020 budget update.
“Over time, the rapid and prolonged growth in debt will constrain the state’s capacity to respond to future shocks.”
READ MORE: AAA credit rating - get over it, move on
Adeshola Ore 12.44pm:I had clear expectations of Craig Kelly: PM
Scott Morrison says the Coalition will “continue to function” successfully in the wake of controversial MP Craig Kelly’s resignation from the government.
Mr Kelly’s move to the crossbench will see the Morrison government lose its one-seat majority on the floor of the House of Representatives, in a potentially significant blow to their ability to legislate.
Mr Morrison said during his cautioning of Mr Kelly earlier this month, he outlined his expectations about his “support for the government’s position on health.”
Unveiling the government’s rise of welfare payments shortly after Mr Kelly resignation, Mr Morrison said nothing would distract the government from its commitment to save livelihood.
“The government will continue to function, as it has successfully,” he said.
“As the government has led Australia through the worst situation we’ve seen since the Second World War, we will continue to do so undistracted.”
Mr Morrison, who recently cautioned Mr Kelly over his support for unproven coronavirus treatments, said he set out “clear expectations” for the Hughes MP.
“He’d given me a number of commitments in relation to that. He no longer felt that he could meet those commitments.” he said.
“He has said that his actions were slowing the government down and he believed the best way for him to proceed was to remove himself from the party room and provide the otherwise support to the government so it could continue to function as it so successfully has, which he says is something he remains committed to.”
“So I would expect him to conduct himself in that way.”
READ MORE:Craig Kelly moves to crossbench
Adeshola Ore 12.38pm: Welfare recipients need to attend appointments in person
Employment Minister Michaelia Cash said JobSeeker payments will be contingent on welfare recipients attending face-to-face appointments with their providers.
“They currently do not have to do that, as a result of COVID-19,” she said.
Additionally, the government will progressively increase the number of monthly job searches a job seeker must do from eight to 20 by July 1 - the pre-pandemic level.
After six months on welfare, a recipient will also be required to commence an “intensive training.” stage.
“In other words, we’re going to give them the best chance they can to do a short course to enhance their skills or to do some work experience,” she said.
“If they then do remain on welfare, that will give them an even better chance of getting a job.”
Social Services Minister Anne Ruston said the increase of JobSeeker would strike the right balance between supporting welfare recipients and creating an incentive for people on the dole to find work.
“We need to support people while they’re looking for work, we need to create incentives
so they want to look for work,” she said.
“We need a system that is fair and sustainable for the people who need it and the taxpayers who pay for it.”
Senator Ruston said the government would also increase the income-free area to $150 per fortnight for those on JobKeeper and Youth allowance payments.
“What it does is create an incentive for people to put their toe in the water and test the job market,” she said.
“We know that people who report earnings are twice as likely to transition off payment
than those who won’t report any earnings.”
Adeshola Ore12.28pm: $50 JobSeeker rise ‘a safety net for recovery’
Scott Morrison says a $50 fortnightly increase for JobSeeker payments will provide a “social safety net” for Australians as the country moves out of the COVID recession.
The change, which comes ahead of the $150 COVID-19 supplement ending next month, will return the welfare payment back to its historical benchmark of around 40 per cent of the minimum wage after falling behind in the early 2000s.
“We are moving from short-term emergency measures to long-term arrangements,” the Prime Minister said.
“JobKeeper, together with the JobSeeker supplement, ensured that Australians had the
confidence and the certainty to move through what would have been the most uncertain period of their lives,” he said.
Mr Morrison said the increase of JobSeeker was the single-largest increase in welfare payments since the mid 1980s.
He said the increase put the welfare payment at 41.2 per cent of the national minimum wage, equivalent to the level during the Howards government.
Dennis Shanahan 12.22pm: Labor’s support quite remarkable: Albanese
Anthony Albanese has played down Scott Morrison’s huge lead over him as preferred Prime Minister in Newspoll and said pandemic fears were pushing up the support for all government leaders.
While the Leader of the Opposition conceded voter support for political leaders was important he said Labor’s support was “quite remarkable after a year in which we’ve had a pandemic”.
The latest Newspoll survey showed the Coalition’s primary vote steady on 42 per cent and Labor’s go from 36 to 37 per cent leaving the two-party preferred result unchanged at 50-50.
But voter satisfaction with Mr Albanese as Opposition Leader dropped from 41 per cent to 38 per cent and dissatisfaction went from 43 to 45 per cent while Mr Morrison’s was steady on 64 and 32 per cent respectively.
On the question of who would be the better prime minister Mr Morrison’s support jumped to 61 per cent and Mr Albanese’s support dropped from 29 to 26 per cent, the biggest gap since early August last year.
Mr Albanese said it did matter where the leadership ratings were but argued the figures for Mr Morrison and State Premiers were a “register” of people saying they “want their leaders to succeed”.
“People who are saying that they want their leaders to succeed because if they don’t there’ll be health consequences, there will be economic consequences, that’s what they’re saying,” he said on Tuesday.
“Our primary vote continues to be considerably higher now, four points higher than it was at the time of the last election. Our two-party-preferred vote is higher in all three polls. The worst situation we are in is 50-50. And the other two polls show us actually ahead, which is quite remarkable after a year in which we’ve had a pandemic,” Mr Albanese said.
READ MORE: Anxiety for both sides over Newspoll swing
Adeshola Ore 12.15pm:Labor to back PM’s JobSeeker rise
Labor has flagged it will support the Morrison government’s proposed permanent increase of welfare.
Scott Morrison sought party room endorsement today on a proposal for a “modest” increase to the dole of up to $50 a fortnight in exchange for stricter mutual obligation conditions around a permanently higher Jobseeker payment once the $150 COVID-19 supplement ends next month.
During a caucus meeting on Tuesday morning, opposition social services spokeswoman Linda Burney said she wanted to see details about the mutual obligations the Morrison government’s permanent welfare rise will be contingent on. But Ms Burney said it was not the party’s intention to stand in the way of welfare recipients receiving additional money, according to a caucus spokesperson.
READ MORE: Doctors baulk at care cost reforms
Adeshola Ore12.11pm:I need to speak fearlessly, frankly: Kelly
Controversial MP Craig Kelly says he must quit the Morrison government to be able to speak “frankly” and “fearlessly” as he represents his electorate.
Mr Kelly’s move to the crossbench will see the Morrison government lose its one-seat majority on the floor of the House of Representatives, in a potentially significant blow to their ability to legislate.
Mr Kelly said his move to the crossbench was not in response to the Prime Minister’s dressing down of him over support for unproven coronavirus treatments and questioning the safety of vaccinations,
“I have the greatest respect for Scott Morrison,” he told Sky News.
“I hope he goes on to be one of our longest serving and greatest Prime Ministers.”
“I’ll support the government, naturally of course, on all matters of supply, confidence.’’
Mr Kelly said one of the “greatest mistakes that has been made in this country and also the world” was prohibiting doctors from administering ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine to treat coronavirus.
“I believe this was a terrible error.... I’ve been labelled an anti-vaxxer which is just slanderous smear,’’ he said.
“I support the vaccine program, but in concert, to use the words of our highest immunologists, these other treatments should be used in concert with the vaccine.”
READ MORE:Craig Kelly quits Liberal party, moves to crossbench
GREG BROWN12.05pm: I have zero confidence in Gaetjens: Albanese
Anthony Albanese has told Labor MPs it “lacks credibility” that Scott Morrison only found out about rape allegations from Brittany Higgins last Monday.
The Opposition Leader also said he did not trust leading mandarin Phil Gaetjens to run an inquiry when staff in the Prime Minister’s office knew about allegations of rape from former the government staffer.
Speaking at a caucus meeting on Tuesday, Mr Albanese said there needed to be an independent complaint process for parliamentary staffers.
“After sports rorts, I have zero confidence in any process led by Phil Gaetjens,” Mr Albanese said.
READ MORE:Shanahan — History puts Albanese in no-win position
Simon Benson 11.59am:PM lands in the middle with dole increase
Scott Morrison has shot for the middle ground in balancing community expectations against budget imperatives and economic realities in his decision to lift the basic rate of the dole by $50 a fortnight.
It is a tough love policy by a prime minister who has again rewritten the political narrative in seeking to portray compassion within the historical ideological constraints of the welfare debate.
Morrison’s policy returns the payment to its historical benchmark that once pegged the base rate to around 40 per cent of the minimum wage. Since the early 2000s, this had been gradually falling away, and under both Labor and Coalition governments.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison will today seek partyroom support for a permanent increase to JobSeeker after the coronavirus supplement ends in March. The Morrison government has faced pressure from welfare and business groups and the Reserve Bank to lift the rate of the unemployment benefit from the pre-pandemic level of $40 per day or $560 a fortnight. The current pandemic payment under JobSeeker is set at $710 per fortnight. A new rate is expected to be adopted during a partyroom meeting today and announced shortly after.
It was inevitable that the inequity would have to be addressed with the business community, economists and a majority of the Coalition MPs recognising the need, one only heightened by the COVID-19 crisis, to keep the wolves from the door.
READ the full commentary here
Rachel Baxendale 11.51am:Why no royal commission into second wave?
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has been asked why his government has refused to call a royal commission into its handling of the state’s second wave of coronavirus last year, which saw almost 20,000 people infected and 801 killed.
The question comes after the government announced a royal commission into whether or not Crown Resorts is suitable to hold a casino licence, and after months of calls from the state opposition for a royal commission into Victoria’s second wave.
The Andrews government has established royal commissions in recent years to investigate family violence, the use of police informants and the state’s mental health system.
“What the Liberal Party call for is of no concern to me. They’re fundamentally irrelevant to the work that I do,” Mr Andrews said when asked why he had not established a royal commission into Victoria’s pandemic response.
READ MORE: All bets are off as Crown faces new inquiry
Jess Malcolm 11.43am: NSW reaches 37 days of zero local transmission
NSW has reached 37 consecutive days free from community transmission, following 10,177 tests.
There were four new cases acquired overseas in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.
NSW Health said it is treating 20 people for COVID-19, none of whom are in intensive care.
Dr Christine Selvey confirmed that a Wollongong woman who tested positive for COVID-19 two days after she was released from hotel quarantine was an old infection.
NSW recorded no new locally acquired cases of #COVID19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) February 23, 2021
Four new cases were acquired overseas, bringing the total number of cases in NSW since the beginning of the pandemic to 4,965.
There were 10,177 tests reported to 8pm last night. pic.twitter.com/oKPeSfBIl7
“An expert panel has concluded that a recently returned overseas traveller, whose infection was under investigation, had an older infection acquired while the person was overseas.”
“People who have recently recovered from COVID-19 can sometimes continue to shed virus fragments for several weeks or longer, even if they are no longer infectious,” she said.
Dr Selvey thanked the woman for her cooperation as NSW Health undertook extensive testing to determine whether she had caught the virus during her hotel stay.
READ MORE: Win for state as car rally locked in
Richard Ferguson 11.36am:Craig Kelly quits government, moves to crossbench
Controversial MP for Hughes Craig Kelly has quit the Morrison government and will move the crossbench.
Mr Kelly told the joint Coaltion partyroom while he will leave the Liberal Party, he will support the government on confidence and supply on the floor of the House of Representatives.
Coalition MPs told The Australian that most MPs were shocked by the news and Scott Morrison indicated to the partyroom he had not been forewarned about Mr Kelly’s defection.
Mr Kelly has been under pressure over his promotion of unorthodox COVID-19 treatments and theories, and faced a serious preselection threat before the next election.
Mr Kelly’s move to the crossbench will see the Morrison government lose its one-seat majority on the floor of the House of Representatives, in a potentially significant blow to their ability to legislate.
With Mr Kelly in the Liberal Party, Scott Morrison had 76 MPs on the floor of the lower house but without him would only have 75 members. The Speaker, Liberal MP Tony Smith, can give a casting vote when the vote is tied.
The crossbench would increase to seven MPs with Mr Kelly. If all crossbenchers voted with the 68 Labor MPs on a piece of legislation, the vote would be tied 75-75.
READ the full story on Craig Kelly quitting the government here
READ MORE: Facebook gives “Covid Craig Kelly’ the boot
ROSIE LEWIS11.32am: Accountants sound warning on JobSeeker rise
Accountants have backed the permanent JobSeeker increase but warned it may not be sufficient to provide adequate support or security to the unemployed.
CPA Australia, representing certified practising accountants around the world, said there was an economic and societal need to raise the rate.
“We’re pleased the government has announced an increase in JobSeeker but the new rate still won’t provide adequate support or security to many recipients,” CPA Australia chief executive Andrew Hunter said.
“It doesn’t make sense to leave so many households struggling to make ends meet in these difficult times.
“One of the surest ways to get money circulating in an economy is to assist people who will spend it. JobSeeker recipients have limited capacity to save and will use additional amounts to buy goods and services that support business and the economy.”
Richard Ferguson 11.28am: News Corp, Facebook in talks after ban
News Corp Australia is in talks with Facebook after its sweeping ban last week on Australian news content, as the Morrison government’s media bargaining code edges closer to passing parliament.
On Tuesday, News Corp Australia executive chairman Michael Miller said in a statement that Facebook misread the mood of the nation when its news ban also captured state health services, emergency fire departments, domestic violence prevention hotlines, and cancer charities.
Mr Miller said on Tuesday that News Corp were in talks with Facebook but he looked forward to the media bargaining code — which sets up a framework for big tech companies to pay news organisations for their content — passing the senate as early as this week.
“Facebook has misread the mood of Australians and their actions have attracted worldwide attention - and universal criticism,” he said in a statement.
“I can tell you that we are in continuing conversations with Facebook but we have not reached an agreement yet.
“At the same time, the media bargaining code of conduct legislation that is so crucial in this issue is listed for debate in the Senate this week and I am hopeful it will become law as early as this week.”
The media bargaining code entered the senate late on Monday night and will likely pass as early as Wednesday. Labor will support the bill, despite the government deciding to not pursue any more amendments after the Facebook news ban.
READ MORE: Australia’s Facebook brawl sparks international action
Jess Malcolm11.22am: New Zealand records new coronavirus case
New Zealand has recorded one new case of community transmission, linked to the existing cluster from an airport worker at Auckland airport.
The new case is a student at the Auckland high school which was shut down after it was attended by the daughter of the original airport case.
All students and staff at the school are asked to be tested.
COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said if they had known about the case yesterday, it would not have impacted their decision to downgrade restrictions in Auckland.
“We are confident that the contact tracing system will do its job,” Mr Hipkins said.
The whole country is now at “Level 1” restrictions.
Rosie Lewis11.12am: Nationals MPs ‘opposed JobSeeker rise’
Nationals MPs Matthew Canavan and Llew O’Brien are said to have voiced their opposition to the permanent lift to JobSeeker payments in this morning’s Coalition party room meeting.
Sources from within the joint Coalition partyroom meeting are saying the permanent increase to JobSeeker will cost the government $9bn over four years and confirmed the rate will go up by $50 per fortnight.
Senator Canavan told The Australian earlier this month he did not think the government could afford “any material increase”.
READ MORE:New dole — one welfare payment for all
Adeshola Ore10.58am: Labor wants to examine JobSeeker obligations
Opposition social services spokeswoman Linda Burney says Labor wants to scrutinise the mutual obligations the Morrison government’s permanent welfare rise will be contingent on.
Scott Morrison today sought party room endorsement on a proposal for a “modest” increase to the dole of up to $50 a fortnight in exchange for stricter mutual obligation conditions around a permanently higher Jobseeker payment once the $150 COVID-19 supplement ends next month.
“I want to see what the mutual obligation issues are,” Ms Burney said.
“Obviously I want to see what the amount is, and whether or not there’s going to be legislation, which will have to be introduced.”
“We know on the 31st of March, the cliff happens when JobSeeker and JobKeeper, both finish. So there is a long way to go with this particular issue.”
READ MORE: Insurer says JobKeeper cash still needed for travel staff
Jess Malcolm 10.54am: Zero Queensland cases as vaccinations underway
Queensland has recorded its 47th day free from community transmission, following 6176 tests.
There were no new cases recorded in hotel quarantine, leaving now just seven active cases in the state.
Coronavirus (#COVID19) case update 22/02
— Queensland Health (@qldhealthnews) February 22, 2021
• 2 overseas acquired cases – detected in hotel quarantine
Detailed information about COVID-19 cases in QLD can be found here: https://t.co/kapyXpSIAPpic.twitter.com/oO8SM0k83m
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palasczuk said there were 203 people vaccinated against coronavirus yesterday, which she said was “great news”.
When asked about ANZAC Day plans, Ms Palasczuk said her government has made ANZAC Day a priority.
“We have sat down and we’ve got on with it,” Ms Palasczuk said.
“ANZAC Day is not too far away, people have got to put plans in place.”
READ MORE: Lendlease cleans up after Covid hit
Rachel Baxendale10.47am: Jab date not yet on Andrews’ calendar
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says he does not yet have a date for receiving a coronavirus vaccination, but is glad to see Victorian frontline workers and vulnerable community members receiving the jab already.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison received his vaccination on Sunday, with federal Labor leader Anthony Albanese and Greens leader Adam Bandt vaccinated on Tuesday.
There were 580 Victorians vaccinated on Monday on the first day of the state’s immunisation program.
“I’m very much focused on frontline workers getting it, and those who are vulnerable, and as a result of my age and as a result of the fact that I don’t have a whole lot of underlying health conditions there are people that are far more needy than me and they should be getting the jab before I do,” Mr Andrews said.
“I just stress, I will be getting it, (my wife) Cath will be getting it, the kids will be getting it, my mum will be getting it, because it works.
“It’s our way out of this, so that shouldn’t be in any way interpreted as a lack of confidence. Far from it. I am more than confident that the world’s scientists have worked so hard, and to think that this, particularly that the AZ (Astra Zeneca vaccine) is going to be manufactured here in Melbourne, that should be a great point of pride for every single Victorian.
“When I do get it, probably from my local pharmacist or my local GP, I’ll be sure to send a photo around so that everyone’s in no doubt that I have had it done. We’ll use some of those dreaded tech platforms to get that message out, no doubt,” Mr Andrews quipped in reference to social media giant Facebook and its decision to block Australian news content.
READ MORE: Apple to take bite out of Facebook tracking
ROSIE Lewis10.35am: $9bn hit to budget as JobSeeker rate rises
Sources from within the joint Coalition partyroom meeting are saying the permanent increase to JobSeeker will cost the government $9bn over four years and confirmed the rate will go up by $50 per fortnight.
They said Australians on JobSeeker would be able to earn up to $150 per fortnight — down from $300 — before the maximum payment begins tapering.
The welfare reform package will include a permanent increase to the income free areas to $150 per fortnight for JobSeeker payment and youth allowance from 1 April 2021
The government will also temporarily extend the waiver of the Ordinary Waiting Period for certain payments for further 3 months to 30 June 2022.
It will also extend the expanded eligibility criteria for JobSeeker payment and Youth allowance for those required to self isolate or care for other as a result of COVID-19 to 30 June 2021. — With Simon Benson
READ MORE: PM backs $50 dole rise when JobSeeker ends
Rachel Baxendale10.25am:Victoria ‘well-placed’ to lift more restrictions
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says the state is “well-placed” for a further easing of coronavirus restrictions on Friday, when the bulk of Holiday Inn close contacts will have completed 14 days of quarantine.
There are currently 25 active cases of coronavirus in Victoria, with no new cases confirmed in the 24 hours to Tuesday morning after 17,270 tests were processed on Monday.
One person is in hospital with coronavirus, but not in intensive care.
“We continue to do that Day 11 testing, and if you like just following through the last of the cases from the Holiday Inn outbreak, the 14th day for them is this Friday, and whilst we’ll leave those announcements until Thursday or Friday, we are well-placed given we continue to see no additional cases and lots and lots of negative test results from that target cohort,” Mr Andrews said.
“We thank them because they’ve been, whilst the rest of us have been getting back to something close to normal, they’ve been at home isolating for all of us, so we’re very grateful for them and we just send our best wishes to them.”
Mr Andrews said 580 vaccinations had been administered on Monday - the first day of the coronavirus vaccination program in Victoria.
“That’s made a very, very good start and those numbers will build, obviously, as the days and weeks unfold,” he said.
“Again, we’ll send our best wishes to the people who are setting up what ... I think it could be the biggest logistical task that the country’s ever seen when you really think about it.
“It’s a big big job, but it is the beginning of the end of this pandemic, and 580 doesn’t seem very many, but it is a really good start, and one that I think all Victorians will be very pleased in.”
READ MORE: Advertisers turn their backs on Facebook
Jess Malcolm 10.19am: Anzac Day march to return to Sydney
NSW Returned and Services League has confirmed the ANZAC Day march in Sydney will go ahead this year in a Covid-safe way.
NSW RSL Secretary Jeff O’Brien said there will be a traditional dawn service in Martin Place, followed by a march of 500 veterans from three branches of service.
“We have been working very closely with the New South Wales government since
about August last year,” Mr O’Brien said.
“We have come to the realisation that we need to keep, particularly for the march, which is a memorable event, we need to keep a cap on the numbers, so that we can maintain the safety of our veterans.”
NSW RSL is asking people to register their expression of interest, which will allow the organisation to assess the numbers in the lead up to the event.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk released a statement on Twitter on Tuesday morning confirming that the state’s Anzac Day commemorations will also go ahead as planned this year.
Victoria and Tasmania have cancelled their CBD parades.
READ MORE: Creighton — Normal life must hinge on jabs, not herd immunity
Adeshola Ore10.14am: Greens leader Bandt vaccinated, sells safety message
Greens Leader Adam Bandt has received his COVID vaccination in Canberra this morning, as politicians encourage Australians that the jab is safe.
“I’ve spent the last couple of years taking our kids to get their needles, so it’s only fair I do mine too!” Mr Bandt wrote on Twitter.
Got my jab today after being asked by the health authorities, and I hope you do too.
— Adam Bandt (@AdamBandt) February 22, 2021
I’ve spent the last couple of years taking our kids to get their needles, so it’s only fair I do mine too!
Thanks to Felicity & the team at ACT Health for making the whole thing quick & easy. pic.twitter.com/SQqDl7e3Lf
Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese have both received their first dose of the Pfizer vaccination.
READ MORE: The rise and rise of luxury property
Adeshola Ore10.01am:Make rape allegation probe independent: Waters
Greens Senate Leader Larissa Waters has urged Scott Morrison to make an internal review of his staff member’s knowledge of a 2019 alleged rape an independent investigation.
Mr Morrison has appointed Prime Minister and Cabinet secretary Philip Gaetjens to conduct a review about his staff members’ knowledge and records of the alleged rape of formr Liberal Party staffer Brittany Higgins.
“What a joke. Yet another internal review by a guy who used to be the chief of staff for the Prime Minister. This is absolutely the fox in charge of the hen house,” Senator Waters told the ABC.
“No one has any confidence that this review will be comprehensive and the PM has refused to say if he’ll even release the report’s findings.”
In the Senate on Monday night, Senator Waters failed to pass a motion to make the Gaetjens review independent.
READ MORE: PM to act ‘quickly’ over alleged rapist’s Canberra access
Jess Maclolm9.41am: Crown inquiry narrow in focus: Andrews
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says the royal commission into the Crown casino will be narrowly focussed.
Mr Andrews said the government needs to be very careful in how it approaches the issue, in order to reduce the chance of compensation being paid to Crown in case it is found to be fit to operate.
“The terms of reference are quite narrow, when there’s any doubt, plus there’s this issue about the compensation elements that were written in by the previous government,” Mr Andrews said.
“We want to protect the taxpayers’ interests, the state’s interests, and therefore, if there’s any doubt, you go to the highest powers you can find, which is the royal commission.
The Victorian government also said it will aim to implement every recommendation found by the royal commission, and will consider extending it if necessary.
“This is about getting an outcome and having somebody who has spent many, many decades, either at the bar as a senior member of the bar, or as a Federal Court judge and serving on many different tribunals, someone with exactly the right skills to do this.”
Mr Andrew rejected claims that an announcement for a royal commission should have been made earlier, considering evidence first surfaced of malpractice at Crown two years ago.
The royal commission will hand down its findings as soon as August 1 this year.
READ MORE: Andrews finally folls dice on Packer and Crown
Jess Malcolm 9.16am: US Covid death toll officially surpasses 500,000
The US death toll from COVID-19 has officially surpassed half a million, just one year after the beginning of the pandemic.
The John Hopkins tally now sits at 500,071.
The first deaths from COVID-19 occured in California in early February.
Soon after, the virus had spread rapidly across the country, forcing state governors and local authorities to impose harsh lockdowns.
By May 27, the death toll had reached 100,000 deaths, barely a month after passing the 50,000 dead milestone.
On September 22, the US had reached 200,000, followed by December 14 when more than 300,000 had succumbed.
Barely a month later, the number had passed 400,000.
READ MORE: Trump plots Republican revenge
Adeshola Ore 9.09am:Canavan cautions agains JobSeeker ‘burden’
Nationals Senator Matt Canavan has warned against burdening future generations with debt, as the Morrison government prepares to unveil a permanent increase of welfare payments.
The Australian has reported Scott Morrison will seek party room endorsement today on a proposal for a “modest” increase to the dole of up to $50 a fortnight in exchange for stricter mutual obligation conditions around a permanently higher JobSeeker payment once the $150 COVID-19 supplement ends next month.
“The JobSeeker supplement was meant to be temporary,’’ Senator Canavan told Sky News. “We’ve got to make sure we don’t lock in spending for future generations when we’ve already got the highest debt we’ve had since World War Two.
“I just think we’re borrowing too much from overseas, we’re borrowing too much from the Chinese government. We can’t put ourselves in that kind of vulnerable position. We’ve got to try and restrain ourselves here.”
“Maybe $50 a fortnight is reasonable enough but I’ll look very closely at it because I think every decision now post coronavirus (should) be evaluated on how much we’re going to borrow and how much debt we’re racking up. Especially decisions like this that will be baked in for the longer term.”
READ MORE: ‘Lift the lid on pay rorts for pickers’
Charie Peel8.56am:Queensland Anzac services to go ahead as normal
Anzac Day services in Queensland will go ahead as normal this year after being cancelled in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Annastacia Palaszczuk announced commemorative events, dawn services and marches could proceed on April 25 following weeks of deliberation and discussion with Anzac Day committees.
“In times of strife, Queenslanders do what it takes to protect each other,” the premier said on social media on Tuesday morning.
“We’ve done it in wartime, and we’re doing it now through the global pandemic.
“Because we’ve worked together to keep safe, this year we can safely gather to mark the sacrifices of those who have served.”
Marches and services will be able to go ahead without the need for caps on numbers.
READ MORE:Melbourne cancels Anzac Day march
Adeshola Ore 8.53am: ‘A good thing’: Albanese gets jabbed
Anthony Albanese has received his COVID vaccine in Canberra this morning, in a bid to encourage Australians to get vaccinated.
On Sunday, Scott Morrison became one of the first Australians to receive the Pfizer jab ahead of the formal rollout of the national vaccine program on Monday.
“This is a good thing and what we need to do that Australians do get vaccinated,” the Opposition Leader said as he received his vaccination.
“Vaccines don’t save lives. Vaccinations do.”
“We need to make sure that the public knows that this is safe and in the interest of public safety.”
READ MORE: Medical staff hail ‘beginning of the end’
Jess Malcolm 8.44am:Victoria records zero new virus cases
Victoria has recorded no new coronavirus cases for the fourth consecutive day, following over 17,000 tests.
Yesterday there were no new cases reported. 17,270 test results were received. Thanks to those who got tested, #EveryTestHelps.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) February 22, 2021
More later: https://t.co/lIUrl0ZEco#COVID19Vic#COVID19VicDatapic.twitter.com/mE8vqWOkfV
This is a boost from yesterday’s testing numbers which stood at 8277.
There are now 25 active cases in the state.
READ MORE: Workplace rules ‘a win for anti-vaxxers’
Jess Malcolm 8.26am: AMA message suffering under Facebook ban
The Australian Medical Association has slammed tech giant Facebook’s decision to remove news from its platform for irresponsible corporate bullying during a global pandemic.
AMA Vice President Chris Moy said its content has been caught up in the ban, and is worried the removal of health information may be dangerous.
“We’ve had information on our Facebook, posts and content that has been taken down,” Dr Moy told RN Breakfast. “It’s been anything with a link.”
“It’s pretty frustrating given the sea of misinformation about health, and especially at the moment with the vaccine roll out. It’s a completely unbalanced situation...there is a presumption of guilt as far as our information is concerned.”
Dr Moy also addressed the national vaccine roll out, flagging the government may have to consider mass vaccination venues such as stadiums or town halls in order to reach their target.
“We are talking about 40 to 50 million injections. I think it’s going to have to be all hands on deck.”
READ MORE: Anti-vax message is a social ill
Adeshola Ore 8.23am:Hunt has ‘strong confidence’ in Pfizer deliveries
Health Minister Greg Hunt says Australia’s supply of the Pfizer vaccine has been consistent after the second shipment of the jab landed in Australia overnight.
Mr Hunt confirmed that 166,000 doses of the vaccine touched down in Sydney. About 120,000 doses are expected to arrive next week.
“We’ll average our provision across the two and that should be the equivalent of 140,000 does arriving per week,” he said.
“I have to say the consistency of supply has been strong and heartening,” he said in Canberra.
Mr Hunt said he spoke to Pfizer chief executive overnight who gave the federal government “strong confidence” for continued deliveries of the vaccine.
“That just gives Australians confidence, gives us confidence in terms of the
effectiveness of the vaccines, and confidence in terms of the reliability of supply.”
The federal government said 80,000 Pfizer doses would be rolled out weekly - 50,000 to the states and 30,000 to aged-care facilities.
READ MORE: Jab optimism rising here and abroad
Adeshola Ore 8.05am: Labor backs permanent increase to JobSeeker
Deputy Labor Leader Richard Marles says the party welcomes a permanent increase in welfare payments ahead of the JobSeeker supplement ending next month, but has refused to name a preferred figure.
The Australian has reported Scott Morrison will seek partyroom endorsement on Tuesday for a “modest” permanent increase to the dole in exchange for stricter mutual obligation conditions once the $150 COVID-19 supplement ends in March.
“If the government is moving in the direction of permanently increasing Newstart, well then that is a start in the right direction,” he told Sky News.
“It’s profoundly important that we are doing something to make people who are the most vulnerable able to deal more with the circumstances of their life by making sure these payments have greater adequacy.”
READ MORE: Tourism asks for cashflow back-up
Jess Malcolm 7.55am:Poor nations hindered from vaccine access as affluent hoard
The World Health Organisation has slammed wealthy countries hoarding Covid vaccines and hindering the pathway for poorer nations to get them too.
WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said some rich countries’ direct deals with manufacturers had meant that previously agreed vaccine allocations for poorer countries were being reduced.
The UN health agency chief said money was available to procure doses for some of the poorest countries, following fresh contributions from the United States, the European Union and Germany, but it was worthless if there was nothing to buy.
Doctor Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged wealthy nations to check whether their deals with pharmaceutical companies were undermining the ability for poorer countries.
“Even if you have the money, if you cannot use the money to buy vaccines, having the money doesn’t mean anything,” he told a virtual press conference.
“We can only have vaccines delivered to the countries who are members of Covax if the high-income countries cooperate in respecting the deals that Covax did.”
The Covax program was set up to ensure there is equitable access to the vaccine. The first wave of Covax vaccines are to be shipped out between late February and the end of June.
READ MORE: ‘Normality is distant’ with US on brink of milestone
Jess Malcolm7.25am:UK considers vaccine certificates to ease restrictions
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has flagged a rollout of vaccine certificates to allow entry into pubs, cafes and offices in a new plan unveiled in parliament on Monday.
This comes after ministers denied they would ever consider the use of vaccine passports for fear they may discriminate against people who are unable to receive the jab.
In the four-step plan to unlock England, Mr Johnson said he was considering “Covid status certificates” to allow restrictions to be lifted safely.
The government will look into the legal and ethical issues of using vaccination certificates, and is also considering a recent negative test as a condition for entry into entertainment venues.
The Prime Minister insisted the roadmap would be dependent on “data, not dates” but confirmed the stay at home orders would be in place for a further five weeks.
The government was criticised for opening up too quickly after the first wave, and will now tread carefully not to open up too quickly and lead to another spike in cases.
But there is cause for optimism, as the rollout of the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccine hasreduced pressure on hospitals.
READ MORE:It may be too late to save manufacturing
Jess Malcolm 7.05am:Air NZ to trial digital vaccination passport
Air New Zealand has announced a trial for a digital vaccination passport on flights between Auckland and Sydney from April.
The app is being developed by International Air Transport Association and will allow travellers to have a ‘digital health wallet’ linked to their e-passport.
After someone is tested or vaccinated, the lab will securely send the information to their app, which can be cross-checked with the travel requirements of the country they are hoping to visit.
The airline’s chief digital officer Jennier Sepull said the app could speed up the check-in process at airports, and assist in contactless travel.
”Once borders reopen, travel is going to look very different, with customers’ health data needing to be verified at check-in,” Ms Sepull said.
“It’s essentially like having a digital health certificate that can be easily and securely shared with airlines. This will give customers peace of mind that they meet all travel requirements for the different countries around the world before they even get to the airport.”
The trial is set to run for three weeks, and the Australian Government said it hopes to review it.
READ MORE:Anti-vax message is social ill
Jess Malcolm 6.50am:Biden to mark milestone of 500,000 deaths
US President Joe Biden will hold a remembrance ceremony on Monday evening local time to mark the dark milestone of half a million American COVID-19 deaths.
With the US death toll on the brink of hitting 500,000 - the highest impact on any country - Biden has ordered all the flags on federal government buildings to be flown at half mast for five days.
The president was scheduled to address the nation from the White House, before attending a vigil and observing a moment of silence with his wife Jill, Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff.
Mr Biden has made the pandemic his top priority, pushing for an aggressive vaccination rollout and making frequent shows of empathy.
The US President has warned that the US toll could still go “well over” 600,000. But signs are also emerging that progress is being made both in the United States and around the world, with infections dropping sharply and vaccine deliveries rising steadily.
The US toll stands at 499,300 according to Johns Hopkins University, in little over 12 months. Globally, the figure is approaching 2.5 million.
The US death toll is falling, with daily death rates just over 1,000. Almost 19 million Americans are now fully vaccinated.
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Jess Malcolm 6.40am:Second Pfizer shipment arrives in Australia
A second shipment of the Pfizer vaccine arrived in Australia on Tuesday morning as the nation’s vaccination campaign continues.
The vaccine rollout to Tasmanian frontline workers will begin on Tuesday, as part of the wider national rollout.
The national program, which officially started on Monday, began with Monash Health Infection Director Rhonda Stuart.
Her team treated the first Australian COVID-19 case in January last year.
Hotel quarantine workers, frontline health workers and people living in aged care will be the first to receive the jab.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he “optimistically” aims to vaccinate 80,000 Australians a week and four million in total by the end of March.
It has been described as the most complex logistical process in Australian history, and the nation’s biggest vaccination program ever.
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Jacquelin Magnay5.45am: Johnson lays out four month reopening for UK
Boris Johnson has warned said there was “no credible route to a zero-covid future’’ as he laid out a long awaited four month re-opening plan for Britain this morning.
In the House of Commons the Prime Minister announced a ponderous and highly cautious approach to ease the current harsh lockdown, revealing the country won’t get back to a state of normality until the end of June.
Mr Johnson told MPs: “This wretched year will give way to spring and summer that will be very different and incomparably better than the picture we see around us today.”
He also laid out plans for a review to look at Covid certifications in helping venues to open safely. Another review, to report back after Easter, will look at how to reopen airline travel.
Mr Johnson said it was inevitable that lifting of restrictions will lead to more hospital cases and more deaths even with the rollout of vaccines across the country.
Under the Johnson “roadmap’’, English schools will open on March 8, but people will not be able to socialise in a meaningful way with another household for another five weeks, after March 29.
Under the roadmap, retail re-opening, including hairdressers, is delayed for another two months.
This is despite the impressive coronavirus vaccine rollout around the country that has innoculated one in three adults; in some parts of the country people aged under 40 are being called up for their first jabs.
Scientists in Scotland have reported that people who received the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine or the Oxford Astrazeneca vaccines had reduced risk of hospital admission of up to 85 percent and 94 per cent respectively.
The vaccine has also shown to be effective in the elderly; England’s public health agency said one shot of the vaccine led to a five per cent reduction in cases in people aged 80 or over, compared with what would have been expected had they remained unvaccinated. This rose to 88 per cent after a second dose.
Hospitalisation rates fell 41 per cent 14 days after immunisation and the chance of dying from the disease was more than halved.
On Monday NHS England reported that 1,068 people were admitted to hospital with COVID-19, a drop of 74 per cent om a peak of 4,134 in mid January.
A member of the Covid Recovery Group, Tory MP Mark Harper, has queried why the severe lockdown rules are continuing, especially once those most at risk, the over 50s, had been vaccinated.
“For what reason once they have been vaccinated and protected from Covid by the end of April at the latest, is there any need for restrictions to continue?” Mr Harper asked.
But Mr Johnson said there was still a substantial body of risk because a “significant minority” of people would not take the vaccine.
He insisted the Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty believed there was a risk of another surge and that retailers and hospitality businesses had to be patient.
“I think in this very difficult time with these difficult trade-offs, I think people would be prepared to trade some urgency and some haste for more certainty and more reliability – and that is what we aim to give,’’ Mr Johnson said.
He also rejected calls by 40 MPs to adopt a zero covid approach like New Zealand.
Mr Johnson said that the country had to learn to live with Covid, similar to how people live with flu in the long term.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said this current lockdown – the third national shutdown the country has undergone – had to be the last.
Sir Keir said:” In the past we’ve emerged without sufficient caution, without a clear plan and without listening to the science. We can’t afford to make those mistakes again, this has to be the last lockdown.”
READ MORE:Vaccine optimism rising here and abroad
Simon Benson5.30am:PM calls for $50 dole rise after JobSeeker ends
Scott Morrison will seek party room endorsement today on a proposal for a “modest” increase to the dole of up to $50 a fortnight in exchange for stricter mutual obligation conditions around a permanently higher Jobseeker payment once the $150 COVID-19 supplement ends next month.
The Australian has also been informed that a major reform package designed to jettison up to a dozen other welfare supplements has been shelved due to the long-term cost it would impose on the budget.
The proposed increase to the dole comes as the government starts the national rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine with 60,000 priority health care staff, quarantine workers and aged care residents across the country due to receive injections this week.
Following pressure from the welfare lobby, business groups, the Reserve Bank and amid growing support from within government ranks to extend pandemic payments for the jobless or permanently lift the base rate, cabinet was on Monday night preparing to sign off on the first real increase to the dole since the mid-90s.
The Australian understands that a meeting of the expenditure review committee last Friday decided to abandon a broadscale reform proposal streamlining the welfare system into a single, higher payment for unemployed Australians eligible to receive up to a dozen other supplements or subsidies.
The government has instead opted for an isolated permanent rise to the JobSeeker payment, which is currently set at $565 a fortnight for a single non-renter with no dependants.
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David Swan5.15am:Advertisers turn away from Facebook
Advertisers have begun redirecting their spending away from Facebook amid acrimonious negotiations over a media code and a continuing ban on news publishers posting to the platform.
The federal government has also expanded its moratorium on Facebook advertising from coronavirus-related messaging, with Finance Minister Simon Birmingham describing the ban on news publishers as an attempt to “exert power or influence over our democratic systems”.
While Scott Morrison and Health Minister Greg Hunt have previously said they would pull Facebook advertising, this is the first time the Finance Department, which controls millions in digital spending, has been asked to suspend expenditure.
“My expectation is that we will pull back from advertising while they undertake this type of terrible activity of pulling down sites inappropriately, seeking to exert power or influence over our democratic systems,” Senator Birmingham told the ABC on Monday. “We won’t tolerate that, we will be standing firm on the legislation and looking at all those advertising points.”
The government spent about $42m on digital advertising in the last financial year, with the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission suggesting one-quarter of all online spending in the country is with Facebook.
Advertising agencies also told The Australian that clients had begun reconsidering Facebook, with others suggesting it would fall further as consumers who used the platform to read the news found other ways to do so.
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Tough business on reality road: Inflation has cafes running on empty
The pressure of high interest rates, soaring energy prices and persistent inflation are making it all too much even for small businesses doing well.
Visa plan ‘a golden invitation for crime’
The Opposition Leader’s plan to bring back $5m ‘golden ticket’ visa has been slammed by Magnitsky Act founder Bill Browder.