What happened today, Friday 11 June 2021
We’ll wrap things up there.
Here are the main stories of the day.
- A second person was found dead in Victorian flood waters and more than 100,000 people remained without power as wild weather lashed the state’s east for a second day.
- Victoria recorded no new local cases of Covid, in a boost to Melburnians emerging from a two-week lockdown.
- Queensland also recorded no local cases, two days after a confirmed case entered the state from Victoria.
- A federal judge blasted the government’s robodebt scheme as a “shameful chapter” in public administration, as he approved a $1.8bn settlement.
- Scott Morrison landed in the UK, lauding “bold thinker” Boris Johnson, ahead of the G7 summit.
- The ABC confirmed its “Qanon” Four Corners episode would air, following claims that it had been delayed due to management concerns.
Updated
Scott Morrison praises 'bold thinker' Boris Johnson
Scott Morrison has landed in the UK and immediately launched a love bomb in Boris Johnson’s direction, declaring the UK leader to be a “big, bold thinker”. Morrison is one of the G7 Plus invitees to the Cornwall summit, where he’ll be chatting to world leaders in person, for one of the first times since the pandemic began.
Climate, and in particular Australia’s lack of climate policy, is one of the big issues, but upon arriving in the UK, Morrison was keen to speak about commonalities. One of those being Johnson’s ‘vaccinate the world’ push.
“No- one is ever going to accuse the prime minister of Great Britain of lacking ambition when it comes to anything. I think that is one of his great assets, he is a big, bold thinker and he gets out there and I’m happy to get in there behind him with this, as I’m sure all the other leaders are,” Morrison said.
“It does require that sort of an effort and I think he has laid that marker down quite firmly and I think that is a good thing and very consistent with his well-known character.”
Morrison said Australia is doing its part when it comes to its own part of the world:
I mean, we’ve put in place supply contracts, you know, many times over what is needed for the Australian population. We did that to ensure we were covering as many bases as we possibly could and so that puts us in a very strong position, as we’d always hoped to, to be supporting not only our own region – and I think what’s quite unique about Australia’s contribution here of 20m doses is where we’re going to send them and these aren’t going into large warehouses centrally that could end up going anywhere – we want to ensure that we’re taking responsibility for our region, our family in our region. We’ve done that all along.
But at the same time, Australia has not yet agreed to waive the patent, which would allow developing countries the ability to produce the vaccine themselves. So a slight omission there.
Updated
Asked about Boris Johnson’s push to have the world vaccinated by the end of next year, Morrison says the UK PM is a “big, bold thinker”.
He says:
Well, no one is ever going to accuse the prime minister of Great Britain of lacking ambition when it comes to anything. I think that is one of his great assets, he is a big, bold thinker and he gets out there and I’m happy to get in there behind him with this, as I’m sure all the other leaders are. It does require that sort of an effort and I think he has laid that marker down quite firmly and I think that is a good thing and very consistent with his well-known character.
Updated
A reporter notes that Morrison has landed in the UK, where the pandemic is still raging. He replies:
There’s no substitute for leaders getting together and doing what we’re doing now and there has never been a more important time to be doing that. That said, it is a timely reminder about how the pandemic is raging whereas back in Australia, I understand, my latest report was there was zero community cases in Victoria today.
Updated
Morrison notes the events in Victoria:
I just want to assure people that we continue to stay in close contact with the situation in Victoria, in particular the terrible floods which have already claimed two lives, and we extend our sincere condolences to the families who have lost loved ones there. If it’s flooded, forget it. That is the clear message. The federal government will work closely with the state government, the acting prime minister back in Australia, Michael McCormack, is liaising closely with the Victorian premier to ensure that the normal disaster recovery support will be flying in partnership with the way that that has been organised with the government in the state of Victoria.
Updated
Morrison says issues on the agenda include “big challenges of climate change, and the new energy economy, which Australia is determined to be a very positive part of. But of course, the Indo-Pacific and securing a free and open Indo-Pacific, so central to Australia’s interests, but increasingly so much more central to global stability”.
He says:
These will all be important topics of conversation as I engage with the leaders who are assembled here in Cornwall over the next few days. A big part of that discussion will be the big commitment that has been made and led by the UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, to vaccinate the world. Australia will be doing its part, as we already have been, committing some 20m doses as part of that effort here at the G7 Plus in Cornwall.
Updated
Scott Morrison arrives in UK for G7 summit
The prime minister, Scott Morrison, is speaking live from the UK. He’s just touched down ahead of the G7 Summit.
He says:
This is the third occasion that we’ve had the privilege to be invited to be part of these discussions and there is a lot on this agenda for Australia. There has never been a more important time for Australia to be sitting around such a table. Dealing with the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, the recession that it has caused and the recovery that we are building, particularly at home in Australia, with our economy being bigger today than it was before the pandemic hit.
Updated
Mick Dodson resigns treaty role amid abuse allegations
The Northern Territory’s under-fire Indigenous treaty commissioner, Prof Mick Dodson, has formally resigned amid abuse allegations.
Dodson has been under pressure to step down since he was accused of verbally abusing and threatening an Aboriginal woman at an interstate football game in Darwin in January.
The 71-year-old is also alleged to have called a second woman offensive names during an angry exchange at a casino five months before he was appointed to the role.
On Friday, the former Australian of the Year agreed to step down.
“The NT treaty commissioner Mick Dodson has tendered his resignation from the role,” a government spokesman said.
“The resignation will be effective from the close of business today.”
Dodson has not admitted the allegations and, through his lawyer, has previously said he doesn’t remember the first incident but agreed the alleged conduct was disgraceful.
The Yawuru man was named the Australian of the Year in 2009 for his work advocating for the rights of Indigenous Australians.
As a barrister specialising in native title and human rights, he assisted the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody in the 1980s.
In 1993, he was appointed as Australia’s first Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social justice commissioner, a post he held until 1998.
He was appointed NT’s treaty commissioner in February 2019 and is also a former chief executive of the Northern Land Council.
Dodson’s role as NT treaty commissioner was to consult with Aboriginal people and develop a framework for future treaty negotiations.
Updated
The former Liberal leader John Hewson is not holding back:
Judge calls robodebt a “shameful chapter” and “massive failure” in public administration- water off Morrison Govt’s back - knows no shame, accepts no responsibility, never makes mistakes, no compassion for those who suffered - defines this Givernment
— John Hewson (@JohnRHewson) June 11, 2021
Updated
Michael McGowan has the latest on the fallout from Christian Porter’s defamation case.
Christian Porter and his high-profile barrister have been ordered to pay costs running into the hundreds of thousands of dollars to Jo Dyer, a friend of the woman who had accused the former attorney general of raping her three decades ago.
Updated
The Australian Unemployed Workers Union has responded to the robodebt court judgment and settlement.
It says:
As one of our members James told us, “All I wanted was some sort of proof that people in power knew they did something wrong. It was one of the worst things our government ever did to me, and all that seemed to happen was positions shuffled. It ruined lives. I do need an apology, and recognition they learned. I don’t think that happened, and probably never will.”
The union backed calls for a royal commission, saying:
A key feature of the settlement is that the commonwealth admits no liability in paying damages. This is unacceptable. Whether by royal commission or further civil action, we will make this government answer for the deaths this scheme has caused; for the irreparable harm it has inflicted.
Victims, advocates and a broad coalition of civil society have fought, inch-by-inch, a vanguard action against their government. Their government held out, bitterly, and in the face of all evidence and reason, for years. We want to make it clear that this result, however complicated, does not belong to politicians or political parties. It belongs to all of us. It has been a long march towards justice for #Robodebt, and it will not end until those responsible are compelled to face the public and the law.
Updated
Amanda Meade reports:
The delayed Four Corners episode about the alleged “close friendship” between Scott Morrison’s family and a QAnon conspiracy adherent will be broadcast on the ABC on Monday night.
Updated
World Vision Australia has issued a statement on the treatment of the Biloela family.
CEO Daniel Wordsworth says:
It is clear that the indefinite detention of children of this age, separated from friends and peers and denied a normal, daily existence, would be causing real and serious harm to them.
As a child-focused organisation, World Vision cannot stand by and watch these two very young girls pay the price of a dispute over their parents’ eligibility to remain in Australia.
I am sure anyone who cares about the wellbeing of children would agree that holding two innocent children in offshore detention is a gross injustice.
These girls – Australian-born girls – have been denied the chance to be with friends, access to education and the healthy normality of a conventional community. We know the early years are crucial in a child’s development, and these girls are being denied the opportunity to play, and have the stimulation and socialisation with peers that are so vital to children at this stage. They deserve better.
Updated
The Queensland government will invest a further $270m in protecting the Great Barrier Reef and regenerating land as part of the state budget next week.
But farmers and stakeholders in the north will wait for the budget to be handed down before assessing the impact it may have.
The multimillion-dollar injection is set to build on $400m already invested in the reef since 2015.
The environment minister, Meaghan Scanlon, also announced an extra $60m would be allocated to the Australian Land Restoration Fund to “turbocharge carbon farming” in the state.
Scanlon says the large investment is part of the government’s continued push to move the dial further in protective measures for the reef.
“The $270m announcement is part of new funding to provide confidence and certainty to industry that the government backs the reef,” she said in Cairns on Friday.
“Our increased expenditure in the reef and the Land Restoration Fund will help spark Queensland’s economic recovery while also ensuring our native fauna and flora, and our cultural heritage will be preserved and enhanced for the generations to come.”
However, the Queensland Farmers’ Federation says it won’t comment on the proposed investment until all details are known.
The QFF CEO, Dr Georgina Davis, says the group believes maintaining a sustainable agriculture sector is essential to the longevity and prosperity of Queensland farmers and the environment into the future.
The deputy premier, Steven Miles, says threats such as sediment, fertiliser and nutrient runoff, climate change and ocean acidification were all part of the challenges that the government’s investment is aimed at addressing.
“We’re working with landholders to reduce sediment runoff from their lands, pesticide runoff and fertiliser runoff, helping them to plan and keep more trees on their land,” he said.
“But also help to capture carbon in the soil and do our part in assisting in the effort to address global warming.”
The additional $60m allocated to the Land Restoration Fund adds to a previous $500m commitment by the state government.
Scanlon said more funding would be announced in Tuesday’s budget for environmental initiatives in the areas of waste, national parks, resource recovery and wildlife.
Updated
Former Sydney teacher Chris Dawson will face trial for his wife’s alleged murder after failing to permanently halt criminal proceedings over pre-trial publicity concerns, AAP reports.
The 72-year-old had argued his chances for a fair trial were irreparably damaged by extensive pre-trial publicity including a podcast.
The passage of time between his wife’s alleged murder in January 1982 and his trial also rendered any trial necessarily unfair, he argued.
Dawson has pleaded not guilty to murdering his wife, Lynette Dawson, at Bayview in Sydney’s north on or about 8 January 1982.
The NSW supreme court in September 2020 granted a nine-month stay but denied Dawson’s bid to permanently halt proceedings.
Dawson appealed against that decision to the court of criminal appeal, which on Friday said permanent stays should be reserved for the “most extreme cases”.
That occurred where a trial judge could do nothing during the trial to relieve the unfairness, the appeal court said in a written summary.
It agreed the prejudice to Dawson caused by the pre-trial publicity and delay in this case was “very serious”, but said that could be “remedied or sufficiently ameliorated by careful directions which the judge at the trial will give to the jury”.
The chief justice, Tom Bathurst, also noted a fair trial was not necessarily a perfect trial.
While fairness to the accused was one consideration, so too was the public interest of the community in bringing those charged with serious criminal offences to trial, he said.
The court’s full reasons have been suppressed in the interests of justice, to ensure Dawson can receive a fair trial.
Evidence and submissions made in the appeal are also shielded by a court order.
Updated
Ten-year-old boy bitten by shark in Western Australia
A young boy is being flown to hospital after a shark bit him on the foot while he was snorkelling near Coral Bay in Western Australia, AAP reports.
The 10-year-old was attacked by a two-metre bronze whaler at Five Finger Reef, south of the remote town, about 11am, the state’s Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development said.
St John Ambulance said the boy was being airlifted to the Perth Children’s hospital.
He was about about 75 metres offshore at the time of the attack, the department said.
The beach at Five Finger Reef has been closed for 24 hours.
Parks and Wildlife officers have travelled to the scene.
In late March, spearfisherman Jackson Howson was bitten on the leg by a two-metre shark near Coral Bay. He managed to get away after punching it.
Coral Bay is about 1,200km north of Perth.
Updated
I filed this story earlier on the robodebt court judgment.
A “shameful chapter” in public administration has led to the federal court approving a settlement worth $1.8bn between the commonwealth and victims of the Coalition’s robodebt scheme.
Updated
More than 100,000 Victorians without power
Wiebusch says there were more than 100,000 people without power as at 2pm.
The outage is affecting homes in the Gippsland area and the Dandenong ranges.
“It could be several days in some areas before we will see the return of power to some of those locations,” he says.
Updated
Tim Wiebusch from Victoria’s State Emergency Service is on the ABC.
He says the situation in flood-affected areas of Victoria remains “absolutely dangerous”.
“At this stage, to the best of our knowledge, there are no other missing person reports during this flood emergency, but it is still very much evolving,” he says.
“The footage that we have been seeing very much highlights the fact that there is a real risk that will continue for several days, we are expecting, as you just heard from the bureau, more rainfall.”
Updated
The Australian Council of Social Service chief executive, Cassandra Goldie, has responded to the robodebt judgment.
She says:
Today’s ruling reveals just how far we have to go to improve the basic rights protections for people receiving social security in this country.
The law fails to give people the justice they so clearly deserved, with 443,000 people affected by robodebt who will not receive compensation for the hurt and anguish this horrific scheme caused over many years.
The ruling found that it should have been “obvious” to government that this scheme was deeply flawed.
From as early as December 2016, Acoss warned the minister responsible that there were serious flaws with robodebt, causing serious distress. We urged that robodebt be suspended but our advice was ignored. We continued to warn the federal government about the devastating human impacts of robodebt until the federal court ruling in 2019.
It is indefensible to assert that the government did not realise that robodebt had serious failings from the start or that it was not alerted to the serious consequences on people including people with serious vulnerabilities.
We welcome that there is restitution, with the commonwealth returning money to victims of robodebt with interest. However, this will not compensate for the serious harm caused by this awful abuse of government power. Nor do we yet have any guarantees, legal or otherwise, that these events will not occur again.
Updated
A man has received injuries to his foot after he was attacked by a two-metre bronze whaler at Coral Bay in Western Australia.
The man was snorkelling five metres offshore at the time of the attack.
WA’s Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development said earlier that it was investigating a “possible shark bite incident at Coral Bay in the Shire of Carnarvon”.
It received a report of the incident at 11.14am today.
It’s warned people to take additional caution in the Coral Bay area.
Updated
Asked about the court’s judgment linking the robodebt scheme to suicides, he says the issue is “complex”.
As I said, income averaging was a process that has been adopted by successive governments of different political persuasions. Suicides, when they occur, are absolute tragedies. And the prime minister’s made it very clear that we apologise for any hurt, harm, hardship, that has been caused by the administration of that scheme.
• In Australia, the crisis support service is Lifeline.
Updated
Frydenberg is asked if the government now accepts the robodebt scheme was unlawful.
He says:
There hasn’t been an admission of that, as you know. Both the legal parties, both for the commonwealth and for those who were bringing in the case, there wasn’t that admission. What there was is a settlement.
It is correct the government accepts no liability in the settlement.
However, Justice Bernard Murphy also wrote:
The evidence shows that the commonwealth unlawfully asserted such debts, totalling at least $1.763bn against approximately 433,000 Australians.
Updated
Frydenberg is asked about calls for a royal commission into the robodebt scheme.
The treasurer claims (disingenuously, I must say) that the method used in the program was also used by the Labor party and goes back to the “Paul Keating days”.
The government has yet to provide any compelling evidence for this claim.
Updated
Frydenberg on the economic impact of the lockdown in Victoria.
I’m very concerned about the impact it has on businesses. We saw a strong comeback in Victoria, unemployment was above 7% last year, then it got down to 5.5% consistent with the national average in the recent employment data. But clearly this lockdown dents confidence. It hits investment. It ultimately costs jobs.
Updated
Frydenberg is asked about the end of the disaster payment, given businesses such as gyms are still closed.
He replies:
It’s the state governments that make the decisions about lockdowns. About which sectors are affected, which parts of the state are affected. And the level of restrictions that remain. We made it very clear that we would provide income support. But it would be done so in a way that was consistent with the commonwealth hot spot definition and as you know that commonwealth hot spot for the metropolitan Melbourne area was lifted, consistent with the announcement of the lifting of more broadly the restrictions in Victoria. We have the pandemic leave payment and obviously the jobseeker payment.
He rules out further support for those workers. “In terms of our support, it remains as we stated earlier.”
Updated
Frydenberg says 50,000 Covid disaster payment claims made in Victoria
Frydenberg says there have been around 50,000 applications made for the Covid-19 disaster payment, with more than 34,000 processed and paid.
That payment concludes today with the end of Victoria’s lockdown and federal health authorities’ decision to no longer consider Melbourne a hot spot.
Updated
Frydenberg says he’s just concluded a two-hour meeting with state and territory treasurers.
NSW and Victoria are going to work on a “a nationally consistent approach to business support in the event of a lockdown”, he says.
The treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, is speaking now. I’ll bring you some highlights.
Updated
I DON'T CARE THAT IT'S IN FRENCH PUT IT ON AUSTRALIAN TELEVISIONS NOW PLEASE https://t.co/mmEiYkBb9U
— Health Nerd (@GidMK) June 11, 2021
Just in from Western Australia’s Department of Health:
There are no new cases today, and zero active cases.
And since the government announced people over 30 would be able to get a vaccine, there have been nearly 74,500 vaccine bookings.
We had 17,604 tests yesterday, which is great given the weather conditions But in some areas we really would like to see an uplift because of community transmission.
— James Merlino (@JamesMerlinoMP) June 11, 2021
Please if you live in the Craigieburn area and did not get tested yesterday because of the weather, do it today.
Traralgon flood evacuation warning reissued
A flood evacuation warning has been reissued for Traralgon in Victoria’s Gippsland region, AAP reports.
Anyone near the Traralgon Creek was being told early on Friday afternoon to evacuate now.
“The challenge for our community in Traralgon is while the river has receded and the Princes Highway has reopened, we are expecting to see another 80-100mm of rain over the Traralgon catchment later today and throughout the night,” said the SES chief officer operations, Tim Wiebusch.
“The advice we have is that will result in renewed major flooding.”
A previous flood warning for Traralgon Creek had been downgraded.
Wiebusch said there were also major flood warnings for the Yarra and Thompson rivers, plus three moderate and eight minor warnings.
The weather front that has brought cold temperatures to much of the eastern seaboard hit Victoria on Wednesday night.
SES Victoria has had more than 7,400 requests for help, with about 5,800 related to fallen trees.
About 2,500 of those requests are yet to be cleared.
Wiebusch said as of Friday afternoon, more than 120,000 homes were still without power and 100 roads remain closed, including parts of the Mt Dandenong Tourist Road and the Maroondah Highway near Melbourne.
A strong wind warning was also issued on Friday for Gippsland Lakes and the eastern and central Gippsland coasts.
Those already in a safe place in Gippsland are urged to stay put for the next 24 to 48 hours when most of the flooding is expected to move through.
Authorities are pleading with locals not to drive through flood waters.
Two SES members were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after separate tree-related incidents.
Updated
Gordon Legal backs robodebt royal commission
Andrew Grech, a partner at Gordon Legal, is on the ABC now responding to the federal court judgment on the robodebt class action.
I think for many people, there’s been a lack of accountability, both of the ministers involved and senior public servants involved.
We think that it’s important that, through the proper parliamentary processes and, if necessary, through a royal commission, that those questions be answered for people, so that they can actually have far more closure on all those issues.
Updated
That’s all from me for this afternoon. I’ll now hand you over to Luke Henriques-Gomes.
Body of woman discovered in Victorian flood waters
The body of a woman missing since Wednesday has been discovered in Glenfyne in regional Victoria.
Police will prepare a report for the coroner following the discovery of the woman’s body, which was found inside a vehicle by Search and Rescue officers in flood waters at about 10.40am.
While the body is yet to be formally identified, police believe it is that of a woman known as Nina, who went missing from nearby Simpson on Wednesday.
The exact circumstances surrounding the woman’s death are yet to be determined but police are not treating it as suspicious.
The Swimming Australia president, Kieren Perkins, has urged Maddie Groves to provide more information after she said she would withdraw from the upcoming Olympic trials and said her decision should be a lesson to “misogynistic perverts” in the sport.
“This is a very concerning thing for us,” Perkins told the ABC on Friday. “These types of issues are, to be honest, the highest on my list as president that we need to be aware [of] and manage. We need to manage the safety of our athletes. That is paramount to us.”
Mike Hytner has the full story:
Updated
Remember the Mosman collar bomb hoax?
In August 2011, Paul Douglas Peters broke into the home of ex-Australian Rugby Union boss Bill Pulver wearing a balaclava and placed a fake collar bomb around the neck of his teenage daughter Madeleine.
The device remained around her neck for some 10 hours before police determined it was a fake. A document attached to the device demanded an unspecified sum of money and said tampering with it would make it explode.
Peters did not know the Pulver family, and his motive for the act was never clear. In 2012 he was sentenced to 13-and-a-half years in jail, with a non-parole period of 10 years.
Now it appears he may soon be released from prison.
AAP reports the State Parole Authority says it has accepted expert advice recommending Peters be released on supervised parole.
This included advice from the Serious Offenders Review Council which found Peters was unlikely to reoffend and has suitable post-release plans.
Community Corrections also supported Peters’ release on parole.
The SPA said it intended to grant parole and the matter will be listed for a public review hearing in August. Peters’ non-parole period ends 14 August.
During sentence proceedings in 2012, the court was told Peters suffered from severe depression and bipolar disorder, and that he claimed to have no memory of attaching the device to Pulver’s neck.
He told one psychiatrist he had “no idea” why he chose the Pulver home.
Updated
Good afternoon. Some more on the federal court’s approval of a $112m settlement between the Commonwealth and the victims of the robodebt scheme from Luke Henriques-Gomes.
A small thing, but an important one. Government ministers and top public servants have continued to assert robodebt was merely "legally insufficient", rather than "unlawful". But the federal court begs to differ. pic.twitter.com/O4kAgH50Qi
— Luke Henriques-Gomes (@lukehgomes) June 11, 2021
Updated
With that I shall leave you for the week, to go enjoy my newfound Melbourne freedom! (With a mask on of course).
The inimitable Michael McGowan is with you for the afternoon.
Evacuation order issued for parts of Traralgon in regional VIC
An evacuation order for parts of the regional Victorian city of Traralgon has been renewed.
The warning says river level rises are expected on Friday night with major flooding possible on Saturday morning.
Flood - EVACUATE NOW for Traralgon. For more info: https://t.co/r3mGjdAQ2M #vicfloods pic.twitter.com/78oKilhmtK
— VicEmergency (@vicemergency) June 11, 2021
⚠️ #MAJOR #Flood Warning issued for #Traralgon. Renewed rapid river level rises expected overnight Friday into Saturday. Major flooding possible Saturday morning. See https://t.co/zQk6fgvnx0 for details and updates; follow advice from @vicemergency. #VicFloods @vicsesnews pic.twitter.com/NWyi36yraa
— Bureau of Meteorology, Victoria (@BOM_Vic) June 11, 2021
Updated
In anyone was wondering where my head is at at the moment:
Nothing says "lockdown press conference blogging" like trying to figure out which question will have a boring enough yet long enough answer that I can run to the bathroom and back.
— Matilda Boseley (@MatildaBoseley) June 11, 2021
The @VictorianCHO says he wishes he "could give people some certainty" (about what comes next with cases and restrictions) "but I can't. A week is like an eternity".
— Heidi Murphy (@heidimur) June 11, 2021
The Greens senator Rachel Siewert, who has long campaigned against the robodebt scheme, insists the fall out from the government’s failed scheme is not over.
She says:
Citizens shouldn’t have to fight tooth and nail for justice and take their own government to court to get any measure of accountability.
As Justice Murphy said, this is a shameful chapter.
Many, including the Greens, consider that this chapter is still open because the government continues to obfuscate and deny the harm their program caused.
Siewert says a royal commission would ensure a “forensic audit of this mess”.
Updated
So wait a second, did that Victorian couple who went to Queensland break the law or not? Well, hmm, it doesn’t seem like Merlino wants to say.
Reporter:
Have we confirmed that they were relocating and therefore allowed to leave Victoria?
Merlino:
I don’t want to speak on behalf of Queensland health so as I said a number of times, relocating from Victoria to another jurisdiction does not contravene Victorian directions. But people need to be granted exemptions via other states and territories. In terms of that detail I will wait for Queensland Health.
Updated
Bill Shorten, who announced the Gordon Legal class action in 2019, says today’s judgment means a robodebt royal commission is now “inevitable”.
He told Guardian Australia:
It’s shocking that the only way that the government could be held to account is by a class action. You can’t make a $2 billion compliance fail, and no one’s lost their job, no one’s accountable. So it’s inevitable now a royal commission has to be held.
If you’re a Centrelink recipient, and you mistakenly get overpaid, you’re accountable for it. But the government can mistakenly chase hundreds of thousands of people using an unlawful computer algorithm and say ‘we’re sorry’ and that’s it?
Asked about Justice Bernard Murphy’s suggestion the botched scheme was more likely a stuff up than conspiracy, Shorten said:
That’s one interpretation of the evidence. But what that is saying is the government was shamefully stupid, not shamefully bad. But when are you so recklessly stupid that it becomes bad?
Shorten also said he had concerns about the senior public servants involved in the administration of the scheme.
Maybe they count on their ministers being too stupid to ask the questions that should have been asked.
Updated
A reporter has asked if the state government has considered upgrading ventilation across all public building in order to reduce the chance of large outbreaks requiring lockdowns.
But Merlino seems to think this could be an almost impossibly difficult task.
I can say that the assessment of hotel quarantine, the ventilation assessment of hotel quarantine is very detailed in the works required were undertaken.
Doing that state wide, thousands and thousands of school buildings, you know, tens of thousands of venues to either time you do that ventilation assessment and then do the works, you may well be talking a very, very long period of time.
But that is just my immediate response to that question and I am happy to come back in detail.
Gordon Legal, the law firm that brought a class action against the federal government’s robodebt scheme, has welcomed the court’s decision to approve a $112m settlement.
Andrew Grech, a Gordon Legal partner, said:
Gordon Legal and our clients are delighted that the settlement has been approved by the dourt, bringing closure for so many people who have been affected by the robodebt scheme.
We hope that this outcome brings peace of mind and some certainty to all class action members and acts as a strong deterrent against similar callous welfare practices for both present and future governments.”
Updated
Merlino has been asked about stocks of vaccine:
The vaccine program, as it has always been, is dependent on supply, confidence and supply from the Commonwealth.
We want that confidence in supplies so that we can, with confidence, deliver the second doses, with confidence expand the eligibility. At the moment it is everyone over 40. I would love to expand the eligibility even further but we need confidence in its supply.
Updated
Merlino can’t promise there will be no more lockdowns once vaccination rates reach a certain level.
There is no magic number: 70, 75, 80 (per cent), more. There is no magic number in terms of herd immunity.
But we do know that from evidence when you have a greater proportion of your population fully vaccinated or at least with the first dose ... it does have a positive impact on the transmission of the virus and the impact on our broader community.
Updated
Sutton:
I have never said that lockdowns are the first measure. They will never be the first measure. They will be a measure that we implement when we have to do, and only when we have to do.
And as we have always done in Victoria, including the single cases out in the community, with the Park Royal transmission, with the Black Rock transmission, it was significant numbers and they were still managed through contact tracing. We have had a single individual exposing a number of sites in Victoria without a lockdown, without a circuit breaker, because contact tracing does the job.
It is a different story when you have four generations of transmission before you find that first case, especially with these variants of concern.
Updated
Sutton has been asked what the state can do to try to avoid lockdowns in the future.
We are getting to a point where more than 60% of those over 70 are vaccinated.
If the virus is introduced into a room full of elderly people, there is much less chance of it becoming an outbreak. So vaccination, and continuing to push, offering up the vaccine, is a really key measure.
But everything to do with quarantine, everything to do with maintaining high levels of testing, those are all measures that reduce the risk of outbreaks getting to a point where they are out of control.
Sutton said the latest lockdown response came after there were already four generations of transmission.
There were already a couple of weeks of this virus moving around. That makes it particularly challenging to management in of individual cases.
Updated
Victoria SES’s Tim Wiebusch has once again urged people never to drive through flood waters, no matter how shallow, after a man was found dead in his submerged car yesterday afternoon.
Rescue crews from police and SES responded, but tragically that person was found to be deceased in their vehicle.
We can’t emphasise enough to never attempt to drive through flash flood waters. It could be the last decision you will make.
Updated
Court approves robodebt $112 million settlement payments
The federal court has approved a $112 million settlement between the Commonwealth and the victims of the Coalition’s robodebt scheme after what a judge called a “shameful chapter” in public administration.
Handing down his judgment on Friday, Justice Bernard Murphy criticised the federal government for a “massive failure”, saying the court had heard “heartwrenching” stories of pain and anguish from victims of the Centrelink debt recovery scheme.
Under the robodebt scheme, which ran between 2015 and November 2019, the federal government unlawfully raised $1.76bn in debts against 443,000 people, the court was told.
Murphy said the government had pursued around 381,000 people, unlawfully recovering $751m, including through “private debt collectors”, and the court heard one mother link her son’s suicide to the debt recovery program.
Gordon Legal brought a class action on behalf of all victims last year after a court ruling in 2019 paved the way for a wider legal challenge.
The government has agreed to repay at least 381,000 people and wipe all debts, worth $1.76bn, raised using the unlawful method of “income averaging” tax office data to check welfare payments.
The settlement adds $112m in interest payments, which will be shared between around 394,000 victims, depending on the size of their debt and how long they were without their money.
Murphy said:
The proceeding has exposed a shameful chapter in the administration of the Commonwealth social security system and a massive failure of public administration.
Murphy said it should have been “obvious” to the senior public servants who designed the scheme that the income averaging method was “unreliable”.
But he did not think there was evidence that proved the government knew the scheme was “unlawful” when it was established, suggesting it was more likely to be a “stuff up” than a “conspiracy”.
About 200,000 people originally included in the class action will not receive any benefit from the settlement.
Murphy said those people’s debts had eventually been substantiated using their own payslips or other evidence, meaning they were valid and had owed the money.
He said they would have needed to show that their debts were “tainted with illegality” to be owed compensation, a claim he said had “weak prospects of success”.
Some 680 people who objected to the settlement will be allowed to opt out.
Murphy said he hoped the judgment would provide “some closure”.
Updated
More flooding expected in Victoria
Wiebusch says there may still be significant flooding for regional Victoria ahead.
What we will see now in coming days as a result of heavy rainfall is riverine flooding start to set in, particular in Gibson.
We have three major flood warnings for these creeks. We have three moderate flood warnings for the Latrobe and Yarra (rivers).
He said 30 homes were impacted by flood waters around Traralgon, Hazelwood and Maffra.
The challenge for the community and Traralgon is that while the water has receded and the Princes Highway is open, we do expect up to another 100mm of rain later today and throughout the night.
The advice that we have is that it will result in a renewed major flooding, and we do expect to be reissuing an evacuation order for those communities sometime early this afternoon.
Updated
Okay, time to get an update on the severe weather and flooding events in Victoria that have so far claimed one life.
Tim Wiebusch from the State Emergency Service confirms it’s been a record-breaking weather event:
We have seen over 7400 requests for assistance in Victoria relating to the weather, and now also the onset of river flooding.
There is significant work going on today, around 2500 requests of assistance still to be cleared. We are bringing an additional resources.
We have SES and assistance. Fire management Victoria are bringing in materials to help clear roads along the way. We have the forestry industry coming with some of their large machinery, and so we hope to get some of those remaining roads open.
There are two major roads are still affected by the tree issues, the Dandenong tourist Road and the Maroondah Highway from Healesville.
Updated
Sutton says yesterday’s four mystery cases appear to be connected to the Kappa variant outbreak, which is a big relief as the more infectious Delta strain has also been circulating.
The genomic sequencing has come back for that family and is suggesting a Kappa variant, matching with the Whittlesey case. Also Port Melbourne.
There are a number of potential exposure sites and acquisition sites, where they may have been when another infectious case was also present.
Some blood testing will be done for those cases to determine how far into their infection they are ... to help us investigate exactly when it was transmitted and where.
The other loose end to tie up in Victoria is the two travellers who tested positive in Queensland.
We are looking into the source of exposure for the two Queensland cases, following long interviews by the Queensland health authorities and NSW health authorities. They have gone through a long interview process with us. We thank them for that. It is a tiring process, lots of detail around where they have been.
We have been looking quite a bit earlier than June for that acquisition, where they may have picked it up, whether or not they were infectious through that. It is difficult to say though.
It does seem to be that they were right at the end of an infection ... so we need to go back to determine where they picked it up.
Updated
Chief health officer Brett Sutton said there will still be more cases to come in Victoria.
The week ahead probably won’t be all zero cases. We have thousands of primary close contacts, some of which will become positive. It is not a concern as they quarantine for the entire period.
Updated
Elective surgeries to restart in Melbourne
Acting premier James Merlino came under fire at yesterday’s press conference for the continued pause on elective surgeries in Melbourne.
Now, following a day of zero local cases, he has some news on that front.
I want to advise the Victorian community, Melburnians, from Tuesday next week, hospitals will be able to restart their elective surgery lists, giving Victorians certainty they will get the care that they need.
It is not as simple as flicking a switch. Hospitals need time to scale up. They need staff and resources available to ensure that Victorians needing surgery will receive world-class care that our health services have always provided. We will work hard to clear the backlog as quickly as possible.
Updated
While that was happening the Victorian press conference has just begun. Let’s have a look!
Updated
QAnon Four Corners episode to air on Monday
OK people, buckle in!
The episode of Four Corners that explores Scott Morrison’s relationship with a QAnon conspiracy theory subscriber will be airing on Monday.
Last week Nine reported the episode had been pulled after being “upwardly referred” to the broadcaster’s managing director, David Anderson, for review. Anderson said the episode was merely being delayed and worked on further.
Now, executive producer Sally Neighbour has tweeted out a preview of the episode, announcing it will air on Monday night.
Here we go, folks. Next on #4Corners ‘The Great Awakening: A Family Divided by QAnon’. Here’s a preview pic.twitter.com/m3j7qb1d2k
— Sally Neighbour (@neighbour_s) June 11, 2021
You can read more of our previous coverage on this story and the Four Corners episode here.
Updated
Federal MP Ted O'Brien walked away during a press conference when the Premier was asked about the Biloela Tamil family. | @10NewsFirst @10NewsFirstQLD pic.twitter.com/vxmYyNiR5k
— Johnpaul Gonzo (@JohnpaulGonzo) June 11, 2021
Our welfare and inequality reporter Luke Henriques-Gomes is listening in to the robodebt class action judgement and will be bringing us all the updates.
Justice Bernard Murphy beginning his judgement in the #robodebt class action. He says the evidence shows the Commonweatlth "unlawfully" raised $1.7bn in debts against 443,000 people. It pursued 381,000 people, recovering $751m, including through private debt collectors. #auspol
— Luke Henriques-Gomes (@lukehgomes) June 11, 2021
Murphy says the case is a "shameful chapter" and a "massive failure" in public administration. He says it should have been "obvious" to senior public servants that the system was flawed.
— Luke Henriques-Gomes (@lukehgomes) June 11, 2021
However Murphy says there is little evidence to prove the government knew it was "unlawful". Refers to "stuff up" rather than a conspiracy adage
— Luke Henriques-Gomes (@lukehgomes) June 11, 2021
Updated
Also, the news is just in, Victoria’s Covid-19 press conference will be at 11.40 am AEST.
The Victorian Council of Social Services has called for the federal government’s emergency Covid-19 payment to be extended, as restrictions still in place in Victoria mean many are still unable to return to work.
Chief executive Emma King said:
So many people cannot go back to work and we know some of the businesses that could open are not going to because for them it’s not worth it because of the density limits. Even businesses that can open, they’re not sure how things are going to go so they may not put as much staff on.
The federal government’s temporary emergency payment only covered the second week of lockdown in Melbourne. It has now been withdrawn, because lockdown has technically been lifted.
King said the strict eligibility requirements for the payment — which excluded anyone who received any other Commonwealth support payments, even as low as $48 per week — meant money did not reach many who needed it.
She said:
It’s a dud. It’s too little, too late, and it has been lifted much too soon.
Updated
No local NSW Covid-19 cases overnight
Woohoo! All three states on high alert for Covid-19 have recorded no cases overnight.
Here are the NSW numbers to complete the trilogy:
NSW recorded no new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) June 11, 2021
One new overseas-acquired case was recorded in the same period, bringing the total number of cases in NSW since the beginning of the pandemic to 5,422. pic.twitter.com/qTvvwlgN1d
That’s about all from Queensland today.
In short, there was some good news:
- No new cases.
- A new pop up Pfizer vaccination hub for people aged 16-49 and groups 1A and 1B.
And a stern warning:
- Five people who recently travelled to Victoria have already been fined for entering Queensland illegally.
Infected travellers in QLD have Kappa Covid-19 variant
Chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young says the infected Victorian couple likely have the Kappa variant of Covid-19, rather than the more infectious Delta strain which is also circulating in Victoria.
I did get some gene sequencing advice overnight. It looks like we have been able to partially sequence some of the virus. It looks like they have the Kappa variant, which is slightly less infectious, but still more infectious than previous variants.
Young said she is increasingly confident that the state can manage the situation on the Sunshine Coast.
And mainly because the people of the Sunshine Coast have been so brilliant and how they have responded.
Of course, I believe that the two individuals who came from Victoria were right at the end of their illness, so that is reassuring. But that doesn’t mean that they can’t spread it.
Updated
Those in regional Victoria are now allowed to travel into Queensland, confirms the health minister.
But people in greater Melbourne who are not Queensland residents still need an exemption to travel, Yvette D’Ath says.
If you get an exemption, you will still need to quarantine. If you are a Queensland resident coming into the state and you have been in greater Melbourne, you will need to quarantine.
D’Ath said authorities would review easing border restriction on the city of Melbourne next week.
Updated
Five Victorians facing fines for crossing QLD border.
The deputy police commissioner says police have so far found five people from Victoria who have illegally entered Queensland.
Martin says:
Coming across the Goondiwindi border, they were detected in the Darling Downs district and they have been issued with penalty infringement notices of $4003 for failing to comply with directions.
On top of that, we have had another male person who has come into Dalby via the Coolangatta border who has also been fined for having an untrue declaration on their border pass, and two persons in the Wide Bay district to have come up from Victoria as well who had no border pass at all.
Our ability to detect them is still there, and can I thank the community, because in another instance it has been community information that has led us to be able to undertake this action. We will continue to do that, we are confident we can keep Queensland safe using this approach.
Updated
Queensland’s deputy police commissioner, Peter Martin, says police have not yet interviewed the Victorian couple in relation to possible criminal charges.
We have not yet interviewed them in terms of any offences and we do not plan to do so until we are advised ... it is safe to do so.
There is no urgency in sending our offices to interview people who are infected until we need to do that.
We do anticipate that will happen within the next few days or the next week. We will complete our investigation in terms of establishing the facts of what has happened.
Updated
Queensland’s chief health officer, Dr Jeannette Young, says all close contacts of the infected Victorian couple have so far tested negative to Covid-19.
We’ve done a lot of work going through all of the close contacts, so we now have 316 close contacts of the lady and her husband who travelled up from Victoria. And we have back on that, 41 test results that are negative.
She said 417 people in the Sunshine Coast came forward to get tested on Thursday.
Thank you to every single one of those people. And we also had over 900 people in the Sunshine Coast come forward and get vaccinated in that day alone. So that is really good news.
Updated
Queensland minister slams border-jumping Victorians
Victorians are in the naughty corner today in Queensland, with health minister Yvette D’Ath laying down the hard word on people crossing the border without an exemption.
I’ve been advised this morning by the deputy commissioner that there are other people coming across our border from Victoria who are driving up through New South Wales, crossing our border from Victoria. Who do not have the exemptions or travel declarations to do so.
We will be making sure that you are found. This is an offence. You cannot come into this state if you are from a hotspot and put our state at risk. And we will make sure that you will face the consequences if you do that.
So these people who think that they can avoid our border controls by jumping in their car and coming across, it is every chance that you will be found out. Either someone will be picking up the phone and telling us, or the police will be doing intercepts and finding you.
Updated
Queensland has opened a temporary vaccine hub to meet increased demand for the jab in the Sunshine Coast.
D’Ath:
The Caloundra indoor sports centre will be operational until the 23rd [of June], and we will be allowing walk-ins and it will be from the ages of 16-49.
Now, the only people who will be able to come and get vaccinated who are 50-plus are those who are in the 1 A and 1 B group, who are front-line workers or residential aged care and disability workers.
If you cannot identify as working in one of those areas, you are still required to go to your GP or a Commonwealth vaccination centre for your vaccination. Because that supply has been set aside specifically with our GPs and Commonwealth vaccination centres for that age group.
Updated
Queensland health minister Yvette D’Ath is giving a Covid-19 update now.
A netball centre in Traralgon is flooded after Victoria’s storms.
Devastating photos of Agnes Brereton Park in Traralgon, home of the Traralgon Netball Association. Their first round was scheduled for 29 May but was delayed due to lockdown. They were planning on a return this weekend but again have come up against another massive challenge. pic.twitter.com/LxOrmBdfAO
— Rosie King (@RosieKing_NV) June 10, 2021
Updated
There is plenty of Queensland Olympics news today, as the International Olympic Committee said they would take the state’s bid to a vote in Tokyo next month.
Here is the Queensland government’s new video pitch.
This video was put together as part of Queensland's pitch to the International Olympic Committee to showcase our bid for the 2032 Games. #Queensland #Olympics2032 pic.twitter.com/iM8sniDGny
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) June 11, 2021
Overnight, the International Olympic Committee decided to take our bid to a vote in Tokyo next month. We now need to put our case to the full membership of the IOC and convince them that this is a compelling opportunity.
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) June 11, 2021
Updated
Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says there have been no cases of community transmission so far, and that’s very encouraging. But she’s also warned Queensland is not yet out of the woods after a Melbourne couple infected with coronavirus travelled to the state.
“Thankfully today zero new cases. We would have expected to see a couple of community cases from that couple if it was going to be in the community,” she told reporters on Friday.
“The next 24 to 48 hours - we’ll be monitoring that very closely.”
Police are investigating the couple’s decision to leave Melbourne during a lockdown and drive through NSW to Queensland.
Victorian authorities have revealed the couple left their home state on 1 June, when greater Melbourne was in a snap lockdown.
They were relocating permanently to Queensland so the husband could take up a new job.
Acting Victorian premier James Merlino has said the couple did not breach any state restrictions by leaving, and moving interstate was allowed during lockdowns.
But Queensland’s chief health officer Jeannette Young has said the couple didn’t apply for a travel exemption to enter Queensland and it was up to police to investigate whether they came through under any other process.
Updated
Vaccinations are going full steam ahead at some Adelaide hubs.
VACCINE RECORD: Super Thursday at Wayville hub last night administered a daily record of 2060 jabs, after inviting patients to walk-in rather than being forced to make a booking.
— Andrea Nicolas (@AndreaLNicolas) June 11, 2021
Before that the number of daily vaccinations there hadn’t exceeded 1500. @7NewsAdelaide pic.twitter.com/hxlLez95EA
Young Australians reported a significant increase in anxiety and depression symptoms during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a new report.
Of 1,927 young people, who were on average 22 years old when they were surveyed, half rated their mental health as having worsened.
Despite increases in generalised anxiety and depression, the study, led by the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at the University of New South Wales, found no increase in young people seeking out support for their mental health from health professionals.
Emily Upton, a UNSW researcher and clinical psychologist, said in a statement:
Young people may disproportionately experience certain stressors associated with the pandemic, such as reduced casual working hours and disruption to other structured activities like tertiary education.
A separate study based on the same survey data found a decrease in alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm among young people during the pandemic.
Compared to February 2020, alcohol consumption among young people during Covid restrictions between May and June last year dropped by 17%.
Dr Philip Clare of the University of Sydney said:
Young people generally consume more alcohol outside of the home, so we would expect alcohol consumption to decline during Covid-19 restrictions.
However, we saw an increase in drinking alone and drinking ‘virtually’ with others.
Updated
OK, it looks like we will be hearing from Queensland officials at 10.30am (AEST).
But the good news is, we already know there had been no community spread overnight.
Updated
Flood warnings remain at “moderate” for large areas of eastern regional Victoria.
Labor’s industry spokesman, Ed Husic, has responded to the attorney general’s department saying it has asked former foreign minister Julie Bishop to clarify her role at Greensill Capital, the collapsed finance group.
As we reported this morning, Bishop approached the treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, for a meeting with Treasury before she signed the lobbyist register.
Husic said:
We need further clarification around what Julie Bishop did on behalf of Greensill.
We do know that Julie Bishop used her government contacts to introduce Greensill to some of the highest political offices in Australia and there should be transparency around these meetings.
There have been parliamentary inquiries in the UK into the dealings of former prime minister David Cameron on behalf of Greensill. The Coalition should be asking similar questions.
Updated
NSW animal abusers to face lifetime pet ownership ban
NSW has become the first state in Australia to automatically ban anyone convicted of serious animal abuse from ever owning or working with animals again, AAP’s Tiffanie Turnbull reports.
A government bill introducing tougher penalties for animal cruelty and bestiality passed the state parliament on Thursday night, after two years of advocacy by Animal Justice party MP Emma Hurst.
A psychologist and survivor of domestic violence, Hurst says human and animal abuse often go hand in hand. The new penalties are a significant step towards addressing both crimes, she said in a statement.
We have witnessed some chilling cases over the past two years where animal abusers have been allowed to continue to breed animals, work alongside animals and even buy animals after their convictions.
She cites one case where a Sydney man was jailed for serious animal cruelty after he stabbed a dog with a pitchfork six times, then hung it to a tree and left it to die over many hours.
A petting zoo operator, that man was not banned from working with animals again, she says.
There have been far too many cases where the punishments simply do not match the crimes.
The new NSW legislation is unique in that the ban is for a lifetime and is automatically imposed upon conviction.
Hurst is now urging other states to follow suit.
We are a nation of animal lovers... Animal cruelty is hard to think and talk about, but it is happening.”
Updated
It should be easier for Australians to get their smartphones, tablets and other devices repaired or replaced, the Productivity Commission has found.
The commission reviewed the so-called right to repair in Australia and received more than 300 submissions and comments. Many consumers complained that companies were making it harder and more expensive to get devices fixed by anyone other than the manufacturer.
The most common issues with phones, for example, are smashed screens or the need to replace the battery, but increasingly companies like Apple and Samsung are making it harder for consumers to repair it themselves, or get it repaired by anyone but Apple or Samsung.
You can read the full report below:
Updated
No Covid-19 cases in Queensland
Good news from Queensland.
The sunshine state has recorded no cases of Covid-19 overnight, local or otherwise!
This comes after two unknowingly infected Victorians entered Queensland while their home state was in lockdown and subsequently tested positive on the Sunshine Coast.
Friday 11 June – coronavirus cases in Queensland:
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) June 10, 2021
• 0 new cases
• 15 active cases
• 1,642 total cases
• 2,680,756 tests conducted
Sadly, seven people with COVID-19 have died. 1,603 patients have recovered.#covid19 pic.twitter.com/myIQN3VnUv
Updated
The Victorian Royal Commission into Crown will be extended by two and a half months due to the “seriousness of evidence produced through hearings and submissions to date”, the inquiry says.
Commissioner Ray Finkelstein was due to report by 1 August, but this has now been pushed back to 15 October. His budget has also been pumped up from $10 million to $19.75 million.
Victoria’s acting premier James Merlino said:
We established this royal commission to get the answers we need about Crown – and this extension will ensure the scope of evidence provided so far is able to be thoroughly considered.
The minister for consumer affairs, gaming and liquor regulation, Melissa Horne, said the evidence heard at the commission so far was “significant”.
We’ll provide the commissioner with the resources and time required to complete this important work as requested.
Updated
Ooh, would you look at that, the Queensland press conference should be at around 10am (AEST). So in about 40 minutes.
Updated
In terms of today’s press conferences, there are two big ones we are waiting for. Victoria, where we will hear all about lockdown ending and maybe a little about what comes next, and Queensland, where we will learn if there has been any more community spread of Covid-19 on the Sunshine Coast.
No confirmed times on either of these yet, but I will keep you posted.
Updated
Amnesty International has collected new evidence of human rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang region, which it says has become a “dystopian hellscape” for hundreds of thousands of Muslims subjected to mass internment and torture.
The human rights organisation has collected more than 50 new accounts from Uyghurs, Kazakhs and other predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities who claim to have been subjected to mass internment and torture in police stations and camps in the region.
Testimonies from former detainees included in a new report launched on Thursday allege the use of “tiger chairs” – steel chairs with leg irons and handcuffs that restrain the body in painful positions – on detainees during police interrogations.
You can read the full report below:
Updated
Guys the "donuts" day thing is so 2020, in 2021 to celebrate a day of zero cases we say "Oh look, it is the same amount of cases as finals Essendon have won in the modern era".
— Never Garner Give You Up, Never Garner Let You ... (@JamieLeftPeg) June 10, 2021
Star swimmer Maddie Groves has pulled out of the Australian Olympic swimming trials just days before the event begins in Adelaide, saying her last-minute withdrawal should be a lesson to “all misogynistic perverts in sport”.
Groves, who won two silver medals at the Rio Games five years ago, was aiming to reach her second Olympics at the national trials, which start this weekend and run for six days. But the 26-year-old butterfly specialist, also a two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist, announced her decision not to compete in a social media post on Wednesday night.
In a separate message posted on Thursday “for emphasis” and to “make them pervs quake in fear from the number of people supporting a statement that threatens their existence”, she made allegations about her treatment by an unnamed individual involved in the sport.
Groves wrote:
“Let this be a lesson to all misogynistic perverts in sport and their boot lickers. You can no longer exploit young women and girls, body shame or medically gaslight them and then expect them to represent you so you can earn your annual bonus. Time’s up.”
You can read the full report below:
Updated
There is a bit of confusion on the airport front when it comes to travel from Victoria to NSW.
Just had NSW Cross Border Commissioner James McTavish on our program. He says Melbournains within 25km of the airport are allowed to travel to NSW via air for work purposes provided they fill out a declaration and haven't been to a hotspot https://t.co/bVvW2icnKV
— Mikaela Ortolan (@mikaelaortolann) June 10, 2021
Updated
Victoria records no local cases of Covid-19
Anyone else hungry for Krispy Kreme?
That’s right, it’s a doughnut day in Victoria! Hazzah!
Reported yesterday: 0 new local cases and 1 new case acquired overseas (currently in HQ).
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) June 10, 2021
- 20,752 vaccine doses were administered
- 17,604 test results were received
More later: https://t.co/lIUrl0ZEco#COVID19VicData #COVID19Vic pic.twitter.com/OiWWxIXpLO
A parent whose children attend a Montessori school in regional New South Wales said she was “gobsmacked” to receive an invitation from the school’s founders to an “exciting” webinar held by a macrobiotic food enthusiast, who would teach them how to boost their immunity so they could “choose not to take” the Covid-19 vaccination.
The email was sent by Donna McCulloch, a co-founder of the Thomas More Christian Montessori school in Bega, and said: “a world renown [sic] Marcobiology [sic] Consultant who is a personal friend of mine … is giving important seminars via Zoom from Stockholm”.
“I asked him if he would give one for our parents,” the email, which was sent to all parents on 3 June, said.
He graciously accepted. This is an opportunity that you will not want to miss. The first part of the presentation is about natural immunity and the benefit of good health in the crisis.
Then he goes on to the vaccine. He gives people the info needed for preparing for the jab and what to do after receiving it for those who have needed to make this choice. He also instructs people on the benefits of natural immunity showing how one can choose not to take the jab.
Tap water from a tiny regional town in Tasmania, which was declared undrinkable three years ago, is now considered the world’s best, reports AAP:
Rossarden’s water treatment plant recently claimed the Best Municipal Water 2021 award at the Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting event in America.
The global event judged water from five continents, 14 countries and 19 US states.
It is the first time water from Australia has won the award in the event’s 31-year history.
TasWater acting chief executive Juliet Mercer said:
Just over three years ago, Rossarden was under a ‘Do Not Consume’ notice...
Seeing a town where so recently you could not even drink the water now recognised as having the best drinking water in the world is an incredible result.
A program to upgrade water infrastructure across Tasmania has seen public health alerts removed from 29 towns. Rossarden in the state’s northern midlands is home to just 42 people.
In this competition, the water was judged under guidelines similar to wine tasting and rated on appearance, aroma, taste, mouthfeel and aftertaste.
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California was considered to have the best municipal water in America.
The top bottled water award was given to Ulunom in Japan, while New Zealand’s Fleck Sparkling Mineral Water took out the best sparkling category.
Updated
This is a fantastic joke and I’m devastated that I didn’t think of it myself.
@MatildaBoseley good morning! The blog really needs to boost Donna’s Echidna’s have four penises story! How do Echidnas have sex? Carefully (or with four headed penises…) c’mon!
— Rickster (@rickydbryan) June 10, 2021
The Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison, and his Singaporean counterpart, Lee Hsien Loong, have confirmed students will be the first group to travel under a bubble arrangement to be established by the two countries, with Morrison stating it will happen “sooner rather than later”.
Lee confirmed students would be the first priority following talks between the two leaders in Singapore on Thursday.
The Singaporean prime minister said he had discussed with Morrison “how two-way travel can eventually resume in a safe and calibrated manner when both sides are ready.”
Before Covid-19 many Singaporeans travelled to Australia for business, holidays and to pursue their education...
We need to resume these people-to-people flows to maintain our close and excellent bilateral relationship.
You can read the full report below:
The Australian Medical Association say they welcome the release of updated PPE guidelines aimed at protecting health care workers against aerosol transmission of Covid-19.
The association have been campaigning for healthcare workers to be provided with N95 face masks when interacting with confirmed or suspected Covid-19 patients since last year, rather than the simple surgical mask that was previously the norm.
President Dr Omar Khorshid said the updated guidelines went a long way to addressing the concerns of medical professionals.
Too many healthcare workers in Australia have been placed at risk of Covid-19 because of the lack of adequate PPE and these new guidelines could not have come soon enough, particularly as Australia still remains at significant risk of outbreaks.
The new guidelines will help improve safety for healthcare workers, including those in hotel quarantine, and reduce the risks of future lockdowns caused by staff transmission to the community as we have seen over the past few months.
With better PPE and the vaccination of frontline health workers they will now feel much safer at work and no longer worry about passing on this virus to their family and friends.
Updated
An important marsupial update:
The penis of an echidna has four heads but only two become erect at any one time. Now, Australian researchers have uncovered why.
Scientists discovered the marsupial has unusual reproductive anatomy that causes male echidnas to ejaculate from only two of their four penile heads at one time.
The research, published in the peer-reviewed journal Sexual Development, found that echidna penises have similar features to those of other mammals, including platypuses, but also similarities to reptiles.
The scientists studied the internal anatomy of several echidnas that had been brought into the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary in Queensland with severe injuries and had to be euthanised.
You can read full report below:
NZ holds Victoria travel suspension
The New Zealand government has cited the 15,000 close contacts of Covid-19 as it extends a ban on Victorians using quarantine-free travel.
Covid-19 minister Chris Hipkins said New Zealand’s pause to “green zone” travel from Melbourne will continue until Thursday 17 June, reports Ben McKay from AAP.
But, New Zealand has begun allowing stranded Kiwis – those who were visiting the state when the lockdown hit – to Aotearoa.
Jacinda Ardern’s government has issued an exemption for NZ citizens and regular residents to travel home, deeming their fortnight spent in lockdown to be equivalent to a fortnight spent in mandatory isolation.
The returning Kiwis must also produce a negative Covid-19 test result in the 72 hours before their flight.
Hipkins said other wannabe trans-Tasman travellers and tourists from Melbourne must wait until the government lifts its ban, and restarts the bubble.
While the overall risk to New Zealand is low, today’s advice from New Zealand public health officials is that the travel pause should continue...
The government is taking a precautionary approach in continuing the pause, which will be reviewed again next Wednesday.
Hipkins said there were still three cases among the outbreak without an epidemiological link to overseas cases, and more than 15,000 close contacts identified that may be at risk.
Anyone that has visited a location of interest in Australia is also ineligible to travel to New Zealand within 14 days of the potential exposure event.
Updated
Just on those Victorian floods, reporters Naaman Zhou and Soofia Tariq have all the updates from across the state.
The commander of the Victorian State Emergency Service, David Baker, said on Thursday evening that while the rain was easing the flood danger remained “dynamic”.
Baker said it had been “the busiest 24-hour period in Victorian SES history”.
The SES received 6,652 calls for assistance over the preceding 24 hours and there were 169,062 premises without power on Thursday evening. There were 5,280 reports of trees down and 829 calls to report building damage.
“The flood waters are continuing to present a problem as the rainfall comes through the system,” Baker said. “We ask Gippslanders in that west and south-west Gippsland area to be alert, to be aware of their circumstances, follow emergency services advice, keep abreast of VicEmergency warnings that come out and stay safe. Under no circumstances drive into flood waters.”
You can read the full report here:
Good morning
It’s finally Friday, which means no more lockdown for Melbourne!
It’s Matilda Boseley here, and rather than leave my house and take advantage of my newfound freedom, I’m excited to man the blog, and see out the week of news with you.
Although it must be said, it isn’t all good news today.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration has reported a 52-year-old NSW woman died from a blood clot in the brain likely linked to AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine. It’s the second death of this kind after 3.6m doses delivered.
Of the 48 confirmed and probable cases of people who have developed clots after receiving the vaccine, 31 have been discharged from hospital and are recovering. Fifteen remain in hospital.
Chief medical officer Paul Kelly says Australia is getting very good at diagnosing and treating the condition, reducing the chances a blood clotting incident would be fatal.
We will continue to learn from these unfortunate circumstances and will tie it into advice to all practitioners.
Kelly urged people to be informed about the early symptoms of the extremely rare condition, but not be dissuaded from coming forward to get the jab.
Down south, the wild weather in Victorian, which yesterday left more than 200,000 people without power, has claimed the life of one man and put two volunteers in hospital.
Police confirmed on Thursday evening that a man, thought to be in his 60s, was found dead at Woodside in South Gippsland.
His body was found as emergency services responded to a vehicle “almost submerged” in floodwaters, police said in a statement.
Two SES members were also taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries after separate tree-related incidents.
The massive clean up effort will continue today as the state experiences the tail end of the wild weather event.
Okay, with that why don’t we jump into the day.
If there is something you reckon I’ve missed or think should be in the blog but isn’t, shoot me a message on Twitter @MatildaBoseley or email me at matilda.boseley@theguardian.com.
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