That’s where I’ll leave you for tonight. Thanks for reading, and I hope you’re hunkering down somewhere dry.
Here’s what we learned today:
- Students returned to school full-time in New South Wales and Queensland after months of online learning. Despite some parents expressing concern, the NSW education department reported an 86% attendance rate. The state’s average is about 92%.
- NSW and Victoria recorded three new cases of Covid-19 each. Western Australia recorded four new cases – all of them were within the same family who flew in from Doha last week. Queensland, the ACT, the Northern Territory and South Australia saw no new cases.
- The federal health minister, Greg Hunt, announced an additional $20m for mental health funding.
- WA premier Mark McGowan announced travel within all regions of the state would be allowed by the weekend, but the border closure with the rest of Australia will remain in place.
- In SA, premier Steven Marshall announced that from Monday up to 80 patrons will be allowed at restaurants, cafes and pubs at any one time, provided they are split across 20 “discrete rooms or areas” of the venue. Cinemas, theatres, galleries, museums, beauty salons, and gyms will also be allowed to open from Monday.
- Shares on the Australian stock market have soared 2.2% to reach their highest level since 11 March.
- Labor continued to revel in the government’s jobkeeper accounting mistake. Shadow treasurer Jim Chalmers called it “the biggest blunder that any government’s made in any budget at any point in the history of this commonwealth”.
- The treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, said that despite the extra money now sitting in the government’s coffers as a result of the error, there would be no “wholesale changes” to the jobkeeper program.
Updated
My colleague Naaman Zhou reports that four of Australia’s private universities have been made eligible for jobkeeper, while three more public universities have rejected a deal negotiated by the tertiary sector union to save jobs in exchange for pay cuts.
I know this isn’t strictly coronavirus-related, but comedian Celeste Barber has just issued a statement on today’s New South Wales supreme court ruling that the more than $51.3m she raised for bushfire recovery can only go to the NSW Rural Fire Service.
Barber said:
I had hoped, because it was such a big and ‘unprecedented’ amount, that it could have been distributed to other states and charities – turns out that studying acting at university does not make me a lawmaker.
Full statement below.
"I had hoped, because it was such a big and 'unprecedented' amount, that it could be distributed to other states and charities."
— Avani Dias (@AvaniDias) May 25, 2020
Statement from comedian @celestebarber_ on a court ruling that more than $51.3 million raised in her bushfire fundraiser can only go to the NSW RFS: pic.twitter.com/5e1ytHWowE
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Good evening, blog readers. I’m coming to you live from underneath my doona. I know Scott Morrison keeps telling us we have to get out from under it, but it’s cold in Sydney.
As my colleague Elias Visontay mentioned earlier, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners has taken a swipe at radio broadcasters Kyle and Jackie O for their interview with Pete Evans today.
Evans, we know, has some, erm, non-mainstream views about, well, a lot of things.
But the (former?) celebrity chef isn’t so high and mighty that he’ll only appear on the big commercial radio stations.
Dia Beltran, an anti-abortion, far-right personality with links to former United Patriots Front members Neil Erikson and Blair Cottrell, is also spruiking an interview with him this coming Wednesday. According to Beltran, Evans will appear on her show on the same day as the hard-right Russian nationalist Alexander Dugin.
We can only assume that Evans plans to denounce the far-right and offer some tips on avocado preparation, but still, it’s quite a line-up.
(Thanks to Cam Smith for the heads-up on this).
And with that, I’ll pass you over to my colleague Michael McGowan, whose steady hands will guide this ship for the next little while.
Australian stock market soars
Shares on the Australian stock market have soared 2.2% to reach their highest level since 11 March. AAP is reporting the local bourse closed at an 11-week high after climbing more than 2 per cent, with gains across the board.
The S&P/ASX200 benchmark finished Monday up 118.6 points, or 2.16%, at 5,615.6 points, while the All Ordinaries index was up 121.1 points, or 2.16% higher, at 5,729.9.
The Australian dollar was buying 65.28 US cents, up from 65.15 US cents at the close of trade on Friday.
Updated
The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has accused Sydney radio shock jock Kyle Sandilands and his co-host Jackie O of compromising public health for failing to challenge “conspiracy theories” about vaccination raised during an interview with controversial former TV chef Pete Evans on Monday.
RACGP President Dr Harry Nespolon said: “It is extremely disappointing that two very popular and prominent commercial radio hosts have given Pete Evans 20 minutes of unfettered air time to air his anti-vaxxer stance.”
Mr Evans may consider himself ‘pro-choice for medical freedom’ but the fact that his assertions were by all accounts barely challenged by the radio hosts makes this interview particularly problematic.
I think that all television networks, radio stations and publications have a responsibility to self-regulate and not provide platforms to people spreading dangerous and misleading information that can harm public health. If they do interview such individuals they need to at least challenge conspiracy theories and ‘advice’ contrary to expert medical opinion.
Instead of listening to Pete Evans on commercial radio, consult with your GP – we are there for you and have your best interest at heart. Now more than ever, expert advice matters.
Earlier this month, Channel 7 announced they had parted ways with the My Kitchen Rules host, weeks after the Therapeutic Goods Administration fined him $25,200 for spruiking a $15,000 light machine to fight coronavirus.
He also came under fire this month for urging his Instagram followers to watch an interview with a controversial British conspiracy theorist who simultaneously claimed Covid-19 is “a fake pandemic with no virus” and links infections to 5G antenna installations.
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In announcing the byelection date, speaker of the House of Representatives Tony Smith has explained the 4 July date – the first weekend of the school holidays – was chosen to allow for sufficient sanitisation of polling booths at schools throughout the electorate before term three returns on 21 July.
In normal circumstances, the Australian Electoral Commission advises that it is preferable not to have elections during school holidays. With the current challenges created by the coronavirus pandemic, the advice is different on this occasion.
The AEC has undertaken extensive consultations, including with the New South Wales Department of Education, because a significant number of polling places are located at schools. As a result, the AEC has advised me that it is preferable to have a polling date where students and staff do not return to school on the very next Monday. This will then enable a thorough sanitising after the completion of voting and counting at polling booths at New South Wales schools.
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Eden-Monaro byelection on 4 July
In some significant non-coronavirus news, the Eden-Monaro byelection is set to be held on 4 July.
It comes as the Liberal Party preselected Fiona Kotvojs as their candidate, some weeks after Labor’s announced Kristy McBain, the former Bega Valley mayor, as the opposition’s candidate. The byelection was triggered when current Labor MP Mike Kelly announced his retirement from politics in April.
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Another important message for all South Australians: you will be able to go to a pub and order a drink without a meal from Monday. But you will need to drink it seated.
South Australia to fast-track stage two restrictions, up to 80 diners allowed at restaurants
South Australia is bringing forward its stage two restrictions easing phase by four days to 1 June, while also significantly increasing venue and attendance limit as part of the plan.
From Monday, up to 80 patrons will be allowed at South Australian restaurants, cafes and pubs at any one time, provided they are split across 20 “discrete rooms or areas” of the venue.
Cinemas, theatres, galleries, museums, beauty salons, and gyms will also be allowed to open from Monday.
SA premier Steven Marshall said the greater easing of restrictions was possible because of the state’s “principles-based approach”.
In stage one the important number was 10 (people). For stage two, the important number is 20 ... 20 is the critical number here. Because we have this principles based approach, we can announce today venues will be able to go up to a maximum of 80 provided they can have 20 in discrete rooms or areas within their establishment. So a massive increase on what was originally envisaged for stage two.
Marshall also announced up to 50 guests will be allowed to attend funerals from Monday.
Updated
On that note, I will hand you over to Elias Visontay for the next few hours.
The prime minister will address the national press club tomorrow, and I’ll be back to cover that for you. Thank you for all the birthday wishes – they have been much appreciated by this Queenslander on this chilly Canberra day. Catch you tomorrow, and take care of you.
WA health minister Roger Cook says there have been four new cases of Covid-19 diagnosed in the past 24 hours, all within the same family who flew in from Doha last week.
They are from Victoria and will stay in quarantine in WA until they are recovered.
That makes six active cases of Covid-19 in WA.
Updated
Mark McGowan:
I’d like to thank everyone for their patience throughout this pandemic and I urge everyone who can travel to do just that. Now is the time to get out there and see Western Australia and support local businesses in the process.
We know Western Australia is the best and most beautiful place on Earth. For now, we have it all to ourselves so let’s make the most of it. So go out and wander around our great state.
Local businesses and tourism operators have been through hell.
They need our support more than anytime before.
Mark McGowan:
From Friday, travel around WA will be permitted everywhere except the areas bounded by the Commonwealth by security determination and remote Aboriginal communities. This means people will be free to travel to all regions except the Kimberley and the biosecurity zones from this Friday.
We are working closely with the federal government on a way forward to remove the Commonwealth biosecurity areas from Friday, 5 June.
Updated
WA to allow intrastate travel
Mark McGowan says he is pulling down the internal borders for WA – phase three is coming by the end of the week/the weekend – which means that travel within WA will be allowed.
But the border with the east, will remain.
Updated
On a travel “bubble” with New Zealand (these sorts of bubbles are considered the ‘good’ bubbles, as opposed to the ‘Canberra bubble’ which is for any issue the government doesn’t want to talk about, and is therefore a bad bubble):
In terms of [travel with] New Zealand, that offers prospect and hope for people on both sides of the ditch. It’s a really important thing, that, if we can have, greater international movement, that is safe, we do that, the prime minister has flagged that, the New Zealand prime minister was part of the national cabinet, quite a historic step and precedent. As to the timing I will leave that to the AHPCC, they will look at when they think that is safe.
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On the state border issue, and the deputy chief medical officer, Professor Paul Kelly’s comments that there is no medical reason to keep the borders closed, Greg Hunt says:
The DCMO was reflecting the views of what’s called the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee or the Medical Expert Panel.
They have not made any recommendations as a matter of fact in terms of state borders, nor has the national cabinet.
These are matters that are discussed through the national cabinet process and the medical expert panel.
There have a been no commonwealth recommendations in favour. There have been no national cabinet recommendations in favour.
And there has been no medical expert panels in favour of state border closures and indeed the national cabinet’s three-step plan for recovery also included the progressive restriction, the progressive movement and lifting of state border restrictions.
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The Australian Council of Social Services also has some ideas on how the $60bn over-estimation for jobkeeper could be spent:
• Immediately extending jobkeeper, jobseeker and Medicare to temporary migrants.
• Continuing the new jobseeker payment of $560 per week until a social security system is put in place that keeps everyone out of poverty.
Updated
Dr Ruth Vine, the new deputy chief medical officer for mental health, says there has been no “discernible increase in suicides” as part of the pandemic in Australia, but that it is something authorities are keeping a close eye on.
One of the investments recently has been to improve the timeliness of data about suicide because there’s a delay because it’s determined by coroner.
Our data is becoming more timely. To the best of my knowledge there’s not been a discernible increase to suicides. That’s not to say we shouldn’t be constantly striving to lower that number but there’s not been a discernible increase but I think it’s something we need to continue to watch.
In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123. Other international suicide helplines can be found at befrienders.org.
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Health minister announces extra $20m for mental health
Greg Hunt has announced an additional $20m for mental health funding.
Updated
Josh Frydenberg says he won’t be appearing at the Senate Covid committee, because his invitation is “just a Labor political stunt” adding that many Labor ministers did not attend Senate committees, including Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd.
But it’s not just Labor which wants government ministers to face their Senate colleagues for questioning.
On Apr 7 I called for Joint COVID Committees with power to compel House Ministers to appear.
— Helen Haines MP (@helenhainesindi) May 25, 2020
On Apr 8 the AG rejected that proposal but gave me a guarantee that any Minister called by Senate Comm would appear.
Today I call on @cporterwa to confirm Govt will honour its promise.
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My Collingwood drought will be broken.
Obviously, this is the best news you will hear all week.
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Tony Burke is also pushing the fund the arts and entertainment workers case:
On ABC radio today finance minister Mathias Cormann made the ridiculous and insulting claim that arts and entertainment workers were missing out on jobkeeper because they “can’t demonstrate that they’ve had relevant falls in their revenue”.
Earth to the minister: the arts and entertainment industry has been shut down.
These workers watched their incomes evaporate and job opportunities disappear as gigs were cancelled, shows were scrapped, galleries were closed down and productions were halted in the early days of this crisis.
They’re not missing out because they can’t demonstrate a drop in revenue. They’re missing out because the government designed jobkeeper in a way that deliberately excludes them. A huge number of people in the arts and entertainment sector work gig to gig, as freelancers or as casuals on short-term contracts – so they miss out on the wage subsidy.
And it isn’t just the artists themselves who have missed out. It’s the worker holds the spotlight; who operates the camera; who builds the set; who cleans the venue. These are all workers who rely on the arts and entertainment sector and who also worked gig to gig.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg can fix this with the stroke of a pen.
But even now, after admitting they’re spending $60bn less on supporting Australian workers through this crisis than they said they would, the government is still doing nothing for this sector.
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This was the hypothetical Michael Sukkar wasn’t happy to be reminded of.
Remarkable foresight! https://t.co/VpSY3Ji6H8
— David Speers (@David_Speers) May 22, 2020
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Greg Hunt will join deputy chief medical officer Dr Ruth Vine for an update at 1.30pm.
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Michael Sukkar is getting a little cranky with Tom Connell, as the Sky host hits the assistance treasurer with his previous claim that if the jobkeeper program was helping less people, there would be room to expand it.
Sukkar says he is on the program and can be asked questions directly, rather than be hit with “old transcripts”.
That is because the hypothetical Sukkar floated previously, which was jobkeeper helping just three million workers, has actually proved reality. But the government doesn’t want to expand the program and from all indications is planning on just not borrowing that $60bn which was to go to jobkeeper, but is not needed.
So Sukkar is now walking back his previous hypothetical, by drawing new lines.
Updated
Footy is *almost* back, but as AAP reports, it’ll take some time before there are crowds:
The New South Wales and Queensland governments are open to working with the NRL on a return to crowds in July, but say it might be too soon to consider the plan.
ARL commission chair Peter V’landys has indicated he would like to have some capped crowds back for matches by the start of July.
Under the plan, some members would be able to attend games, while still observing social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic.
If possible, it would make rugby league one of the few sports in the world to be operating with spectators.
But the push for fans might not be easy.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has warned the return of crowds is not part of any plan the government is looking at.
“We’re not in that space yet,” she said.
“It’s up to organisations to consider their options but certainly we’re not in that space yet.”
Updated
Sarah Hanson-Young has called a round table today with representatives from the arts and entertainment industry to address the lack of economic support during the pandemic:
The arts and entertainment sector was the first to be hit by Covid-19 and despite a quarter of all workers losing their jobs the government has until now refused to help.
Now, there is no excuse. The government should fix their $60bn bungle by funding an industry specific package for the arts and creative sector, before even more jobs are lost.
I’ve convened an emergency meeting today of representatives of the arts sector because it’s clear the government won’t act unless they are made to.
It was disappointing to hear the finance minister this morning on ABC radio showing such ignorance towards the sector and a lack of understanding of how the industry works. We need better support for the arts and entertainment industry if we are to rebuild both tourism and hospitality as well.
Either government ministers don’t grasp the impacts, or they are wilfully ignoring the desperation of hundreds of thousands of Australians who have lost their jobs and livelihoods. Either way it’s not good enough. And now with $60bn leftover not helping these workers would be cruel and mean spirited.
The government’s badly targeted jobkeeper program locks many workers from the arts out because of the nature of their short-term contract and gig-to-gig employment.
The restrictions mean the industry will be the last sector to be back up and running. The looming September deadline for jobseeker and jobkeeper payments makes the situation even worse.
Updated
AAP has the latest on Australia’s export situation:
Australia’s exports and imports both pared down in April, preliminary figures for the month from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed on Monday.
Exports of goods and services fell $4bn or 12% from March’s record high to $31.44bn.
The decrease was led by a $1.7bn decrease in exports of non-monetary gold following significant trade last month.
While overall mineral exports remained strong there were small decreases in commodities including iron ore, coal, gas and petroleum.
Imports of goods and services fell 5% from the previous month to $23.12bn.
This was mainly due to decreases in imports of petroleum, aircraft, non-monetary gold, and road vehicles.
April saw imports from China continue to recover from decreases observed earlier in 2020.
Imports of laptop computers from China remained strong during the month, in line with increased demand during the lockdown period.
There were also increases in imports of commodities associated with the detection and prevention of Covid-19, including testing kits and personal protective equipment.
The final April monthly estimates will be published on 4 June.
Updated
New Zealand has recorded no new cases, again, which is a great result.
Also:
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern caught on camera as 5.8 magnitude earthquake hits near the capital city of Wellington (no immediate damage reported) pic.twitter.com/5zq64ud0rb
— Peter Martinez (@rePetePro) May 24, 2020
Updated
The first round of the public hearings for the royal commission into national natural disaster arrangements have begun in Canberra via video link. This week the focus is on climate, and the first witness, the Bureau of Meteorology’s head of climate modelling Dr Karl Braganza, delivered a powerpoint presentation filled with many disturbing graphs about Australia’s worsening bushfire conditions.
The start of the fire season has been pushed back three months from November to August in Victoria and even July in parts of south-east Queensland and New South Wales. Climate change is exacerbating underlying weather events, causing even more extreme temperatures and drier conditions. Droughts are getting much hotter.
Braganza says the 2019-2020 fires were not a “one off event”:
Really since the Canberra 2003 fires every jurisdiction in Australia have seen some really significant fire events that have challenged what we do to respond to them and have really challenged what we through fire weather looked like preceding this period.
The frequency of these events, if we look at the historical record, seems to be increasing. These large fire events when you look back over the 19th and 20th century were not as frequent as they were this century.
The royal commission has received more than 1,700 submissions. So far it has received more than 16,000 documents on discovery, amounting to about 200,000 pages and 159 requests to produce documents – including many from state and territory governments – have been acknowledged but documents have not yet been produced. The royal commission is still planning to produce its final report and recommendations in August. Which, as was reinforced today, is when the fire season begins.
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Jim Chalmers also says to ‘watch this space’ (essentially) on the Queensland border closures.
Annastacia Palaszczuk said September was looking more likely for a border reopening but that the decision would be reviewed at the end of each month. Chief medical officer Dr Jeannette Young said don’t expect any reopening ahead of July.
Chalmers says people keep missing a key point:
Well one of the things that’s been missed in all of this, is that the premier has said that the border closures are under constant review.
And that means, that if the medical advice changes, or circumstances change or there is, you know, an extra level of confidence that we can contain the virus, even with the borders open, then obviously she will consider all of that.
All around Australia, premiers are making the best decisions they can about very complex, consequential matters based on the advice they have all received. That is what premier Palaszczuk is doing, she is being supported in that by a number of the mayors around Queensland.
I think all she has done there is she has been careful in managing the expectations of the public, at the same time, she is pointing out the matter is under constant review, so I am sure if she can open the borders earlier, she will take that on board.
Updated
Jim Chalmers is holding his press conference in his Queensland electorate – he says the prime minister’s speech to the press club tomorrow is a chance to ‘reset’ the jobkeeper scheme and include workers who have been missed.
Stephen Jones will be holding a doorstop at 1.25pm to talk about the ATO revelations that more than 50% of the applicants for the early super release, are under 35 – more than 33% are under 30.
That means quite a lot of young workers would have drained their accounts and will be starting from scratch.
There is another withdrawal allowed in the next financial year.
Updated
Berejiklian encourages people in NSW to keep working from home if possible
Gladys Berejiklian is being a little bit more quiet about it than Victoria is, but NSW is also encouraging people to keep working from home, if they are able, to ensure the public transport network is not overwhelmed.
Dan Andrews has just straight-up said he wants people to keep working from home, if possible, to cut down on mass movement. Berejiklian, who is attempting to walk a ‘it’s time to reopen while not spreading a highly contagious virus to where there is another shutdown’ tightrope is putting her trust in people to make that decision themselves.
Well, I think where we stand on that point is where we have stood on this point for a number of weeks now. We are confident that workplaces are taking very informed decisions.
We give our best advice and workplaces are responding. And I think where possible people are still working from home, and I anecdotally know that many businesses are considering some staff coming back and some working from home on a rostered basis.
That has been going on.
But I am very pleased that the system hasn’t been overwhelmed to date, that people are listening, making informed decisions, and that is the way we would like it to continue.
And as the weeks progressed and we keep on top of the data and see what the increased activity does on the number of cases, we will be able to provide further updates.
Updated
Gladys Berejiklian delivers NSW coronavirus update
Gladys o’clock has been moved from 8am to 11am and my whole world has been rocked.
Gladys Berejiklian says there were three new cases diagnosed in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.
Chief medical officer Dr Kerry Chant says NSW will be changing the way it reports its test numbers:
Previously, we have been reporting people tested, and into the future, because we are actually asking for people to come forward repeatedly, as the premier indicated, repeatedly throughout the year ahead, we are now moving to report the number of tests.
We won’t be reporting test numbers once someone becomes positive, because we wanted to reflect those people that are being tested to confirm Covid. So those details will be changed on our website, and that will mean that our testing numbers actually are increased. This is in line with the national reporting requirements.
Updated
Non-Covid, but about to become very relevant: the Eden-Monaro byelection campaign is officially on, with the Liberals selecting Fiona Kotvojs to run against Labor’s Kristy McBain.
It’s going to be a messy fight.
As it revs up, this op-ed Kotvojs wrote for the Fin last year has popped back up – along with her dismissal of the impacts of climate change. Apparently it is impossible to deal with health impacts and climate change at the same time, in Kotvojs’s world.
We are told that climate change will lead to countries such as Tuvalu, Kiribati and Tokelau drowning under a rising ocean. But the reality is that research consistently shows that the land area in these countries has increased over the past 40 years. This is to be expected since these islands largely comprise coral and shell debris eroded from the surrounding reef, which is thrown onshore by waves and moved inland during storm surge events and by wind. Provided the rate of coral growth continues to balance sea level rise, these islands will continue to grow.
Despite the evidence, many people continue to propagate the position that these islands will drown. The myth that cyclones are increasing due to climate change continues to be perpetuated despite the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) stating that there is no evidence for this claim. These myths have created unwarranted fear and adversely affected national investment decisions.
The real threats to the long-term viability of these low-lying Pacific islands include increased urbanisation and health issues.
Updated
Joel Fitzgibbon has spent the last couple of days backing himself in over his China comments (he accused the Coalition of “demonising” China, which is a lot further than what Labor as a whole has been saying) and dodging calls from David Littleproud to quit or be sacked.
Speaking to ABC radio this morning, Fitzgibbon said he was making headlines because he was catching the National party out at failing its constituents:
Michael McCormack and the agriculture minister David Littleproud are making these comments because they have been found out.
They’re taking calls from farmers – I suspect the same farmers and farm groups I’m hearing from – who are asking them what are they doing to defend their interests, to make sure they have a business in China, and to ensure that they can continue not only to earn a livelihood from themselves but to employ people. And that’s why I’m getting under the skin of government ministers.
They have been found wanting. Of course they consider that agriculture their natural constituency, and of course their natural constituency is very angry that it’s allowed this situation to occur in the first place, and to progress. They need to be able to pick up the phone to Beijing and fix these problems.
... Even the most conservative commentators, those closest to Scott Morrison, admit and concede that there’s been some pretty intemperate language used by first Malcolm Turnbull then Scott Morrison, people like George Christiansen and Andrew Hastie. They’ve all been at it, demonising China, which happens to be our biggest export customer. Now we don’t need to in any way, be less than absolutely robust in defence of our national interest, but it’s also absolutely in our national interest that we maintain good working relationships with China and our other customers. And sadly, this government hasn’t maintained a good working relationship indeed in this time of crisis. our ministers are unable to get their counterparts in China to even pick up the phone. When you’re unable to get them to pick up a phone you know we’ve got a problem.
Updated
Some students in NSW couldn’t wait to get through the gates this morning as public schools returned to full-time learning.
Updated
Sydney’s main public transport terminals have been relatively quiet this morning, despite fears that buses and trains would struggle to ensure social distancing as students return to school full-time today.
Kamen, a professional opera singer, who was navigating the trains from Kings Cross to Newtown with his young son, Xander, said he was “not thrilled” about having to take public transport again.
“I don’t think that anything has changed in terms of safety. It’s not like the disease has been cured,” Kamen said, offering hand sanitiser to Xander.
“The research on the whole disease is so new. They are coming out with new research about symptoms and repercussions. I feel like the government shifted from ‘we have to protect our vulnerable’ to ‘we have to protect the economy’ overnight.”
Xander, on the other hand, said he felt quite safe. “I’m good at social distancing,” he said.
Rebecca, 20, who was making the journey from Wollongong to her workplace in Glebe for the first time in months, said while there were only three people in her usually packed train carriage this morning, “give it a few weeks and it will be back to normal”.
Rebecca’s workplace has introduced flexible start times to allow employees to avoid peak times, but she said “it’s hard to say [how safe I feel on public transport] at the moment”.
“There hasn’t been any hand sanitiser provided at the stations I’ve been at like they said there would. I just try to keep my distance.”
One platform worker at Sydney’s Central Station told Guardian Australia that while the platforms have been unusually quiet, they have seen a spike in the number of travellers at outer-suburb stations travelling into the city.
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Jobkeeper error the biggest blunder in any budget in history, says Labor's shadow treasurer
Labor’s shadow treasurer, Jim Chalmers, by contrast, sounded a lot more chirpy when speaking to ABC radio this morning:
It’s not probably the worst stuff-up in our history; it’s factually, objectively, the biggest blunder that any government’s made in any budget at any point in the history of this commonwealth.
It’s a massive error that’s been made here. What it goes to is that the jobkeeper program is a good idea but it’s been really badly implemented, been badly communicated and now it’s been badly budgeted for as well.
That has consequences for real people and real communities.
Hundreds of thousands of Australian workers have been excluded from jobkeeper payments on the basis that the program was full and now we are three million workers short.
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If a company makes someone redundant, then Josh Frydenberg tells Ray Hadley they have to explain, to the public, why they aren’t keeping their staff members in a job.
“Businesses right around the country, should be endeavouring to keep their staff on, if they are eligible under jobkeeper, then they would be paying those $1,500 payments directly to the staff member,” Frydenberg, who sounds a little impatient at this stage, says.
“I can not see why a business would seek to make somebody redundant who was eligible under jobkeeper.”
Updated
You can be made redundant on jobkeeper
The jobkeeper program was designed to keep people in a relationship with their employers, even if the business had to shutter during the lockdown.
Which made a lot of people think they would be safe from redundancies, if their employer had signed up to the wage subsidy program.
Actually, says Josh Frydenberg, you can be made redundant.
Businesses who receive jobkeeper have to pass on the $1,500-a-fortnight payment to their staff. But if they make their staff redundant, they are the ones who have to inform the ATO of the change.
We’ve never said they can’t make them [redundant] but they have to meet those [Fair Work] obligations to make them redundant.
What their obligations are to the government, is if they receive the jobkeeper payment from the government, that they have made that payment to their staff member. That has always been the clear case.
... If they have received a jobkeeper payment from the government on behalf of their employees, they need to have paid those employees that $1,500-a-fortnight amount.
... If they have made people redundant, they are not entitled to get further payments under jobkeeper from the government.”
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$60bn jobseeker shortfall 'means less money we have to borrow'
Josh Frydenberg points to the government just saving the $60bn, rather than extending it, in this interview with Ray Hadley.
This is all borrowed money. And that means future generations, children and grandchildren of your listeners will have to pay it back and it will take years to pay back.
We make no apologies for spending to support the economy during a crisis, but if a demand-driven program is supporting three and a half million people and costing $70bn, instead of $130bn, then that means less money we have to borrow, and it’s just foolish for the Labour party to think otherwise.
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Josh Frydenberg is having a chat to Ray Hadley.
The treasurer says the “explanation” for the jobkeeper stuff up is “very clear”.
Now, it is not a stuff-up to have forecast for a bigger hole than what happened. A better than predicted health response is very good news. But to blame the form is ridiculous.
The form mistakes reinforced the forecast, which is why it wasn’t picked up as quickly as it may have should have been.
But even that isn’t the stuff-up. The stuff-up comes from the government having predicated the coming economic recovery on the figures, which have proven rubbery – and not telling people what they will be doing with the $60bn shortfall.
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This is absolutely worth keeping an eye on.
The hearings in the bushfire royal commission begin today, at 10am. I'll be covering for @GuardianAus, you can watch the public hearings live here: https://t.co/HF62t961YN
— Calla Wahlquist (@callapilla) May 24, 2020
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If you are looking for international news, you will find it all here.
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Pauline Hanson is still pushing forward with her Queensland needs to open its borders legal case because the premier “needs to be held to account”.
Which is weird, because what I heard was ‘there is an election coming up and I need ways to stay relevant and receive publicity’, but there you go.
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NSW records three new Covid-19 cases and Victoria reports three new cases
NSW has recorded three new cases in that same period.
Victoria has three.
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Queensland records no new cases of Covid-19
Queensland has recorded no new cases of Covid-19 in the last 24 hour.
All state school students have returned to on-site learning from today.
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The Minerals Council has some ideas for the Morrison government on how to stimulate the economy.
You will not be surprised to learn that it mostly contains suggestions on cutting down on regulations.
Stephen Jones, Labor’s spokesman on financial services, wants people to take a closer look at the superannuation withdrawal scheme. So far, $13.2bn has been withdrawn from retirement funds, which is about equal to the released jobkeeper and jobseeker payments combined
The ATO has provided some new data:
· There is a 1,600% increase in hardship claims in the last month compared with the entire 2018 -19 financial year.
· More than 50% of applicants were 35 or under.
· More than 33% of applicants were 30 or under.
· Under the ATO’s self-assessment automated approval system, nobody has been rejected for not being eligible.
· More than 50% of applicants for the scheme withdrew the maximum possible, suggesting where the maximum amount was not taken it is likely that they were only limited by not having $10,000 in their super account.
Jones:
It is alarming that the Liberal’s robo-release early access super scheme has seen so many Australians resorting to accessing their retirement savings, instead of receiving timely Government support.
With 450,000 people under 30 forced to draw down on their super, young people continue to bear the brunt of this crisis.
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Just something to keep in mind as we watch the government dig in over not including certain industries within jobkeeper, despite no longer needing the whole forecast $130bn.
All of the economic forecasts for Australia, from the RBA to ratings agencies, have included a $130bn stimulus spend.
If it suddenly becomes a $70bn or so stimulus spend, then that changes things – if the economy doesn’t have that $60bn floating around it, then that makes a pretty huge difference to the economic recovery.
In that it’s worse.
We have already heard calls from within the government – cough Jason Falinski, cough – who want the government to not borrow the funds. To save the budget bottom line.
The next few months are going to have impacts we’ll be feeling for years.
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But will the government be extending jobkeeper?
Don’t count on it.
When it comes to jobkeeper, we’ll be undertaking a review in the month of June, and we’ll look at how it’s been implemented, what’s happening in various sectors. The tourism sector could be one sector in need of further support.
That’s what we’ll look at in the context of the economic situation at the time. You’ll continue to see our international borders closed for some time. It’s estimated some 850,000 people will be back in work as a result of those 3 stages of restrictions being lifted. That’s the way to get people back into a job.
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Josh Frydenberg says he takes responsibility for the bungle but also any fallout is the fault of Labor trying to score political points:
Of course I take responsibility for the estimates variation.
I’m accountable in the House of Representatives for my department and for my portfolio.
I continue to have great confidence in the work that’s done by my wonderful department.
You have to understand we’re facing a once-in-a-century pandemic and the ability to forecast accurately the number of people that were taking up the jobkeeper program was inherently difficult and that is something that the Labor party knows full well, that it’s obviously seeking to make a political point.
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Josh Frydenberg this morning was still explaining what happened with the $60bn jobkeeper bungle. He told the ABC:
Two things happened, Treasury in the midst of the height of the pandemic, forecast that 6.5 million Australians would be covered by the jobkeeper program, at a cost of $130bn, but we had great success in flattening out the curve, and we went from having a rise in the number of daily cases to now having 35 days straight when the number of new cases has increased by less than 0.5%.
That health miracle had a real economic benefit, hence the lower number of people to use the jobkeeper program.
The second thing happened, when around 1,000 businesses of nearly 1m businesses that formally enrolled for jobkeeper, they incorrectly filled in a form, where they were supposed to be the number of eligible employees, they put the dollar amount they would be getting for the jobkeeper program.
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The jobkeeper issue is going to continue in this direction for quite some time.
Mathias Cormann this morning was asked why so many arts and entertainment workers were not receiving JobKeeper:
— Tony Burke (@Tony_Burke) May 24, 2020
“that must be because they can’t demonstrate that they’ve had relevant falls in their revenue and there can be all sorts of reasons for that” #auspol @RNBreakfast
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Also from AAP:
Meanwhile, beauty salons in NSW will be able to open for business in one week as the state government further eases Covid-19 restrictions.
“A big day for women in our community, a big day for everybody in the community – beauty salons are open, tanning salons, nail salons, waxing salons – how good is this Sunday?,” NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said.
Beauty salons will be allowed to begin treatments from June 1 but strict new rules will apply.
Before reopening, businesses will require a Covid-19 safe plan which includes removing books and magazines from waiting areas, stepping up hygiene protocols and keeping a record of attendance.
No more than 10 clients will be allowed inside salons at any one time and four square metres of space must be allowed per person.
It comes as NSW on Sunday recorded one new coronavirus case – a returned traveller from the United Kingdom – from more than 6,800 tests.
NSW treasurer Dominic Perrottet on Sunday announced zoos, reptile parks and aquariums would also be reopening from June 1.
Extra safety measures will be in place including enhanced cleaning and limited visitor numbers so that four square metres of space is allowed per person.
The Berejiklian government also announced a $50m package to support art and cultural organisations during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The funds will be delivered in two stages, with the first stage to support not-for-profit art and cultural organisations to hibernate temporarily, with the second stage to help them restart operations in the coming months.
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Schools are back to full time on-site learning in ACT, NSW and Queensland, so if you are getting kids to school today, have fun!
AAP has this story on the NSW situation:
Hundreds of extra security and marshalling officers are out in force across the Sydney transport network as students return to public schools full-time and more people go back to work.
The extra staff will be monitoring social distancing of 1.5 metres and overcrowding as commuters try to get to their destinations on Monday.
Under coronavirus prevention measures, Sydney buses can carry 12 people, train carriages can have 32 passengers and a single Manly ferry can transport 245 people.
NSW transport minister Andrew Constance warned train stations could be temporarily closed if there’s overcrowding.
“We’ve got 1.2 million kids on the move,” he told Nine’s Today Show on Monday.
“We have got green dots everywhere on the transport network ... we just need everyone to be patient.”
Constance said if parents can drive their children to school they should and if people can work from home they shouldn’t go to work, or avoid travelling at peak times if they do.
Asked if public transport was safe, Constance said it was safe “if people stay 1.5 metres away from each other”.
The return to the classrooms full-time comes two months after COVID-19 restrictions forced around 800,000 public school children to study remotely.
Some independent and Catholic schools will also return full-time on Monday while others are working towards a 1 June return date.
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The US ambassador to Australia has tried to iron out a diplomatic wrinkle after Mike Pompeo appeared to imply sensitive information-sharing between the two countries may be at risk over Victorian participation in China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
The ambassador, Arthur Culvahouse Jr, said in a statement issued late yesterday that he wanted to “set the record straight” after seeing the headlines that arose after the secretary of state’s interview on Sunday morning.
Culvahouse said the US had “absolute confidence in the Australian government’s ability to protect the security of its telecommunications networks and those of its Five Eyes partners” and it commended Australia’s leadership on the issue of 5G network security.
Insisting Pompeo had been answering questions about a hypothetical, the ambassador said the notion that Australia would pursue initiatives risking the integrity of networks was “a very remote hypothetical”.
The diplomatic clean-up stems from an interview Pompeo gave to Sky News Australia’s self-styled Outsiders program early yesterday (notwithstanding the fact the US secretary of state would arguably fit the very definition of an insider).
When asked about the Victorian state government’s participation in Xi Jinping’s signature infrastructure scheme, Pompeo urged the citizens of Australia to scrutinise any proposals “incredibly closely”, saying while the US would continue to work with “great partners like Australia”, his country “will not take any risk to our telecommunications infrastructure, any risk to the national security elements of what we need to do with our Five Eyes partners”:
I don’t know the nature of those projects precisely, but to the extent they have an adverse impact on our ability to protect telecommunications from our private citizens, or security networks for our defence and intelligence communities, we will simply disconnect, we will simply separate. We’re going to preserve trust in networks for important information. We hope our friends and partners and allies across the world, especially our Five Eyes partners like Australia, will do the same.
(Unfortunately the interviewer, Rowan Dean, did not follow up with a question to check the likelihood of the US “simply disconnecting” with Australia as Dean had to move on to his next question, which began with: “President Donald Trump – I love his tweets, they’re brilliant, great sense of humour ... ”)
Pompeo’s comments raised eyebrows in Canberra because the Australian government has already blocked the Chinese-owned Huawei and ZTE from Australia’s 5G network in response to security advice – a decision, made in 2018 and backed by the US, that Beijing still cites as a source on ongoing diplomatic tension, as Amy reported earlier this year.
The comments also raised questions in Victoria, given the state government’s agreement to explore areas of cooperation with China over infrastructure investment is in its early stages and no particular projects have been locked in. A Victorian government spokesperson said yesterday the state would not agree to telecommunications projects under the Belt and Road Initiative – and noted telecommunications regulation was a federal responsibility.
For his part, Scott Morrison told reporters at a press conference yesterday the federal government had never supported Victoria’s BRI decision, and it was “the usual practice for states to respect and recognise the role of the federal government in setting foreign policy”.
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Josh Frydenberg turned up on ABC News Breakfast this morning.
He was asked if he would accept the Covid select Senate committee invitation, as requested by the non-government MPs, and appear for a special hearing into the $60bn jobkeeper screw-up.
Frydenberg doesn’t look overly impressed.
“You know this is just a political stunt from the Labor party,” he said.
“When they were last in government, they accepted a convention which is House of Representative ministers do not appear in front of Senate committees ... Julia Gillard, Greg Combet, Peter Garrett and Kevin Rudd did not appear before Senate committees, so this is again, just a Labor stunt.”
.@mjrowland68: Will you front this Senate committee inquiry to explain this [$60b JobKeeper mistake] in detail?@JoshFrydenberg: You know this is just a political stunt from the Labor Party. pic.twitter.com/8LlfnAiGz1
— News Breakfast (@BreakfastNews) May 24, 2020
Oh, and there will be no “wholesales changes” to the jobkeeper program, even though the “line” the government drew was under a different forecast model, which, thanks to the successful health campaign, has not proved to be reality.
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Good morning
Public school students in several states and territories are returning to face-to-face teaching today. In NSW and Queensland, students of all ages are returning to the classroom full time. Tasmanian kindergarten to year 6 students, along with year 11 and 12, will also resume learning at school on Monday, as will students in years 3, 4 and 10 in the ACT.
Only four new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed nationwide on Sunday, AAP reports, as the Victoria and NSW governments announced further easing of restrictions introduced in March to curb the spread of the disease.
This included the news Victorians will be allowed gatherings of up to 20 people at home and outdoors from 1 June, along with overnight stays in hotels and campgrounds.
People in NSW will be able to get back into beauty salons, including tanning studios and nail parlours, if the businesses roll out Covid-19 safety plans.
The NSW government also announced a $50m package to support art and cultural organisations to be delivered in two stages, with the first stage to support not-for-profit art and cultural organisations to hibernate temporarily and the second stage to help them restart operations in the coming months.
You have Amy Remeikis with you for most of the day.
Ready?
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