What we learned today, Friday 24 September
And with that, the week and this blog comes to an end. Here’s what we learned today:
- Federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg made waves after making the economic case for Australia adopting a net-zero emissions commitment, warning the country can’t risk being perceived as a climate change pariah by financial markets.
- Australia crossed the 50% double vaccinated mark across the adult population.
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NSW recorded 1,043 local Covid-19 cases and 11 deaths today.
- International students will be returning to NSW by year’s end if an updated pilot plan by the state government proves a success.
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Victoria recorded 733 new local Covid-19 cases and one death today.
- 215 people were arrested in fifth day protests in Melbourne’s CBD and inner-north.
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Mask rules extended in Queensland, but relaxed in that people will be able to remove their mask when seated.
- Queenslanders were also told a complex mix of factors will determine if the state opens up in time for Christmas.
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New Zealand recorded nine new local Covid-19 cases, the first time the daily cases have been in single digits since the outbreak began in mid-August.
- The Australian and Nauru governments signed a memorandum of understanding to develop “enduring regional processing capability” in Nauru to “secure our region from maritime people smuggling”.
- Senate president Scott Ryan has decided to retire from politics early, after initially indicating he’d remain in politics until the next election.
- Pfizer confirmed 9m doses will arrive in October, after some concerns raised by state and territory leaders.
Updated
215 people arrested in fifth day of Melbourne protest
Victoria police have confirmed they have arrested 215 people in the fifth day of unrest in Melbourne’s CBD and inner-north.
There were 31 people arrested in the inner-northern suburb of Northcote. Police said a group of “up to 80 demonstrators attended at a park on Separation Street and a nearby shopping centre this afternoon” in breach of public health orders.
In a statement, police said they moved quickly to respond to protesters at various locations:
Police responded quickly as small groups of protestors gathered throughout the afternoon in various locations.
In total, 215 people will be issued with penalty notices for breaching the CHO [Chief Health Officer] directions.
A number of other people will be charged with criminal offences including deception, theft and drug offences.
Police are disappointed to see the number of people who are continuing to breach the CHO directions and remind those people that we will not tolerate their behaviour and will continue to arrest and fine them if they are found to be in breach of the CHO directions.
Updated
As the Morrison government wrestles with internal divisions on climate change in the lead up to a crucial UN summit, Liberal frontbencher Simon Birmingham has signalled his opposition to providing the Nationals with any “handouts” to clinch a deal.
Government sources have told Guardian Australia the energy and emissions reduction minister, Angus Taylor, is telling colleagues privately that the government could try to appease Nationals trenchantly opposed to the 2050 target with a halfway house ahead of the Cop26 in Glasgow.
Birmingham used a round of television interviews on Friday to back treasure Josh Frydenberg’s significant public intervention earlier today, articulating the economic case for Australia to commit to net zero emissions by 2050.
You can read more on the internal tussle here:
Alcohol ban lifted in some parks in Sydney
In what I’m sure will be seen as great news, the NSW government has lifted alcohol restrictions in some parks across Sydney.
Rob Stokes, the NSW planning minister, said the government was suspending rules that had prevented people from drinking at parks managed by Placemaking NSW.
Stokes said the easing of these rules was intended as a gift to fully vaccinated Sydneysiders:
After an incredibly tough winter, people who have followed COVID rules and received both jabs deserve to enjoy a beer or wine responsibly.
Our rangers told us that picnickers have been following the health advice and safely distancing. We only ask that rules continue to be followed, that everyone drinks responsibly and disposes of all rubbish and enjoys our beautiful public spaces.
The following parks will see the rule lifted:
- Ballarat Park, Darling Island
- Ballast Point Park, Birchgrove
- Bicentennial Park, Sydney Olympic Park
- Blaxland Riverside Park, Sydney Olympic Park
- Bligh & Barney Reserve, The Rocks
- Cadi Park, Pyrmont
- Cathy Freeman Park, Sydney Olympic Park
- Dawes Point Reserve, The Rocks
- First Fleet Park, The Rocks
- Hickson Rd Reserve, The Rocks
- Jill Berry Lawn / ICC Lawn, Darling Harbour
- MCA Lawn, The Rocks
The parks join the Centennial Parklands, Parramatta Park, Royal Botanic Gardens and Western Sydney Parklands as parks where drinking is allowed.
Updated
Victoria police have confirmed that one of their officers is considered a close contact to a Covid-positive person that attended the protests on Wednesday.
In a statement, the police say the officer involved has been told to get tested and to isolate.
A small number of Victoria police officers have been identified as close contacts to a Covid-positive person who attended the Victorian Workers Rally for Freedom protest on 22 September.
The officers involved have been informed to get tested and isolate.
For operational reasons, numbers will not be provided on how many officers were placed into quarantine as a precautionary measure.
Victoria police’s priority first and foremost is to ensure the safety of its people and the community. The community can be assured that service delivery to the public will remain unaffected during this time.
Updated
Australia’s decision to sign a new agreement with Nauru to establish “an enduring regional processing capability in Nauru” has been met with opprobrium from those who were detained there, and refugee advocates who say it is deliberately damaging to those held there.
There are currently around 108 people held by Australia on Nauru as part of its offshore processing regime. Most have been there more than eight years. About 125 people are still held in Papua New Guinea.
Myo Win, a human rights activist and Rohingyan refugee from Myanmar, who was formerly detained on Nauru and released in March 2021, said those who remain held within Australia’s regime on Nauru “are just so tired, separated from family, having politics played with their lives, it just makes me so upset”.
“I am out now and I still cannot live my life on a bridging visa and in lockdown, but it is 10 times better than Nauru. They should not be extending anything, they should be stopping offshore processing now. I am really worried about everyone on Nauru right now, they need to be released.”
Jana Favero from the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre said the new MOU only extended a “failed system”.
An ‘enduring regional processing capability’ in Nauru means: enduring suffering, enduring family separation, enduring uncertainty, enduring harm and Australia’s enduring shame.
“The Morrison government must give the men, women and children impacted by the brutality of offshore processing a safe and permanent home. Prolonging the failure of offshore processing on Nauru and PNG is not only wrong and inhumane but dangerous.”
Australia’s minister for home affairs, Karen Andrews, and the president of Nauru, Lionel Rouwen Aingimea, issued a joint statement Friday afternoon.
Andrews thanked the president for his commitment to “stamping out” people smuggling:
This is a significant step for both our countries and I thank president Aingimea for his ongoing commitment to regional leadership in stamping out the threat of maritime people smuggling.
Aingimea said the memorandum extended the bilateral agreement already in place since 2012, but will create an “enduring form of offshore processing”.
This takes the regional processing to a new milestone. It is enduring in nature, as such the mechanisms are ready to deal with illegal migrants immediately upon their arrival in Nauru from Australia.
Updated
The ACT has retaken the lead on first doses and is MOTORING to 90% https://t.co/GlSvY45WqO
— casey briggs (@CaseyBriggs) September 24, 2021
Pfizer has confirmed 9m doses will arrive in October, Lt Gen John Frewen says
The head of the vaccine rollout, Lt Gen John Frewen, has revealed this afternoon that Pfizer has now given the commonwealth the details of the doses it will supply in October and confirmed that despite a warning to national cabinet on Friday about possible shortages, states and territories will get more Pfizer in October than September.
Frewen said the problem was that “normally Pfizer will contact and provide confirmed monthly allocations on a week-by-week basis”.
“Pfizer contacted us last week and was only able to provide the first two-week allocation at that point in time – it was to do with global distribution management issues with Pfizer. They’ve now come through, confirming the third week for us and assured us we’ll get our full quota in October.”
Asked why national cabinet figures suggested allocated supplies of Pfizer would fall from 10.9m in September to 8.4m in October, Frewen said:
“At that stage we only had the first two weeks, and what we received in the first two weeks was half of what we were anticipating in the first two weeks but, as I’ve said, Pfizer have now said they’ll make up the full allocation across weeks three and we expect week four.”
So what does that mean for Pfizer supplies? Frewen said:
We are receiving the 9m doses that we expect in October, that is the assurance we have had, there will be 9m doses of Pfizer in each month for the rest of the year. We will get 2m doses of Moderna this month and then we are expecting 3m doses of Moderna for the rest of the year as well.”
Updated
OK lets talk Pfizer supply.
Some states and territories had raised some potential supply issues, after the company confirmed a reduced number of doses for the first two weeks of October.
Concerns were raised because the company usually confirms its supplies on a four-weekly basis, with doses only confirmed for those first two weeks.
At a press conference earlier, Lt Gen John Frewen said Pfizer had confirmed its October deliveries, but conceded that the pharmaceutical giant was facing some global distribution issues:
They were only able to provide us with the first two weeks’ allocation at that point in time. It was to do with global distribution management issues with Pfizer.
They’ve now come through [and] confirmed the third week for us and assured us that we will get our full quota.
Frewen also said that Pfizer had yet to confirm supplies for November and December, but added that there should be enough supplies in the next month to vaccinate everyone.
I do encourage everybody now who hasn’t yet stepped forward to get vaccinated to please do so. The supply is now increasingly available, we’ve got more points of presence, the pharmacies have come online now with Moderna and pumping that through at a great speed.
Everything from here on in, now, it’s just about the willingness of people to come forward and to get vaccinated.
Updated
BREAKING NEWS: Anti-Vax protesters remain trapped in Northcote Plaza unable to successfully navigate an exit as they are baffled by the presence of a second Coles.
— Charlie Pickering (@charliepick) September 24, 2021
A police officer has just been filmed restraining a protestor in Northcote. A small scuffle has broken out, with shouts of “film that” and “get back”.
Riot police have arrived on the scene, though the crowd appears to have mostly dispersed.
Riot police respond to a man who was head swearing and yelling at officers while refusing to move on @theheraldsun pic.twitter.com/tveKacTxTl
— Olivia Jenkins (@byoliviajenkins) September 24, 2021
A strong police presence has descended on Northcote Plaza after dozens of protestors stormed the suburb, chanting “every day” and stopping traffic.
Traffic stormed in Northcote and dozens upon dozens of cops streaming into Northcote Plaza. Alarming.
— Dr Yves Rees (@YvesRees) September 24, 2021
So…. anyone wanting to go shopping in Northcote? @10NewsFirstMelb #springst pic.twitter.com/lHAZd3oga7
— Simon Love (@SimoLove) September 24, 2021
WA records one new case
Western Australia has recorded one new case, a woman in hotel quarantine who entered the state from NSW without the correct pass.
She arrived in WA earlier this week without an approved G2G pass, and was directed into hotel quarantine and tested.
WA premier Mark McGowan said she would stay in hotel quarantine for at least 14 days, as police mull the apropriate fines.
We rejected her G2G application on three separate occasions.
I think she is originally a West Australian. She had a negative test before she boarded the flight.
People will try and do the wrong thing, but our systems worked.
McGowan said he was unsure how she got onto a Virgin flight, but said she was identified as soon as she landed and put straight into quarantine.
The inaugural Australian Muslim writers festival is being held from 25 September to 2 October, and were Sydney not in lockdown I can guarantee you I’d have turned up to most of their events.
Sadly, its all being done virtually this year, and to mark the occasion, the organisers have penned a searing, genuine and thoughtful op-ed, about the struggles of having Muslim stories published, and the need to share the stories from communities that feel unheard.
You can read the article here:
Updated
So there were rumours of a flare-up in protesters in Melbourne today, after a series of declining turnouts. But it appears the decline has continued, with only spots of protesters seen across the city.
That hasn’t stopped videos of arrests from getting to social media:
Lovely day for a picnic in Northcote pic.twitter.com/Tdcs9fMutn
— Sami Shah (@samishah) September 24, 2021
Updated
We are expecting an update from WA premier Mark McGowan in around 15 minutes. Lets hope its just good vibes ahead of the GF.
Senate president to retire from politics next month
Senate president Scott Ryan has decided to retire from politics early, after initially indicating he’d remain in politics until the next election.
Ryan, a former frontbencher and Victorian Liberal senator, will join the Speaker of the House of Representatives, fellow Victorian Liberal Tony Smith in retirement as well.
Ryan had been a senator for 13 years, and said that restricted travel arrangements and wanting to give his colleagues an opportunity to select a new Senate president before the end of 2021 as the reasons for bringing his retirement forward.
You can read more on the decision from Katharine Murphy here:
Updated
So, NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet was on 2GB radio earlier today, saying some very interesting things about the freedoms unvaccinated people should expect.
Perrottet, roughly in contrast to the premier, said that he didn’t want to see a “two-tiered society” and that unvaccinated people should have the same freedoms as the rest of society.
This of course comes as Gladys Berejiklian continues to insist that unvaccinated people should expect the exact opposite.
Here’s what Perrottet had to say:
We’ll shortly announce what occurs at 80% [full vaccination coverage for people aged 16 and over] but ultimately my view is ... once every single person in this state has had the opportunity to be vaccinated with two doses we should open up to everyone.
I want to see more unity. The vaccination rate in NSW has been the key to unlocking freedom.
It’s not the government’s role to provide freedom. People born in this country by default are free.
Updated
A record day of 347,796 COVID-19 vaccine doses administered
— Greg Hunt (@GregHuntMP) September 24, 2021
More than 26 million doses administered overall
More than 74.8% of Australians have received at least one dose
More than 50% are now double dosed
Keep going Australia! Book your vaccination at https://t.co/H9h0u1vkML pic.twitter.com/ObYemvBGIP
Different views on climate change within Coalition but all share 'appreciation of markets', Josh Frydenberg says
The treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, says there’s “no hiding the fact” there are different views about climate policy among his Coalition colleagues – but insists they all share “an appreciation of markets”.
The government is working towards unveiling Australia’s updated climate policy position in the middle of October before the Cop26 summit in Glasgow in November. Climate policy remains a fraught issue within the Coalition, and recent history shows internal debate can escalate into full-blown crises.
Frydenberg made a significant public intervention today, warning that if markets falsely assumed Australia was not transitioning in line with the rest of the world, the cost of capital could increase – a speech foreshadowed by my colleague Katharine Murphy this morning.
After making the case in a speech to an Australian Industry Group webinar this morning, Frydenberg was asked how he could win over his colleagues.
“What I’ve sought to highlight today is the economic cost that can be incurred if there is a false assumption that develops in financial markets that we haven’t been part of that transition.”
Frydenberg said there had not been any “formal decision” taken within government to commit to net zero by 2050, “although there are extensive discussions that are taking place within government and good progress has been made on those discussions to date”.
Updated
The Associated Press is reporting an Australian economist who was arrested when Myanmar’s military seized power in February made an appearance Thursday in a court in the capital Naypyitaw, where he will be tried for violation of the official secrets law, his lawyer said.
Sean Turnell had been serving as an advisor to the country’s leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, who was also arrested when her elected government was ousted by the army. Suu Kyi and three of her former cabinet ministers have also been charged under the law.
Violating the official secrets law carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison. The colonial-era statute criminalises the possession, collection, recording, publishing, or sharing of state information that is “directly or indirectly, useful to an enemy”.
The exact details of Turnell’s alleged offense and those of the others charged have not been made public, though Myanmar state television, citing government statements, has said the Australian academic had access to “secret state financial information” and had tried to flee the country.
Ye Lin Aung, one of Turnell’s lawyers, said he is also being prosecuted under the immigration law and that he is being held at a prison in Naypyitaw.
All the defendants except for Suu Kyi were present Thursday in the Dekkhina District Court in Naypyitaw. Suu Kyi appeared on a video link. They had been charged in Yangon in March, but the case was moved last week to the capital.
Turnell and the others appeared haggard, said Khin Maung Zaw, one of Suu Kyi’s lawyers. Turnell’s lawyer Ye Lin Aung said he appeared to be in good health as far as he could tell, and that the defendants were all masked and not allowed to consult directly with their lawyers.
The lawyers applied to the court for permission to meet with their clients, and were told to submit applications, said Khin Maung Zaw. The court scheduled hearings in the case to be held every Thursday.
Suu Kyi is currently being tried in Naypyitaw on five other charges. The cases against her, lodged at the behest of the military-installed government, are widely seen as an effort to discredit Suu Kyi and prevent her from returning to politics.
Updated
Shadow energy minister Chris Bowen gave a blistering doorstop press conference earlier, blasting the Coalition’s climate and energy policy shift.
It comes as federal treasurer, Josh Frydenbrg is due to tell business leaders later today that the government needs to shift towards adopting a net zero commitment.
Bowen did not pull any punches:
Josh Frydenberg personally intervened to try and get the chief executive of AGL sacked because he dared to invest in renewable energy. When he was energy minister, he wouldn’t commit to net zero by 2050. He was the architect of the failed National Energy Guarantee.
Yet, now in some sort of bizarre positioning, internally in the Liberal party, he thinks he can be the champion of net zero. Well, he’s got net zero credibility. Josh Frydenberg has net zero credibility when it comes to climate change. He has too often had the chance to act and too often failed.
This is a government which has left it too late, it will fall to an incoming Labor government to take the opportunities, the economic opportunity, which is the world’s climate emergency.
Updated
New agreement between Nauru and Australia on offshore processing
The Australian and Nauru governments have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop “enduring regional processing capability” in Nauru to “secure our region from maritime people smuggling”.
In a joint statement between Australia’s minister for home affairs, Karen Andrews, and the president of Nauru, Lionel Rouwen Aingimea, the governments say the agreement will provide a framework for a “continuing regional processing presence” in Nauru.
Andrews thanked the president for his commitment to “stamping out” people smuggling:
This is a significant step for both our countries and I thank president Aingimea for his ongoing commitment to regional leadership in stamping out the threat of maritime people smuggling.
Aingimea said the memorandum extended the bilateral agreement already in place since 2012, but will create an “enduring form of offshore processing”.
This takes the regional processing to a new milestone. It is enduring in nature, as such the mechanisms are ready to deal with illegal migrants immediately upon their arrival in Nauru from Australia.
Updated
Good afternoon and a happy Friday and GF long-weekend to everyone. A quick thanks to Matilda Boseley for her expert blogging today and all week. We still have much to get into, so let’s dive in.
With that, I shall leave you for the day (and the week). But never fear the amazing Mostafa Rachwani is here to take you through the rest of the day’s news.
Victoria’s chief health officer, Prof Brett Sutton, has been asked if it would have been a better choice to shut down the construction industry rather than initially introduce a vaccination mandate that led to protests.
No official figures on the percentage of the industry that has been vaccinated have been provided, but he says only a small minority of the construction industry is anti-vaccine:
We’ve seen sentiment within the construction industry that’s very pro-vaccine. The vast majority, more than three quarters, declared they’re vaccinated, intended to be vaccinated or have booked in to vaccination. A significant proportion of the remainder haven’t got around to it or declared. There’s 1% that’s vociferously opposed.
I wouldn’t say they’re fervently anti-vaccine at all. It’s unfortunate they’re tarred with a brush that’s radically anti-public health measures. I don’t think they are. The protesters are a hodgepodge, a band wagon, taking the opportunity to get their frustrations on the front page. But I think they’re largely just an insult to every healthcare worker who, on this day, are treating some of them with the best of care in Victoria. It’s a total insult to healthcare workers. I can only imagine how they watched the protests and their heart sank for what it means for transmission.
Updated
This tweet is so much funnier now that we know the people writing it aren’t in that 16+ group.
Amazing!
Today Australia has passed 50% of the 16+ population fully vaccinated.
— CovidBaseAU 🦠📊🇦🇺 (@covidbaseau) September 24, 2021
(For those who missed it, turns out three teenaged boys have been running his account the whole time!)
Queenslanders told to wait for clarity on borders
Queenslanders have been told a complex mix of factors will determine if the state opens up in time for Christmas, reports AAP.
Deputy premier Steven Miles says it’s too soon to provide any clarity on whether the state’s borders will reopen in time for the holidays.
When it comes to the border, well that will depend on the number of cases here and in NSW, as well as the vaccination rate here and in NSW, and the restrictions in place in NSW before we determine those here...
Let’s not forget most of NSW is in lockdown so the idea that our border is the problem is pretty theoretical when all the people who might want to cross the border should not be leaving their homes under their own government’s directions.
When asked if Queenslanders should be planning for Christmas at home, he said that was still a few months away.
His comments came after official figures showed there were more than 3100 people waiting on applications for exemptions to enter Queensland. The same figures indicate the state government’s exemptions unit isn’t keeping up with the volume of work it’s responsible for.
Miles said Queensland was waiting on revised modelling being developed for a clearer idea about the risks of reopening at various rates of vaccination.
Let’s not forget that even the first version of the modelling still only said that at 80% lockdowns would be more rare and regionally targeted...
Now, we’ve been at that stage all year, pretty much. We’ve only had short lockdowns that were regionally targeted.
That’s what the Doherty research said should happen at 80%. We’re already following, very closely, the national plan. Once we see that new modelling we’ll be able to outline more about what will happen.
He said Queenslanders had been very clear in telling him “that Delta is the gift Queensland does not want from Scott Morrison”.
Updated
CHO confirms 2 of today's new cases linked to Calvary Hayden Retirement community:
— Anna Vidot (@AnnaVidot) September 24, 2021
1 aged care worker (we'd already heard about today)
+1 also in today's numbers
But NOT reflected in today's numbers:
"Several additional cases that we have been notified about overnight."
ACT records 19 new local Covid-19 cases
The Australian Capital Territory has recorded 19 new Covid-19 cases, with just six in isolation for their entire infectious period.
CHO Kerryn Coleman
— Anna Vidot (@AnnaVidot) September 24, 2021
19 new
693 total
476 recovered (+13)
217 active
Of 19
12 linked (9 household)
7 under investigation
4 in quarantine
13 infectious in cmnty
2 being assessed
12 in hospital
Aged 30s-90s
3 ICU
2 ventilated
6 unvaxxed
3 one dose
1 fully vaxxed
2 vax unknown
Victorian chief health officer condemns anti-lockdown protesters
Victoria’s chief health officer, Prof Brett Sutton, is not mincing his words when it comes to the anti-lockdown protesters.
This is not just about being anti-mandated vaccination. They’re anti-everything, they’re anti-lockdown, the shutdown on international travel, they’re anti-masks, anti-social distancing.
They think that everything will be solved by taking a horse deworming tablet, Ivermectin, that gives you the runs, and puts some people in hospital.
They’re literally in a fantasy world. If they had taken mandated vaccination as a hook, so be it.
Let’s not pretend these are otherwise rational individuals. They’re absolutely wacky.
Updated
Foley:
We’ve seen the numbers dwindle. We saw 90,000-plus people get vaccinated yesterday. We saw dozens and dozens of arrests. These so-called freedom fighters are losing oxygen every day because the Victorian community does not support their behaviour.
Foley said he is concerned that targeted attacks again vaccination hubs could impact and slow down the state’s rollout, again condemning the protester’s actions.
Absolutely. We’ve already seen the behaviour of these so-called freedom fighters. Degenerate to the point they’re so brave and strong they abuse vaccine centre workers who are out there supporting the most vulnerable in our community, for vaccination programs.
These same heroes of Australian culture urinate and smash up garbage all around the Shrine of Remembrance. These are not heroes. These people just need to pull their heads in, and get on with supporting the wider Victorian community, who they have especially slapped their faces with their denialism and their poor, rude and offensive behaviour.
Updated
Reporter:
The protester we’re talking about here, did that person volunteer the information they had been to the protest Wednesday?
Foley:
I’m not sure of the complete details. But the health service rightly advised the Department of Health of those particular circumstances. Upon presentation, as they do. People are quizzed as to their movements. The information came through the normal channels.
Foley confirmed health officials are concerned that anti-vaccination protesters may not go and get tested for Covid-19 despite a positive case appearing among Wednesday’s crowd.
Reporter:
Considering it’s an anti-vaccination protest, it could spread among lots of people and they’re not going to go and get tested.
Foley:
Of course we’re worried. That’s what superspreader events make us very concerned about.
Not just the ill-advised protesters, but the Victorian police members who have to put themselves in harm’s way. Think about their families.
Think about all of the other risks that this ill-advised behaviour is threatening to achieve the direct opposite of what they proclaim to be their goals. More cases prolongs, prolongs the public health measures. Vaccines and vaccinations shorten it.
Make the right choice. Get vaccinated.
Updated
Reporter:
What level of unwell are we talking? Are they needing a ventilator, are they in ICU?
Foley:
I don’t have that information and, if I did, for the sake of privacy, no matter which of our hospitalised Covid patients, we wouldn’t be releasing that.
Updated
OK, here is what we have been waiting to hear about. The health minister has been asked what is known about the protester who tested positive to Covid-19 after attending the anti-lockdown demonstrations on Wednesday.
This one person ... will be treated with the same level of high care and commitment to recovery that any Victorians who enters our public health system is entitled to – I think there’s a clear message to everyone who thinks this is not real.
It’s real and it can put you in hospital, it can affect your family, it can affect your community, it can affect you. The best thing you can do is not protest against it, not deny it’s real. The best thing you can do is to go out and get vaccinated and do your bit to protect yourself and get us on that roadmap to reopening.
Reporter:
Is your understanding that person is denying they have Covid?
Foley:
That’s not my understanding. You’ve got it or you haven’t. The science doesn’t lie. People can subject themselves to all sorts of delusions. If you have Covid, it’s a very serious issue. And this person is so unwell they had to be hospitalised.
Updated
It wouldn’t be a Victorian press conference without some shade thrown towards NSW and their vaccination program, would it?
Reporter:
New South Wales is planning on having events with up to 5,000 people by mid-October, so can you give them – besides the arts, the events sector as well – can you give them any indication on when they can start to reactivate?
Foley:
I refer people to the roadmap. For all sorts of reasons, a favourable allocation of vaccines and a few other issues that the NSW government, and good luck to them, had a head-start on the rest of the nation.
They are going to get to that position earlier. That will be a very interesting measure for us to all have a look at how New South Wales go.
Updated
Foley has been asked if theatre and arts groups will be allowed to start performing again once the state hits 80%.
Of course, we want to make sure that Melbourne and Victoria, as the arts and culture capital of the nation, gets back on to its feet after a really tough 20 months, as soon as it possibly can.
These are sectors that closed on 13 March last year. And very few have reopened for a very short period of time. We are working through those processes with Creative Victoria, with particular companies and organisations, with our health team, to make sure that they are in a position when they need to crank open again, when we hit 80, that they are able to do so.
These are challenges, without doubt, because those companies want to make sure that their workforce, their actors, their musicians are all safe and that they don’t contribute to a wider resurgence of Covid once we do reopen, and I’m confident that we will get through those issues and that our vibrant arts and culture sector will start to gather momentum.
Updated
Reporter:
Do you expect Geelong and the Surf Coast to come out of lockdown on Sunday?
Foley:
It’s a matter for the public health team as to how that works. We have seen a really, really strong effort from the Bowen community around vaccinations and testing and it’s always the story behind the numbers, locations, exposure site, were they isolating, what they contacts are. We will have more to say about that once the public health team provide us the advice and the sooner we can give the people of Geelong and the Surf Coast the certainty they are looking for, we will.
Updated
Foley say Victoria is expected to reach the 80% first dose vaccination rate “mid to late next week” depending on how many people turn out over the weekend.
VIC CHO urges people not to gather illegally on grand final day
Sutton has issued a warning to those considering gathering in large groups or inside for the grand final tomorrow.
Everyone in the state deserves to enjoy the day and I hope they will but there is a curfew in place in much of Victoria.
It’s those close contacts that put you, your friends, and your household is at risk.
Enjoy your fancy cheese boards or whatever where you want to enjoy at home. Put the barbecue on. Put your iPad up, have your phones on FaceTime.
Cry, scream and laugh over the internet to connect with friends and family and enjoy the spirit of the day in full.
Updated
And here is the (lengthy) region breakdown.
Sutton:
27 new cases in regional Victoria yesterday.
Ballarat saw one new case. Unfortunately, this person may have been infectious in the community and we are looking into the possible source of that individual.
A new case in Baw Baw, known close contact.
Three new cases in Campaspe. The source for one cases under investigation and the results of two other cases, including one in Moira shire, are under review and being retested today.
Five new cases in Geelong, people are asked to make household contacts and three are under investigation. Two of the three are in the same household.
One in Shepparton believed to be acquired from a transport driver ... Nine new cases in Mitchell Shire, one a household contact, one a possible acquisition from Melbourne and the other seven came in late, being interviewed this morning.
There were two new cases in Moorabool, I don’t have further details at this stage and again they were late in. We have a number of cases in Bacchus Marsh this week with links to workplaces in Melbourne.
One new case in Wangaratta, household contact of yesterday’s case.
Two new cases in the Dungay, household contacts of a known case. The Albury-Wodonga area has seen a few cases but they are known contacts and being managed and quarantine during their infectious period so under control.
Bendigo, no cases today but we are aware of at least one construction worker from Melbourne who travelled to Bendigo prior to the travel ban for construction. They are infectious since Sunday and have a number of work contacts and exposure sites so they will be published on the websites, please refer to them.
No new cases in the Surf Coast Shire.
Updated
Here is the Victorian chief health officer, Prof Brett Sutton, with the breakdown of today’s 733 cases.
Just on the current geography of the outbreak. In Victoria, the northern suburbs continue to see the majority of new cases. 58%, 427.
243 of those are in Hume with 71 in Craigieburn, that is 10% of the daily total. 58 in Roxburgh Park, 20 Meadow Heights.
The western suburb area has 23% of new cases in suburbs such as Altona North, Tarneit and Point Cook.
The south-eastern suburbs now accounting for 10% of cases did it there has been an uptake there in the last week or two with 75 new cases, five and Cranbourne East and four in Dandenong.
The eastern suburbs, only 4% of current cases but 27 in total including in Doncaster East.
Updated
Foley says vaccination rates are speeding up in the north of the city, which has been hit hard by the Melbourne outbreaks.
Foley:
In regards to the north, which continues to be the centre of the outbreak at the moment, we have seen a tremendous increase over the past week in the number of vaccines through our pop-ups, through the GPs, through the pharmacies and through the state-run clinics.
In some areas, particularly in the west, in the north, we see the gap between the state average and the levels of vaccines being delivered in those communities narrow substantially and, indeed, in the city of Wyndham we have seen the vaccine rate actually exceed the state average. So there is no shortage of enthusiasm for vaccinations in Victoria.
Updated
Moderna vaccines to be administered at some Victorian state hubs
Victorian press conference:
Foley has announced Moderna vaccines will now be available at some state-run clinics.
I wanted to take this as an opportunity to highlight that the state will now be moving into Moderna and mRNA vaccination type commencing next week. We are receiving 32,000 initial doses to administer through our state sites, essentially to make sure that the tremendous enthusiasm and delivery of vaccines through our pop-ups which have been so popular in the north, the west and the south-east and right across particular at-risk communities, that we do not lose the momentum.
We are very pleased to allocate from the commonwealth, 32,000 Moderna vaccines into state-run clinics for the first time and they will be delivered through our partners at Monash Health, particularly with the Palm Plaza pop-up in Dandenong and, if necessary, other arrangements in that busy south-east area where we have seen huge uptake in vaccines in recent days and weeks.
Updated
Victorian press conference:
The Victorian health minister, Martin Foley, is speaking now, confirming 733 new locally acquired cases today and, sadly, one further death, a woman in her 80s from Moreland.
It is not known how many cases are linked or have been in isolation throughout their infectious period.
Today’s figure is slightly down on a record 766 cases recorded yesterday. There are now 7,160 active cases in the state.
Some 84% of yesterday’s cases were people aged under 50:
This continues to be overwhelmingly an outbreak amongst both the unvaccinated and disproportionately younger Victorians. 297 people are currently in hospital with Covid-19. 66 of those people are in intensive care and 46 of those people are on ventilators. In regards to the cases that were hospitalised yesterday, 77% were not vaccinated, 19 were partially vaccinated and 4% were fully vaccinated.
There was a bit of an anomaly in that last number. You recall there has been an outbreak at the Meadow Heights aged care centre as a number of people, with a large number of vaccinated residents ... have been moved into a low acuity hospital setting.
Updated
Berejiklian has been asked how exposure sites will be treated once the state reaches 80% vaccination.
There are three planks that really determine how you live with Covid.
One is the vaccine rate, the second is the type of public health measures you have in place like QR codes and that that is what we call TTIQ – test, trace, isolate and quarantine.
Health is finalising the plan which will be made public so we can give individuals and businesses good information on what to expect with contact tracing at 70% and 80%. There is no doubt that if you have the virus, you still have to isolate at home.
We can’t have people exposed with the virus walking around in the community. But again, how that will work and how it is managed will be made public.
People understand what to expect but I can say that if you have the virus, you will isolate at home until you aren’t infectious.
Updated
Berejiklian says she is confident NSW can start welcoming Australians home from overseas at 80%.
We started the trial on a quarantine system so we are confident that at 80% double dose we can welcome home lots more Aussies than have been able to come home before because, ironically, the rest, coming home Aussies will be far less in the risk of the virus in the community so we are really looking forward to coming home Australians through Sydney once we get the 80% of all those.
But other things, like community sport and regional travel are still much more up in the air.
As for the other matters like community sport, and regional travel, they are issues that will need to be considered potentially at the last minute because it will very much depend on what case loads and virus is doing at that time and when our intensive care situation looks like.
Updated
New Zealand records nine new local Covid-19 cases
New Zealand has reported nine new cases in the community, the first time the daily cases have been in single digits since the outbreak began in mid-August.
There are now 1,131 cases in the outbreak of the Delta variant, and 902 cases have recovered. All of Friday’s cases are linked to household contacts or contacts of known cases.
Thirteen people are in hospital and three of those are in intensive care. Deputy prime minister Grant Robertson said the low case numbers are a good indication the country is stamping out the virus.
We don’t believe that there is widespread community transmission in Auckland [and that] was one of the reasons we felt comfortable to move down to alert level three. What we do know is that there are still isolated cases but we do feel we are getting on top of this outbreak.
Updated
Reporter:
Aboriginal communities and people on the NDIS are lagging behind the general population by up to 15%. How confident are you that it’s going to be safe to open up at 70% when some of the most vulnerable in the community won’t meet that benchmark yet?
Berejiklian:
The commonwealth government was responsible for vaccinating those vulnerable populations and we have stepped up in NSW, found where the gaps are and engaged at a very local community level.
[The] commonwealth was in charge of those things but, as I said, NSW was the first state to put up a hand as they want to help ... A number of occasions, whether it is Dr Chant and myself, the minister, who said, a number of occasions, that when we do start opening up, we don’t want to leave anybody behind. We want to be proactive as we have been and I get feedback daily from a health officials and broader social services on the ground about what communities are going through.
It’s fair to say that some communities who were initially fearful of getting the vaccine are now more enthusiastic. But it has been a day by day, community by community, town by town, suburb by suburb, average.
Updated
Minister for Health, Martin Foley and the CHO Brett Sutton will give a coronavirus update at 11:30am #COVID19Vic
— Political Alert (@political_alert) September 24, 2021
The camera at the NSW press conference is shaking! I know it’s probably just the cameraman changing the battery or something, but for a second I was worried it was another earthquake.
Questions at the NSW press conference have turned to regional towns that now fear infected workers travelling from Syndey.
Reporter:
Regional government MPs say they are sitting ducks ... Their vaccine rates are far lower, and [they] want non-essential travel, Sydneysiders going on holidays, want them banned from coming to regions.
Berejiklian:
We are always looking at what we do in terms of regional travel at 70% and we mentioned that we will look at the case numbers at that stage but it’s important to note that most recent update I had told me that there were only 70 LGAs that had received or achieved the 70% double dose.
I understand the briefing I received a week ago was there were 36 LGAs that hadn’t received, achieved 70% ... While we appreciate all those concerns expressed by people, we will make cautious decisions based on the health advice and will make their decisions as we approach that 70% no doubt, as we know, and the Doherty report says, depending on the number of cases, will determine how mobile we can be outside our areas and Greater Sydney for Sydneysiders and will take the approach as we have on most things in a cautious and considered way.
Updated
BREAKING: Pfizer doses have arrived at our pop-up vaccination hub at Suncorp Stadium - ready for the @NRL preliminary finals this weekend
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) September 24, 2021
No matter what team you’re supporting this weekend, make sure you back your fellow Queenslanders by getting vaccinated. pic.twitter.com/stVTUAn3tv
By the way, we will be hearing from the Victorian leaders today at 11.30am (AEST).
Chant has spoken a little most about those 11 deaths, including the two people who died at home and were diagnosed with Covid-19 after they had died.
Sadly we are reporting the deaths of 11 people with Covid and I just want to also extend my condolences to their loved ones. I think, again, it shows that we cannot be complacent with Covid and we need to take all of those precautionary actions and also be vaccinated.
A woman in her 80s from Sydney has died at home. She tested positive after her death. She was not vaccinated and she was a resident of a social housing complex in Camperdown.
There was a woman in her 50s from western Sydney who died at Nepean hospital. A man in his 80s from south-western Sydney who died at Liverpool hospital.
A woman in her 80s from the inner west died at Sutherland hospital.
A man in his 80s from the eastern suburbs. Prince of Wales hospital.
A man in his 60s from south-western Sydney. St George hospital.
A woman in her 90s from Western Sydney. Westmead hospital.
And a woman in her 80s from Western Sydney died at Royal Prince Alfred hospital.
A man in his 80s from western Sydney at Westmead hospital. He was a resident of the Hardi Guildford aged care facility and this is the fourth death link to the outbreak. He had received two doses of Covid vaccine and had underlying health conditions.
A man in his 40s [at] home in western Sydney. That case is being referred to the coroner, that diagnosis happened after death and obviously we await the outcome of that investigation.
And there was a man in his 50s from Broken Hill who died at Broken Hill base hospital.
Updated
Here is NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant with the breakdown of today’s 1,043 cases.
She says there were 103 cases in the Illawarra area.
Of note, we have continued to see a decline in cases in some of the heavily affected local government areas such as Canterbury Bankstown and Cumberland but we are seeing increases in particular areas.
I want to highlight the fact that we ask everyone in the Illawarra, we have had 103 new cases reported, bringing the total number of cases to 1001. The Wollongong local government area is the most impacted and the Shellharbour local government area. So I do urge everyone to be cautious.
Updated
NSW premier, Gladys Berejiklian is speaking now:
While we are all looking forward, almost a gallop to the finish line in terms of the double dose, we need to make sure that what we do at 70 and 80% is done cautiously and also moderately and to appreciate, as I will and as many would, that if you have elderly parents or loved ones, even if all of you are fully vaccinated, the disease can still [affect] those closest to us.
So everything we start doing, we look forward to doing at 70 and 80%, must be done with a degree of caution and responsibility because otherwise too many people will end up in hospital.
Updated
Here is a look at those NSW case numbers on the outbreak graph.
Here are the details of those 11 deaths from NSW Health:
One person was in their 40s, two in their 50s, one in their 60s, six in their 80s, one in their 90s.
Ten people were unvaccinated, and one had received two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine. All had underlying medical conditions.
One of these people was a man in his 50s from Broken Hill, who died at Broken Hill base hospital.
He was a close contact of a confirmed Covid-19 case and was not vaccinated. He had underlying medical conditions.
Two of these people died at home and were tested for Covid-19 after they had passed away.
One was a woman in her 80s from Sydney’s inner west who is linked to an outbreak at a social housing complex. She was not vaccinated.
Another was a man in his 40s from western Sydney. He was not vaccinated and had underlying medical conditions.
NSW Health extends its sincere condolences to their loved ones.
There have been 277 Covid-19 related deaths in NSW since 16 June 2021 and 333 in total since the start of the pandemic.
Updated
NSW recorded 1,043 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) September 24, 2021
One new case was acquired overseas, and 18 previously reported cases have been excluded following further investigation. pic.twitter.com/gOLrGYJGWb
NSW records 1,043 local Covid-19 cases and 11 deaths
The NSW premier will be speaking momentarily. The state has confirmed NSW has recorded 1,043 local Covid-19 cases.
Sadly 11 people infected with Covid-19 have died.
A group of protesters are running down Smith Street in Collingwood.
Live social media footage shows a group of protesters heading in the direction of Johnston Street, towards the CBD.
“There’s cops everywhere,” the person shooting the video remarks, “they’ve stopped the trams.”
Updated
We are just standing by now for the NSW update where premier Gladys Berejiklian is expected to speak.
Protestors have released four locations to “penetrate” today across Melbourne’s CBD.
They are advising demonstrators to mark their trek to the locations as “civilians, armed with an excuse”.
The riot squad and a number of plainclothes officers are back in the city gearing up for day five of the protests and are checking a number of IDs, 9News is reporting.
Large crowds are yet to have gathered.
Updated
This is Melbourne.
— Cassie Zervos (@cassiezervos) September 24, 2021
On a day the city should be packed with happy families dressed in their footy colours for the grand final parade.
Instead, it’s flooded with police for day 5 of the anti-lockdown/anti-vax protest @7NewsMelbourne pic.twitter.com/5pTDVcIjqV
There have been more questions on the international border issue at the Queensland press conference today.
The deputy premier says he's pretty sure Queenslanders do not want the international boders to open by Christmas if it's not safe to do so.
— @MartySilk (@MartySilkHack) September 24, 2021
Updated
Three new cases have been recorded in #Wodonga overnight. All three are isolating at home as contact tracing continues. Exposure sites are expected to be added to the DHHS website throughout the day. @PRIME7Border
— Claire Ciantar (@claire_ciantar) September 24, 2021
The Queensland chief health officer, Dr Jeannette Young, says she is confident that the Sunnybank cluster is now under control.
They’re almost out of quarantine, they’ve done a really good job, so I’m very comfortable that we don’t have any ongoing problems for that cluster.
I mean it’s been so hard for them with school holidays. They’re stuck at home, they’re not with their friends. So they’re almost ready to finish, for most of them, their 14 days.
Updated
International students could return to NSW by 2022
International students will be returning to NSW by year’s end if an updated pilot plan by the state government proves a success, reports AAP.
The plan announced on Friday will involve students returning on chartered flights and quarantining for 14 days in retrofitted accommodation in Redfern.
The building can accommodate up to 650 quarantining students at one time but the pilot plan will only incorporate 500 students.
The plan is industry-funded, the government says, and will occur in parallel to attempts to repatriate stranded Australians overseas.
All students must be fully vaccinated with a TGA-recognised vaccine, meaning Chinese students may not be included in the pilot. The students will be contacted by their university on their interest to participate.
Deputy premier John Barilaro said:
The international education sector sustains thousands of jobs across NSW, and I’m proud that NSW is leading the way with the return of international students to our shores.
It comes after a similar pilot plan for reintroducing international students to NSW was scuppered by the state’s Delta outbreak in June.
That plan involved 250 student arrivals per fortnight from August.
Treasurer Dominic Perrottet on Friday said the NSW education sector was worth $14.6 billion in 2019 and supported more than 95,000 local jobs.
More than 250,000 international students typically study in NSW each year and future students could choose other destinations such as the United States, United Kingdom or Canada if NSW remains closed.
The lack of international student arrivals amid the Covid-19 pandemic is estimated to cost the NSW economy some $11bn by late 2022.
NSW vice-chancellors’ committee governor Barney Glover welcomed the announcement, saying it was 18 months in the making.
Updated
Mask rules extended but relaxed in Queensland
The deputy Queensland premier, Steven Miles, is speaking now and has some updates on the state’s mask mandate. With rules being both extended and relaxed.
While we will be extending the restrictions related to masks, the chief health officer has recommended some small changes. What that means is that, once you are seated, you will be able to remove your mask. You don’t need to wait until you have – until you’re eating or drinking.
That means when you go to the stadium and you are making your way through, you will need a mask through the gates, all the way through the concourse until you’re seated, but once you’re seated, you can remove the mask even if you’re not eating and drinking. Schoolchildren can remove their masks once they are seated, which will come as a relief to teachers, students and parents.
When you go to a cafe, restaurant or licensed club, you won’t have to wait until you have a drink at the table to remove your mask, you can take it off as soon as you are seated.
Updated
Queensland records zero Covid-19 cases
The Queensland numbers are out and it’s great news! No Covid-19 cases today.
Friday 24 September– coronavirus cases in Queensland:
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) September 24, 2021
0 new cases.#covid19 pic.twitter.com/3F2T4iDMdZ
Okay, but was no one going to tell me that CovidBaseAU was actually run by three teens stacked on top of each other in a trenchcoat cartoon style?
BOOM! 12-15s can get the💉
— CovidBaseAU 🦠📊🇦🇺 (@covidbaseau) September 23, 2021
Today the three of us who run @covidbaseau, Jack, Wesley and Darcy, had our first dose of the Moderna vaccine.🎉
Thought this would be a good time to share who we really are.😄
Thrilled that we will finally be included in our data! pic.twitter.com/SeIQFXPjGW
Police are back in the Melbourne CBD this morning, attempt to quell any potential protest gatherings.
First arrest on Bourke Street at the planned meeting point for today’s protest @theheraldsun pic.twitter.com/oLi3gOurIW
— Olivia Jenkins (@byoliviajenkins) September 24, 2021
We have also passed the 50% double dosed mark (50.1%) for the eligible population (74.8% for first dose).
— Greg Hunt (@GregHuntMP) September 24, 2021
And a record primary care day of 211,335.
Please keep coming forward to be vaccinated.
Search resumes for missing SA fisher
A search has resumed at Rapid Bay, south of Adelaide, for a man who has gone missing while fishing, reports AAP.
South Australian police were called to the area on Thursday evening amid reports of a kayak drifting about 80m offshore between the caravan park and the jetty.
A man had been seen fishing from the kayak an hour earlier.
The police water operations unit is coordinating the search along with State Emergency Service and Sea Rescue Squadron volunteers.
The kayak and a burley bucket were brought to shore.
Updated
Pilot plan to return international students to NSW.#nswpol #auspol pic.twitter.com/dMxk8OBzNk
— Dom Perrottet (@Dom_Perrottet) September 23, 2021
We will be hearing from the NSW premier at 11am today.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian and NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant will provide an update on COVID-19, 11am #COVID19nsw
— Political Alert (@political_alert) September 23, 2021
Hmmm, the tone of questions surrounding the Melbourne protests seems to have changed dramatically since the prime minister was asked about them yesterday.
Here is a little snippet of the press conference Scott Morrison held from Washington DC earlier.
Reporter:
There are horrendous videos coming out of Melbourne of police brutality and they’re going viral in America. Americans are talking about Australia, and they’ve been doing this for some months, as an authoritarian dystopia, what do you say to them about Australia? Are you running an authoritarian dystopia, a gulag?
Morrison:
Of course not. Australia is a country that has seen over 30,000 lives saved, through Covid successfully. That has seen our economy come through Covid arguably better than almost any other developed country in the world.
We’ve worked together to produce these outcomes for the benefit of Australians. And the scenes, and what we’ve seen in Melbourne over these last few days, I remarked on them last night when we came together, there’s been some disgraceful scenes in Melbourne, particularly at the shrine. Deeply disturbing and deeply upsetting and deeply offensive.
It’s important that we all respect each other and we respect freedom of speech, but equally there are things we must deeply respect and the desecration of the Shrine of Remembrance is truly sickening.
Reporter:
But what about Daniel Andrews? Don’t you have anything to say to him about not being so, cracking down on his people so hard?
Morrison:
Well, I work with all the premiers, all the chief ministers, to ensure that we are each responsible for our actions, and where premiers take actions in their own states where they impose restrictions, I’m quite certain that they know they’re accountable for those actions.
Updated
Oooh! Some big mask news coming up at 10am AEST for Queensland.
NEW: Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young will make a statement about masks at 10am
— @MartySilk (@MartySilkHack) September 23, 2021
👀👀👀 https://t.co/Z8qYqQr8wG
Three cases of COVID confirmed in Wodonga - Albury Wodonga Health says they're all linked, and the original case was contracted outside the border region. Contact tracing is underway, with exposure sites to be listed on the DHHS website. @PRIME7Border
— Sarah Krieg (@sarah_krieg) September 23, 2021
Scott Morrison continues to face questions in Washington DC over the handling of Australia’s submarine contract with France being scrapped last week.
(France says Australian military officials sent them a letter confirming they were satisfied with French submarines just hours before the new Aukus arrangement was announced.)
Here is an exchange with Morrison from a press conference this morning:
Journalist:
Can you confirm that you personally called French president Emmanuel Macron to tell him that the submarine contract had been cancelled, and exactly when did that phone call happen?
Morrison:
What I said was, is that I made direct contact with him. It was about 8.35. We had sought to have a call that night. We’d been seeking that for some time.
He did not take that call, to seek for it to be arranged, and so I directly messaged him Australia’s decision in a, in a personal correspondence.
Scott Morrison says the Australian government is yet to make a decision on making a firm commitment to net zero by 2050 – but says its soon-to-be-announced plan will accept the “the global reality”.
The prime minister, speaking in Washington DC this morning, appeared to be trying to paper over divisions within government ranks over the potential update to climate policy, amid continued pushback from the Nationals.
His comments come as the treasurer and deputy Liberal leader, Josh Frydenberg, prepares to make a speech later this morning setting out the economic case for Australia adopting a net-zero commitment. Frydenberg will warn that the country has a lot to lose if others believe “we are not transitioning in line with the rest of the world”.
Morrison was asked whether the government had already settled on a net-zero timeframe.
He replied:
No, if Australia had made such a decision, I would have announced it. Australia has not made any final decision on that matter, and we’re still, and we’ll be considering further when I return to Australia the plan that we believe can help us achieve our ambition in this area. I’ve already said at the start of this that it’s Australia’s ambition to move towards and to achieve net zero as soon as possible, and preferably by 2050. That’s been my consistent statement since the beginning of this year.
Morrison said the emissions reduction minister, Angus Taylor, had been working over the course of this year “to put the plan together to achieve that” – and the plan was “consistent with what the treasurer is saying today in his address”.
That plan recognises that the world is transitioning to a new energy economy in order to respond to climate change. That is the global reality.
And, Australia, as a major energy producer now of long standing, will seek to be as an effective economic champion in that area, as we have been in the past.
And we recognise the changes that are taking place, and we intend to be well positioned in the future to be successful with our industries in a new energy economy.
Updated
“I completely condemn any form of violence, it’s absolutely disgraceful, some of the scenes we’re seeing ... but”
On the Melbourne protests:
— RN Breakfast (@RNBreakfast) September 23, 2021
"I completely condemn any form of violence, it's absolutely disgraceful, some of the scenes we're seeing... But in Melbourne, people have felt like they're being pushed to the brink."
- Dr @KatieAllenMP, Liberal MP for the Melbourne seat of Higgins
Updated
More than half of Australians over 16 years are now fully vaccinated (50.15%).
— Karen Barlow (@KJBar) September 23, 2021
There have been more than 26 million #Covid19 vaccine doses administered in Australia #COVID19Aus
The Melbourne diocese of the Anglican church received almost $16m in jobkeeper subsidies in 2020, enough to clear its estimated sexual abuse compensation bill of $14.3m, accounts filed with the charities regulator show.
Accounts provided to the Australian Charities and Not-For-Profits Commission show revenue at the Melbourne Anglican Trust Corporation (MATC), which acts as the employer for church workers, tumbled last year.
MATC acts as the employer in the diocese and earns revenue by charging parishes for the cost of employment. During last year’s lockdowns it slashed the amount it charged parishes by about 30% after receiving estimates from parishes of their likely fall in revenue.
As a result, MATC’s income fell from $48.2m in 2019 to $35.4m last year, well in excess of the 15% drop required to trigger eligibility for jobkeeper for charities and churches.
You can read the full report below:
Here is the increasingly distressing Victorian daily case number graph from Josh Nicholas.
More than half of over-16 Australians are now vaccinated
According to the latest federal government figures, just over half of adult Australians are now fully vaccinated.
The government says this means Australia is now moving at a faster percapita vaccination rate than the US and several European countries.
#BREAKING More than half of Australians aged over 16 (50.15%) are now vaccinated, according to the latest federal government figures. A record 2.076mn vaccine doses have been administered in the last seven days.
— Stephanie Dalzell (@steph_dalzell) September 23, 2021
There is a severe damaging wind warning in place for Tasmania today, with gale-force gusts expected to strengthen in the late morning.
A Severe Weather Warning is in place for #Tas today. NW/W'ly winds will strengthen later this morning, with the potential to cause damage. Gale Warnings current for coastal waters and the South West Lakes aswell. Stay up-to-date with warnings https://t.co/NHL3HY0zFO pic.twitter.com/PbhorntCtm
— Bureau of Meteorology, Tasmania (@BOM_Tas) September 23, 2021
Victoria records 733 new local Covid-19 cases and one death
The Victorian numbers are out, and it’s a slight improvement from yesterday (but not by much).
The state recorded 733 local Covid-19 cases, and sadly one death.
Reported yesterday: 733 new local cases and 0 cases acquired overseas.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) September 23, 2021
- 41,029 vaccines administered
- 56,520 test results received
- Sadly, 1 person with COVID-19 has died
More later: https://t.co/OCCFTAtS1P#COVID19Vic #COVID19VicData pic.twitter.com/hGe4LryS0q
Hmmm, where are the Victorian numbers? Usually would be out by now.
Ummmmm... An interesting take from the acting prime minister Barnaby Joyce while speaking with ABC.
On @RNBreakfast Barnaby Joyce just suggested the ABC should look at a particular story and when Hamish remarked that the ABC obviously has editorial independence from government, Mr Joyce said "not really, we have to pay for you." #auspol
— Isobel Roe (@isobelroe) September 23, 2021
Josh Frydenberg will make the economic case for Australia adopting a net-zero commitment, warning the country has a lot to lose if others believe “we are not transitioning in line with the rest of the world”.
The federal treasurer will tell business leaders on Friday the Morrison government cannot run the risk of financial markets “falsely” assuming Australia is a climate change pariah because that would increase the cost of capital and undermine financial system stability.
With the Cop26 now bearing down, and with the government attempting to land a formal commitment to net zero by 2050 ahead of the Glasgow conference, Frydenberg will note that trillions of dollars are being mobilised globally in support of the transition, and 129 countries have now committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.
You can read the full report below:
Updated
We will likely be hearing more about this throughout the day.
Yesterday the Queensland premier refused to commit to a date for people in the state to be able to travel overseas again but said she does want cruises to restart next year.
After been pushed by reporters, Annastacia Palaszczuk said:
I look forward to the day when we can freely travel across the world again. I mean everyone’s talking about that. OK, but it is not the way we used to travel, I’ve done it, I’ve worn the P95 masks, I’ve done the hotel quarantine.
I’ve looked at how they’ve managed it, they were in a state of emergency in Tokyo, it is not the world we used to know.
So the federal government needs to identify where Australians and Queenslanders can travel in the bubbles of the countries that they put together, and that is a federal government issue to deal with.
In the meantime, Ms Palaszczuk will put forward a proposal to restart smaller cruises with fully vaccinated passengers within Queensland next year.
Updated
Deputy Labor Leader Richard Marles on the Queensland premier and plans to reopen the state:
— @MartySilk (@MartySilkHack) September 23, 2021
"I haven't spoken to her on this but there is no doubt that Annastacia Palaszczuk is very formidable."
Labor frontbencher Kristina Keneally has responded to the mistake made in the Australian newspaper’s “Strewth” column, which incorrectly stated that her three children had moved out of home. However, while her two sons have moved out, Keneally’s daughter Caroline was stillborn.
The senator encouraged the newspaper to donate to the Australian stillbirth foundation.
Ben & I were stunned by that Strewth column this week.
— Kristina Keneally (@KKeneally) September 23, 2021
It did cause hurt.
It cut through us like a knife.
We ask the @australian to provide support (a donation or in-kind advertising) to @StillbirthAUS
Perhaps something good could come of this wretched situation. https://t.co/qfCxkt9SnQ
Updated
The vaccination centre at Melbourne Town Hall has been forced to close until at least Monday after protesters allegedly verbally abused and spat on health workers during this week’s protests.
The hub was specially designed to help people experiencing homelessness, speak English as a second language or may not have a medicare card.
The lord mayor, Sally Capp, is speaking about the closure to ABC now:
Co-Health have been doing a great job supporting their staff as we have here at Town Hall. It is beyond disappointing and it is completely disgusting that rioters would target people who – frontline workers, healthcare workers and doing their best to help us get out of this situation we are in.
I call them rioters because there is really nothing about this that is a protest. There is no cause. It is all about self-interest. It is all about causing as much disruption and destruction as possible. You’re so right. It is the workers themselves and how deserving they are but here at Town Hall, our vax hub was set up to help the most vulnerable.
It has been packed every day. At moment it is closed because of that disgraceful behaviour is really disappointing and it has multiple ripple effects.
You can read more abut the town hall vaccination hub here:
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States and territories were told at national cabinet their allocations of Pfizer will fall from 10.9m in September to 8.4m in October.
The leaked figures, seen by Guardian Australia, substantiate concerns that there is a reduction of Pfizer supply in the critical month that New South Wales and Victoria intend to reach the 70% vaccination target and push towards further reopening at 80%.
The federal health minister, Greg Hunt, has insisted supplies of mRNA vaccines are up from 10m in September to 11m in October.
But the national cabinet figures and fresh allocations provided to the states on Thursday suggest this has only been achieved through increased supplies of Moderna and using UK doses of Pfizer to smooth supply gaps.
You can read the full report below:
Morrison has met with the Indian prime minister in the US overnight.
Great to meet with my good friend and a great friend of Australia, Indian PM @narendramodi, during my visit to the US. A wide-ranging and productive discussion ahead of the first in-person Quad meeting as we look to further deepen the partnership between our two countries. https://t.co/XZutkNw3t7
— Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) September 23, 2021
Australia has signed up to an empty promise by agreeing to a US nuclear powered submarine deal for which there is no clear delivery date or technology transfer agreement, the furious head of the French defence contractor Naval Group has warned.
Pierre Eric Pommellet also said his firm will be seeking compensation for Australia’s cancellation of a €56bn (£48bn) contract for 12 new Attack-class submarines, which he described as a purely political decision which came without warning.
His comments to Le Figaro were the latest allegations that Australia’s decision to replace the French contract with the Aukus deal with the UK and US was political rather than defence-based. Australia has implied that the contract cancellation followed a new assessment of the security threat posed by China.
You can read the full report below:
Businessman and the Carlton Football Club’s longest-serving president, John Elliott, has died in hospital aged 79.
It is understood he was hospitalised after a recent fall.
The Carlton football club has put out a statement commemorating their former leader.
He led the Blues through a record 20-year presidency, with the larger-than-life figure overseeing a significant period of on-and-off field success throughout his tenure.
As a formidable Liberal party elder, many senior members of government are also paying tribute today.
My thoughts and prayers are with Caroline, Tom and the whole Elliot family today.
— Dan Tehan (@DanTehanWannon) September 23, 2021
John Elliot was a giant of Australian business, politics and sport. A larger-than-life personality and a lifelong Liberal and Carlton supporter. John will be greatly missed.
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The treasurer has been asked, as a representative for an inner-city city, how nervous he is going into the next federal election with the lacklustre climate policy that the Coalition currently has.
Frydenberg:
I remember doing an interview with you and people expected us to be turfed out. We prosecuted the case for sensible, costed policies to reduce emissions and, if you look at the facts, our emission profile as a nation is down by more than 20% on what they were in 2005. That’s around double the OECD average.
It is a faster reduction than Canada, New Zealand and the United States. We have put in place the technology investment roadmap of about $20bn. That’s going to leverage around three to four times that in terms of private sector investment. We’re focusing on hydrogen and we have got new partnerships with the UK, Singapore and Germany. We have got a lot of work underway.
It is about communicating what we’re actually doing so the public understand that we are making very significant progress in this regard.
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Frydenberg has been asked if the prime minister, Scott Morrison, will be able to show his face at the upcoming Glasgow climate summit if he hasn’t officially committed to net-zero emissions by 2050.
Well you know very well that we’re having those internal discussions.
There are, of course, differences of opinion on these issues and we work them behind closed doors most of the time I dare say and hopefully we get the right result.
My speech today is about informing the public about the significant change that is taking place in financial markets as a result of climate change where investors are reassessing risks and reassessing what they consider to be good value.
We need to have the regulatory frameworks in place to ensure that investors can make timely and informed decision, but we need to prosecute the case for reducing emissions.
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Frydenberg makes his case for net-zero by 2050
At the meeting with business leaders today, Josh Frydenberg will make the economic case for Australia adopting a net-zero commitment, warning the country can’t risk being perceived as a climate change pariah by financial markets.
And would you look at that, the federal treasurer is up on ABC News Breakfast now to explain his reasoning.
I certainly see it as being part of our interests and many countries over 100 have agreed to net zero. We’re making progress and we haven’t made any formal decisions, but today’s speech is about the changes that are occurring in financial markets as a result of climate change.
Whether it has been the industrial revolution or the digital age, financial markets have always factored in these structural shifts and climate change is no different and this is having an impact on Australia because we are so heavily reliant on foreign investment.
Whether it is direct foreign investment worth $4 trillion today or whether it is our domestic banks that get about 20% of their funding from overseas or indeed whether it is our government bonds, about half of which are bought by foreign investors, and I want to make sure that Australia, on the one hand, is not disadvantaged by this structural shift in financial markets and on the other hand can take advantage of it by getting new investments in renewal energy and other sustainable initiatives.
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Good morning everyone and congratulations, we made it! It’s finally Friday and it’s Matilda Boseley here ready to see off the week of news with you.
But let’s not celebrate too soon because there are fears that Wednesday’s large and at times violent anti-vaccination, anti-lockdown rally could turn into a superspreading event after someone who attended tested positive to Covid-19.
The Victorian health department put out a statement yesterday afternoon encouraging everyone who attended to get tested as an investigation into the case was underway.
To compound that worry in Victoria, premier Daniel Andrews said state health authorities were now having to conserve Pfizer shots, with not enough stock on hand to bring forward the time between doses.
The premier has been vocal about his concerns over the Pfizer supply chain after issues with the expected October deliveries were flagged at national cabinet. Although Andrews has been quick to note that AstraZeneca and Moderna vaccines were readily available.
The federal health minister, Greg Hunt, has downplayed issues with supply, implying the Victorian premier was using these concerns to distract from other issues going on in the state.
I understand today is a difficult day for Victoria, and I may detect a pattern on such days. I could say something, but I won’t. I will just give the facts.
For the first time, over 2 million Australians had been jabbed in seven days. That is an immense national achievement.
OK, with those concerns canvassed, why don’t we jump into the day!
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