Summary
With that, we’ll be closing the blog today. Thank you for reading, and thanks to the great Amy Remeikis for her work earlier.
We’ll be back tomorrow for all the news as it happens.
Here is what happened today:
- Queensland extended its lockdown until Sunday, after the state recorded 13 new locally acquired cases in the past 24 hours. The 11 affected LGAs in south-east Queensland were also declared a commonwealth Covid hotspot.
- Atagi recommended that the Pfzier vaccine should be made available for children between the ages of 12 and 15 who are immunocompromised or have underlying medical conditions, Indigenous children, and children in remote communities. This is set to commence on 9 August.
- NSW recorded one new death, and 207 new Covid cases, with 72 in the community for either part or all of their infectious period.
- The defence minister, Peter Dutton, said he would miss the return of parliament after he was a contact of a Covid case.
- Victoria recorded two local Covid cases – both local cases were linked and were in isolation
- South Australia eased its Covid restrictions, to take effect on Thursday.
- Cricket legend Shane Warne tested positive for Covid in the UK.
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And a fun one to end.
Host Oliver Peterson asks Morrison whether he “regrets not calling an election last year”.
Morrison replies: “Last year?”
Then a long pause:
“That would be have been in 2020. That would have constitutionally impossible.”
Peterson swiftly moves on.
For the record, the last federal election was in May 2019. Thus, the earliest date it would have been possible to hold an election would be 7 August 2021.
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Morrison is asked whether vaccinated Australians will have privileges such as “going to the footy”.
He says that it is still being worked on, but the specifics are up to the states as it is in their power to enforce these rules and craft public health orders.
“The federal government can’t stop you going to the footy,” he said.
Morrison is also asked about WA premier Mark McGowan’s comments on Friday, where he said the state “reserved the right” for localised lockdowns, even at 80% vaccination.
He says:
I don’t think people should take Mark out of context. At the end of the day, if there is something terrible happening, no premier is going to stand by and let somebody get sick and seriously ill.
But ... right now one in five people are double dose vaccinated ... taking the same precautions at 20% [vaccination] as 80% is chalk and cheese. It is another world. It is a fairly extraordinary circumstance.
He says McGowan was “constructive” in the national cabinet meeting.
Morrison also tells people in WA who are waiting for Pfizer to take whatever vaccine is available to them.
Western Australia should not think they are immune. South-east Queensland has just gone into a lockdown.
Morrison also said “it is a clear lesson” that NSW should have locked down sooner. He adds it is “not a criticism” but speaks to the transmissibility of the Delta variant.
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Morrison is asked if there is any expected timeline for Australia to hit 70% vaccination.
We have clear targets and how soon we get there is up to every Australian, from the west to the east, the north to the south.
He also says “supply is there” and the vaccine rollout is ramping up.
Morrison is asked if there would be any date next year, for example in February 2022, where the country would definitely open up. Morrison declines to answer directly.
Updated
The prime minister, Scott Morrison, is about to be interviewed on Perth’s 6PR radio.
A few other notable positions from the Labor caucus meeting today:
- Labor will oppose a government bill to make migrants wait four years before accessing a range of welfare payments. The government has estimated the change will deliver savings to the budget of $672m over five years.
- Labor will support a private senator’s bill proposed by independent senator Rex Patrick to amend the Customs Act to specifically ban goods produced using forced labour.
- Labor’s Kimberley Kitching will introduce a private senator’s bill to allow the government the powers to introduce Magnitsky-style sanctions for gross human rights violations. That’s a measure that was recommended by a bipartisan committee back in December last year, but the government has not yet settled on its own position.
Tasmania has extended its border closure with south-east Queensland until at least 4pm on Sunday, mirroring the mainland state’s lockdown, AAP reports.
Today the Queensland government lengthened the lockdown for 11 areas.
“I understand this is an inconvenience but I want to stress this is a very serious situation,” the Tasmanian premier, Peter Gutwein, said. “The Delta variant is a whole new ball game.”
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The federal Labor party held a caucus meeting, with virtual participation, this afternoon ahead of the resumption of parliament tomorrow.
The opposition leader, Anthony Albanese, mentioned it had been a tough time for people representing their electorates in recent times, in light of the Covid-19 outbreaks and lockdowns.
Albanese flagged that he would use the forthcoming sitting fortnight to pursue the attack line he’s been running all year: that Scott Morrison had two jobs this year, fixing national quarantine and the vaccine rollout, and had bungled both. He told the caucus the prime minister had been against lockdowns and then for lockdowns, Australia had been at the front of the queue for vaccine supply and then the back of the queue, and Morrison had denied vaccination was a race before admitting it was a massive race. Albanese continued:
The mismanagement of this public health crisis has been catastrophic for the country.
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Labor’s caucus has resolved to move to strike out part of the government’s regulation on the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (Arena), amid fears it could lead to a redirection of funding away from renewable energy.
The issue prompted debate in the caucus room, with the Labor MP Joel Fitzgibbon telling the meeting he opposed the attempt to block part of the regulation in the Senate.
Section 7 of the proposed regulatory change to Arena allows it to fund projects in the five areas the energy minister, Angus Taylor, named as priorities under the government’s technology investment roadmap. They include carbon capture and storage (CCS) and hydrogen created using gas, a fossil fuel.
Labor’s proposed position, outlined by the shadow climate change minister, Chris Bowen, is to disallow section 7, but to allow the rest of the regulations to stand.
It is understood Fitzgibbon then spoke in opposition to this position, saying Labor did not oppose the technology but only the vehicle that was being used, and asking what the party would do if someone else in the Senate moved to disallow more than section 7. Bowen later replied that Labor would only vote for its own disallowance motion, not others that were broader.
Victorian Labor senator Kim Carr expressed support for a Victorian blue hydrogen project in the Latrobe Valley, and for carbon capture and storage. But he backed the party’s position on disallowance because the government shouldn’t be trying to change primary legislation through regulation. Carr told colleagues the government was pursuing changes by stealth.
NSW Labor MP Pat Conroy then told the caucus meeting that blue hydrogen was not needed in order order to develop green hydrogen, and that most overseas markets specifically wanted green hydrogen.
The WA Labor senator Louise Pratt noted the significance of CCS in the Inpex LNG project.
After hearing the contributions, Bowen responded by saying the government’s regulation would result in a clear and direct reduction in funding for renewable energy, and Labor needed to oppose that occurring.
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The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has welcomed the new Atagi advice that some children aged 12 to 15 should receive the Pfizer vaccine, and the general focus on vaccinating those under 40 against Covid-19.
Atagi earlier today announced that from 9 August, it recommends that children aged 12 to 15 who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, live in a remote community or have underlying medical conditions receive the Covid-19 vaccine.
Lt Gen John Frewen also earlier said the federal government was potentially changing its approach to focus on vaccinating people under 40, who are more likely to drive transmissions.
The RACGP president, Dr Karen Price, has welcomed both changes, saying some children were at high risk from the vaccine. She said:
Today is a positive step forward in the vaccine rollout.
Across Australia, there will be case by case discussions between GPs, children and their parents or carers based on individual risk and benefits – this is shared decision making.
It is a sound approach to prioritise children who identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, or those from remote areas, or with underlying medical conditions including being immunocompromised...it’s vital that they are put at the front of this queue.
She also welcomed the increase in scope to vaccinate people aged under 40.
This is a sensible and timely move that will help limit the spread of the virus, particularly in Greater Sydney.
Younger people, especially those with pre-existing conditions, may suffer severe effects including ‘long Covid’ or worse – recently a student in her 30s in Sydney died from Covid-19.
In addition, there are several reasons why people under 40 are more likely to spread the virus to others. They are often more mobile and likely to engage in activities such as visiting multiple venues at night and more likely to work in casualised and frontline jobs ... it makes sense to get them vaccinated.
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Morrison 'shouldn't have said' vaccine rollout was not a race, Liberal MP says
The Liberal MP Jason Falinski has said that Scott Morrison “misspoke” when he said the vaccine rollout was not a race, and said the prime minister “shouldn’t have said that”.
Falinksi then also clarified that Morrison did not “misspeak”.
The ABC’s Patricia Karvelas asked Falinksi whether Australia should have treated the vaccine rollout as a race.
Falinksi replied:
The prime minister misspoke, and he shouldn’t have said it’s not race. This was always going to be a race.
Karvelas:
He said it a few times.
Falinski:
I agree with you. OK. Maybe the wrong messaging.
I misspoke when I said he misspoke. He shouldn’t have said that. He acknowledges he shouldn’t have said that. Where is the responsibilities from people like Anthony Albanese who still to this day will not endorse the Australian-made AstraZeneca?
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Later on, Sukkar also disagreed with Karvelas over whether a $90m program was a large program compared to other budget items.
Karvelas told him: “That new program you mentioned, it is under $100m, it’s not a lot of money.”
Sukkar: “I think that is a huge mischaracterisation.”
Karvelas:
It’s not a huge program. It’s not. In the government’s overall amount of money you spend on things, it’s not a huge program. That is a fact. It’s small program.
I’ve looked at budgets for 20 years and I’m quite proud of that. $90m is pretty small fry. I’m asking you if you will spend more?
Sukkar:
You were arguing earlier that $1.3bn was more than $1.6bn. I’m not quite sure I can agree with some of the numbers that you’ve been outlining in this interview.
Karvelas:
I do know how to count. $90m. You’re telling me it’s a huge amount of money?
Sukkar:
I don’t want to get in a tit for tat for you. I’m calling you out because the $90m program is making a real difference.
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The housing and homelessness minister, Michael Sukkar, is speaking on the ABC to host Patricia Karvelas.
The pair have had quite a heated debate, as Sukkar was on to discuss national homelessness week.
Sukkar accused Karvelas of repeating a “Labor party media release” and said he was “calling [her] out”.
Karvelas asked Sukkar whether the government had put enough funding into ending homelessness, and whether the investment had grown or fallen in real terms compared to previous governments.
Karvelas asked him: “You spent $1.6bn on social housing and homelessness but I think in 2013 the federal government was spending $2bn.”
Sukkar replied: “That’s not right ... The government wasn’t spending $2bn. The government was spending $1.3bn. We’re now spending $1.6bn.”
Karvelas: “Is investment going backwards in real terms? ... The $2bn investment would be worth $2.6bn now because that’s inflation, population growth and that’s the way money grows.”
Sukkar: “That was a media release from the Labor Party. You’re confusing two documents.”
Karvelas: “It is Homelessness Australia data. They put out the data.”
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The health minister, Greg Hunt, has promised that the Doherty Institute modelling that underpinned last week’s version of the national opening-up plan would be finalised and released “in the coming days”.
Prof Michael Kidd, the acting chief medical officer, was asked about Covid-19 infections among children and young people:
“The current outbreak in Queensland is linked to a number of schools. And so we have seen school-aged children who’ve been diagnosed positive over the last few days. What we’re also seeing and particularly in Sydney is a larger number of young adults who’ve been infected with Covid-19 being hospitalised and increased numbers ending up in intensive care units, and certainly at much higher levels than we saw, during, for example, the very serious outbreak in Victoria, at this time last year. So yes, we’re very concerned about the severity of this Delta outbreak. That’s why it’s important that we bring these outbreaks under control.”
Hunt was asked about Lt Gen John Frewen’s comments about adapting the rollout strategy to key transmissibility groups. Hunt cited the announcement opening up access to Pfizer for 12- to 15-year-olds today. Hunt said Atagi was starting with priority groups but was also reviewing international evidence “with regards to the broader age group from 12 to 15”.
“For those who aren’t aware the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation, the medical expert panel that advises on the application of particular vaccines, and the cohorts and the circumstances under which they will be applied, has said it will be a two stage process: one the immunocompromised, and the other groups that it has identified - indigenous Australians and remote Australians between 12 and 15; 2. they will do an assessment of looking at international data.”
Hunt said such advice may come back in late August.
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Hi all, it is indeed Naaman Zhou here with you. Thanks to the superhuman Amy Remeikis for running the blog earlier today.
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It being a non-sitting day, I am going to take a tiny early mark and hand you over to the lovely Naaman Zhou who will take you through the late afternoon.
For those asking – yes, we have asked why Christian Porter has been selected as the leader of the house in Peter Dutton’s absence, given that the deputy leader of the house, David Gillespie, is in attendance. No answer yet (which is not unusual) but we’ll keep you updated.
I’ll be back tomorrow morning to bring you parliament (and Covid news).
It’s going to be a spotty chamber, with several MPs missing because of lockdowns. Anthony Albanese, who has been put under a quasi lockdown in the ACT because he had been in Queensland since 21 July (the date the ACT government chose) will be in attendance – but he has to wear a mask when not speaking on the floor, and can only hold press conferences outside. Outside of parliament, he’ll be contained to his Canberra residence. That’s pretty much the same rule for all the Queensland MPs.
You’ll also see Scott Morrison out and about for the first time since the G7 – he’s been isolating at the Lodge for two weeks, so he will be able to attend this session.
But they’re all issues for the tomorrow versions of us to deal with. Rest up until then and please, as always – take care of you (and thanks for sharing so many lovely show memories).
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The independent education union has written an open letter to the NSW government asking for a rethink on the plan for year 12 students to return to school.
Here is part of that letter:
Since the NSW Government’s announcement that HSC students and school staff would return to school on 16 August, the IEU has been inundated with questions and concerns from principals, teachers and support staff – none of whom were consulted about a decision that impacts them.
The Independent Education Union, which represents 32,000 school staff throughout NSW and the ACT, calls for an immediate rethink based on a clear assessment of the risks school staff in primary and high schools face. Government decisions concerning the operation of schools must be based on health advice and made in consultation with school staff and their unions.
The President of the Australian Medical Association, Dr Omar Khorshid, has expressed strong reservations about Year 12 returning to schools. “There is no need for the additional risk of bringing Year 12 back to school, bringing teachers back to school, putting those teachers at risk, putting the families of those teachers, the other staff, the cleaners, the people in the canteens and, of course, the families of Year 12 students themselves [at risk],” Dr Khorshid said on Friday. “We call on the NSW Government to revisit that decision.”
The IEU supports the AMA’s call.
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Here is the official word on eligible 12- to 15-year-olds being able to receive the Pfizer vaccination:
From Monday 9 August, children aged between 12 to 15 years old with either specific medical conditions, who identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander or live in a remote community will be able to receive a Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine.
This follows a review of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for use in children aged 12-15 by the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (Atagi), which has recommended its use for children at a higher risk of severe illness if they contract Covid-19.
The Australian government has accepted Atagi’s updated recommendations, which include the following groups of children aged 12 to 15 be prioritised for the Pfizer vaccine:
- Children with specified medical conditions that increase their risk of severe Covid-19, including severe asthma, diabetes, obesity, cardiac and circulatory congenital anomalies, neurodevelopmental disorders, epilepsy, immunocompromised and trisomy 21.
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.
- All children aged 12–15 years in remote communities, as part of broader community outreach vaccination programs that provide vaccines for all ages (≥12 years).
This means that around 220,000 children aged between 12 to 15 years old will become eligible to receive the Covid-19 vaccine.
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(JCTT stands for joint counter-terrorism team, for those wondering.)
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The AFP’s Andrew Donoghue says:
We have no evidence that this group has the ability or capability to commit violent acts to overthrow the government but the behaviour of these people is extremely concerning and we are continuing our investigation to identify any criminal offences as the result.
That investigation is focused on criminality, not ideology. Our work this past weekend has been about targeting potential criminal acts and protecting the community from those at.
We have acted only to disrupt this group out of concern for community safety. Our communities and families are going through testing and trying times and I want to assure you that even in a Covid pandemic we won’t stop and the JCTT won’t stop. Our work and ensuring the community’s safety is preserved.
We still have a lot of inquiries to do but we are not comfortable with the chance of this behaviour would escalate and cause a risk to the community.
Boxes of fake AFP badges have also been seized.
Andrew Donoghue with the AFP is giving an update on a (fake) video which had spread on social media, showing the AFP commissioner telling people to join the AFP and overthrow the government.
In case it needs to be explicitly said, the video had been faked and the AFP commissioner never said those words.
We believe we have identified the man speaking in this video. Inquiries into this man have established he was in contact with other people who held a similar anti-government views.
These are people who believe our systems of government do not apply to them or are somehow illegal and must be usurped. I want to emphasise that this video is complete and utter nonsense, not from the AFP commissioner and not from the AFP. It has no truth or credibility. As a result of our inquiries, the Queensland JCTT executed three search warrants in Queensland, Townsville, and our colleagues in the West Australia JCTT executed search warrants at two houses in Perth while the South Australian JCTT exceeded a warrant in rural South Australia.
A Perth man was arrested and charged with one count of impersonating a commonwealth public official which carries a maximum jail sentence of two years if convicted. He was bailed to appear in a Perth court on 16 August.
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The aviation support packages are being extended until the end of the year, Barnaby Joyce says:
The Tourism Aviation Network Support (half-price flights) initiative is being extended to 30 November 2021 for both sales and travel, to ensure travellers impacted by lockdowns or border closures can access these tickets and benefit key tourism regions as soon as possible.
Other critical aviation support measures to be extended until the end of the year include:
- The Aviation Services Accreditation Support Program, which provides support to businesses providing ancillary support services to the aviation industry, such as ground handling companies.
- The Domestic Airports Security Costs Support program, providing financial assistance to Australia’s eligible domestic airports to assist with costs associated with mandated security screening requirements that must be met regardless of the volume of aviation activity.
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David Gillespie has been seen in the parliament – so Christian Porter has been chosen to be the acting leader of the house, ahead of Gillespie who is the deputy leader of the house.
Barnaby Joyce will be holding a press conference in 15 minutes to talk extended support for the aviation industry.
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Ekka memories: the strawberry sundaes are timeless.
This will age me dreadfully. The sample bag of small items. The little jar of Vegemite, very small tin of peaches etc. Also taking my Scottish husband to his first Ekka. Every time we passed a strawberry sundae stall, he bought one. He was soooo impressed.
— Angry Nonni (@AngryNonni) August 2, 2021
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New Zealand is opening a “travel corridor” from Samoa, Tonga, and Vanuatu, to allow seasonal workers into the country without quarantine.
New Zealand’s horticultural sector is highly dependent on seasonal workers from the Pacific, and this change would allow them to enter New Zealand without having to spend two weeks in government’s managed isolation and quarantine facilities. All three countries have avoided community transmission of Covid-19.
The decision has been made by cabinet in principle, and is light on details at this stage – it is likely to come into effect by September. Prime minister Jacinda Ardern is due to announce more details on New Zealand’s plan for reopening its borders next week.
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The suspension of mutual obligation requirements for people who receive social security in Queensland, and are currently under lockdown, has been extended until 12 August.
David Gillespie (Nationals) is the deputy leader of the house, so under normal circumstances, you would expect him to take over from Peter Dutton as leader of the house, given Dutton’s absence, not Christian Porter.
It is possible Gillespie is not travelling because he is a NSW MP, and won’t be in parliament, but still.
So from next Monday, if your child fits the eligibility (aged between 12 and 15, immunocompromised, Indigenous, lives in a remote community, or has an underlying medical condition) you will be able to book them in for a Pfizer vaccination.
Your GP is also able to give those vaccinations earlier, if they have them.
Updated
Immunocompromised children now eligible for Covid vaccine
There is another big change in this announcement:
The Pfizer vaccine will be made available to children aged between 12 and 15 who are immunocompromised.
Greg Hunt:
Also updated medical advice in relation to Pfizer, in particular, to note that for 12-year-olds to 15-year-olds, as foreshadowed just over a week ago, the Pfizer vaccine will now be made available on Atagi’s advice for immunocompromised children, or children with underlying medical conditions, Indigenous children, and children in remote communities aged 12-15. This is set to commence as of 9 August.
Although, if any GP wishes to administer before then, then it is free for them, or states, to do so. But that’s the commencement of that program. They will be included under phase 1B, which means that they will have access as part of that program going forward. It includes approximately 220,000 children who will be given access now as a consequence of that decision.
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South-east Queensland declared commonwealth Covid hotspot
South-east Queensland has been declared a commonwealth Covid hotspot.
That’s a determination which triggers certain events (like financial assistance) but also releases from the medical stockpile.
Greg Hunt says more PPE gear is being sent to Queensland in response to the outbreak
Updated
National covid update
Greg Hunt and professor Michael Kidd are giving the national Covid update for today.
Hunt says it’s a ‘record’ vaccination week (which is something he says almost every week).
This last week has seen a record vaccination week – 1.18 million Australians.
Or, to be precise, 1,182,446 came forward to be vaccinated over the course of the last week.
To put it in context, in the week of 14 June, there was 720,000 Australians, and every week since then there have been significant numbers that have grown.
And, in particular, in the last week there was an increase of almost 100,000. I think, as Michael [Kidd] mentioned yesterday, 4.5 million people came forwards in July.
This takes us to almost 12.4 million vaccinations in Australia.
And, significantly, that includes now almost 4 million who are fully vaccinated, and 41% of the population who have had a first dose.
So, important developments. And perhaps just as significantly, for the over-50s, it’s now 65.6% of the population. For the over-60s, 72.7% of the population. For the over-70s, a very heartening 79.1%.
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One of the great things about the Ekka is once the admission was paid (and it didn’t use to be crazy) there was a lot of free things you could do:
As a small child rugged up in the stands at night, after a long day at the Ekka, watching the fireworks and the announcer asking what colour we wanted and getting everyone to shout 'blue'. (Years later I remember an obit for 'the announcer who yelled blue' in The Courier Mail) https://t.co/NWGx0erDh4
— Lenore Taylor (@lenoretaylor) August 2, 2021
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Peter Dutton will miss parliament after Covid contact
Peter Dutton has released this statement:
My sons attend a school subject to the current Queensland Health directive and as a household member I am subject to the 14 day direction. I will quarantine at home with my family.
I will therefore be unable to attend parliament, although will take part in leadership, NSC, ERC and cabinet meetings remotely.
I will still perform my duties as minister for defence, however the Hon Christian Porter MP will perform leader of the house duties whilst I am unable to attend.
Having had Covid and being fully vaccinated, I have also tested negative this morning.
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The Australian unemployed workers’ union has launched a campaign to fight the government’s proposed changes to mutual obligations:
The social security legislation amendment (streamlined participation requirements and other measures) bill 2021, due to be tabled when parliament resumes, has attracted the ire of welfare recipients and advocates alike.
The Australian Unemployed Workers’ Union is demanding the Labor party and crossbench commit to block the bill if the government attempts to push it through.
The bill would allow the government to rip hundreds of millions of dollars from unemployed workers, who are forced to survive on about half the Henderson Poverty Line.
The proposed legislation also introduces a dangerous increase in automated decision-making, and forces people into free labour programs like Work for the Dole sooner and more often.
“This bill takes financial support away with one hand and uses the other to beat us,” Australian Unemployed Workers’ Union spokesperson, Jeremy Heywood said.
The intensification of automated decision-making processes is the biggest concern for us. The government has designed a poverty machine that is only gaining strength with each change they make.
We saw these automated processes used to disastrous effect during the Robodebt scandal. We’ve seen, first-hand, how these tools work to destroy the lives of our members: we refuse to allow that to happen again.
There’s a clear consensus here: an overwhelming number of welfare recipients and their allies do not support these cruel changes to social security law. The rules need to be overhauled, but this bill only serves to make a bad system even worse.
The Labor party and the crossbench must do right by their constituents who are affected by this – some of the poorest people in their electorates – and join us in standing up to the government.
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Another show memory:
I loved the excitement of the Sydney royal easter show as a kid – the show bags were then relatively inexpensive and I remember getting phantom and green lantern comics and golden roughs, which would often melt by the time we got home to western Sydney. Gooey chocolate coconut fingers spoiling dinner.
If someone wants to send me some coconut roughs, I will not be cross.
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On the flipside, if you needed something else to debate about, who was Australia’s best prime minister? And who was the worst?
(Spoiler – best was John Curtin. Worst? It’s a pretty big field.)
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And in case you needed any other reason to be depressed, here is the latest housing data:
The 2013 Miss Showgirl Donna Baker finished her reign in 2014 with a proposal – and statewide coverage:
I thought it was unusual that my partner insisted that I be back to see our cattle being judged.
Little did I know that he had plans to take me up to Machinery Hill at the Ekka overlooking the centre ring, kneel down and propose ... It’s been an amazing 24 hours.
We met at my local show, the Monto show; it’s meant to be, the showgirl gets engaged at the show!
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There are no visitors or guests for the coming sitting week (which starts tomorrow). The parliament is back to the strict measures we saw last year.
The No Sitting sitting of Parliament-every lounge, seat, chair, bench or ledge in the general areas of Parliament House have been labeled "seat unavailable" for the upcoming sitting week which gets underway tomorrow @AmyRemeikis @murpharoo pic.twitter.com/y5r2lzIsDr
— Mikearoo (@mpbowers) August 2, 2021
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It’s in the Gazette so it’s official! Here are the 15 WA electorates for the next federal election:
- Brand
- Durack
- O’Connor
- Burt
- Forrest
- Pearce
- Canning
- Fremantle
- Perth
- Cowan
- Hasluck
- Swan
- Curtin
- Moore
- Tangney
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Given the ADF is back on the streets policing Covid lockdowns in parts of Sydney, this is also worth a read:
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The Ben Roberts-Smith defamation trial will not resume until 1 November, as Ben Doherty reports:
Ben Roberts-Smith’s already delayed defamation trial has been postponed further by Sydney’s escalating Covid-19 outbreak, with hearings adjourned until November.
The high-profile trial had been delayed for a year by the initial coronavirus pandemic outbreak, but Sydney’s current and worsening outbreak has forced another three-month hiatus.
In the Federal Court on Monday morning, Justice Anthony Besanko said he was unwilling to move the former SAS trooper’s defamation trial to another state. The Australian government solicitor’s office told the court it would take between two and three months to “replicate the current security and other arrangements in another state”.
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Some more Ekka/show memories from a reader:
Mine are pretty simple. Grabbing a Dagwood Dog near sideshow alley with the ever so faint waft of cow manure mixed with dry grass, the Japanese goldfish place, catching the chairlift because I was too lazy to walk from one side to the other, and the Zipper. Oh the Zipper, still my favourite ever ride.
I wish I was young again. Sigh.
(narrator: you can be as young as you want at a show)
For those wondering what the lockdowns mean for the AFL season, here is the AAP update (and don’t hate on people who are looking forward to the footy, no matter the code – it is a great distraction for a lot of people who really need one at the moment):
The AFL considered bringing forward its pre-finals bye as south-east Queensland’s snap lockdown threw the season into further chaos.
Three games scheduled for Brisbane and Gold Coast at the weekend forced the AFL to hastily relocate clubs to Victoria.
It was the latest major disruption during the Covid-19 pandemic for the AFL, with just three rounds before finals.
AFL boss Gillon McLachlan admitted it was an “incredible” few hours on Saturday as the Queensland government announced a lockdown at the same time Melbourne were in the air preparing to fly into the Gold Coast for their clash with the Suns at Metricon stadium.
The AFL is determined to resist the urge of using the week-long bye before the end of the season, even as the health situation across Australia deteriorates.
“I reckon there was points there when maybe we’d have to use it,” McLachlan said on Monday. “I think to the broader public it’s an illustration about why we think it’s important to have it in reserve.
“To the extent that we can preserve it, we will.
“[We want] to maximise our crowds and the integrity of the finals series and have the best grand final possible.”
As a result of last weekend’s drama, a flow-on effect will spark a fixture reshuffle for round 21.
Essendon, who lost to Sydney in a rescheduled match at the MCG on Sunday, have already had their one allotted five-day break this season, meaning their clash with the Western Bulldogs will be pushed back from the planned Friday night slot.
The Geelong-GWS match at GMHBA Stadium will be brought forward to Friday night. The AFL will confirm the changes on Monday.
The Brisbane Lions and the Demons face quarantine stints in Western Australia under state government rules ahead of their respective clashes with Fremantle and West Coast at Optus Stadium.
Hawthorn will host Collingwood in Launceston, and the Carlton-Gold Coast, Richmond-North Melbourne and St Kilda-Sydney clashes are all expected to be played in Melbourne.
There will be no crowds in Victoria again in round 21, but there is hope they will return in a limited capacity the following week.
The AFL and the Victorian government are determined to have a large enough crowd for the grand final at the MCG, despite expected interest from Perth and Adelaide to host it.
“If we weren’t able to have crowds, or execute on the [grand final] agreement, I know we’d be able to have a productive conversation with the state government, “ McLachlan said.
“But we’re three or four weeks away from the finals and I’m very optimistic about delivering on that contract at the MCG.”
Victorian sports minister Martin Pakula indicated it was “possible” crowds could be allowed after 10 August when the government is expected to ease some restrictions.
Updated
A reader has sent through some memories from a Danish show in a town called Hjallerup (5,000 residents).
It attracts about 300,000 people during the weekend. The people who live in the area support it by volunteering – and are paid back in the following ways:
The year 7 students go on a one-week trip free of cost )parents diesel with the trash at the site); the town has a modern cinema; the town has a big swimming hall.
Updated
Some more lovely Ekka/show memories:
Going in at night with some friends at 15, hearing Nirvana’s new single Lithium blaring - and for the first time - in the show bag pavilion and being lost for words at how good life is.
— Shane Reimer (@winkie_pop) August 2, 2021
Here was Scott Morrison on Brisbane radio 4BC on why the Delta outbreaks are different:
The difference is with the Delta variant is it just moves at a much more rapid pace. And whereas before our contact tracing – and Queensland has very good contact tracing and, and testing – but it just moves faster. And so to stop it getting ahead and staying ahead, that’s why those, those short and hopefully short and strong lockdowns are so necessary, as they proved it could be done in Victoria and South Australia. Sadly in New South Wales it’s going a lot tougher than that. But hopefully in south-east Queensland, that will, you know, there’ll be more of the Victoria and South Australian experience. But making those work is really important.
As a reminder, when handing down the budget, Treasury anticipated there would be regular lockdowns until next year.
Updated
National Covid update at 2.20pm
The national Covid update will be at 2.20 today:
Updated
Ekka/show memories. This excellent cake:
QCWA cake competition entry (2008) pic.twitter.com/BSaWTniUV4
— George Michaelson (@potrzebieggm) August 2, 2021
Updated
Scott Morrison was also asked about Labor dumping some of the policies it took to the last election:
Host: Just away from Covid for a sec. I see that Labor’s dumped its plans to pursue negative gearing and will now also support all of your tax cuts. Does that dent your ability to attack the opposition in the lead up to the next election, do you think?
Morrison:
They’ve got form. Remember the carbon tax that was never going to happen on their watch? Many of your listeners remember Paul Keating’s L-A-W tax cuts that they reversed when they came into government.
The Labor party will tell anyone anything they want to hear about tax before an election. But we all know what they do. We all know what happens. They say one thing before the election, do another thing after on tax. So, no, I think people know Labor’s DNA for high taxes.
Host: Well, the next election, I’d be interested in whether you think it’s going to be tough or not, because the polls seem to suggest that Anthony Albanese can get over the line.
Morrison:
Elections are always tough. I never approach an election in any other mode. I mean, I’ve noticed the commentary going back several years now. People have been offering all sorts of apparently wise commentary. But I always maintained a very humble spirit towards elections and to the support of the Australian people. You have to earn it every day and every election is tough. And so there’s a lot at stake when we get to that point in that next election, which ... is going to be next year. And it’s about the future of our economy. It’s about our national security as a country. I mean, in this country, we’ve also been able to outperform countries all around the world in terms of saving lives. Over 30,000.
People might have heard me use that figure. If we’d had the same fatality rate of countries just like us across Europe, the United States, the United Kingdom, there would be 30,000 and more people dead in Australia right now, and we avoided that and we prevented that together with the Australian people, and working together as a country, we prevented that. A million people got back into work after last year’s Covid-19 recession.
And our economy will bounce back from these lockdowns, too, because we’ve got the economic settings right and we’ve provided the right support that gets Australia through. So we’ve demonstrated both the ability to save lives, save livelihoods, continue to protect our national security and supporting, whether it’s our manufacturing industries or our resources sectors, our employment generating sectors across the country, while at the same time dealing with the big challenges in aged care and mental health.
I mean, the government continues to work across all of these fronts, and we will do so until the next election and, hopefully with the support of the Australian people, beyond.
Updated
And when he says 70%, does Scott Morrison – who has relied on the “one dose” data for a while when speaking in the media – mean one vaccine dose or two?
He means two:
Two doses, and the whole country has to get to an average of 70%. And then each and every state, when they move into phase B, is based on them achieving that. And I think it’s very important, you know, I look at these numbers very closely. You’d expect me to every day. [We] need to keep vaccination rates lifting right across all age groups.
Updated
Scott Morrison also spoke to Adelaide radio 5AA this morning, where he was asked about his “wish the targets were lower” lament in his opinion piece today.
Host: Now, I’ve seen that you’ve written an opinion piece in the Australian. In it, you say 70% is our next mark to get to phase B; 80%, phase C. Like you, I wish it were lower, but it’s not. So it’s what the detailed scientific analysis of the virus tells us. So do you think the 70 and 80 targets are too high?
Morrison:
They are what they need to be, and that’s what we have to achieve because of the Delta strain of this virus. The Delta strain has completely rewritten the rules on Covid. Whereas before you could use your testing and tracing and all of those things to stay, stay ahead of it, Delta moves too quickly now, so it completely changes everything.
So that’s why it is the right decision now in the Delta environment to move quickly and firmly, as the South Australian government recently did. And now you’re out of it, which is great. Now, when that happens, we need to provide that economic support. Now, over $20m was provided directly to South Australians over the course of that week, of that week of lockdown to over 36,000 people. And so that support is there. It’s now going to be made available in Queensland, as it has been in New South Wales and Victoria.
So we’ll work, as we have with the state governments, to make these lockdowns effective so we can get out of them as quickly as we can and stay ahead of this. But the way we move past that phase is to get to that 70% where it becomes far less likely to have to do that. And so we start saying goodbye to it at 70%. And at 80%, we go even further where they should be very rare, if at all.
Updated
Given the south-east Queensland lockdown means the Ekka is cancelled for the second year in a row, send me your favourite Ekka (or just shows in general) memories to amy.remeikis@theguardian.com and I’ll include some as a bit of a break from what we’re all going through at the moment.
I am severely lactose intolerant – but gladly go through digestive hell each year for one of the Ekka strawberry sundaes.
Updated
Our hardworking moderators are taking a break (they are pretty much unable to move during the busy times of the blog) so I’m sorry comments are off for the meantime, but it’s important people get breaks from screen time. We’ll try and get them back on for you later this afternoon (depending on resources) but you can still reach me in the other usual ways if you have something to say :)
In case you haven’t seen it yet, this is a pretty big business story.
Updated
OK, you now have the latest information on Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia, so given that marathon of press conferences, I recommend having a little treat as we slide into the afternoon.
Queensland parliamentarians from the locked down areas are still working out what it means for them sitting in parliament tomorrow (doubtful – anyone who has been in south-east Queensland since 21 July has been told to stay at home by the ACT government). And if you are an MP who has been in NSW or any other red zone, you would have needed to quarantine in Canberra for two weeks to be able to participate in person in this week’s sitting.
So the prime minister will be there, but a lot of others won’t be.
Updated
South Australia eases Covid restrictions
SA premier Steven Marshall has announced an easing of restrictions in the state:
We are still concerned - yes, it has been 14 days, but if we have missed any cases in SA, we would be picking them up around about now and so we really do need to just be a little bit careful for the next couple of days. So these changed restrictions will come into place at midnight on Wednesday night so as of Thursday, a different arrangement.
That is as follows: we move back to 50% capacity, so one per 2 square metres here in SA. We move back to one per 4 square metres in gyms in South Australia.
Sports can return for competition, although there will be some conditions with regards to the number of spectators that can go to all of the competitions.
We will continue with the current arrangements regarding masks.
We know that this particular Delta strain is airborne and the transmissibility is very often airborne and so we are at a heightened risk and so we will be keeping with masks as we have had them for the last week for the foreseeable future.
That is making sure that we are wearing them in all high-risk settings, personal care, public transport and also in indoor public spaces when we’re with people that we don’t know, or maybe even in an office situation where we might be at the water cooler, the photocopier or in the lunch room.
Updated
NSW summary
There was a lot in that (timeless tale) so let’s break it down:
NSW has recorded 207 new Covid cases. 72 were in the community for either part or all of their infectious period.
A man in his 90s, who had been diagnosed with Covid, died in Liverpool hospital. He is the 15th loss since this latest outbreak began.
The Australian defence force is on the streets patrolling south-west and western Sydney.
Vaccination is the focus of the NSW response.
There will be more options for 20- to 39-year-olds to be vaccinated.
There is no guarantee the lockdown will end on 29 August, with the next few weeks to be critical.
Gladys Berejiklian came up with the 2021 slogan “absolutely potentially” when asked if perks for vaccinated people will help encourage people to get vaccinated.
Updated
But it can still very difficult for people in the 20 to 39 age group to get the AstraZeneca vaccine, as has been pointed out.
I know a lot of you have been asking this question (I’m checking the comments when I can) so here is what Dr Kerry Chant has to say.
Q: The Pfizer redistribution from regional areas, why have the regional areas been chosen? Which ones have been chosen and will this delay the supply to Wollongong’s new vaccination hub?
Chant:
I think what is important is that the regions have been very much spared and that has been a deliberate effort by a large number of people.
At the moment, vaccinating populations in south-western Sydney and western Sydney and those young HSC students, they also are the workers.
They often have part-time jobs in supermarkets and other things. They are workers. They also bridge generations.
As the premier has indicated, that young age group through to our 40-year-olds are the ones that are predominantly transmitting this.
Therefore, I look at them as students but I also look at them as often working part-time jobs, often out and about doing other essential tasks and supporting their families. They are often the bridge between the older generation and the younger generation. I think that is a critical part given the way the disease has been spread amongst that group.
Updated
Q: How confident are you that contact tracers are getting to close contacts in a timely way? We have been told it is taking perhaps a week to get to close contacts from infectious cases – is that the case?
Dr Kerry Chant:
Certainly, it hasn’t been raised that there is a week delay. We are certainly contacting - our priority is to call cases that are positive, confirm that they are cases and then ask them for the details of their contacts.
We are also asking them to text out to their contacts and we provide sometimes a text message that they can provide, so we can rapidly get that testing cycle.
In some areas, we have set up rapid testing clinics which have a 20 minute turnaround in the test.
The idea is we are trying to push - condense the time it takes to get to the next round of contacts. Clearly our systems have been working under a lot of stress but we have been ensuring that those key public health actions and then we get to them later after those public health actions have been taken to do the full case interviews.
We have got the Australian defence force coming on as well – that commenced today to surge our staffing. It has been a busy time and I just want to appreciate the fact that the positive cases have been very forthcoming with their information and really quite helpful in us identifying those contacts.
Updated
“Absolutely potentially” is the laugh I needed today.
It’s been a long few weeks.
Updated
Then Gladys Berejiklian gives birth to the 2021 slogan in response to this question:
Q: Isn’t this the time to put this stuff on the table: these are the perks and benefits you will get in a life after being vaccinated?
Berejiklian:
Absolutely potentially.
But we also appreciate that we need to get in arms as quickly as possible before we can have those conversations. From the health advice provided and through our own experts in NSW and those through the national process, that you need a certain rate of vaccination before you can look at those things.
That is why I am saying let’s make August the month where we increase our vaccination rates. We have been having those conversations as a government about incentives and how to get people vaccinated and incentivise people to take care of themselves and their family and the broader community. That is on the table, I want to stress that.
I also want it stress that I bet you if you did a straw poll of people, households across Greater Sydney, the Central Coast, Wollongong, Shellharbour and regional NSW, people want to make sure our priorities are getting children back at school and having people work in their work places.
They are our priorities. All the other stuff is very important, we how tough it has been for industries that have been out of action and those incentives, the schemes are on the agenda. We have been talking about them for some time.
I don’t want to rule them out. I am - we are amenable to those things because we appreciate when people have a goal, when people have something to look forward to, they are more likely to do something, and that is human nature.
I want to stress those things are on the table but I don’t want that to take away from the fact that we understand what stress people are going through at the moment.
They want home-schooling to end and they want to be able to work.
Updated
What about the talk around not letting people into sporting events and the like unless they have been vaccinated?
Gladys Berejiklian has no time for that discussion right now:
I think our priority is getting people back to school and back to work. Can I make that very clear. There is merit in us considering how quickly we can get people back to school and work. They are the priorities of the government. The other things will come in good time but it is important that, if large groups of people in certain industries are coming forward and getting vaccinated, that will give us greater confidence in how we ease restrictions moving forward...
People are worried about getting to work and getting kids back to school. They are the priorities at the moment. Any incentives we can provide to encourage people to get vaccinated and stick to the health restrictions, that is our priority. Those other things are great and will come in good time but we have to appreciate that certainly everybody’s priority is getting kids back at school and getting workers back in their work place. They are our priorities. The other things can happen in good time...
I am not going to put a timeline on it.
Q: Would you support the idea?
Berejiklian:
I wish we had a crystal ball on those matters. I will say this: we can look at those opportunities in a little while. Let me stress, we can look at those opportunities in a little while and incentives are a good way to move forward. Today I want to talk about kids getting back to school and workers getting back to work. All those other things will come in good time.
Q: Will schools be back in NSW before the end of the year?
Berejiklian:
I can’t predict the future but I certainly am confident that schools will go back before then
Updated
Gladys Berejiklian on the 80% vaccination target:
Until that time we will live with some level of restriction and that is dependent on two things.
They will be dependent on how close to zero we get with the infectious in the community, lust the vaccination rate. They are what will drive the decision-making moving forward. We have always said lock down and restrictions are important to manage Covid but you can’t live with Covid, the Delta strain, you can’t live with the Delta strain or what is around the corner unless you have those high rates of vaccination.
That answer continues, and then we get to this – Gladys Berejiklian:
The best outcome for us by the end of August would see a reduction in case numbers and a high rate of vaccination, that is the best outcome we can hope to achieve.
I am keen for us to have the goals in sight. The goal is for us to live as safely and freely as possible. The higher the vaccination rate, the greater options we have to getting there.
Updated
Is Gladys Berejiklian looking at the daily numbers and thinking the lockdown has not been a success?
Berejiklian:
It is not a success when you have your community living in lock down.
That is - what future success will be is having our population live as safely and as freely. I don’t think anybody will suggest - least of all me - that living in a lock down is a good place to be, it is horrible.
We know we have no option at this stage. The Delta strain is proving, around the world, to be a lethal strain and as other States in Australia are finding, it is really difficult to control.
What the strongest message that Dr Chant, myself, Minister Hazzard and the whole team can send to community, is August is the month where we should all come and get vaccinated.
That protects us and our family but it also reduces how contagious people are. We have to focus on workers and people between the ages of 20-40 who are particularly mobile, including in the eight local government areas and we can also sense that what the world looks like on 29 August will be determined by what happens in the next four weeks. Part of that, a large part of that is up to us all.
NSW CHO Dr Kerry Chant is asked about Queensland CHO Dr Jeannette Young’s comments on AstraZeneca (Young says she didn’t want 18 year olds to get it, most recently today, but does want everyone over 60 to get it as soon as possible).
Chant takes a diplomatic response (as all the CHOs have done this pandemic).
My view is that we follow the Atagi advice and Atagi has looked at risk benefits. The advice is for people to have the discussion about the risks and benefits. Everyone has got their personal considerations. They live in different parts of the city.
Their risk is different and so for me, it is around informed consent. I would also be very concerned if people did not know what actions to take, so if anyone develops headache or abdominal pain following AstraZeneca, it is important that you seek urgent care. I’m very much committed to following the expert advice of Atagi.
Updated
Gladys Berejiklian on bigger vaccination targets:
I have been talking about the 10 million target and vaccine rates for months. We have had a sense of urgency for months because we have seen what has happened with the Delta strain overseas.
We have seen that you can’t live with Delta unless you have a healthy rate of vaccination in the community.
I have been speaking about this for months and months. I remember being criticised when, at the time when we put out the 10 million figure, we based that on the health advice and that has proven to be the case.
Once you hit 50 or 60 or 80% vaccination it brings with it certain conditions but that depends on where the case numbers are at at that time.
Updated
Gladys Berejiklian is asked about vaccination targets and lifting restrictions. She says:
That is why I have said once you get to 50% vaccination rates or 50%, you can look to provide easing of restrictions, but that depends on where the case numbers are at.
It is a combination of things. We need to look at where the case numbers are at.
We also need to look at the vaccination rates. Pleasingly, NSW has about 3.9 million jabs we have administered. We are getting close to the 4 million number.
Once we get to 9.2 million, that is 70%. It is really important for us to increase the vaccination rate.
We are doing half a million a week. Anything above that is a bonus. It means if more people come forward and get vaccinated, we get out of our existing situation sooner than we otherwise would. That is the really strong message I want to send to everybody.
It is a combination of reducing the case numbers we have but also increasing the vaccination rates. It doesn’t mean we will be as free as we would like at 80% or 70% but it means we can live life more freely and we should all aim towards that.
I want to send a strong message to community, we have been on this journey together but if we work hard, reduce the case numbers, appreciate why the health experts give us advice to do things a certain way, that means also, in combination with higher vaccine rates, that we can see life more clearly beyond August 29.
Updated
Nick Evershed has your data needs covered:
Today's NSW Covid case numbers - 207 new local cases, 126 cases not fully isolated or unknown throughout infectious period https://t.co/Gdhmuh7oBV pic.twitter.com/FnMBGS9qPB
— Nick Evershed (@NickEvershed) August 2, 2021
Q: There are more Pfizer doses coming from the Central Coast while the Central Coast is in lockdown? Is it just a coincidence that many of the seats on the Central Coast happen to be Labor seats?
Gladys Berejiklian:
That question offends me. We are doing what is in the best interest of public health. Can I stress how important it is for us to get year 12 students able to complete their HSC exams and make sure that they have those qualifications they have worked hard for.
We know that for 16-18-year-olds, Pfizer is the only option and we wanted to make sure that not only we’re giving them their opportunity to get their HSC and people understand that.
There are 8 million citizens in NSW and we are all making a sacrifice. If it means some people have to wait a few extra weeks before they get their Pfizer, I think people would appreciate...
They are decisions that our health department takes. How the vaccines are allocated is not a decision that someone like myself would take.
Updated
NSW records 15th Covid death
Dr Kerry Chant says a man in his 90s has died. He had been diagnosed with Covid and was in the Liverpool hospital.
He had received one dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine in April. He was linked to the outbreak in an aged care facility at Liverpool – sorry, the aged care ward at Liverpool hospital.
My condolences to his family and his friends. This highlights another point, that two doses of the vaccine are more effective.
Even one can provide protection, so there is an opportunity to bring forward your doses – your second doses of AstraZeneca – to afford that protection. Please, anyone who has had an AstraZeneca shot with a spacing of four weeks, come forward and get vaccinated.
Updated
NSW CHO Dr Kerry Chant is giving her update now.
She says there were 117,009 tests in the last 24 hours, which is incredible – well done NSW.
The chief health officer also gives an update on the nursing home outbreak:
There is an aged care outbreak in the Wyoming Nursing Home in Summer Hill and, sadly, there is 18 patients and two staff that have been impacted in that facility.
The positive patients have been removed from that facility and a number of, as a precaution, the remainder of residents of that facility are also being removed from hospital.
The outbreak is occurring on that top floor and that action has been taken as a precautionary approach. I can confirm that 83% of the patients were vaccinated and 75% of staff at the facility were vaccinated.
It is a salient lesson. I urge anyone in aged care to take up vaccination.
You will have other additional opportunities, as I understand the commonwealth is going back into those facilities and is also working with general practitioners to offer vaccines to those who may have missed out so please accept the vaccine.
It is critical and that is your household. I think you would think of your other residents and others in that household as part of that household group, so please take up the vaccination to protect you but also the other residents in those facilities as well as the staff.
Updated
There will be a push for 20- to 40-year-olds to get vaccinated. Gladys Berejiklian says:
Unlike the flu, with Covid it’s people in their 20s, 30s and 40s that are most mobile, that are between two generations or within three generations that are causing both getting the virus and spreading the virus.
It is really important for us to get people aged between that 20-40 age group vaccinated as well.
We are urging everybody to come forward, whether it’s through your GP, through a local pharmacist and through our NSW Health hubs and a number of new hubs are being established every day, including in community halls, in places of worship, places where people feel comfortable.
Updated
Gladys Berejiklian says August is the month to be vaccinated in NSW:
It will be a combination of seeing where the case numbers are in a month’s time as well as the rate of vaccination that determines what August 29 looks like.
I have been saying for some months that 80% of the adult population vaccinated would get us freedoms beyond no more lock downs and that is 10 million jabs.
When we get to five million jabs or 9.2 million jabs, which is the 70% number, we will be able to have a bit more freedom obviously than what we do today, moving forward. I can’t stress that enough.
It is really in our hands as to how we deal with the cases coming down as a community but also our rate of vaccinations. I can’t stress that enough.
One learning we have had in the last five weeks is that the vaccinations, both vaccines are working extremely effectively. We still don’t know of anybody in intensive care who has received both doses of the vaccine. That is a positive thing.
NSW press conference
Gladys Berejiklian is up – there have been 207 new cases of covid recorded. At least 50 were in the community during their infectious period
Eighty-nine cases were in isolation throughout their infectious period and 21 cases were in isolation for part of their infectious period. Fifty-one cases were infectious in the community, and the isolation status of 46 cases remains under investigation.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) August 2, 2021
The YouTube seven-day ban on Sky News Australia may be investigated by the media diversity inquiry.
Sky News was banned from uploading content to YouTube for seven days after violating its medical misinformation policies by posting numerous videos which denied the existence of Covid-19 or encouraged people to use hydroxychloroquine or ivermectin.
YouTube has not disclosed which Sky News program the videos were from but said there were “numerous” offending videos which have now been removed.
Greens senator Sara Hanson-Young will move for the incident to be examined by the committee and for the media regulator, the Australian Communications and Media Authority, to explain its lack of action against the spreading of misinformation.
Hanson-Young said:
The obvious question is if the spread of misinformation isn’t allowed on the internet why is it on television broadcasts?”
There are questions for both the government regulator and the companies involved, and the media inquiry should investigate.
Many people are asking why it takes a tech company to hold Murdoch’s News Corp’s dissemination of Covid misinformation and conspiracy-theories to account. Where is the public media regulator in all this?
Sky News launched a regional channel on free-to-air TV on Sunday which carries the same material as the subscription channel on Foxtel.
ACMA appears to be sitting on its hands while a tech giant upholds standards the government regulator doesn’t seem to have.
Updated
In the Senate’s environment and communications references committee, we are hearing powerful evidence from traditional owners in the Beetaloo Basin about the dangers of fracking on their land.
The Morrison government is encouraging gas exploration in the region as part of its “gas-led recovery”and has already paid $21m in grants to a subsidiary of Empire Energy, a Liberal-linked firm, to drill three wells in the region. A panel of traditional owners from Borroloola, on the Northern Territory’s McArthur River, said they had given no consent for fracking and were furious that taxpayer funds were going to aid big resources companies, rather than to communities still lacking basic health, education, and housing infrastructure.
Joni Wilson, a Yanyuwa and Garrwa woman, said fracking would destroy the water and land upon which traditional owners depended.
We have not given anybody permission for fracking. No one has come to us and asked us ‘hey here’s the paper, we want to do this on your land’. No-one has done this. And if they did do it to our grandparents or my great, great grandparents, they didn’t know what the bloody hell they were signing. They didn’t understand, if someone in plain english would say ‘hey here’s a piece of paper to frack to destroy your country’, I don’t think my grandparents would have done anything. So no, we didn’t get no permission or no information, none of that, we just read it on news from Facebook.
Asman Rory, a Gudanji Garawa man, said the consent process was broken. Traditional owners were not given proper information about the risks of fracking and were effectively blackmailed using the lure of royalty payments.
All they were talking about is royalty, royalty, royalty, they were tricking my people into coming to a meeting knowing they are going to get some better money and then presenting everyone with this exploration. Almost like blackmailing people to sign something just to get this bit of money, it’s been done wrongly for a very long time. I’m sick of seeing this stuff happen.
Updated
Eight Victorians with Covid have been hospitalised – three of those people are in intensive care.
Updated
There has been a slight loosening of restrictions in Victoria. Martin Foley:
The Chief Health Officer is also, as of 11:59pm tomorrow, just tweaking a couple of the settings and that is one change to the directions that will apply as of 11:59pm Tuesday.
There will no longer be limits to group bookings for hospitality venue, tours and gyms. However, the broader density limits that were announced last Tuesday will continue to apply.
The NSW update with Gladys Berejikian is coming up in about five or so minutes.
Victoria is also strengthening its ‘bubble zone’ exclusions for people living on the Victoria-NSW border.
Martin Foley:
I can advise that the Chief Health Officer has recommended strengthening the Victoria bubble border arrangements with New South Wales as of 11:59pm tomorrow, Tuesday, August 3. the changes, residents in the Victoria/New South Wales border bubble can only cross the border and enter Victoria without a permit for six very broad categories of activity.
Firstly - for necessary goods and services, including medical care and getting tested.
Secondly - care and compassion reasons.
Third - paid or voluntary work.
Fourth - education - including childcare.
Fifth - getting a COVID-19 vaccination.
Sixth - for sport and exercise.
We’ll provide more details of these arrangements through our media release and through the processes of engagement with those communities. These permitted reasons also apply to Victorian border bubble residents who plan to enter New South Wales.
Victoria update
Victorian health minister Martin Foley is giving Victoria’s update (there were just two cases in Victoria today, both of which were in quarantine as close contacts of known cases).
Anyone who has arrived in Victoria from south-east Queensland has been told to isolate and must undertake a Covid test.
Updated
Queensland summary
OK, there was a little bit in there, so for those who want just the main facts:
Queensland has recorded 13 new locally acquired cases in the past 24 hours (up from nine the day before).
Authorities expect numbers to increase in the coming days.
The lockdown in the 11 LGA areas (south-east Queensland) will continue until 4pm on Sunday.
Authorities are warning people to only leave their home for essential reasons (it is a harder lockdown than usual).
The spread to schools is a concern for CHO Dr Jeannette Young.
The missing link in contact tracing (where the virus started) is yet to be established.
The Ekka (Queensland’s beloved show) has been cancelled for the second year in a row.
A $260m business support package has been announced.
Young wants anyone over 60 to go get their AstraZeneca vaccine, but says she still doesn’t want 18 year olds to receive it.
Updated
The extension of Queensland’s southeast lockdown means it will become eligible for the federal assistance (if it goes for longer than Sunday – federal assistance kicks in from the second week)
Meanwhile, from AAP, the AstraZeneca boss is getting frustrated at the criticism of the AZ vaccine.
AstraZeneca is working on a booster shot for its coronavirus vaccine to combat mutations of the deadly disease.
The company’s Australian president, Liz Chatwin, said it was working on a variation that would be available this year if necessary.
She said two doses of the current AstraZeneca jab were 92% effective in preventing hospitalisations including against the Delta strain.
Chatwin told ABC radio on Monday:
None of the variants so far that have emerged have significantly undermined the efficacy of our vaccine.
Changing health advice and mixed political messages about an extremely rare blood clotting condition led to pockets of AstraZeneca hesitancy in Australia.
Chatwin said the company was proud of providing 1bn doses to 170 countries, while 22.5 million people in the UK had received the vaccine.
Naturally we’ve been surprised with the amount of debate about our vaccine and disappointed, you could say, there aren’t more people in Australia who have been vaccinated with it.
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (Atagi) strongly recommends everyone in Sydney get any jab available, including AstraZeneca.
Pfizer remains the preferred vaccine for under-60s, but any adult can seek an AstraZeneca jab from their doctor.
Scott Morrison said outbreaks changed the balance of risk between coronavirus and rare side effects.
The prime minister said AstraZeneca dosage rates were rapidly increasing in NSW among 16 to 39-year-olds.
He told 4BC radio:
Driving around in your car for a whole year is more risky than this vaccine.
The things that people do most days of their lives, whether at work or elsewhere, are more risky than this. It is a very low level risk but you do need informed consent if you’re under the age of 60.
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Queensland’s chief medical officer, Dr Jeannette Young, is again asked about the AstraZeneca vaccine and says:
I have been very, very clear, and I remain clear. What worries me is if you are 60 years of age or over, and you haven’t had an AstraZeneca vaccine, and I’ve always been crystal clear, they are the people most at risk. Yes, yes, yes I remain firm.
They need to – as per the Atagi advice and the TGA advice, and advice if you look around the world – they need to, if they think they have a particular risk, immediately go and talk to their own doctor.
I said I didn’t want 18-year-olds to have AstraZeneca. And I still don’t. Even now. Yes.
Asked again, Young says:
60 – please. I don’t know how I can be clearer than this. If you are 60 years of age or older, go and get your first dose of AstraZeneca if you haven’t had it already
If it has been six weeks after your first dose, get your second dose. That’s what I’m organising today. Anyone who had the first dose of AstraZeneca, if it is more than eight weeks since you have had that, go get your second dose.
The commonwealth, I rang them this morning. The commonwealth is standing up more pharmacies all through south-east Queensland to be able to administer AstraZeneca. I’m not sure if that will be in place today, but it will be in place in the coming days.
So you can go to a pharmacy for your second dose, or you can go to your GP, or one of the clinics that the commonwealth has in place.
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Here is the age breakdown of Queensland’s Covid cases announced today:
- 10 are in the 0-to-9 age group
- One is in 10-to-19
- One in 20-to-29
- Three in 30-to-39
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Dr Jeannette Young is asked about AstraZeneca and says:
That’s something that everyone should consider and, of course, should, as the advice from Atagi has said now, should go and talk that through with their doctor.
Anyone. And I am still concerned there are still people over the age of 60, 60 years or older, who haven’t had their vaccine.
So anyone who is 60 years of age or older, if you haven’t had your AstraZeneca vaccine – unless your GP says you’re one of that tiny, tiny group that shouldn’t get it, then please, go to your GP and get vaccinated.
Because we know that people over 60, and in Queensland, our seven deaths to date, have all been since the start of the pandemic, have all been in people well over the age of 60. So please, if you are 60 years of age or older, go immediately and get your first dose of AstraZeneca.
And if you’re due for your second dose and it’s been more than eight weeks since your first dose, go and get your second dose...
I think it’s important this people have that discussion with their GPs. That is the advice from Atagi [Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation]. If you are under 60, and you feel particularly concerned, go and talk to your GP about whether or not you should be having a dose of AstraZeneca.
So I will be going and seeing my GP to have my second dose earlier. I wasn’t due until August 31. I will be going and getting my second dose of AstraZeneca earlier.
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Dr Jeannette Young says authorities still haven’t found the missing link – but they no longer believe a medical student was one of the first cases:
I haven’t found the missing link. But I do have more genome sequence results. Another nine came through overnight.
And they’re all clustering with those initial two – so the gentleman who travelled from Indonesia and person who travelled from the UK. And the 17-year-old who was the first person in the household who we tested positive.
So now I am very confident that the medical student did not take the virus into that household with five people in it, where the 17-year-old was.
One of that household gave it to the medical student.
So I don’t know where the missing link is. All I know is that we had two people arrive from overseas into the Brisbane international airport on June 29, and subsequently those two people were found to have the Delta variant, with a particular whole genome sequence. And now this outbreak, 29 additional people later, are all clustering with those two.
But I don’t know how it’s got from those two original people to this household of five who are the first people that I’ve found in the cluster. I do have PCRs, so acute swab results from the family of that gentleman who was managed up in the Sunshine Coast, and went home to Buderim.
The initial serology suggest that he did not. So I don’t think that that is the avenue of spread. So I genuinely don’t know how it’s got from those two people who came in to Queensland on June 29, and now we’ve seen this outbreak.
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Queensland announces $260m business support package
There is a new business support package, state treasurer Cameron Dick says.
Today I’m announcing a $260m package to support Queensland businesses, particularly small and medium sized enterprises.
We’ll be opening an and 2021 covid Business Support Program. That will be $5,000 grants available to Queensland businesses - not just businesses in the locked down area. That will be available to all Queensland businesses.
And that recognises the impact that the Delta variant has had on those businesses because it’s stopped the visitors, it stopped the tourists coming from other parts of the country who are also in lockdown.
So those grants will be available to Queensland businesses. In the locked down area, in the 11 local government areas, we’ll also be ensuring those grants are available to large businesses who operate in the hospitality and tourism space. They will be supported through these grants as well.
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In the last 24 hours, police received 116 calls from the public in Queensland’s south-east “concerned” others were breaking the lockdown rules.
Twenty-nine infringement notices were issued to 18 people who were outside without a valid reason.
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“Just stay home,” Queensland chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young says.
To get through it by 4pm on Sunday, when this current lockdown will end, I need every single person in Queensland, no matter where you are, to immediately come forward and get tested if you have any symptoms.
And I need people in the 11 LGAs who are under this stay-at-home order to do just that. To stay at home. So we are mobilising support for people.
If you are in quarantine, it is vital - you absolutely adhere to that. Do not leave unless you need to get a test or it is an absolute dire emergency.
If it isn’t a dire emergency, and you have got an issue, please ring 134 COVID, and we’re increasing the numbers of staff who will be available to take your calls and we will help sort out whatever your issue is.
Don’t leave home. We know that the Delta virus, the variant of the virus is totally unforgiving. It really and truly spreads so rapidly. Today, one of those four new cases are in one family. So we’ve got to that family and immediately all people in that household are positive. So this is critical. If you’ve been asked to go into quarantine, that means you can’t go out and do something else before you go into quarantine.
Immediately go into quarantine. And then people who are at home, all of those 11 LGAs, please stay home unless you really and truly, really and truly can’t do your job from home, would you please stay at home. That is so important.
Stay at home, look after your kids, look after your family and don’t leave unless you need to buy true essentials.
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Steven Miles says it is likely there will be thousands of people put under harder quarantine rules as close contacts, given the spread of the virus.
This is the first time that we’ve seen an outbreak like this one spreading in schools amongst students, teachers and parents, and via extracurricular activities and public transport. It will likely see thousands of people subject to home-quarantine directions, and we thank those schools for working so closely with us.
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Steven Miles says the Ekka (Queensland’s show) will also be cancelled.
(The westerlies which accompany it will continue.)
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Steven Miles:
You’ll recall we went from one on the first day, then six and nine and now 13.
So it’s starting to become clear that the initial lockdown will be insufficient for the outbreak.
So we’re advising south-east Queenslanders in the 11 LGAs that the lockdown will be extended until 4pm on Sunday.
That will make it an eight-day lockdown.
And we desperately hope that that will be sufficient for our contact tracers to get into home quarantine – absolutely anyone who could have been exposed to the Delta strain.
But for it to work, for us to come out of this at the weekend, we need absolutely everyone in those LGAs to stay at home if they can. It is absolutely critical that people only leave their homes for the four reasons.
There’s too many cars on the road in Brisbane at the moment. Too many people out and about. And if absolutely have to leave your home, please make sure that you wear a mask. Just because you worked in previous lockdowns doesn’t mean that you should work through this lockdown.
Updated
Queensland to extend lockdown until Sunday
Deputy premier Steven Miles is giving Queensland’s update (Annastacia Palaszczuk is still in quarantine).
The state has recorded 13 new cases.
So the lockdown is being extended.
Updated
Because this is Australia in 2021, there is an anti-lockdown protest scheduled for Brisbane this morning.
And there are even more police.
Detectives and uniformed officers on every corner in the city. Massive blitz. Almost everyone being asked their reason for being out. This car has been intercepted, no masks, on their way to the protest. @9NewsQueensland pic.twitter.com/2G7jJSQ4Dz
— Jordan Fabris (@JordanFabris9) August 1, 2021
Calla Wahlquist has just let me know that the Victorian update will come at 10.15am, leaving the 11am slot clear for NSW.
Updated
I’m just finishing transcribing Scott Morrison’s earlier interview with Brisbane radio 4BC, where he also spoke about the vaccination target of 70% and then 80% of the population, as a way of ending lockdowns (as decided by the national cabinet last week).
But don’t expect any of this to be instant – there will be a lot more debate.
At 70% lockdowns will become “a lot more surgical at that point”, Morrison said.
We start saying goodbye to them at 70 % and they become pretty much a thing of the past when we hit 80 %.
Right now, just under 20% of people eligible for the vaccine have been fully vaccinated.
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Queensland’s deputy premier Steven Miles was on ABC radio this morning, continuing the line that Queensland authorities will “not be giving people a vaccine which is not recommended to them”.
The thing is, that is not the case. It is recommended people under 60 have Pfizer – and that they speak to a doctor for AstraZeneca. If you’re worried about the (very, very rare) clotting risk, there are symptoms to watch out for, and TTS is a treatable condition if you are one of the (very, very few) people who develops that immune response.
Lt General John Frewen was asked about AstraZeneca this morning:
It did suffer a reputational hit. I am encouraged with the take-up of AstraZeneca over recent weeks since the PM’s announcement on 28 June. We have had more than 80,000 young under 40 Australians turn up and get their first dose of AstraZeneca.
Over the weekend in Sydney, we have had orders for 30,000 additional AstraZeneca above allocations. That is since Friday afternoon. The message is out there that this is an effective and safe vaccine. It is important for people to make choice to get vaccinated now.
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And it is 11.20am for South Australia, where hopefully we’ll hear more about the plan to loosen restrictions further.
Updated
Queensland will hold its press conference at 10am
The snap three day lockdown in south-east Queensland is supposed to end at 11.59pm tomorrow, but that really doesn’t look like happening.
The Queensland numbers aren’t out as yet, but given there were nine cases in the community yesterday (the highest daily total in Queensland for a year) and authorities are still trying to trace the source of the outbreak, I would prepare for the lockdown to be extended.
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When you think ‘India’, obviously the first thing you think of, is Tony Abbott.
Well, you apparently do if you are the Morrison government.
As Daniel Hurst reports:
The Morrison government will spend about $19,000 to send former prime minister, Tony Abbott, on a five-day trade mission to India this month.
Guardian Australia can also reveal Abbott has signed a conflict of interest declaration, due to the former Liberal party leader’s ongoing role as a trade adviser to the British government.
The Australian trade minister, Dan Tehan, had earlier announced the government would “partly support” Abbott’s travel to India in early August “to progress our significant economic and trade relationship”. Abbott would not be paid for the work.
A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Dfat) confirmed further details about the trip, including that Abbott would travel to India for five days on commercial flights.
New Zealand vaccinates 15,500 people over three days
New Zealand had its first mass-vaccination event over the weekend, with more than 15,500 people getting a shot over three days.
Organisers told RNZ the event was a “huge success,” but they would examine whether there were ways the process could be improved before it was replicated.
Covid-19 response minister Chris Hipkins previously called the event a “prototype” for the country to test the mass-vaccination process and get it right. New Zealand’s next mass-vaccination event is due to take place in six weeks’ time.
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Victoria records two local Covid cases – both local cases were linked and were in isolation
The Victorian numbers are in:
Reported yesterday: 2 new local cases and 0 new cases acquired overseas.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) August 1, 2021
- 15,030 vaccine doses were administered
- 21,417 test results were received
More later: https://t.co/lIUrl1hf3W#COVID19Vic #COVID19VicData [1/2] pic.twitter.com/t847VsNUkC
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And on businesses which may start to apply rules for vaccinated people, Scott Morrison says:
Well, I’ve heard some commentary on that I know the DPM has had a bit to say about that but, ultimately, now that goes to the, the legal situation and businesses should be careful about that, and make sure they talk to their business associations and groups, to make sure that they are not falling foul of any discrimination laws or anything like that, but these things are important.
We’ve been making our own Australian way through this as I’ve talked about before and they’re important conversations about people’s freedoms and what they can do, but we also have to be careful about not causing harm to each other, by getting vaccinated.
The virus doesn’t care what your political views are, Scott Morrison says.
It just cares whether you are vaccinated.”
(The virus doesn’t care about anything, including whether you are vaccinated, as it is a virus and doesn’t actually have emotions. It’s a pathogen. You are less likely to get seriously ill, die or pass it on to others if you have the vaccination. There is no chance you can hurt its feelings.)
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On whether people who are vaccinated will have exemptions (phase B) Scott Morrison says that will be largely up to the states, because the states are in charge of public health decisions:
The federal government can’t legislate that we don’t have the power to do that, public health as we said so many times now, the states decide that so if venues and things like this want to do this (exempt vaccinated people), my advice is, then they will need the backing of state public health orders to achieve that, to make those sorts of things mandatory, that’s my advice and they’re issues that venues and other things we’ll have to work through with state governments.
So, ultimately that’ll be a decision for them but when it comes to those arrangements, I think they’ll be, keen interest in it, because when we get to phase B, we are looking to provide exemptions for vaccination persons.
It’s simple. If you’re vaccinated, you’re less likely to get it, you’re less likely to transmit it, you’re less likely to get a serious disease, and you’re less likely to die. So you are less of a public health risk if you’re vaccinated.
And otherwise, we want to protect the health of people in whatever state around the country, then, if you’re vaccinated that is a way of protecting people so if you’re not vaccinated you’re a greater risk and as a result, you’re not having the vaccination, clearly state governments are going to have to take decisions to protect people in those circumstances, because basically they’re unprotected.
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On the vaccination program, Scott Morrison says;
We had those early problems, we’ve got on top of that we turned that around, and we’re around to the end of the year to get this done.
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Scott Morrison is speaking to Brisbane radio 4BC – he’s using his patient but overworked teacher voice to explain when those in lockdown in Queensland could expect federal assistance to kick in (it won’t be until Queensland has been in lockdown for a week, as has been established).
Updated
While we are talking ‘gold medals’ when it comes to vaccination (a frankly insulting analogy but here we are) it seems we are to see another ‘shift’ in the vaccination strategy.
After crying out to be eligible for most of the vaccination program, conflicting public messaging on AstraZeneca, and largely showing willingness, it now seems that yes, under 40s will now be a focus of the vaccination program.
Vaccine Taskforce Commander General Frewen says the govt is looking to 'shift our strategy' to vaccinate 'key transmissibility groups' - eg. younger people.
— Trudy McIntosh (@TrudyMcIntosh) August 1, 2021
Cricket legend Shane Warne tests positive for Covid
Shane Warne has tested positive for Covid – he is in the UK and is in self-isolation.
Updated
In case you haven’t seen it yet, Scott Morrison has an opinion piece in the Daily Telegraph, which is behind a paywall, (the Oz has it too) talking up his new favourite line – vaccination is the gold medal we should all be aspiring too.
Australia would win a gold medal if working together was an Olympic event, so let’s all pull through the pandemic, writes Scott Morrison.”
Yup.
Updated
Good morning
Happy Monday and welcome to August, even if it does feel like we never left 2020.
Parliament starts its spring sessions tomorrow, but there’s a bit of drama over what to do with the south-east Queensland MPs, who have been expecting to join the sitting, but who are now in the hardest lockdown Queensland has seen all year. Queensland recorded nine locally acquired Covid cases on Sunday, which is its highest daily total this year, as it works to contain an outbreak of the Delta variant. All indications so far are the lockdown won’t be lifted at midnight on Tuesday as planned, and will be extended.
We’ll be keeping an eye on that and of course on Sydney, where vaccinations have become the main focus.
Twelve residents at the Wyoming nursing home in Summer Hill (also known as Hardi Summer Hill) have been admitted to hospital after a worker there was found to have picked up the coronavirus in the community. That worker was asymptomatic and had received their first vaccination. The 12 residents who have tested positive for Covid have been taken to hospital as a precaution. About 80% of the centre’s residents have been fully vaccinated.
Still in Sydney, about 300 Australian defence force personnel will join NSW police in patrolling areas of south-west and western Sydney as part of a Covid compliance push in eight Sydney local government areas.
They’ll be door-knocking those under isolation orders and checking the stay at home orders aren’t being breached.
We’ll bring you all of the Covid situation in Australia, plus some politics as we prepare for the coming sitting. You have Amy Remeikis with you for the day.
Ready? Let’s get into it.
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