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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Mostafa Rachwani and Matilda Boseley

Victoria police disperse Melbourne protesters; NSW records 1,035 cases, five deaths as lockdown orders lifted for five LGAs – As it happened

What we learned today, Wednesday 22 September

And breathe. Another hectic day today, but we’ll leave it there for tonight. Here’s what we learned today:

  • A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck Melbourne today, causing structural damage to buildings, but no one was injured. A series of aftershocks were felt throughout the city in the morning.
  • Around 300 protesters descended on the Shrine of Remembrance, also in Melbourne, with police arresting around 200 and moving others on in the afternoon.
  • New South Wales recorded 1,035 Covid-19 cases and five deaths today.
  • The NSW government also announced it will begin trialling its vaccine passport system in regional areas in early October.
  • A Sydney woman charged for breaching Covid-19 orders in Byron Bay area, causing the region to go into lockdown.
  • NSW Health confirmed that stay-at-home orders for Lismore, Albury, Gilgandra, Brewarrina and Narromine LGAs will be lifted from midnight tonight.
  • Victoria’s government will also introduce a vaccine mandate for all teachers in the state’s primary and high school system and staff at early childhood learning settings.
  • The Victorian government is set to deliver air purification devices to every state and low-fee Catholic school in the state.
  • The regional Victorian city of Ballarat is set to come out of lockdown tonight.
  • Western Australia and South Australia are on alert after a truck driver that passed through both states from NSW tested positive to Covid-19 upon his return.
  • Queensland recorded one new Covid-19 case, in home quarantine.
  • The Australia Capital Territory has recorded 17 new local Covid-19 cases, only one was in quarantine for their entire infectious period.
  • New Zealand has reported 23 new cases of coronavirus in the community, with all but one linked to existing cases in the current outbreak.

Updated

Police arrest more than 200 in Melbourne, say 300 people at Shrine of Remembrance

Victoria police say they arrested more than 200 people today.

The deputy commissioner Ross Guenther says approximately 300 people attended today’s protest at the Shrine of Remembrance, but it was difficult to pin down a specific number:

We estimated that there were probably around 300. There could have been more there. It is very difficult because they were both on the east and western sides of the shrine and moving around, so out of that, I would say at least probably 20-30% of those who have received infringement notices. It could be higher, but this event only finished an hour ago, so we are yet to assess that. I know even as I came in here this evening, we have units patrolling around the city that are still picking up people for breaching the directions.

Police surround protesters at Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance
Police surround protesters at Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance. Photograph: Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images

Updated

Guenther says one of the strategies used by police today was attempting to keep disparate groups from meeting up. But a journalist asks if the gathering at the Shrine of Remembrance was evidence police failed to control them.

Here’s what the deputy commissioner had to say:

I think one of the challenges you could recognise is that these people become very connected through their mobile devices, so instead of coming from any single direction they tend to come from multiple directions, so when we are trying to manage our deployments around the multiple directions we are actually quite challenged.

So towards the end, I assume there would have been a Command decision to allow that to occur rather than the groups to march into the city and have the same situation we had yesterday, because you could reasonably argue ... it was was a very effective way of managing the resolution of the event at the end of the day.

Updated

Victoria police are providing an update on the Melbourne protests tonight.

The deputy commissioner Ross Guenther says police have asked for a no-fly zone because protesters are reportedly using the live footage from media to organise themselves.

Guenther says the tactic is putting officers in danger and has to be curtailed:

Earlier on today I did support an exclusion zone for aircraft over the three nautical mile limit from the centre of the CBD. I supported that because what was happening was that the live news footage from the helicopters was being used by the protesters to identify where we were and what our tactics were at different locations.

It was actually impairing the safety of our members, so I completely supported the application to Casa, where we sought that restriction to come into place.

Having said that, we reviewed that later this afternoon, recognising that it is important for the media to get their pictures in these situations, and we now have made that appropriate decision, so news helicopters will be able to film activities, but they won’t be able to downstream it within an hour of the event so that the people involved in our deployment are protected.

Updated

The Liberal senator Amanda Stoker was on the ABC this afternoon, saying that anti-vaccination sentiments were “ill-informed” but that some people needed to be persuaded.

She said that these sentiments needed to be acknowledged, and that forcing people to take the vaccine against their will was a “mistake”:

I think there is a lot of concern in pockets of our community about forced vaccination. And I think it is, look, I think it is ill-informed, but we do have to acknowledge it is there and we need to do what is necessary to help those in that situation feel assured enough to do what we know is the right to do for the public health response.

Simply forcing a person against their will, without bothering to take them on a journey, I think is a mistake.

And there’s some roads I don’t think we should go down and being too draconian about these things, I think, would be unduly encroaching on the rights of the individual.

Updated

Covid-positive truck driver passed through South Australia

SA Health’s chief public health officer, Prof Nicola Spurrier, has told a press conference that the truck driver from NSW who was in Western Australia for two days, then tested positive to Covid, has also passed through South Australia.

Spurrier says the driver stopped at a “number of locations” in SA, and felt some symptoms prior to testing positive.

Spurrier says she’s “very concerned” about the movements of the driver, saying officials believe he was infectious for three days prior to testing positive.

Updated

Just hearing now that South Australia will be providing a Covid update at 4.50pm CST.

Updated

Stay at home orders also lifted for Gilgandra, Brewarrina and Narromine LGAs

More good new this afternoon, as NSW Health announces that stay at home orders are being lifted for the Gilgandra, Brewarrina and Narromine LGAs.

Gilgandra and Brewarrina will emerge from lockdown from midnight tonight, and the Narromine LGA from Saturday, provided Narromine has no cases or sewage detections before then.

NSW Health says restrictions will continue to apply in those LGAs, but the stay at home orders are being lifted because the LGAs are deemed low-risk and have not recorded a case in 14 days.

Updated

When the earthquake struck at 9.15am this morning, 11 miners were 500 metres underground at the A1 gold mine at Woods Point in central Victoria.

Woods Point is just 30km from the epicentre of the 5.9 magnitude earthquake.

Jonathan Downes, the director of Kaiser Reef, which owns and operates the mine, says the miners got “a bit of a fright”.

“I am pleased to report that there were no injuries at all and their journey to the surface found no damage on the way,” Downes said. “It looks like all the supports we put in place have done their job admirably.”

The mine was shut down for the rest of the day, and will remain shut until it is assessed by a team of engineers tomorrow.

Updated

After a three-hour stand-off, police have begun moving in on the remaining protesters at the Shrine of Remembrance south of the Melbourne CBD.

There were sounds of projectiles being fired off, as police moved in and began arresting people.

Police gave protesters several warnings over the course of the afternoon to leave via St Kilda Road, but those warnings were mostly ignored, with protesters arguing they should be allowed to leave through the middle of the park around the shrine.

Updated

I’m seeing reports on Twitter that police have begun moving on protesters at the Shrine, seemingly arresting people one by one.

Stay at home orders lifted for Albury and Lismore

NSW Health has confirmed that stay-at-home orders for Lismore and Albury LGAs will be lifted from midnight tonight.

The LGAs will continue to have some restrictions, but NSW Health thanked the communities there for coming forward for testing in large numbers.

Updated

We are hearing reports that NSW Health has announced stay-at-home orders in Lismore could be lifted tonight. We’ll be sure to bring you more as it comes to light.

Updated

Dawson is discussing the AFL grand final, which is due to be held this weekend.

He says there are no changes planned, but urged people to arrive at the stadium early and for people to follow the rules.

When you are attending there, if you’ve got a ticket that is good, but what we do want you to do from a public safety point of view is take the time to go there early and expect that there may be some delays.

Obviously it is a full house. What we don’t want people in a crowd crushed going in at the last minute. So enjoy the events that are taking place both outside the stadium and obviously the main event inside.

What we don’t want from a public safety perspective is people all rushing in at the same time, so let’s use your common sense.

Updated

Truck driver tests positive in WA

Western Australia’s health minister Roger Cook has announced NSW Health is reporting a truck driver from NSW who was in WA on 16 and 17 September has tested positive to Covid.

Cook says authorities are investigating the case, with two drivers leaving NSW on 13 September, staying in WA for around two days, sleeping in the truck and wearing masks at all times.

WA Commissioner of Police, Chris Dawson, has just confirmed that there will be no changes to restrictions yet.

Updated

We are on standby for a Covid update from Western Australia.

RSL Victoria has slammed the protest at the Shrine of Remembrance, saying the site is “sacred, not a space of protest”.

Under no circumstances, ever, should the Shrine be a place of protest.

If any individuals or groups choose to express their political views, positions or ideological theories in the grounds of the Shrine at any time, they are completely disrespecting the sanctity of this time-honoured space.

Updated

So, one point made earlier at the emergency services presser was that Geoscience Australia have revised the magnitude of the earthquake down from 6.0 to 5.9.

Updated

A no-fly zone has been declared over Melbourne, with the assistant commissioner of police in Victoria requesting it in the past hour.

Nothing can fly within three nautical miles of Melbourne, which is why there is no aerial footage coming in.

It’s not clear why the no-fly zone has been introduced, but footage now appears to show the protesters cornered at the Shrine of Remembrance.

Updated

Unions have denounced the violent protests in Melbourne, but what do employer bodies say?

AIGroup’s Victorian director, Tim Piper, told Guardian Australia the protests are “something that the industry abhors”.

“And, obviously, which just sends the absolute wrong message about the construction industry to the general community.”

“We obviously do not condone violence, and those who are participating in it. A participant here should recognise the long-term implications for their jobs and for the industry in doing what they do in their behaviour.”

He said there were “certainly construction workers involved” in the protests.

“And at the same time, there were certainly antagonists there who, construction people have told me, were wearing clean hi-vis vests.”

AIGroup didn’t mention the violence of the protests in a press release sent out on Tuesday deploring the shutdown of the construction industry, but Piper said it was sent at about 2pm, before the worst clashes with police took place.

“I really wasn’t aware of how violent things were until really the six o’clock news,” he said.

Master Builders Australia has also not issued a stand-alone press release on the stoushes but its Victorian head, Rebecca Casson, was on radio early yesterday condemning protesters as rioters who “do not represent our industry and nor do they speak for our work force”.

Updated

Wiebusch has said authorities are checking the buildings near the epicentre for any structural damage, and said it was important people remember how to react to an earthquake:

I reinforce for members of the community when you start to experience an earthquake, if you are outdoors stay away from buildings, trees, and any other large objects, people have experienced damage to their property, we ask you to contact an authorised technician to check the utilities and make sure their property is safe.

And parts of the state that has been some precautionary closures that have occurred, Buchan Caves in Gippsland are currently closed, while some of these aftershocks continue to occur, purely precautionary at this time.

Updated

Wiebusch has given an update from the SES persepctive, saying there have been no injuries reported so far, but that the quake did affect the structural integrity of some buildings:

What we have seen as a result of the 5.9 earthquake that affected Victoria today is a range of minor structural damage, we have had just over 100 requests for assistance, 55 in the metropolitan area, largely related to minor structural damage to chimneys and facades on buildings, is no doubt Victorians will have seen, Chapel Street, we saw a wall collapsed there, and we saw a facade collapse in Brunswick Road in Fitzroy which are probably the two more significant, there have been a range of chimneys and other minor structural damage across the state.

Updated

Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp and Victoria SES chief officer Tim Wiebusch have been providing an update on the response to the earthquake in Melbourne, saying the epicentre was between Mansfield and Rawson.

Crisp said the key impact centres were around the north-east part of Victoria, and that further aftershocks were expected:

Geosciences Australia report there will be aftershocks we have had some of those and we will see those likely four weeks even months, they say it’s unlikely we will see aftershocks that will equal or exceed what we saw at 915 this morning, however, there is a chance of significant aftershocks to impact Victoria.

We put out a warning this morning across the whole of the state, to let people know this is actually happening, there is the potential for aftershocks and what people should be doing.

Long-time One Nation administrator and former senate candidate Steven Burgess has quit the South Australian branch, saying “there is no room for anyone else” because Pauline Hanson’s former advisor Jennifer Game will get “every winnable spot”.

Game says it isn’t up to her where she goes on the ticket.

“I can put my hat in the ring but the federal party decides,” she says.

There appears to be an escalation in the confrontation between protesters and police in Melbourne, with reports saying police are now advancing on those gathered at the Shrine of Remembrance.

After initial confusion, where reporters there said protesters assumed police were taking a knee at the Shrine and attempted to join in, but it appears police were just adjusting their gear.

Updated

The protest in Melbourne has now migrated down south of the Yarra heading towards the Shrine of Remembrance from St Kilda Road.

The hundreds of protesters gathered have lined the steps of the shrine. People on megaphones are telling those gathered to remain calm and respectful.

Police are converging on the site, but were not there waiting, unlike earlier in the day where the police had covered the CBD.

There is noticeably less hi-vis among those gathered than on Tuesday, but there are still a few people in hi-vis.

Updated

The federal trade and tourism minister, Dan Tehan, says the scenes in Melbourne are “disturbing” and the violence must be condemned.

But he has stopped shortly of specifying whom he believes is responsible for the violence.

Addressing the National Press Club over Zoom, Tehan said when asked about the protests:

“Well, they are very disturbing and I think violence has no part in Australia at any time. Now I don’t want to get into any sort of blame game - we’re in a Covid-19 pandemic. I think what all of us have to do is condemn what has taken place, to make sure that we do everything we can to stop the violence. This is not vision that we want to be sending out to the rest of the world.”

Tehan said all levels of government needed to work together cooperatively “to get ourselves out of this pandemic”. He said the opening-up plan was driven by increasing vaccination rates.

Updated

The trade and tourism minister, Dan Tehan, mentioned in his National Press Club address: “It’s another reason why everyone should get vaccinated and we have to stick to the national plan that will see our international border open up – at this rate by Christmas at the latest.”

During the question session, Tehan was asked whether Australians would be able to travel to any country in the world, or only green zone countries.

He replied that an 80% double vaccination rate nationally and in individual states “means that outbound travel will will resume, so people will be able to freely travel outside of Australia, with no restrictions or no limitation to that”.

(Just a reminder that the national plan agreed with states and territories says phase C - triggered by 80% of over-16s being vaccinated - involves lifting all restrictions on outbound travel for vaccinated Australians and abolishing caps on returning vaccinated Australians.)

Tehan said outbound travel would open up but “it will be dependent on the requirements that are put in place of the countries that they are travelling with”. He said Australia was also looking to progress travel bubble arrangements.

Tehan pointed to home quarantine trials, suggesting that would be a way forward for fully vaccinated returning Australians.

So earlier today NSW Minister for Customer Service Victor Dominello, announced that a “vaccine passport” trial will be running in regional NSW, as the state gears up to open up at 70%.

The trial will run for two weeks from 6 October and would allow people to display their vaccination status via the Service NSW app, the same used for check-ins.

But Dominello also said that the technology would not be ready by the time the state hits 70%, even though he was “moving heaven and earth” to get the system up and running as soon as possible.

Overwhelmingly businesses want this [vaccine passport] in the Service NSW app because it makes it simple for them.

It’s going to be a closed pilot for between 100 and 500 people.

Dominello also said he was across “disturbing” reports people were using fake check-ins to avoid having to isolate in the event of a positive case.

This is a serious criminal offence because you’re putting not just your life in danger but other lives at risk.

If you get caught, I would expect some serious jail time there.

Updated

Earthquake content will likely get old soon, but not yet:

A Coles supermarket in Melbourne’s south has been evacuated and closed after a partial collapse of the building’s facade earlier today.

The Prahran Coles is around 600m from the Betty’s Burger location that also partially collapsed earlier today.

A spokesperson for the supermarket told the SMH no one was hurt and that the store was awaiting emergency services and structural engineers to assess the damage before reopening.

Updated

The trade minister, Dan Tehan, will head overseas from next week for talks with counterparts in Indonesia, India, United Arab Emirates, Europe and the United Kingdom.

Tehan is now addressing the National Press Club (by Zoom, from his electorate office in Victoria). He has raised hopes about Australia’s international border opening by Christmas.

In normal times the trade minister leaving the country would be as newsworthy as dog bites man. However, these are not normal times.

This will be my third international trip in 2021 – and I will have spent more days riding my exercise bike alone in quarantine than a Tour de France cyclist spends in the saddle.

And while you cannot put a price on the value of looking someone in the eye when you are discussing trade deals and opportunities, I do empathise with the Australians who have been denied the opportunity to travel overseas this year. It’s another reason why everyone should get vaccinated and we have to stick to the national plan that will see our international border open up – at this rate by Christmas at the latest.

Tehan will attempt to repair the relationship with Europe, after the backlash over the submarine deal. For more details, see this preview by Amy Remeikis earlier today:

Updated

Michele O’Niel, the president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, is on ABC News right now, discussing the protests in Melbourne, and has reiterated what many union officials have been saying: that the protests weren’t largely made up of union members.

She says there are still a “small group” of union members who are actually anti-vaccination, but that it is a “shrinking number of people”:

Like every other part of society, there is a small group of people, union members, as in the rest of society, who are strongly anti- vaccination but there is also many that I still unsure. This is a shrinking number of people, I am pleased to say.

Updated

Good afternoon, Mostafa Rachwani with you today and taking the blog into the evening. A quick thanks to Matilda Boseley for her expert guidance through quite a bit this morning.

With that, I shall hand you over to the amazing Mostafa Rachwani to take you through the afternoon of news.

See you tomorrow!

The Victorian deputy premier has condemned this week’s protesters as violent “thugs”.

But make no mistake, this is thuggery, this is criminal behaviour and will be responded accordingly via Victoria police, who are doing an exceptional job and I think on behalf of all Victorians, our thanks and gratitude to our Victoria police members who put themselves at risk to really address this thuggery and criminal behaviour.

What we have seen over the last two or three days is thuggery from hundreds of people.

Updated

Professionals Australia, the union that represents white-collar workers including engineers and scientists, has condemned violent protests in Victoria that have taken over the past two days and included an attack on the offices of the CFMEU.

In a statement, PA said the protests were “orchestrated by violent rightwing extremists and anti-vaccination activists”.

It comes after other unions and peak body the ACTU condemned the protests.
PA said attacks on emergency services workers were “completely unacceptable” and “particularly offensive to front line healthcare workers including our pharmacists, who for over 18 months now, have undertaken great risks to their own health and well-being to provide our community with the important medical services and supplies they require”.

PA said it supported vaccination in order to reopen “in a manner that does not put thousands of lives, particularly those of our most vulnerable, at risk”.

We condemn those who deliberately spread misinformation against the vaccination program and encourage the community to refer to authoritative public health advice based on expert science and medical research.

We stand with other unions in condemning these unacceptable acts of disruption and violence which, undertaken in the midst of a pandemic, put the entire community’s health at risk.

Updated

More arrests at the protests:

Merlino:

I don’t have a percentage of those who don’t want the vaccine. Like all walks of life, there will be a small percentage of people unwilling to get vaccinated but there are very clear public health reasons, hence, why the CHO has issued this direction under the public health and well-being act.

Children under 12 cannot get vaccinated. Children between 12 and 15 have only been able to get vaccinated from September 13. There are very clear public health reasons why it is a requirement for all staff to get vaccinated. It is the thing that will, that will most protect staff, students and their families.

Merlino says 75% of school staff are already fully vaccinated.

We have the capacity now in the system that if people want to make a booking they can make a booking and we have plenty of capacity in terms of the vaccine. So, my call is to all teachers, all staff attending either a school or early childhood setting, make a booking and get vaccinated.

We have also had a survey conducted and around 33,000 staff have responded and 75% of those who responded are already fully vaccinated.

Updated

Merlino:

This protects staff, it protects students and protects children and families. When you think about the reasons why the CHO has made the recommendation and issued this direction, we only recently expanded vaccination for children 12-15. Children under 12 do not have access to a vaccine.

So we have to protect our kids, both from contracting the virus and also transmitting the virus when they go home to their families. The best way to do that is to ensure that people who work with our children in early childhood and care settings, in schools, that they are all required to be vaccinated.

So this is a significant announcement we are making today.

Mandatory vaccinations for all Victorian school teachers and child care workers

Victoria’s deputy premier, James Merlino, has confirmed that a vaccine mandate will be brought in for all teachers in the state’s primary and high school system and staff at early childhood learning settings, with the deadline for the first does set for just over three weeks times on 18 October.

The chief health officer has advised that vaccination will be a requirement of work. This is a direction under the public health and well-being acts and a CHO direction and a requirement of all staff at all schools, government, Catholic and independent, and all early childhood care settings and vaccination will be a requirement of work, via a CHO direction under a public health and well-being acts.

We all know that vaccination is the pathway through the pandemic. The requirement will be first dose by October 18 and the second dose, fully vaccinated by November 29.

Updated

Rapid antigen testing will also likely become a feature of schooling in term 4.

Merlino:

While home antigen testing is not yet approved by the Therapeutic Goods Association. In anticipation, we will be conducting a trial with both schoolchildren and their families to explore the feasibility of home antigen testing arrangements once we get that approval, that expected approval from the TGA.

Updated

Merlino says another $60m will go towards shade clothe grants to help schools create more outdoor learning spaces.

Merlino:

There is a further $60m out of that $190m and this again will go to all government schools and all low fee Catholic and independent schools, all of those schools, will be entitled for a grant of up to $25,000 to purchase Shade sails.

This is about creating more outdoor learning spaces and complements the existing Department of Health shade sails program.

Updated

VIC to deliver air purification devices to every state and low fee Catholic school in the state

Victoria’s deputy premier, James Merlino, is now discussing the second stage of the state’s back to school plan for term four.

This time it’s all about airflow!

Today we are announcing an unprecedented package to keep teachers, staff, students and their families safe when they do return. We do not want to return to school and have thousands of children positive with Covid, getting sick and hundreds in hospital, or worse, that is every parent’s worst nightmare.

Today I am announcing a $190m package of initiatives to ensure that when schools open, they stay open. In an Australian first, we will have the biggest ever investment in ventilation in schools.

We have signed a contract with Samsung and out of that $190m, $125m will deliver 50,000 air purification devices to every single government school and all low fee Catholic and independent schools in Victoria.

This is not an announcement of something we intend to do. We’re not talking a process today, or something we hope to achieve. This is a contract to deliver and the first load arrives via air next week.

Updated

Melbourne protesters are now on Flinder St in the Melbourne CBD.

Point Lonsdale will also relax restrictions.

Merlino:

In addition, the chief health officer has advised that at 11.59pm tonight, those areas of Point Lonsdale located in the city of Greater Geelong will be able to follow the same rules that apply to the Queenscliff area.

Updated

Ballarat to end its seven-day lockdown tonight

The regional Victorian city of Ballarat will come out of lockdown tonight say the deputy premier.

Merlino:

In terms of Ballarat, I am pleased to announce that the city of Ballarat will end its seven-day lockdown at night tonight. The public health team feel they have deep outbreak contained and thanks to the extraordinary efforts of the residency came out in droves to get tested and followed lockdown rules. My thanks to the entire community of Ballarat.

The five reasons to leave home will no longer apply and the setting in Ballarat will align with those of regional Victoria not in lockdown however there is still public health restrictions in place, masks must still be worn indoors and outdoors. No one can come to your home to visit. Getting tested and vaccinated is just as important as ever.

Again, I want to pass my thanks to Ballarat for doing the right thing and helping us chase down this outbreak. We must do what we can to help protect these areas.

Updated

Victorian deputy premier James Merlino is speaking now and has given details on the three Covid-19 deaths in Victoria today.

Sadly, three people have lost their lives. A woman in his 50s from Wyndham and a man in his 70s and a man in his 80s. And we pass on our deepest condolences to their family and their friends.

Updated

ACT records 17 new local Covid-19 cases

The Australia Capital Territory has recorded 17 new local Covid-19 cases, only one was in quarantine for their entire infectious period.

Swarms of heavily armoured riot police are still following protesters through the Melbourne CBD, and seem to be picking up pace.

Melbourne has been going for a real “end of days” feel this morning.

Should be hearing from Victorian health officials any minute now.

Here is an overhead view of police following protesters through Carlton Gardens in the Melbourne CBD.

New Zealand records 23 new local Covid-19 cases

New Zealand has reported 23 new cases of coronavirus in the community, with all but one linked to existing cases in the current outbreak. It is a slight jump in cases, after the country reported 14 on Tuesday.

There are now 1,108 cases in the outbreak. Health officials are working on establishing a link to the remaining case today. Of those who have been linked, 11 of them are household contacts, including six within one household, five are known contacts and one is a likely known contact.

Thirteen people are in hospital and two of those are in intensive care.
From today, Auckland is in a level 3 lockdown, which allows people to slightly extend their bubble to isolated people and to order takeaways. Local media reported that people had queued outside fast-food restaurants including McDonald’s and KFC, since midnight, when the lockdown settings changed.

The city has reached a new milestone for vaccination, with 80% of the eligible population – 12 years and older – now vaccinated with at least one dose. For the nation, that figure is 72%, with just more than 38% of the eligible population fully vaccinated.
On Wednesday, the Covid-19 response minister, Chris Hipkins, again invited every New Zealander to get vaccinated, adding that a 90% vaccination rate would give the country one of the highest rates in the world.

Hipkins also announced the next release of around 3000 managed isolation and quarantine rooms will be on September 28th. New Zealanders have struggled to navigate the MIQ system, which has left tens of thousands of people stranded overseas.

Updated

Vibe.

Jumping back to the Melbourne protests now, and there have been more arrests.

More on that breaking news, over at the NSW Covid update, premier Gladys Berejiklian has said a TV industry worker who travelled to Byron Bay for work has been charged by police for breaching Covid restrictions.

Berejiklian said:

So they were there only to work but what they did is breach the health orders and went to multiple venues that they weren’t allowed to go to and police advised me this morning that person is being charged, that person did the wrong thing.

The case triggered a lockdown in the Byron and Tweed region from yesterday, and today, chief health officer Kerry Chant said the case was fully vaccinated.

Yesterday, we learned the worker travelled from Sydney to the Byron region having tested negative to a rapid antigen test but then later returned a positive PCR test.

NSW health minister Brad Hazzard previously said the worker was in the region with the necessary permissions.

Updated

Sydney woman charged for breaching Covid-19 orders in Byron Bay area

NSW police have confirmed that they have charged a woman for allegedly breaching public health orders several times in the state’s northern communities.

NSW police media:

Officers from Tweed/Byron Police District commenced inquiries yesterday (Tuesday 21 September 2021), after receiving information a woman from Greater Sydney had travelled to the area and since tested positive for Covid-19.

Inquiries revealed the 31-year-old woman had been granted an exemption to travel to the area for work-related purposes only.

She allegedly attended several businesses and venues in Byron Bay and Kingscliff over the weekend, which was in breach of the conditions of her exemption.

Further, she [allegedly] failed to check-in at those locations using the QR codes.

The Rushcutters Bay woman was issued with a court attendance notice today (Wednesday 22 September 2021), for five counts of fail to comply with electronic registration directive.

She is due to appear before Tweed Heads Local Court on Monday 8 November 2021.

I’ll bring you more on this as soon as I can.

Western Australia has launched its pharmacy rollout of the Moderna vaccine.

Here is the state health minister, Roger Cook:

This is another opportunity for Western Australians to do the right thing to make sure that they roll up ... and protect themselves, their family and their community from Covid-19.

We will have 471 pharmacists right across the state, 100 have already started receiving the Moderna vaccine as part of the first tranche of this roll rollout. And from next week, and the week after we will see the second tranche.

Updated

Looks like we will be getting the Victorian Covid-19 update at 11.45am AEST.

NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian says it’s an “absolute fact” that case numbers will rise when the state opens up at 70% vaccination, leading to increased pressure on the hospital and ICU system.

She urges people to get vaccinated.

NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian speaks to the media during a Covid-19 press conference in Sydney
NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian speaks to the media during a Covid-19 press conference in Sydney. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

Updated

Queensland government could allow more home quarantine

Queensland could move to home quarantine for fully vaccinated people, but it will keep building a mass quarantine facility near Toowoomba, reports AAP’s Marty Silk.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has admitted that mandatory hotel quarantine is “tough” after the state’s human rights commissioner, Scott McDougall, raised concerns about a “blanket approach” to people seeking exemptions to quarantine at home.

She suggested that Queensland could allow more people to quarantine at home once vaccination coverage is high enough in the state.

I respect what the human rights commissioner is saying, I did hotel quarantine myself, it’s tough, you know it is actually 14 days, not being able to leave your room is pretty tough, I’ve done it myself.

And look, as we get more and more people vaccinated, you know, we will be looking at further options, and national cabinet is considering other options, there is a (home quarantine) trial at the moment on in South Australia.

But let me say it very clearly, and I say it every day: the reason we have an exemptions unit in Queensland is because there is a massive outbreak on our doorstep in NSW.

There are tens of thousands of people who have the virus in NSW, it is still spreading, people are ending up in the hospitals and the hospitals are going to be overwhelmed.

Palaszczuk said the quarantine facility being built at Wellcamp, near Toowoomba, would still be required for international travellers, particularly students from overseas.

Updated

The president of the NSW branch of the Australian Medical, Dr Danielle McMullen, said planning for outdoor sporting events should not take precedence over the reopening of elective surgery.

Allowing 5,000 punters to attend a horse race, while patients continue to sit on wait lists for elective surgery is poor form.

Healthcare access should come first when prioritising post lockdown activities. If the state government is looking at resuming activities, it should be allowing private hospitals to provide day procedures.

We’re still playing catch-up from the last elective surgery lockdown. Wait times are up and the lists keep getting longer.

Bureau of Health Information figures from the last quarter (April to June) show that the median wait time for non-urgent surgery was 256 days – 10 days longer than the pre-Covid period – April to June 2019.

There were 85,296 people on the waiting list at the end of the quarter – of those, 2,108 had waited longer than the clinically recommended timeframe. Almost all (83,271 of those people on the waiting list) were in the semi-urgent and non-urgent category.

The public hospital system is under strain, but there is staffing capacity in the private hospital system.

Empty operating rooms in private hospitals are not helping our Covid-19 response. If the situation changes and we need to utilise these facilities for Covid care, then we can cancel day procedures. The turn-around time is very minimal.

We should be allowing day surgeries to go ahead while we can, as that will provide the best health outcomes for patients.

People are living in pain with no prospect of returning to work because they are waiting for surgery. We are talking about real human suffering.

Non-Covid care can’t take a backseat forever.

Updated

Here are the details of that five Covid-19 deaths from NSW Health:

Of the five people who died with Covid-19, two were not vaccinated, two had received one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine and a woman in her 80s with underlying health conditions had received two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine.

A woman in her 50s from western Sydney died at home. Her infection was diagnosed following her death.

There have been 260 Covid-19 related deaths in NSW since 16 June 2021 and 316 in total since the start of the pandemic.

There have been 49,082 locally acquired cases reported since 16 June 2021, when the first case in this outbreak was reported.

Updated

Unfortunately, the gradient isn’t as forgiving on the Victorian graph.

We are really starting to see that rolling case number average heading down on the NSW graph, by the wonderful Josh Nicholas.

There seems to be a small group of protesters walking through the streets of Melbourne. It looks to be around 100 people potentially, significantly smaller than yesterday.

Berejiklian:

In terms of 12- to 15-year-old children, as we know, they were recently invited to come and get vaccinated. Pleasingly, a quarter of that age cohort, so 25% of 12 to 15-year-olds have already received a vaccine in New South Wales. An outstanding result given school is not commencing until 25 October. It demonstrates how keen families are to make sure everybody is staying safe.

NSW records 1,035 local Covid-19 cases and five deaths

The NSW premier is speaking now and has confirmed the state has recorded 1,035 local Covid-19 cases.

Sadly five people infected with Covid-19 have also died.

We should be hearing from the premier at today’s NSW press conference by the way.

We are just standing by now for the NSW daily press conference where we will learn the daily case numbers.

It looks the main protest group is starting to form, and according to reports from the Melbourne CBD are heading towards the police line.

Arrests are still taking place in the Melbourne CBD as protesters trickle in slowly.

Reporter:

Prime minister Boris Johnson apparently wants to ask you to ease some travel restrictions to save the Ashes. Has he asked you that?

Morrison:

Well, we haven’t met yet.

Reporter:

Is he going to ask you?

Morrison:

Let’s see. I’m sure we’ll talk about many things tonight, Boris and I are very good friends and I’m looking forward to catching up with him this evening.

While speaking, Morrison was asked about the protests in Melbourne and the subsequent two-week shutdown of the construction industry.

These are important jobs and they will return, we will get through this but protest activity and what we have seen there is highly distressing and that is not an appropriate response to trying to deal with an outbreak of this nature.

Prime minister offers ADF assistance to deal with Victorian earthquake damage if needed

Prime minister Scott Morrison (currently in the US) is speaking to the media now about the earthquake in Victoria.

He has confirmed there were aftershocks of 5.5, 4 and 4, and offered up the ADF for assistance if needed.

Geo has provided us with the advice of a record of 6 with aftershocks of 5.5 and 4 and 4.

I have been in contact with premier Andrews, as well as the deputy prime minister and minister McKenzie and we will continue to receive reports. That response has been provided by the Victorian government but the federal government stands by through Emergency Management Australia to provide whatever assistance is needed, whether from the ADF or others.

At this stage, we have had no reports of serious injuries or worse and that is very good news and we hope that good news will continue but we will get further reports as the night unfolds here in the United States.

It can be a very, very disturbing event for an earthquake of this nature. They are very rare events in Australia and as a result, I am sure people would have been quite depressed and disturbed by that, particularly in the most immediate area affected.

The agencies at a state government level are there, responding and the federal government will provide the support that is necessary and will be in touch further with the premier, I suspect, throughout the night but back in Australia that will be done by the deputy prime minister and the minister for emergency management.

If you want more quake updates check out the dedicated live blog below:

Updated

Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is not happy with the federal government’s newfound interest in vaccinating young people after she was criticising for suggesting children must get the jab as soon as possible as well.

I would like an apology from Greg Hunt. I think it is very disappointing that all I’m trying to do is protect this state to protect our children.

Updated

No! Even the Collins St peregrine falcons felt the quake!

Updated

Queensland records one local Covid-19 case

Speaking of Covid-19 news across Australia, Queensland has recorded one new local Covid-19 case, luckily in home quarantine.

OK, with all this earthquake talk, that amazing Calla Wahlquist is manning a dedicated tremor blog.

From here on out this live blog will focus more on the protests and Covid-19 news across Australia.

Check out the all the quake news below:

Updated

Here is all the info on that potential second tremor.

Some people have been saying that the earthquake has now been revised down to 4.0. Although the official Geoscience Australia page still lists it as 5.8.

I did feel a second tremor about 10 minutes afterwards, so perhaps that is the smaller shake.

I will confirm for you as soon as I can.

OK, now time to go find where my terrified cat is hiding.

Updated

Here is the quake, as experienced from the ABC Melbourne studio.

The mayor of Manfield, Mark Holcombe, is speaking with ABC now.

The regional town in the foothills of the Victorian Alps was the epicentre of the shallow earthquake.

It came right out of left field. We don’t have earthquakes, that I am aware of, none of the locals I spoke to this morning had that experience with earthquakes here before, so it is one right out of left field. It was just a really big crumble.

It was really strong. I was sitting down at work at my desk and I needed to run outside, it took me a while to work out what it was.

I have been in earthquakes overseas before and it seemed to go on longer than I have experienced before.

The other thing that surprised me was how noisy it was. It was a real rumbling like a truck going past.

Updated

You heard it here first folks! The Victorian premier has confirmed the earthquake.

Oh, the protests are still going on by the way, with several people already being held by police.

Fire and rescues have been dispatched across Alexandria, Manly and Hornsby in Sydney, and as far as Dubbo after reports of tremors.

What I love more about this tweet is the homemade “9 News” watermark on Instagram.

WOW! Daniel Andrews really did mean “any tactics necessary”.

Here is some more footage that friends sent me from Chapel Street. I’ll bring you more as soon as I can.

Updated

Here is more footage from building damage in Chapel Street in South Yarra, Melbourne, which is one of the busiest shopping strips in the city.

Updated

No tsunami threat to Australia from Victorian earthquake

My heart is still in my throat after that! Not the best time to be on the top floor of a very old building!

This is currently unverified, but here is a video of what someone is claiming to be damage from the Victorian earthquake, in the South Yarra area.

South-east of Australia shakes with magnitude 6.0 earthquake

Details are still coming out about the quake but, according to GA Australia, it was a magnitude 6.0 quake originating near the town of Mansfield.

It appears to only have been 10km deep, which is pretty shallow for an earthquake. I’ll try and bring you updates from the Mansfield region as soon as possible.

Updated

The sizable earthquake, (ABC is now reporting magnitude 6) seems to have been felt as far as Canberra and Lakes Entrance in the east of the state.

OK here is a little more information about the earthquake. Seems to have originated in Gippsland, east of Melbourne.

Reportedly it was of magnitude 5.3! WOW!

Updated

This earthquake seems to have been felt far and wide across the greater Melbourne area, and even up into NSW!

Victoria records 628 new local Covid-19 cases

Sorry, the earthquake distracted me, but the Victorian numbers are out.

The state recorded 628 cases today and three deaths. This is the deadliest day of the outbreak so far.

OK, it wasn’t just me! We all felt it!

Updated

If you are in Melbourne you might have just felt a huge shake! I have to admit I just ran to stand under a doorway! I’ll bring you updates ASAP.

NSW train drivers to strike next week

NSW train drivers will strike next week as part of an industrial campaign over pay and conditions, AAP reports.

The strike on Tuesday 5 October, from 9am to 1pm, will be the culmination of a week of action, including a ban on overtime on Wednesday, a work to rule on Thursday and a go-slow with trains reducing speed to 60km/h on Saturday.

Rail, Tram and Bus Union NSW secretary Alex Claassens said workers at Sydney and NSW Trains are negotiating a new enterprise agreement but remain at loggerheads.

After the government heaped us with praise for putting ourselves and our families in harm’s way during Covid in order to keep the community moving, we’ve now entered enterprise agreement negotiations and any notion of goodwill has completely disappeared.

The union is asking for a 3.5% wage rise while the NSW government is offering 0.3% for the first year of a new enterprise agreement.

Workers are fighting to prevent a drop in safety and hygiene standards on our trains, as both Sydney and NSW Trains are trying to cut cleaning jobs and force the dangerous New InterCity Fleet trains into service before its numerous safety issues are resolved.

The industrial action was designed to minimise disruption to essential workers but there would be delays, he said.

Updated

Andrews has been asked if he expects rolling protests every day this week.

We’ll wait and see. But I think it’s unwise to test the resolve of Victoria police. Victoria police will do what has to be done to keep our state safe. And my resolve to get through this roadmap to deliver it, to get our state open, to get past this. That shouldn’t be doubted either.

Vaccination, not violence, vaccination. That’s what protects us. That’s what opens us up and what sees us around the kitchen table at Christmas, healthy, with the people that we love. Everyone wants that. That’s what I’m working towards.

Updated

Just in case you had forgotten how pro-police the Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, is, the premier has been pretty forward this morning talking about officers doing whatever it takes to quell the protests.

Now he has been asked if he is confident that the public will have the same appetite for displays of hardline policing.

Andrews:

Well, I’m not someone who wakes up in the morning and, you know, takes an opinion poll on whether the police should do the right thing to uphold the law.

Police will do their job and they’ll know they got my full support. I think, Paul, there is very strong support for police to do whatever they can to avoid the sort of stuff we saw yesterday. I don’t think anybody thinks that’s appropriate.

But, again this is not about public opinion, it’s about getting the job done.

He was then asked if he would feel comfortable with the police using the “upper limits” of their tactics.

This government, proudly, have funded every single one of the capabilities that you have been talking about in recent days. When we came to government, police did not have these non-lethal force options. Just didn’t. They did not have them. They did not exist. They do now.

But as to when and how and if they’re deployed that’s not a matter for, and you would never want my, I would never want to say anything that would see a commander of a police operation doubt for a second whether they should do what their judgement and their training and their skills and the circumstances dictate. They have to have that operational freedom and they do.

Updated

Now, it might surprise you to hear this but despite the focus on the Victorian protests, states do actually still exist.

Speaking of which, we will be hearing from the Queensland leadership at 10am AEST.

Reporter:

Yesterday we saw some of the greatest scenes of civil unrest in the state’s history. Didn’t Victorians need to hear from their leader?

Andrews:

You can make any conclusion you want, and I expect you will.

The Victorian premier has been pressed on whether he should have appeared before the media yesterday and called for calm after he was notably absent from Tuesday’s Covid-19 press conference that occurred as the protests were ramping up.

Andrews:

I had other matters to deal with. The treasurer was out, other members of the government were out.

I don’t do a media conference every single day. I don’t. And I’m uncomfortable today about the fact I’m not able to stand here for 1.5 hours to answer all the questions, but I have other things to do but I’m happy to put my record of fronting up and the hours I have spent talking to you and others and the regularity with which I have done that.

I don’t do a conference every day. Sometimes I can’t for a whole range of reasons.

Updated

Patton has been asked if police moved in too late yesterday, allowing the protest to truly take hold.

Patton:

Look, hindsight is a wonderful thing and it’s a very easy thing to sit back in an armchair and consider what could have, should have, or might have occurred.

All I can say is that that was a very fluid and very challenging environment that took place yesterday. The police commanders who were involved, the police on the ground did everything they could to ensure public safety.

We’ll review and see whether there were opportunities that we might have missed and if we did we’ll improve on those.

Reporter:

Can you guarantee there won’t be a situation where members of the public are sitting in their cars on freeways surrounded by these people?

Patton:

No police commissioner anywhere in the world can give any guarantee when you have a large group of several thousand angry men predominantly intent on taking over an area or being confrontational with police. No law enforcement agency anywhere in the world or commissioner can give any guarantees to that.

The only guarantee I can give you is that we will act swiftly and we do everything we can to prevent that from occurring.

Shane Patton (the victorian police commissioner, not the main character in The White Lotus of the same name) says he won’t go into details about the tactics planned for today but seems to be confident that they won’t be chasing the protesters all around the city again for hours on end.

I’m not going to talk about the tactics we’ll deploy today but I’d be very surprised if you see any cat and mouse games today.

We’re talking more than the 500 police we got there yesterday. I don’t intend to try to give any perceived advantage or any context to any person who may be organising or coming in for a protest.

I want them to be completely unaware what we’re going to do and what capacity they may face.

Updated

Here is the Victorian police minister, Lisa Neville, with a stern warning for those planning to protest today.

So if you’re thinking about coming into the city today to cause violence and harm, just know that Victoria police will deploy whatever tactics they need to in order to ensure that you are held accountable.

And they have my full support in deploying whatever tactics they need to ensure that these thugs, these violent thugs, are unable to cause further harm to our city and to our community.

Updated

Andrews:

I am gutted to have to shut this industry down but, be in no doubt, there are 350 cases in construction, over 150 different sites during August and September. This is real. Unless we took this action, and unless we see compliance higher, then we’ll continue to see the spread of this virus and that puts everything at risk.

We don’t believe that this is something where Victorians should form a view about all construction, about all tradies. Nothing could be further from the truth. I think that was quite a diverse crowd and not necessarily in the best sense of that word. Many different people acting appallingly under the guise of a protest, or a demo. That’s not what it was. It was something very different to that.

Updated

Mandatory vaccinations expected for more Victorian workforce sectors

Andrews has flagged that there will be further announcements today concerning mandatory vaccinations for sections of the Victorian workforce.

So why is construction having to go and get the jab? Why is vaccination compulsory in the construction industry?

Well, today there are more coronavirus cases in construction than there are in aged care. There are more cases of coronavirus in the construction sector than there are patients with coronavirus in hospitals across the whole hospital system.

The key to that is whether it’s aged care workers or hospital workers, and indeed others and the deputy premier will be out later today to announce other groups of workers in our community who are going to have to get the jab to keep our state safe, those sectors are vaccinated either fully or on the way to being fully vaccinated. Vaccination works. Vaccination is our pathway out of this.

Updated

Andrews has managed to get a plug in there for his government’s level crossing removal projects. Skillfully done:

What offends me is not only, is the conduct, but in my job, over many years, I have met hundreds and thousands of builders, hundreds and thousands of tradies who build this state, whether it be removing level crossings, building hospitals and schools, all the way through to building homes.

They’re fine people, hardworking people, and what we saw yesterday is an insult, an insult, to the vast, vast majority of tradies or people in the building industry who are not about wrecking, they’re about building. Yesterday we saw 1,000, 2,000 people, many of whom behaved appallingly. They did not reflect and should not be seen to reflect an entire industry. That would be unfair. That would be wrong.

The number that is in some ways is more important is almost 90,000 people across our state went and got vaccinated.

Updated

Andrews:

Can I say at the outset, that the ugly scenes that we saw yesterday are not only appalling, they’re unlawful. Victoria police will take action against those who did the wrong thing yesterday.

Now, the chief commissioner can speak to the make-up of that crowd. I think there were some people there who you would say were from the building industry. There were others who were not from the building industry.

They’re not there to protests, they’re there for a fight, pretend to be protesting. They’re from many different backgrounds.

Updated

The Victorian premier is speaking now. He says he will not give the Covid-19 update this morning, but is just here to talk about the protests.

New South Wales is turning to other states and overseas to recruit nurses to help cope with the predicted peak in Covid cases requiring hospitalisation next month, with some regional hospitals offering generous travel and pay incentives.

Guardian Australia understands the NSW health department is in discussions with the commonwealth about fast-tracking the credentialing of overseas qualifications to make it easier for foreign nurses to start work.

Intensive care and emergency department nurses are understood to be most in demand.

Sydney hospitals plan to abandon their nurse-to-patient ratios in ICU as pressure grows and the NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian has acknowledged the hospital system will become “technically overwhelmed” in mid-October.

You can read the full report below:

Looks like we will be hearing form the Victorian premier shortly as well:

Would you look at that! The strangeness of Albanese going in to bat for union boss John Setka has been mentioned in the interview.

Host Michael Rowland:

Well, you say you pointed out you have had your very public differences with the Victorian division of the CFMEU in the past, John Setka is probably the most militant union leader in the country, so much so that you led moves to expel him from the ALP a couple of years ago. So, Anthony Albanese ...

Albanese:

That was the right thing to do.

Rowland:

Do you find it somewhat ironic, therefore, he is trying to position himself now as something of a voice of reason?

Albanese:

No, look, when someone is saying the right thing, I’ll treat it on its merits. John Setka’s no longer a member of the Labor party. It’s one of the first actions I took as leader. I stand by that decision.

Updated

Federal opposition leader Anthony Albanese has just been asked on ABC News Breakfast if he believes union members were involved in the Melbourne protests this week.

The Labor leader didn’t outright deny this, but focused on the far-right elements while condemning the demonstrations:

I condemn these protesters and John Setka* is right on this occasion – that what we have seen is people’s jobs and livelihoods endangered because of the actions of an extreme fringe who engage in a violent demonstration yesterday, who attacked and assaulted police, who attacked and assaulted people from the media, who attacked and assaulted innocent people.

The fact is that far-right elements have infiltrated the demonstrations yesterday. We saw the emails go out encouraging people to don hi-vis vests, to put on helmets as if they were construction workers.

The fact is that the union movement throughout this pandemic has been incredibly responsible ... The trade union movement has played an incredibly responsible role during this pandemic, and what’s extraordinary is that Michaelia Cash came out and actually attacked the union movement as she did yesterday. I found it quite reprehensible but consistent with the anti-union agenda that this government continues to run.

*Albanese supporting Setka is very funny given he led moves to expel the union boss from the ALP a couple of years ago.

Updated

Just in case anyone was wondering how former prime minister Kevin Rudd felt about Australia backing out of the $90bn French submarine deal.

Updated

OK, we won’t have to wait too long for an update on the police operation in Melbourne today.

Victoria police minister Lisa Neville will be stepping up to speak at 8.15am AEST.

I’ll bring you all the updates here.

Updated

Victoria police deputy commissioner Rick Nugent says this week’s protests were attended by all sorts of people.

He was asked on ABC radio the demonstrations were actually made up of unhappy, construction workers and union members, or anti-vaccine activists and far-right agitators.

Nugent:

It’s all of that. It’s construction workers, it’s anti-vaxxers. They joined up with the so-called freedom rally protesters.

But there are also a lot of people in that group that are using that as cover to come in and behave in a riotous manner. To vandalise property and take a cheap shot at police. You can see from the footage, they’re hiding in the mob, and then they run out, and they king-hit, or they throw bottles, cans, any other items they can get their hands on. So it’s a mixture of all of those ...

Certainly some [are] regulars. We did say a lot of people put on the high-vis vests that you can tell aren’t normally tradies.

Updated

CFMEU boss admits union members were present at Monday and Tuesday's protests

Speaking of CFMEU Victorian construction secretary John Setka, he has just told ABC News Breakfast that construction workers involved in the violent protests over the last two days will be punished:

We’re still trawling through all the Facebook footage for all the footage that we have, of our building. Let me tell you, people who were involved in the violent protest, they may as well go pick fruit in Mildura. We don’t need that. We don’t need drunken morons who think by throwing bottles at people, it’s a good way to protest. They can go pick fruit ...

My advice to [people returning to demonstrate] would be to not take part in the protest today. It’s been hijacked by extreme groups, extremist groups. And it doesn’t really sort – it’s not our values. I mean, we’re shut out now because of these morons. We have 300,000 people sitting at home that should’ve been working otherwise.

Setka did admit that not everyone in the crowd of a false-flag operative:

Look, obviously, there were construction workers there. I do concede that yes. And unfortunately, there’s some CFMEU members there.

I understand people have a right to protest. But there’s a way to protest and there’s a time to protest. But we’re in a pandemic at the moment. I mean, we as a union would like to protest about certain things, but we haven’t been able to since this pandemic started. So, you know, you’ve got to give up a few things.

But some of the scenes I seen yesterday, bottles being thrown at people, drinking, is that real protesting? It’s just denigrating everything.

Updated

Good morning everyone, I hope you are well and are ready and raring to go for a full day of news. It’s Matilda Boseley here, let’s jump in.

First things first, I have some bad news for Melbourne folk: a third day of demonstrations over mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations for the construction industry is planned for the CBD today.

You’ll remember yesterday that the city was sent into disarray after demonstrators, mostly men dressed in hi-vis workwear, took to the streets demanding an end to the two-week construction industry pause and denouncing the vaccine.

Rubber bullets and smoke rounds were used by police to keep the crowds under control and, after winding their way through the city streets for hours, the mob of hundreds of people walked on to the West Gate Bridge, bringing traffic to a standstill.

In the end, 62 protesters were arrested yesterday, some for assaulting police, but most for breaching public health orders.

Victoria police chief commissioner Shane Patton issued a warning to those planning to return today:

I implore you to stay home ... Our tactics tomorrow will be different.

There will no doubt be more debate today ofter whether the crowds were actually comprised of legitimate union members or were false-flag “rent-a-crowds” organised by “neo-Nazis and rightwing extremists”. This is the position of a number of union bosses including CFMEU Victorian construction secretary John Setka.

There are 337 Covid cases directly linked to 154 construction sites in Victoria at the moment. Of that number 239 cases are linked to sites in metropolitan Melbourne, including nine people who live in regional Victoria.

With that why don’t we jump straight into the day? There’s certainly enough to get through.

Updated

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