What we learned today, Saturday 4 December
And that brings the Saturday blog to a close – thanks for being here!
A quick recap of the main stories:
- The vaccine rollout for children aged from five to 11 is set to begin in January.
- Almost 98% of people 12 and over in the ACT are now fully vaccinated.
- Queensland has changed its border restrictions so travellers from Adelaide will have to quarantine.
- South Australia has tightened its border controls out of “extraordinary” concern about the Omicron variant.
- Thousands of so-called “freedom” protesters have marched in Melbourne.
- Victoria recorded nine Covid deaths and 1,365 new cases.
- NSW has now recorded 13 cases of the Omicron variant, and there has been one apiece in the Northern Territory and the ACT.
Updated
Oh dear. I just attempted the quiz on history’s most bungled quotes “from Marilyn to Shakespeare”. I’m not going to tell you how badly I did, but it was a hard fail. I at least got the Neil Armstrong one right – mostly because I used to work with a reporter who covered the Apollo moon landing and HE bungled the quote when he reported it. That is one memorable stuff-up!
I love an end-of-year montage. Here’s a lovely one from Guardian Australia’s photographer-at-large Mike Bowers:
The Age’s Rachael Dexter is reporting that the Melbourne protests have now targeted the ABC’s studio in Southbank. They want to speak to Ita Buttrose. No, I don’t know why.
Police moving in to block entrance to ABC Southbank studios @theage pic.twitter.com/A16rtAjK5G
— Rachael Dexter (@rachael_dexter) December 4, 2021
It turns out the anniversary of the Eureka uprising was yesterday. The ABC reported that a dawn service was “attended mostly by anarchists and union members”, which strikes me as a mild burn.
An effigy of the Victorian premier, Dan Andrews, was burned – but only three people turned up to watch. They were disowned by the organisers. The story linked above has a really interesting look at the history and meaning of the uprising.
Updated
Thanks, Josh Taylor! Here are some pics from the Melbourne protests, which Josh mentioned earlier. They’re now being called the “Eureka” protests, after the 1854 rebellion of goldminers at Eureka Stockade in Ballarat.
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And with that, I will hand you back to Tory Shepherd for the remainder of Saturday.
Thousands of people are protesting in Melbourne’s CBD, in the first mass demonstration since the state government passed pandemic laws, AAP reports:
The crowd marched through Treasury Gardens shouting “sack Dan Andrews” and “freedom”, with protesters carrying Eureka and national flags, as well as Donald Trump placards.
They sang the Seekers’ I Am Australian before hearing speeches from ex-Liberal MP turned United Australia party leader Craig Kelly and others.
Kelly said he was unable to hire a rental car after landing at Melbourne airport because he refused to show his Covid-19 vaccine certificate.
“I am no longer in a great city, I am here in a fascist medical state,” the NSW-based MP yelled.
The crowd then moved to the front of Flinders Street station, bringing traffic to a standstill as police watched on.
Updated
Police are investigating following the discovery of a man’s body in an alleyway in central Canberra.
Detectives have cordoned off Garema Place near the corner of Mort Street and City Walk in Civic, and screened off the scene.
It is understood officers were called to the location following reports of the discovery around 9.45am on Saturday.
Local media outlets say the man may have been the victim of a stabbing.
Tropical cyclones and flooding are set to pummel Australia over summer, national cabinet documents reveal.
The Bureau of Meteorology briefed the meeting of premiers, chief ministers and the prime minister on 5 November about the high-risk weather facing the nation until April.
National cabinet documents are usually kept secret, but South Australian senator Rex Patrick obtained these under freedom-of-information laws.
A man has drowned after he and a teenage boy were believed to have been swept off a sandbar while fishing south of Adelaide, AAP reports:
Police and emergency services were called to Sugars Beach at Goolwa on Saturday morning after reports the man and 16-year-old boy were missing in the water.
They were fishing on the sandbar together before entering the water.
The teen was able to swim to shore but the 50-year-old man’s body was found in the water by a rescue helicopter.
He could not be revived after being rescued by a surf live saver.
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AAP has a bit of a wrap on the NSW council elections. Well, Sydney at least:
She has got four decades of public service under her belt, 17 of them as Sydney’s lord mayor, but Clover Moore says her work is far from done.
That is why the independent is vying to extend her record tenure as lord mayor of Sydney on Saturday, when NSW residents head to the polls to vote in twice-delayed local council elections.
“We have been able to achieve so much but we have a lot more to do,” she told AAP.
She rattles off a list including achieving the council’s goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2035, growing green spaces across the city, improving access to social and affordable housing, and repairing the CBD’s economy and council’s own coffers post-Covid.
“That’s just for starters,” she said.
She is up against some familiar faces in an all-female field, with many of her opponents arguing it is time for a changing of the guard at town hall.
Moore was first elected as lord mayor in 2004, 16 years after she joined the state parliament in 1988.
She managed both responsibilities until 2012, when new legislation forced her to choose between the roles.
“We need a lord mayor for Sydney’s future, not our past,” Labor’s mayoral candidate, Linda Scott, says.
Scott has served as president of the Australian Local Government Association and as deputy mayor, but has twice been defeated by Moore in the mayoral race.
The Liberal candidate, Shauna Jarrett, is also campaigning on a pledge to “refresh Sydney”.
But Moore is not convinced her rivals really believe there is a need for a change of leadership.
“Given that they agree with the work we’re doing, they have to think of something to say about me, and that’s what they’re doing,” she said.
Moore claimed victory in a landslide in 2016, with almost 58% of the vote, and is encouraged she might achieve a similar feat on Saturday.
“I never like to say I’m confident, I like to say I’m optimistic,” she said.
“I’m really pleased to be getting such good feedback from people as I go around the polling booths.”
While the pandemic forced the elections to be postponed twice, it has also seen the NSW Electoral Commission utilise online voting at a local government level for the first time.
But even that has not been without disruption, with the website crashing as a result of heavy traffic, and in turn seeing lines at polling centres swell.
“But generally people are really happy that the election is actually happening and that they can get out and vote,” Moore said.
The race for the mayoralty of Sydney is one of more than 120 elections taking place across the state on Saturday, with polls closing at 6pm.
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⚠️Major #Flood Warning issued for the #BarwonRiver at #Mungindi where minor flooding is occurring and major flooding is possible mid December. See https://t.co/AdztI2rqg1 for details and updates; follow advice from @NSWSES. #NSWFloods pic.twitter.com/iV3AeRQJwQ
— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) December 4, 2021
Some more on the protests in Melbourne, via AAP:
Victorian health minister Martin Foley suggested demonstrators are complaining about aspects of the pandemic laws that had already been altered.
“Protests should be peaceful and they should be based on up-to-date information and facts,” he told reporters on Saturday.
“What we now have is a set of legislative arrangements that allow a balance between the public health response that keeps us safe and open, with a protection mechanism for human rights and the voice of people who have any concerns.”
There are currently 39 Covid-19 cases linked to mass protests in Melbourne last month, with three people hospitalised and one in intensive care.
Updated
Some 92.8% of the 16-plus Australian population have had one dose of the vaccine, while 87.9% of the eligible population have had at least two doses.
This daily infographic provides the total number of vaccine doses administered in Australia 🇦🇺 as of 3 December 2021 📅
— Australian Government Department of Health (@healthgovau) December 4, 2021
💻Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccine information here: https://www.https://t.co/lsM33j9wMW pic.twitter.com/uFNalJqfQr
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Severe thunderstorm warning issued for parts of Northern Rivers, Mid North Coast and Northern Tablelands. Damaging wind, heavy rainfall and large hail are all a risk.
— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) December 4, 2021
Coffs Harbour not in the warning area but may see severe storms today. https://t.co/GBbpwF4jbu pic.twitter.com/bPuyI3td6j
Floods near peak in Queensland border areas
Queensland authorities say flood waters at Goondiwindi in the state’s south-west have nearly peaked, as communities in nearby Inglewood and Texas assess the damage already done, AAP reports:
The Macintyre River at Goondiwindi is at major flood levels and has reached 10.4 metres in the biggest flood in a decade, with waters threatening to overtop levees.
The river is expected to peak late Saturday morning, below the 2011 flood peak of 10.64 metres and also below the town’s 11m flood levee.
Police and emergency services minister Mark Ryan has praised the efforts of residents and authorities in flood-hit regions.
“It’s tough out there when you have flood waters coming through the community, but the community has done the right thing, they have stepped up and they have done an outstanding job,” he told reporters on Saturday.
The State Emergency Service has so far responded to 57 calls for help, more than half of them in Goondiwindi.
Three aged care residents have been voluntarily evacuated to Toowoomba, and another three hospital patients have been flown to Warwick, while emergency supplies have been delivered to Inglewood and Tara.
Updated
Thousands of people are protesting outside state parliament in Melbourne, in the first mass demonstration since the state government passed pandemic laws.
A counter-protest against far-right elements of the so-called “freedom protests” is also under way in nearby Carlton.
There have been almost weekly demonstrations in Melbourne against vaccination mandates and pandemic laws, with concerns some protesters are members of neo-Nazi organisations or have links to far-right conspiracy groups.
The Andrews government’s controversial new legislation, which passed parliament on Thursday, makes the premier and health minister responsible for declaring pandemics and making health orders.
The legislation will replace the state of emergency on 16 December and makes Victoria the first state in Australia with pandemic-specific laws.
The United Australia party MP Craig Kelly has been spruiking the “freedom” protests on social media, and is listed as appearing at the protest on Saturday.
Updated
Here’s some more info on the Covid-19 situation in Victoria from the daily health department press release:
There are 288 Covid-19 cases in hospital in Victoria – 44 active cases in ICU, with 20 of those on a ventilator. There are an additional 43 cleared cases in ICU. Of those in hospital, 61% were not fully vaccinated, and of those in ICU, 90% were not fully vaccinated.
Victoria was notified of 1,365 new cases of Covid-19 yesterday. All the new cases were locally acquired except for two cases that were acquired overseas. The 11 local government areas with the highest number of new cases are Hume, Whittlesea, Moreland, Moonee Valley, Casey, Brimbank, Maribyrnong, Mornington Peninsula, Melton, Bayside and Darebin.
Of the nine deaths reported today, the people were aged in their 70s, 80s, 90s and 100s.
Updated
Vaccine rollout to five- to 11-year-olds set to begin in January
Approval of Covid-19 vaccines for five- to 11-year-olds is imminent, with a January rollout likely, AAP reports.
Federal health minister Greg Hunt said the Therapeutic Goods Administration and Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation should make a call on Pfizer pediatric doses before year’s end.
It is understood the first shipment is due to arrive in Australia before Christmas.
The process is “heading in a positive direction”, Hunt said. “(The TGA) will provide that advice, Atagi will then provide their response and we’re hopeful that if we’ve got two green lights we would commence the children’s pediatric doses in the first part of January.”
While 10 January is a possible starting date for the rollout, it could commence a week either side.
Hunt said Moderna booster doses for the general population are also on the cards, with confirmation by Christmas or sooner.
“I’m due to get my booster in the next 10 days, so that might be a very good option to show that message,” he said.
The TGA is also making progress on the protein-based Novavax vaccine and could issue a pre-Christmas approval for doses to become available in the new year.
Atagi has decided not to shorten the six-month timeframe in which people are advised to get a booster, due to earlier boosters not being proven to provide extra protection against the Omicron variant.
Chief medical officer Paul Kelly said it is too early to determine whether the strain will result in increased hospitalisations or deaths, however there is evidence it is the same as, or milder than, current variants.
Australia is likely to pass 500,000 booster doses on Saturday.
Meanwhile, former deputy chief medical officer Nick Coatsworth has called into question Australia’s decision to shut the border to several African nations due to Omicron.
He said the policy is inconsistent due to the new variant being detected in other countries Australia has open travel with.
“It’s proven that Omicron isn’t just in southern African states, it’s also in Europe, it also may well have been in the Australian community,” Coatsworth told Sky News.
“It may be elsewhere in the world that we have open borders to, then the consistency of the policy of shutting travel borders to certain African states starts getting called into question.”
Australia banned flights from nine African nations in the wake of Omicron.
Its emergence has also led to a pause on the return of international students and visa holders, while all other international travellers have to undergo quarantine measures.
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Labor’s been out on the hustings talking up its climate change policy.
The opposition leader, Anthony Albanese, and shadow climate change and energy minister, Chris Bowen, spoke in Sydney earlier today, pretty much recapping what they said yesterday.
And while it was a “doorstop” (journo speak for a press conference that is a little informal, often outside), I can’t see that any questions were asked.
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Here is a lovely piece from Cait Kelly:
The humble budgerigar has transformed the red centre into a sea of green and gold.
A massive murmuration – the phenomenon of thousands of birds flocking together – has swarmed the Northern Territory.
A massive murmuration! Fabulous. And not a budgie smuggler in sight.
ACT reports seven new Covid cases and 97.9% of people 12 and over fully vaccinated
Seven new cases in the ACT today... and a stonking 97.9% of those 12 and older fully vaccinated. Truly amazing effort.
ACT COVID-19 update (4 December 2021):
— ACT Health (@ACTHealth) December 4, 2021
◼️ New cases today: 7
◼️Active cases: 119
◼️Total cases: 2,029
◼️Negative test results (past 24 hours): 1,334
◼️ In hospital: 6
◼️ In ICU: 3
◼️ Ventilated: 0
◼️ Total lives lost: 11 pic.twitter.com/WC7nd9OXFF
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I will now hand you over to my excellent colleague Tory Shepherd for the next little while.
It is NSW council elections day, in case you hadn’t voted yet.
People have reported issues getting into iVote, the online voting system, but according to the NSW electoral commission’s tweets, it’s back up but just backlogged.
You can always go to your nearest polling place in person, which might be faster anyhow, and if you have concerns over iVote for other reasons...
Voting via iVote is currently unavailable.
— NSW Electoral Commission (@NSWElectoralCom) December 3, 2021
We're investigating the issue and will resolve it as soon as possible.
We regret any inconvenience caused. pic.twitter.com/Rn8YqXIxnu
⚠️ Minor to Major #Flood Warning issued for the #LachlanRiver. Moderate flooding occurring at #Jemalong and #Condobolin. Major possible at #Euabalong. See https://t.co/AdztI2rqg1 for details and updates; follow advice from @NSWSES. #NSWFloods pic.twitter.com/kjJPTlwePg
— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) December 4, 2021
Just a bit more on the NSW cases today via NSW Health:
There are currently 139 Covid-19 cases admitted to hospital, with 25 people in intensive care, eight of whom require ventilation.
There were 68,435 Covid-19 tests reported to 8pm last night, compared with the previous day’s total of 80,930.
As previously mentioned, 13 Covid-19 cases in the state have been identified as being the Omicron variant.
Updated
My colleagues Cait Kelly and Tory Shepherd have this interesting read on people in hospital with Covid-19 who didn’t get vaccinated.
After a quiet morning, SA and Queensland decided to hold their press conferences at the same time, so that was a bit of juggling and a bit of a Covid lockdown flashback, but I think I picked up most of the important bits.
D’Ath said the government would have “more to say” about the planned opening of the border to New South Wales and Victoria on Monday, not ruling out a further delay beyond when the state reaches the 80% double dose vaccination rate for the eligible population, in light of the Omicron variant spreading in NSW.
We will have more to say on Monday. We are working with the police and the logistics of that but we will have more to say about when we think we will hit the 80% and what that transition is going to be like and hopefully getting more information.
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D’Ath says the government had been warning cases would arrive in Queensland as the borders opened up, but it has happened earlier than expected.
We should prepare for this. This is exactly what’s going to happen when our borders open in a matter of days. We know that no later than 17 December the borders will open up to NSW, Victoria and now the Greater Adelaide, who will have to be fully vaccinated and have a negative PCR test once we get that 80% while we declare hot spots. Everyone should be prepared and we do know is, whether it’s Delta, whether it’s Omicron, the factors that vaccinations appear in all of the evidence to be safer and to certainly reduce the risk of someone ending up as seriously ill. Please, go and get vaccinated. We’re so close to those borders opening and we’re seeing it transmitting to other states now anyway.
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Queensland to quarantine Adelaide travellers
Queensland health minister Yvette D’Ath announces that anyone who has been in Greater Adelaide since 1am on 28 November and arrives in Queensland after 1am tomorrow will be required to go into 14 days of home or hotel quarantine.
They are required to be fully vaccinated.
Anyone arriving after 1am Monday 6 December will also need to have received a negative Covid PCR test in the previous 72 hours prior to arrival.
Anyone who arrives before 1am tomorrow will need to get tested and isolate until a negative result is returned.
Queensland reports three locally acquired Covid-19 cases
Queensland health minister Yvette D’ath has announced Queensland has recorded seven new Covid-19 cases overnight. Two overseas acquired in hotel quarantine, two interstate acquired, and three locally acquired.
Of the seven, four have been infectious in the community. A couple from the Gold Coast who tested positive have been infectious in the community for up to 13 days. One of them works in a private aged care facility, however all of the staff are vaccinated and over 90% of the residents are fully vaccinated.
Everyone at the facility is being tested.
There’s a case in Calabar, from someone who travelled to Adelaide for a school reunion.
Updated
South Australian chief health officer Nicola Spurrier says she had to provide the range of options to the government on responding to the Omicron variant, including the most risk-averse option of a hard closure of borders, but also the options of keeping it open due to the higher vaccination rates and the shift to living with Covid.
She wouldn’t say directly whether it had been her recommendation to shut the borders in South Australia.
She said there will be more Covid-19 cases to report in SA, but that will be announced later today.
Updated
On whether border closures had been recommended, Marshall said a range of options had been considered, and if border restrictions are put in place, people will be given between 24 and 48 hours’ notice.
He says he would only close the SA borders if the Omicron variant could potentially disrupt Christmas in South Australia, and more needs to be known about the variant:
Look, we would only do that if we wanted to make sure we still enjoyed a Christmas here in South Australia. This is a balancing act. We just don’t know how this Omicron variant is going to go in South Australia.
We’re hopeful that the severity of the symptoms will be much lower. I’m an optimistic person but I’m also a cautious person for our state. We have the fastest growing economy in the nation. We have more people employed now than before the coronavirus raised its ugly head and we’ve got a lot to lose if we don’t get this right.
Now, we’ve had borders open since the 23rd. That’s been fantastic for family reunion and business activity. They’re open at the moment but we’re putting more speed bumps in the way until we get more information.
Updated
No change to South Australian borders despite 'extraordinary concern'
The South Australian premier, Steven Marshall, says there is no change to the borders, despite “extraordinary concern” about the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19.
He says people coming to SA from Victoria, ACT and New South Wales will need to have a test on arrival, and isolate until it returns, and then have a further test on day six.
International arrivals will need to isolate for 14 days.
He said:
We don’t know enough about the Omicron variant at this stage, so we are being very cautious. We have increased our requirement for quarantine for international arrivals from seven days up to 14 days and today we put two additional speed bumps in the path of the Omicron variant coming into South Australia. Firstly, we will require all people coming from NSW, Victoria and the ACT to have a test on arrival and to isolate before that result is received.
Now, in South Australia, those results are being through in a matter of hours. Four to five hours at the moment is the average, and we certainly have significant capacity and availability into SA pathology and our private pathology labs in South Australia. The second speed bump for people coming in from NSW, Victoria and the ACT, they will be required, if they’re staying in South Australia, to have a further test on day six.
He says it is all about concern over the Omicron variant, not the Delta variant, noting SA has had 40 new cases of Covid-19 since opening the borders to NSW, ACT and Victoria.
Worth noting there has been no recorded cases of the Omicron variant in Victoria yet, but obviously Victoria’s borders are open to NSW and the ACT.
Updated
Just noting we are still waiting on the SA press conference to begin.
There’s a press conference with the South Australian premier, Steven Marshall, and CHO Nicola Spurrier at 9.45am SA time (so roughly half an hour from now).
Updated
Cold front moving north from Tasmania will brush the south of #Victoria and bring a few light showers later today. Cloud free in the north. UV is forecast to be high to extreme so take care even if it is a bit cloudy. Latest weather from https://t.co/UYVuRwgKlp pic.twitter.com/0BALuZ0Sch
— Bureau of Meteorology, Victoria (@BOM_Vic) December 3, 2021
So just a bit more on the story we reported last night that former Liberal turned United Australia party MP Craig Kelly was appointed to the parliament’s inquiry into social media and online safety.
As we reported, the makeup of the committee is that the government gets five of the eight MPs, with the remainder being made up of Labor and the crossbench.
Labor had two members, and the crossbench has one. Everyone is confused as to who actually put him on there. It wasn’t the government. Labor did put his name forward, but it was just because one of the crossbench was also allow onto the committee, and his name was provided to them.
I’m told Craig Kelly wanted the role and he put his hand up for it, but he wasn’t put forward by the other crossbench members. Indeed some have since expressed surprise at his appointment, too.
Updated
NSW records one Covid-19 death and 325 new cases
New South Wales has reported 325 new cases of Covid-19 and one additional death.
NSW #COVID19 update – Saturday 4 December 2021
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) December 3, 2021
In the 24-hour reporting period to 8pm last night:
- 94.6% of people aged 16+ have had one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine
- 92.7% of people aged 16+ have had two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine pic.twitter.com/fdRUPP2E2m
Victoria records nine deaths and 1,365 new Covid-19 cases
Victoria has reported nine more Covid-19 related deaths and 1,365 new infections.
We thank everyone who got vaccinated and tested yesterday.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) December 3, 2021
Our thoughts are with those in hospital, and the families of people who have lost their lives.
More data soon: https://t.co/OCCFTAcOZP#COVID19Vic #COVID19VicData pic.twitter.com/rJeeSAvxAF
Updated
Residents in the town of Goondiwindi in Queensland’s south-west are anxiously awaiting their biggest flood in a decade as waters threaten levee banks, AAP reports.
The Macintyre River was at 10.33m on Friday afternoon, with the Bureau of Meteorology forecasting the flood to peak at 10.7m.
That’s above the 2011 record of 10.64m, but below the town’s 11m flood levee.
As local business owners described an atmosphere of unease and concern within the town, mayor Lawrence Springborg said his staff were working around the clock to provide updates.
“We have quite a good level of confidence that levee will again protect our town, and we’ve got council staff that ride that levy on a regular basis,” he told AAP.
Residents have left their gates open for council to ride through on quad bikes and assess the levels of rising water along the Macintyre river, with all of the towns catchments at capacity.
On Friday, 10 patients were airlifted from Goondiwindi Hospital ahead of Saturday’s forecast peak.
The Queensland premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, also confirmed on Friday that more than 70 aged care residents would be evacuated if the river level hit 10.6m.
The bureau has forecast further rain in the coming week for Goondiwindi, but Springborg said if falls are not widespread the town should be safe.
“From our perspective, delayed rainfall is fine. It gives us time for our rivers to start to drop and build some more capacity,” he said.
“But of course we don’t have much freeboard at the moment because our rivers and streams are full.
“If it’s widespread heavy rainfall, that’s what can cause further issues.”
Updated
In case you missed this last night from my colleague Stephanie Convery.
The Fair Work Commission has ruled a Covid-19 vaccine mandate for all workers at BHP’s Mount Arthur coalmine was unlawful because the company did not consult adequately with its workers.
Updated
A man who absconded from Covid-19 quarantine in the Northern Territory has been taken into custody after less than five hours on the run, AAP reports.
Police said the 36-year-old man was seen scaling a fence at the Howard Springs Centre for National Resilience about 10pm on Friday.
Authorities are still searching for another man who escaped an Alice Springs quarantine facility.
Jeremy MacDonald, 27, is alleged to have escaped over his room’s balcony about 1pm on Friday.
He returned a negative test on Wednesday, after being ordered to quarantine four days earlier for failing to declare he had visited a hotspot before travelling to the NT.
Six people have escaped quarantine facilities in the NT since 26 November.
Updated
Good morning, I’m Josh Taylor and I will be bringing you all the latest news this morning.
A concerning cluster of Covid-19 cases at Regents Park Christian School in western Sydney has grown to 13, with three already confirmed positive for Omicron. Testing results are still to come for the other 10.
The ACT has also recorded its first case of the Omicron variant in a person who has not travel overseas.
There have been 15 cases of Omicron detected in Australia, 13 of them in NSW, one in the Northern Territory and one in the ACT.
A woman in her 70s from the Binjari community, just outside Katherine, has become the first person to die of Covid in the Northern Territory.
Both NT and WA closed their borders to South Australia after an outbreak of Covid-19 in the state, and four new cases in the state recorded on Friday.
Yesterday the prime minister, Scott Morrison, denied misleading Australians about the vaccination status of SA senator Alex Antic, after he was moved into an SA medi-hotel reserved for those with Covid-19 or those returning travellers who are unvaccinated.
We are likely to hear a lot more on emissions reduction after Labor announced its 2030 target of 43% on Friday.
And towns on the border of NSW and Queensland are also on alert for rising floodwaters.
Let’s get into it.
Updated
