What we learned, Monday 1 March
That’s where I will leave you for today. Here’s what we learned:
- The Royal Commission into Aged Care was released. The government immediately committed to spending $452m on the sector, but the prime minister, Scott Morrison, promised a more “comprehensive” response in the next federal budget.
- The report was damning about the way the sector has been run. As well as handing down 148 recommendations, it found that elderly Australians have suffered declining quality of aged care due to decreasing funding levels as successive governments provided the struggling sector the “bare minimum”.
- Morrison also said the cabinet minister at the centre of historical rape allegations has “vigorously rejected” the claims, while admitting he was aware of “rumours” of the alleged assault earlier this year.
- Morrison declined to launch an independent inquiry into the allegations, declaring he was “not a police force”, despite the former lawyer for the woman, who is now deceased, saying the issue of criminal guilt “can’t be resolved” after her death.
- The AstraZeneca vaccine will be ready for use next week, but NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian called for clarity from the federal government about how many doses would be available later this month. Data published by the health department shows some states are well behind others in administrating the vaccine.
- Australian consular officials confirmed they are seeking to help Dr Osama AlHasani who has been detained in Morocco, as human rights activists raised fears the man may be extradited to Saudi Arabia. AlHasani is a dual Australian and Saudi citizen.
Updated
The president of the Australian Medical Association, Dr Omar Khorshid, says the royal commission into aged care means there “must be no more excuses, no more delays” in reforming the sector.
Like everyone else, it appears the group only saw the eight-volume report today, so have not commented on the specific reformers but Khorshid says the government “must embrace this opportunity to make aged care a safe and high-quality place for older Australians, including improved access to medical care”.
Older Australians deserve to have the same opportunity to have the best quality of life as everyone else, and the same access to high quality medical and nursing care they have enjoyed throughout their lives. Sadly, this Report shows that this has not been the case. In fact, far from it.”
“The AMA has continuously warned the Government that the health and aged care systems are not equipped to deal with the growing ageing population living longer and with multiple chronic diseases.
“Together, the AMA and Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation have been calling on the Government to take urgent measures to improve the situation in aged care and bring comfort and confidence to our parents and grandparents who have given so much to their families and the communities throughout their lives.
“With the release of the Royal Commission’s final report, there must be no more excuses, no more delays. The reform process must start immediately. Care can’t wait.”
Updated
Key report recommendation ignored as resident providers receive $190m funding
Ian Yates, the chief executive of the Council on the Ageing, has questioned whether it was appropriate for the Morrison government to provide $190m in funding to residential aged care providers in its immediate response to the aged care royal commission final report today.
Speaking to ABC TV, Yates said he was “a bit surprised” that residential providers, some of which had been scorned in the final report, had been given the $189.9m in “temporary financial support” without a requirement they spend it on staff – a key recommendation in the report.
Yates said:
I must say I’m a little bit surprised they have given residential care providers $190m without a condition that they spend it on staff. Which is what we have urged them to do.
Yates also played down the significance of the ideological split between the two aged care royal commissioners, Tony Pagone and Lynelle Briggs, which triggered several different and conflicting recommendations.
You can read more about the aged care royal commission’s final report, and its 148 recommendations, here:
Updated
Quite an interesting comparison.
According to @GregHuntMP Victoria has only administered 30% of the vaccine doses they’ve received. QLD just 22%. NSW 75%. @9NewsAUS pic.twitter.com/tBGpyQRu03
— Chris O'Keefe (@cokeefe9) March 1, 2021
The foreign minister Marise Payne has expressed concerns about reports charges have been laid against 47 pro-democracy candidates.
The Australian Government is concerned that charges have been laid against 47 pro-democracy candidates in Hong Kong who were peacefully exercising their rights. We urge authorities to respect the rights & freedoms guaranteed in Hong Kong’s Basic Law, & international law.
— Marise Payne (@MarisePayne) March 1, 2021
Independent Senator Rex Patrick has also criticised the government’s initial response to the aged care royal commission, saying the report reveals that a “profound shift is required” in dealing with the sector.
It’s a damning report that must be answered properly, not with a measly $452m when the problem needs a multi-billion dollar solution. The commissioner has made 148 recommendations which need to be seriously considered. Prima facie, all need to implemented.”
He’s also (confusingly) used the report to criticise government over-spending on defence projects including its Future Submarines project.
The government can’t let money be idly squandered in one portfolio whilst so much money is needed in another portfolio. The government must get on and fix what is a very broken system.”
Updated
The chief executive of the Council on the Ageing Australia, Ian Yates, spoke about the release of the report from Canberra a little while ago. He said the royal commission report was “groundbreaking”.
It does paint a not very pretty picture of a large amount of aged care in Australia. We welcome that. We’ve been talking about that on behalf of older people for a decade. The government has had plenty of time to anticipate this, many of these recommendations were reflected in the final hearing late last year, so government is well-placed to respond by the budget.
On the disagreements on some recommendations by the commissioners Yates said the commissioners “agree that we have to have a huge quantum increase in funding”.
All they disagree about or have alternative views about is what is the best way of doing that ... The commissioners have alternative views about ... how do we get there, it’s not where should we get to. There is no room for the government to try and wriggle out of any of the destinations that the royal commission points to. It is past time that we set out on the pathway.
Updated
Labor’s shadow minister for aged care Clare O’Neil is responding to the release of the royal commission report.
She says the opposition will “consider this final report very carefully” but won’t comment on specifics, she says, because Labor didn’t see the report until it was made public this afternoon.
She says the federal government is “good at saying the right things about how they respect older Australians and then they go into the cabinet room and cut funding from this critical sector and look surprised when things go wrong”.
I find that very disingenuous and I’m really worried this will join the 21 other major reports the government has received during their time in office which have told them some variation on the themes that came out in the final report today.
Updated
Morrison also spoke about the historical rape allegation against a cabinet minister revealed by the ABC last week.
The prime minister gave an interesting timeline. He says he spoke to the minister in question on Wednesday last week, who “vigorously and completely denied the allegations”.
He also spoke to the head of the Australian federal police, Reece Kershaw, on Wednesday, as well as the secretary of his department. He says that after that conversation it’s his view that: “at this stage, there are no matters that require attention”.
Morrison insisted that it was a matter for the police, despite the fact that the woman who reportedly made the allegations has since died. Asked whether he had read the materials sent to him about the rape allegation, Morrison said:
I’m aware of the contents of them. I’ve been briefed on the contents of them. And it was appropriate, as the commissioner himself advised the parliament, to refer any allegations to the properly authorities.
He also made some interesting comments about when he first heard about the allegations. He said he received the anonymous materials laying out the allegations which were sent to his office on Wednesday, when he spoke to the minister in question.
However, he also had this back and forth with a journalist in which he says he was aware of “rumours” but that he did not pursue those rumours.
Journalist: And had you heard about these claims at all before last week?
Morrison: No, not really of any substance, no.
Journalist: What had you heard if not of substance?
Morrison: Only rumours of an ABC investigative journalist making some inquiries. That’s all I’d heard. I didn’t know the substance of them.
Journalist: Did you know who it was about when you heard those rumours or when you heard vaguely about [the rumours].
Morrison: I tend to not pay attention to rumours ... I wasn’t aware of the substance of it and as a result not in a position to pursue it. When I was put in a position to pursue it, I did.
Updated
So maybe we should briefly recap.
The prime minister Scott Morrison announced the release of the Royal Commission into aged care, committing $425m in an initial response but saying the government’s full response won’t come until the federal budget.
The report made 148 recommendations, including the approval of home care packages within one month from the date of a person’s assessment, and clearing the current wait list by the end of the year. It also recommends putting the power to prescribe anti-psychotic drugs for aged care residents in the hands of a psychiatrist or geriatrician to restrict their use.
Morrison admitted it would take “quite considerable time to achieve the scale of change” recommended by the report, but some of the immediate measures will include $18m to enhance oversight of home care packages and $92m to create more than 18,000 places for additional aged care workers between now and mid-2023.
Responding to the report on the ABC just now, Prof Joe Ibrahim, the head of the Health, Law and Ageing Research Unit at Monash University, called the response “underwhelming”.
“The 450m that has been allocated now is less than 3% of the total annual budget for aged care so it’s really just, it’s not very much at all and what the prime minister has said is they will simply be doing more of the same, but the things that are not working, we will just do more of them. We will do more audits with the regulator when we know the regulator has been ineffectual and not working. So it does not make any sense and it doesn’t put us on the path for the generational change.
Updated
And that’s the end of the press conference. Goodness me.
Morrison is asked whether it’s acceptable for a cabinet minister to remain in his position given the allegations raised by Four Corners. He says the AFP commissioner has not told him that he should take action.
Morrison:
I think it’s appropriate for the federal police to deal with it and for the federal police to advise me of the nature of this, which they’re doing. At this stage, the commissioner has raised no issue with me and the department secretary was present for that call as well, that would cause me to take action under the ministerial code. That’s where we are, right now. And, you know, I’m aware of other allegations, and, you know, I think similar – similar principles apply. We’ve got to be careful to ensure that we still follow the rule of law in this country.
Updated
Morrison on his conversation with the minister in question on Wednesday:
I’m not going to go into the conversation. Simply to tell you I was asked. Did I raise it? Yes, I did. And he vigorously and completely denied the allegations. So that means there is a proper process now for it to follow.
Morrison says he won’t be launching an inquiry to the allegations, saying it’s the job of police. One of the reporters points out that given the woman who reportedly made the allegations has since died, it is unlikely the police will be able to relaunch any investigation into the incident.
He again says it is appropriate to pass it on to the Australian federal police.
Updated
Morrison says cabinet minister has denied historical rape allegations
Morrison is asked whether he has asked the cabinet minister who is facing allegations of a historical rape whether he denies them.
Yes, I have and he absolutely does.
He says the conversation occurred on Wednesday last week. He says he also spoke to the commissioner of the AFP, the secretary of the department of prime minister and cabinet and the deputy secretary.
Asked whether he knew about it before Wednesday, he says:
No, not really of any substance, no ... Only rumours of an ABC investigative journalist making some inquiries. That’s all I’d heard. I didn’t know the substance of them ... I tend to not pay attention to the rumours.”
He’s asked what he did with the materials and says that he forwarded them to the AFP. Asked whether he read them, he says:
I’m aware of the contents of them. I’ve been briefed on the contents of them. And it was appropriate, as the commissioner himself advised the parliament, to refer any allegations to the proper authorities. That is the way in our country under the rule of law things like this are dealt with. It is important to ensure that we uphold that. That is the way our society operates. Now, these are very distressing issues that have been raised, as there are other issues that have been raised in relation to other members in other cases. But the proper place for that to be dealt is by the authorities, which are the police. That’s how our country operates.
Updated
Aged and Community Services Australia chief executive Patricia Sparrow says the split in recommendations in the royal commissions is “by no means an excuse to delay major aged care reform”.
There is no split on the need for a total overhaul that means providers are resourced to employ more staff and deliver more care and support. This cannot be used as an excuse to not progress major reforms. We know what the big problems are – we now need the big solutions.
There is a lot of work that the industry can get on with in order to deliver better aged care to Australia, but without increased support from government and community we won’t see the kind of system older people deserve.”
The government has announced $452.2m as a starting point for reform. We welcome this but the most important thing now is a complete overhaul.
We need an overhaul, not just more top-ups, in order to guarantee respect for older Australians for future generations.”
Updated
There’s a kind of weird dynamic going on at this press conference. A few journalists are attempting to ask Scott Morrison questions about the historical rape allegations made against one of his cabinet ministers last week, but he’s declining to take them until there are no more questions about aged care.
Updated
He’s asked whether it was a tactical decision by the government to release the report as Morrison was standing up to take questions about it.
One of the journalists asks the prime minister whether it was “a tactic”.
Morrison:
No, with respect, today is not about the media. Today is about releasing the royal commission report. There are eight volumes, and I would encourage you to digest all of them. And on occasion, after occasion, after occasion, I have no doubt you will quiz me on it. Today is the day for us telling Australia that it is released. There’ll be plenty of other opportunities.
Updated
Morrison is asked what the government’s top priority is in the commission’s report.
Morrison:
There’s one thing that I think pretty much sums up the whole approach and that is the person to whom you’re seeking to provide care has to be at the centre. That’s the nub of this. That their dignity, that their care, that the respect for them as a human being and a fellow Australian has to sit at the centre.
Now that’s not a glib statement. That’s a statement with great policy power behind it. And that’s the sort of thing that should enshrined in the act, as the royal commission has recommended.
Updated
Morrison is asked how he will address the fact the two commissioners have offered differing recommendations on some aspects of aged care reform. He says the government “will exercise our considered judgment”.
We will work with the sector. The fact the commissioners have come to different views I think highlights the complexity of this problem. This is my trust of the Australian people. Our issues that we have to deal with are very complex and difficult in government. I don’t think Australians think this is easy to fix. If it was, then someone would have done it a long time ago. I can tell you, plenty of people have tried in the past and they haven’t succeeded. And they’ve done it with the best of intentions.
Updated
'Generational change is now required': Scott Morrison
Morrison is asked first how much it will cost to implement the commission’s recommendations. He says he doesn’t know.
The royal commission doesn’t know the answer yet.
But you know in our country we have a needs-based system of healthcare. In our country we don’t have a needs-based system of aged care. No government has done that ever – ever – and the result of that is what we read in this report today. That’s why I say that generational change is now required.
Updated
Hunt says the government will adopt the commission’s recommendation to extend the viability supplement as an interim measure. “There will be a long-term solution to that issue set out in the budget.”
He says the government will “make available immediately for 18,000 places to supplement those which have already been brought in for new home care and residential care workers to be trained because if we can lift those numbers, we lift the places that we offer. And that is a critical step forward and then finally in terms of governance.”
Updated
Government will act immediately on fees and audits: Hunt
Hunt is now getting into some of the detail of what the government proposes to do in the sector on receipt of the report.
On home care, the government will immediately act on transparency of fees and commence an audit program of more than 500 facilities a year. He says the government will also implement a new quality control system within home care.
In the quality and safety of residential care, Hunt says the government will “commence the process of 1,500 extra audits of facilities per year under the aged care quality and safety commissioner”. Under that commission regulation will be put in place “to ensure furthers protection against chemical and physical restraint”.
The government will also appoint a new senior restraint leader within the commission “and we will extend the pharmacy program within the commission and under the department to 2025”.
Updated
Health minister Greg Hunt is now speaking. He too invokes his parents, and his father who spent his final months in aged care.
We know that the are 1.3 million people within the aged care system in Australia. Home support, home care, residential aged care.
And this monumental report, eight volumes, 148 recommendations, monumental in scope, two years in construction, over 10,000 submissions, 640 witnesses, sets out some fundamental choices.
And, yes, there are some alternative approaches that have been presented by the commissioners. But the central vision is of a nation where we value our elders, where we respect them, we provide care and we provide dignity. And we respond to their individual needs. That’s the critical thing.
Updated
It will take 'considerable time' for scale of changes
He says it will take “quite considerable time to achieve the scale of change that we want to and need to”.
The commissioner sets out a five-year timeframe for the measures that are set out in the report. And we must also take care in how we do this.
In terms of addressing workforce issues:
We cannot just take people off the streets and put them into people’s homes and ask them to start caring for people. That would be irresponsible. If someone is going to go into someone’s home or go into the room that they’re living in a residential aged care facility, we cannot compromise on the standards that should be there for those workers to be able to provide that support. And so we will seek to address the significant workforce issues and the standards issues and the quality issues and the governance issues.
Updated
Morrison talks about his own father’s time in an aged care home.
You cannot separate the personal element of this ... whether in discharging your responsibilities as a prime minister, a minister, an aged care provider, a regulator, a carer, a worker, a cleaner, people who deliver the meals.
We are all part of a system that is supposed to be providing the best quality care we can for older Australians, particularly as they age.
Morrison says he decided to call for the royal commission when he became prime minister and “couldn’t get the answer I wanted” about the quality of care in aged care.
It was impossible to hear that because it wasn’t the case. No one could give that assurance to me.
And the royal commission has now, I think, set out a very important roadmap which I think will establish generational change in this country when it comes to aged care. It’s the inquiry we needed to have. It’s well considered. It’s honest. It’s positive. It’s compassionate. It’s comprehensive. It’s candid. It’s passionate and it’s ambitious. All the things I hope it would be when I called it.
Updated
Morrison says report is 'personal'
Morrison is speaking now. He’s spent the past few days reading the report. Says it is “personal. The care of those we love is personal.”
Updated
PM commits $452.2m in additional aged care funding
Ahead of their press conference Scott Morrison and health minister Greg Hunt have issued a (long) statement on the royal commission’s findings.
Morrison says the report’s 148 recommendations “deliver a challenging, but achievable road to reform”. He says there is “a clear roadmap to improve respect and care for our older Australians”.
Morrison:
I called this royal commission to ensure our oldest and most frail Australians could receive the respect and care that supports their dignity, and recognises the contribution that they have made to society.
I warned when I called the royal commission there will be stories that will be hard to hear. And that has been the case. But at the same time, we have also heard heartwarming cases of dedication and with the challenges of Covid-19 in the past year, we need to acknowledge the hard work performed by our aged care workforce.
As I noted at the time, Australians must be able to trust that their loved ones will be cared for appropriately and the community should have confidence in the system. This remains our clear goal.
Today the Australian government is continuing to drive reforms with additional funding of $452.2m to address immediate priorities in the sector.
These immediate steps will drive improved quality of care by strengthening aged care provider governance, and improved oversight of home care which will ensure senior Australians and taxpayers are getting value for money.
It will provide additional financial assistance for residential care providers so they can improve care, whilst building the much needed workforce of the future to support Australians who want to age in their own homes.
Updated
The chair of the royal commission, Tony Pagone QC, in his foreword to the final report, confirms the two commissioners have differed on some points.
Here’s what he writes:
Many of our recommendations and observations are made jointly, but there are some instances where we make differing recommendations and observations. We have agreed, with some misgivings and not without anxious consideration, to make some separate recommendations and to express different views where we diverge. But we both strongly conclude that fundamental change is needed.
In the end, the differences between us may add to the strength of the reforms which are to be made. I recommend, in accepting the submissions of counsel assisting, an independent commission model, whilst commissioner Briggs recommends a government leadership model ... The adoption of one model over the other will have consequences for many, but not all, of the recommendations we make.
Updated
Aged care royal commission's final report has landed
Should be plenty of time for the journalists to read it before the prime minister’s press conference begins in ... minus four minutes.
The aged care Royal Commission report has landed pic.twitter.com/VR25LGyb89
— Rachel Clun (@rachelclun) March 1, 2021
Updated
Good afternoon! We’re standing by to hear from the prime minister, Scott Morrison, ahead of the release of the aged care royal commission’s final report, hopefully in about 10 minutes.
The report has not yet been released, but as my colleague Nino Bucci told you a little earlier, the two commissioners have reportedly arrived at different conclusions on how best to reform the sector.
Updated
I’m going to pass the blog to my colleague Michael McGowan. Enjoy your afternoon.
Here is a recap of the news so far on Monday:
- The aged care royal commissioners have reportedly arrived at a split decision on how to reform the sector. Scott Morrison, Greg Hunt and Richard Colbeck are due to speak about the commission’s final report at 1.30pm
- Federal government ministers called for police to be allowed to investigate rape allegations levelled against a cabinet colleague, after the alleged victim’s lawyer described his position as “untenable”
- The AstraZeneca vaccine will be ready for use next week, but NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian called for clarity from the federal government about how many doses would be available later this month
- Another director, John Poynton, resigned from Crown resorts
- No new Covid-19 cases were recorded in Victoria or NSW.
Updated
There’s going to be a press conference at 1.30pm about the aged care royal commission, featuring Scott Morrison, Greg Hunt and Richard Colbeck.
The PM and Ministers Hunt and Colbeck will hold a press conference at 1.30pm on the release of the Aged Care Royal Commission's final report.
— Shalailah Medhora (@shalailah) March 1, 2021
A leading industry group says Australia should consider allowing temporary visa holders to fill permanent migrant place, as companies complain of skills shortages.
Ai-Group’s Anthony Melville told a parliamentary inquiry hearing into skilled migration on Monday the pandemic was expected to have a “long-term impact on the permanent migration numbers”, which he said would fall dramatically.
He said:
This has got economic consequences, including lost years of net migration, and that will not be replaced. There will also be slower GDP growth, residential construction is already suffering, all those industries that feed into that.
We have suggested a couple of things. You could look at the one million or so temporary visa holders in Australia at the moment as a source of permanent migrants. Obviously they would have to meet all the various criteria for permanent migrants. But there is a big pool there of people who are Covid free, if you like.
Julie Toth, the chief economist at Ai-Group, said there were significant skills shortages despite high unemployment.
She noted that most of the job losses during the pandemic had been in areas such as retail, hospitality, performing arts, tourism and transport.
The skills shortages we’re seeing are in the industrial areas. Engineering construction, a little bit of residential construction, and parts of manufacturing that have either seen increased demand or not much of a drop in demand.
Updated
Penny Wong urges Morrison government to condemn Myanmar military
Penny Wong, Labor’s foreign affairs spokeswoman, has issued a strong statement condemning the latest violence against protesters in Myanmar.
Wong wants the Morrison government to be equally forceful in its communications with the Myanmar junta, the Tatmadaw, which seized power in a coup on 1 February.
Wong said:
Labor condemns the recent violence against protesters in Myanmar, in which at least 18 people have died.
Reports that security forces opened fire on peaceful protesters are deeply distressing and such actions are completely unacceptable.
The people of Myanmar have shown enormous courage in the wake of the 1 February coup in expressing their support for democracy and human rights.
It has been a month since the coup, but the Australian government has still not made clear what it has done to oppose the recent actions of the Tatmadaw, including the mass arrests of democratically elected leaders, political figures and protesters.
The Morrison government must send a strong signal to the Tatmadaw that the bilateral relationship won’t return to business as usual until democracy is restored.
Amid the escalating crackdown against protesters by the military regime, the Australian government must explain what steps it is taking to support the people of Myanmar and to oppose the coup.
[Foreign affairs minister] Marise Payne instead referred to the ‘incoming government of Myanmar’ on 9 February and has announced reviews into bilateral cooperation.
This ... response is simply not good enough. Australia cannot be a bystander to a direct attack on Myanmar’s democracy.
Updated
The Queensland government will not pay the bill for returned traveller quarantine from New South Wales (in case you were in any doubt after this fairly bizarre stunt last week from deputy premier Steven Miles):
Queensland's Deputy Premier Steven Miles has filmed himself ripping up a tax invoice from the NSW Government asking Queensland to pay for their residents who quarantined in NSW. #9News
— 9News Australia (@9NewsAUS) February 25, 2021
Details: https://t.co/a3SjH0VdvS pic.twitter.com/uYAPUfZwp5
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said today it was “ridiculous” that NSW had sent Queensland a bill, and used the furore to again press the federal government about whether a new quarantine facility could be approved.
She wants prime minister Scott Morrison to approve flights into Toowoomba so that her government can decide if a hub should be established.
I think it is absolutely ridiculous for NSW to be sending us a bill. I mean, we obviously are doing quarantine for some of their residents. We are not charging them. This is normal work that we have been doing.
Also, too, we still are firmly of the view that we need an answer from the prime minister about whether or not he will allow flights into Toowoomba so we can decide one way or another whether we are going to have this regional quarantine hub in Toowoomba.
Updated
Gladys Berejiklian says the New South Wales government does not know yet how many vaccinations it will be able to administer in two weeks time.
She said the federal government had not provided information about how many doses could be administered after the fourth week of the vaccination program, which is two weeks away.
“We do have the capacity to provide more vaccinations to our citizens than what we had anticipated,” she said.
“We just need to know how many doses we have so we can make that happen.”
She said an average of 48 people an hour were being vaccinated in the state, and that more than 10,000 people had already received the first dose of vaccine.
“NSW is well on track to meet our target of 35,000 vaccinations to be administered in the first three weeks.”
Updated
More detained refugees in Brisbane to be released
Dozens more detained refugees transferred from offshore detention will soon be released on bridging visas in Brisbane, AAP reports.
A further 25 people at Brisbane immigration transit accommodation have been told they will be freed on Monday, the Refugee Action Coalition says.
RAC spokesman Ian Rintoul says the refugees had been held at a Kangaroo Point hotel from where 63 were released in December and January.
He criticised the federal government for failing to provide enough support for those being released.
Rintoul says they are being given only three weeks’ accommodation and bridging visas, when they should be being properly resettled.
“They can’t be sent home or back to offshore detention yet they are left with an uncertain future,” he said.
Another 70 refugees will be released over the next two days but about 70 remain at the Kangaroo Point hotel.
Rintoul said there was no difference between the groups and all refugees should be set free.
“The government’s lack of transparency and chaotic release of medevac refugees is causing increased anxiety and stress among those left behind,” he said.
“Eight years of detention and human rights abuse is too long. They should all be released immediately.”
The RAC will protest for the release of the remaining refugees being held at the Kangaroo Point hotel at 5pm on Monday.
Guardian Australia has recently reported on legal action involving other medevac detainees.
Updated
A group of University of Queensland academics are pushing for reform of Australia’s espionage laws, saying they expose journalists to sentences of life imprisonment and are discouraging public interest journalism.
Australia’s Espionage Act 2018 can be used to prosecute individuals who handle sensitive information with the intent of communicating it to “foreign principals”.
No journalist has been prosecuted under the laws in the three years since they came into effect.
But Dr Rebecca Ananian-Welsh at the University of Queensland’s school of law said the law criminalises a “wide range of conduct” that journalists regularly engage in. The potential of imprisonment is a “huge concern for news companies, journalists, and their sources”.
“Journalists communicate to ‘foreign principals’ every time they publish a story to the world at large,” she said.
Ananian-Welsh and her colleagues believe there should be a specific exemption for public interest journalism inserted into the law.
“The law’s complexity and breadth is a problem in itself. Legal experts struggle to unpack and understand the offences,” she said.
“Journalists, even with the help of in-house counsel, face a daunting task in assessing whether they, or a source, might be crossing a line into criminality if they discuss sensitive matters or international relations with a source, especially one with access to classified information.”
Ananian-Welsh and her colleagues are publishing the press freedom policy papers series, which aims to drive reform of espionage, whistleblowing, and free speech law.
Prof Peter Greste, a former foreign correspondent and now UQ professor, has been working with Aranian-Welsh on her research.
Updated
Energy minister Angus Taylor has reiterated earlier comments from treasurer Josh Frydenberg that allegations of rape levelled at a cabinet minister should be left to police to investigate.
Taylor has just finished speaking in Newcastle.
Look, this has been referred to the police. The AFP and the New South Wales police. It should be left to run through those processes.
The prime minister got very clear advice from the AFP commissioner on this. These things should be referred to the police and left to the police and that’s absolutely appropriate.
Taylor agreed he was concerned about the allegations made against MPs and staffers in recent weeks, and had used the events as an opportunity to speak with his office about how to report inappropriate behaviour to ensure they felt safe at work.
Well, I mean any allegation that’s serious ... of this nature, is of course something we should all be concerned about.
We should be concerned in particular to make sure these things don’t happen again in the future. I have certainly ... spent time with my team, making sure they understand the situation and most importantly they understand the channels for them to deal with any issue that may occur in the workplace.
It’s very important we have our teams right across the parliament, both sides, all sides of politics, feeling they have a safe, effective, working environment, and certainly I’ll be doing everything I can to make sure that’s true, as I have in the past, in my team.
Updated
The treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, is speaking in Devonport. In relation to allegations of rape and sexual assault involving politicians and staffers, he says everyone is entitled to the presumption of innocence.
Every Australian deserves that right. So, yes, there have been very serious matters raised across the parliament in recent weeks. This has been the subject of much commentary and attention.
But the focus has to be now on process. And we have seen a letter from the head of the Australian federal police and that letter, to the prime minister and subsequently made available to the parliament, again re-emphasises the need for these matters to be in the hands of authorities. They are the best people to be dealing with such matters.
He was asked specifically about the allegations involving a cabinet minister, and replied: “Again, the process has now been laid out. And everybody, including that cabinet minister that you referred to, is entitled to the presumption of innocence.”
Frydenberg was also asked about the complaint relating to a Labor MP:
It referred to a person on the other side of politics. It didn’t refer to their specific name. Those matters have been referred to the police. I think it’s really important here that we understand that people are entitled to the presumption of innocence. It doesn’t matter what political party they come from, doesn’t matter what business they work for, doesn’t matter their background, their race, religion, their ethnicity, they are entitled to the presumption of innocence. And this is Australia, after all.
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No new local cases recorded in NSW
NSW recorded no new locally acquired cases of Covid-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm yesterday, the 43rd consecutive day without a locally acquired case.
Three new cases were acquired overseas.
There were 10,652 tests reported to 8pm yesterday, compared with the previous day’s total of 11,225.
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The Australian Council for Civil Liberties claims rape and sexual assault claims are being used as a political weapon.
" ... rape and sexual assault is now being used as a political weapon in Federal Parliament to score political points."
— Tegan George (@tegangeorge) February 28, 2021
A strongly worded statement from the Australian Council for Civil Liberties calling for the presumption of innocence to "be urgently restored". @10NewsFirst pic.twitter.com/SowgDC8TyZ
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There’s some more detail in a report from AAP taking in some recent developments regarding the rape allegation made against a federal cabinet minister.
Scott Morrison is facing mounting calls to stand aside a senior cabinet minister accused of raping a woman before entering politics.
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young, Labor’s Penny Wong and the prime minister were sent a letter detailing the complaint last week.
The incident is alleged to have occurred in 1988 when the woman was 16.
The woman went to NSW police last year but the investigation was suspended when she took her own life after telling authorities she didn’t want to proceed.
Hanson-Young believes the minister must stand aside pending an independent investigation by a an eminent former judge.
She said it was important for the woman’s voice to be heard and for the minister to be able to clear his name if innocent.
“It is just not right to suggest that this type of allegation could linger, hang over the heads of the entire cabinet,” she told ABC radio on Monday.
“Sitting around that table erodes the trust the integrity and belief that this government takes sexual assault seriously.”
Marque Lawyers managing partner Michael Bradley, who represented the woman when she took the complaint to police, questioned whether the minister could do his job with his integrity under question.
“I think he will have to stand aside, at the moment at least, because he’s been accused of such a grave crime,” Bradley told Nine newspapers.
“It’s untenable for him not to, I would think. It’s not really a legal question – it’s a question of propriety.”
Labor leader Anthony Albanese said the allegation needed to be investigated appropriately and not politically managed.
Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull received a letter from the woman in late 2019 asking for his advice.
“She described a pretty horrific rape that she said had occurred at the hands of this person, a person she said is now in the cabinet,” he said.
“One of the things she noted, I might say, is that she’d kept extensive diaries. She mentioned that she had a lawyer and was talking to the NSW police.”
Liberal senator Sarah Henderson has forwarded police an email from a woman who claims she was raped by a serving Labor MP.
The AFP confirmed they received a complaint relating to an historical sexual assault but would not comment further.
Sexual assault allegations have sparked national debate about political culture after former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins said she was raped by a colleague in Parliament House.
Four inquiries are under way, including a multi-party investigation aimed at ensuring parliament is a safe working environment.
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Manufacturing is bouncing back from last year’s recession, the Australian Industry Group says.
AAP reports that the manufacturing index grew by a further 3.5 points in February to 58.8, its strongest expansion since March 2018.
Ai Group chief executive Innes Willox said manufacturers lifted production and employment in February as sales recovered a large share of the ground lost in 2020.
“Manufacturers are generally positive about the outlook for the next few months with new orders coming in at a greater pace as restrictions on activity and cross-border travel are hopefully wound back,” Willox said.
The report comes ahead of Wednesday’s national accounts for the December quarter which are expected to show the economy grew by a further 2.4% in the final three months of 2020.
This builds on the huge 3.3% rebound in the previous three months after collapsing 7% in the June quarter which marked the first recession since the early 1990s as a result of the pandemic.
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For those interested in what health minister Greg Hunt had to say yesterday about Covid misinformation, I draw your attention to this excellent piece from last month about the home affairs department approaching Facebook to take down misleading and false posts:
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Alleged rape victim's lawyer says federal cabinet minister’s position 'untenable'
The lawyer for a woman who alleged a federal cabinet minister raped her in 1988 says it is “unseemly” for people to question her motives and that the MP’s position is untenable.
The woman contacted the New South Wales police in February 2020, telling detectives from the child abuse and sex crimes squad she had been raped.
She had engaged lawyer Michael Bradley and told friends about the allegation, but took her own life in June last year. She had not provided a formal statement before her death.
The South Australian coroner is investigating the suicide.
Bradley told the ABC on Monday: “It was a very tragic story from beginning to end. It’s a deeply unpleasant experience to have that happen to your client. All of my thoughts were and remain with her.”
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Another resignation from the board of Crown
Crown Resorts has just released a statement confirming that John Poynton, the chairman and director of its Perth casino and a director of Crown, had resigned with immediate effect.
The Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority had advised Crown that it was appropriate Poynton step down due to a perceived lack of independence because of his past relationship with James Packer.
Crown’s executive chairman, Helen Coonan, said:
John has been a member of the board of Crown since November 2018 and a director of Crown Perth since 2004. During that time, he has been enormously committed as a director, chairman of Crown Perth and through his service on board committees.
The Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority (ILGA) has advised Crown that it considers it appropriate that John step down as a director of all companies within the Crown group, due to a perceived lack of independence arising out of his past relationship with Mr James Packer and CPH, notwithstanding the recent termination of John’s consultancy arrangement with CPH.
As a result, John has agreed to resign in the best interests of Crown and our shareholders, despite no adverse findings by the commissioner in the ILGA inquiry in relation to his suitability, integrity or performance.
On behalf of the board, I thank John for his contribution to Crown over many years.
There has been a string of resignations from Crown in recent weeks, including its chief executive Ken Barton, following revelations from a NSW inquiry which sparked independent investigations in Victoria and Western Australia.
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Victoria records no new Covid cases
There are no new Covid-19 cases in Victoria today, for the third day in a row. Those testing numbers are fairly low though ...
Yesterday there were no new cases reported. 6,972 test results were received. Got symptoms? Get tested - #EveryTestHelps.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) February 28, 2021
More later: https://t.co/lIUrl0ZEco#COVID19Vic #COVID19VicData pic.twitter.com/PEHa4QOA6h
Restrictions ease today on office workers with up to 75% of staff allowed back into private and public workplaces.
“That is very important, in terms of retail trade, hospitality, food and beverage – that whole part of the economy,” premier Daniel Andrews said on Friday.
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Meanwhile, Australia’s own Chris Kenny is reportedly the warm-up act for former US president Donald Trump at the Conservative Political Action Conference (Cpac) in Florida.
CPAC attendees waiting for President Trump's speech now enjoying a video about the CPAC Australia 2019 conference featuring clips of Chris Kenny on Sky News and left-wing protesters outside #CPAC2021
— Matthew Knott (@KnottMatthew) February 28, 2021
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An utterly compelling court hearing will start in Hobart this morning: the final appeal of Sue Neill-Fraser, who was convicted of murdering her husband Bob Chappell onboard the couple’s yacht in 2009.
There’s a lot to unpack but basically Neill-Fraser was convicted entirely on circumstantial evidence, Chappell’s body has never been found, and much of the appeal is set to focus on why DNA from a troubled teenager was on the yacht.
It is also a test of right to appeal laws, which have been implemented in some states to allow for court hearings if new evidence emerges.
Here’s a story from AAP:
More than a decade after being convicted of murdering her partner, Hobart grandmother Susan Neill-Fraser has another chance to prove her innocence.
The body of Bob Chappell, who disappeared off the couple’s yacht on Australia Day 2009, has never been found.
Neill-Fraser, now 67, is serving 23 years in jail but has always maintained she did not kill the 65-year-old, her partner of 18 years.
Today she will embark on a landmark appeal hearing in the supreme court of Tasmania having convinced a judge there “fresh and compelling” evidence that was not heard at the original trial.
The reliability of the evidence – which centres on then 15-year-old homeless girl Meaghan Vass whose DNA was found on the Four Winds yacht – will be tested in front of a three-judge panel.
Vass denied being on the boat at the original trial but has signed an affidavit saying she was on board when Chappell was attacked.
Neill-Fraser’s lawyers have also questioned evidence led by the prosecution at the trial relating to DNA and blood testing and a “misleading” winching reconstruction on the yacht.
It was found Neill-Fraser attacked Chappell, dumped his body in the Derwent river and then tried to sink the boat.
“It was a deliberate killing for the purpose of some sort of personal gain,” Justice Alan Blow wrote in sentencing remarks after her 2010 conviction.
The case against Neill-Fraser was based entirely on circumstantial evidence.
If the appeal is successful she could face a retrial or her conviction could be quashed.
High-profile lawyer Robert Richter QC, who represented Cardinal George Pell, will lead Neill-Fraser’s legal team at the five-day hearing.
Vass is expected to give evidence via video link.
Neill-Fraser, who is eligible for parole in August 2022, won the right to a second appeal in 2019 under new Tasmanian laws that required “fresh and compelling” evidence to be brought forward.
Her first appeal was dismissed by the court of criminal appeal in 2012.
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The fabled “thylacine” photos are finally out and they are ... pretty blurry.
Last week Neil Waters, president of the Thylacine Awareness Group of Australia, an amateur not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the elusive creature, took to YouTube claiming he had photos proving there were three Tasmanian tigers living and breeding in north-east Tasmania, which would be released on 1 March.
March 1st is finally here and that means Neil Water’s fabled thylacine photos have been released! An expert from the Tasmanian Museum says they are likely pademelons, what do you reckon? (Number 3 is considered the ‘smoking gun’) pic.twitter.com/3cwlfoPyVw
— Matilda Boseley (@MatildaBoseley) February 28, 2021
But before the photos were made public wildlife expert Nick Mooney from the Tasmanian Museum examined them and dismissed the claims, declaring the animals photographed were most likely pademelons – a wallaby-like marsupial.
At midnight Waters released a YouTube video where he shows the photos and they seem to be far from the “smoking gun” promised.
A nighttime photo shows two glowing eyes on an animal with an interesting jaw; another shows the back a small animal that, I’ll admit, does have some distinct stripes and looks a little tigerish, and the last is ... well it sure looks like a pademelon to the untrained eye.
In the video Waters disagrees:
Again we have an interesting shot. ‘Yeah sure that’s a pademelon.’ Is it? Have another good look at it. There are some very telltale signs here that this is everything but a pademelon ...
The mother and the father are clearly a little bit ambiguous; they’re not giving away many secrets. But why the hell would a baby thylacine – which I’m absolutely confident that this animal is – be the following a pademelon and being followed by a pademelon. Questions do arise out of this bizarre revelation.
The photos aren’t the crystal-clear Tassie tiger family shot that many might have been expecting, but the thylacine enthusiasts in the comments seem to be pretty jazzed nonetheless.
You can check out more Guardian Australia thylacine coverage here.
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NSW to ban toxic firefighting chemical, PFAS
The New South Wales government will ban the use of firefighting foam containing the environmental contaminant PFAS, its environment minister, Matt Kean, has announced.
On Monday Kean said the ban would mean that from next month firefighting foam containing PFAS would be banned in training or demonstrations. Further restrictions including on the use and sale of the foam in portable fire extinguishers would be introduced from September 2022.
The use of firefighting foam containing PFAS has been one of the main sources of contamination from the substance, which has resulted in a series of class action lawsuits against the defence department after widespread pollution was discovered in residential areas. Its use has prompted hundreds of investigations into contamination at sites across Australia.
Kean said: “Firefighting foam is the key cause of PFAS contamination in the NSW environment with concentrations detected at airports, defence sites, emergency service facilities, training facilities, major hazard facilities and their surrounding environments.
“This ban on PFAS firefighting foam will significantly reduce the impact on our environment but still enable our emergency agencies to fight catastrophic fires that can have devastating impacts on life and property.”
The introduction of the ban is curious, given the defence department, most commercial airports, and state and territory fire brigades phased out PFAS-based foams several years ago. But a previous regulation impact statement issued by the federal environment department warned that legacy stocks of the foam are still used by private industry at places such as docks, oil refineries and dangerous goods storage facilities.
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The health minister, Greg Hunt, revealed on Sunday that the federal government had established a myth-busting unit to tackle Covid-19 misinformation.
When we say Covid-19 misinformation, many of you probably immediately think of the former Liberal (now independent) MP, Craig Kelly. But the creation of this unit also made me think of the excellent Web of Lies series we have been running at Guardian Australia which you should definitely dig into.
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Royal commmission 'split' over aged care reform
Well this is curious. The two commissioners who presided over the aged care royal commission have reportedly arrived at different conclusions about how to reform the sector. The report is set to be released today.
This is part of a story from AAP:
The final report of the two-and-a-half-year federal inquiry was received by the government on Friday and is expected to include more than 100 recommendations.
However, the Australian newspaper says the contrasting philosophical views of commissioners Tony Pagone QC and Lynelle Briggs has resulted in some split findings.
Citing multiple sources, the paper says the report contains contrasting recommendations for a new model that would mean either higher taxes or greater user-pay contributions to fix funding shortfalls.
The Australian says the report will be released on Monday, with an interim government response to follow.
More detailed commitments are expected in the May federal budget.
Health minister Greg Hunt says the commission’s final report is “monumental” in its scope and vision.
“The full report ... will be released as soon as we’ve had a chance to work through the eight volumes but that will be in the very, very near future,” he said on Sunday.
The commission was told countless tales of abuse and neglect and its 2019 interim paper urged a complete overhaul of a “woefully inadequate” system.
It found there was an overuse of drugs to “restrain” aged care residents, and younger people with disabilities were stuck in aged care.
Pay and conditions for staff were poor, workloads heavy and severe difficulties existed in recruitment and retention.
Mandated staffing ratios, increased regulatory powers and new laws to protect the rights of elderly people are among recommendations made by lawyers assisting the commission.
The sector, which is predominantly funded by the commonwealth, has come under increased scrutiny during the pandemic with 685 aged care residents dying from Covid-19.
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Good morning. It’s 1 March, 2021. Let’s see what’s happening today:
The federal health minister, Greg Hunt, has confirmed that the first 300,000 doses of the new AstraZeneca vaccine will start rolling out by next Monday. He also revealed the government “quietly” set up a “myth-busting unit” last year to address what he’s called “plainly ridiculous” misinformation surrounding the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine, amid increasing concerns about the spread of false information and conspiracy theories.
In other vaccine news, some experts think Australia’s goal of vaccinating the entire adult population by October might just be feasible, even though it would require an extremely high daily rate of 180,000 doses. And new data suggests the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine may be less effective in people with obesity.
Legal experts are calling for an independent investigation of the historical rape alleged to have been committed by a federal cabinet minister, citing it as a “very serious” integrity issue. Anthony Albanese, while agreeing the matter is best handled by police, yesterday called it a “test” for Scott Morrison, who must decide if the minister should continue in his current position. He refused to say how he would handle a similar allegation against a Labor frontbencher, arguing that this was hypothetical. But Liberal senator Sarah Henderson last night referred a rape allegation against an unnamed Labor member of parliament to the federal police.
The heads of hundreds of private schools across New South Wales will be briefed by the boss of the police sex crimes squad this week as the sector scrambles to address concerns raised by a viral petition that has gathered more than 3,000 testimonies of alleged sexual assault committed by high school students.
Two conservation scientists have been cleared of research misconduct by the University of Tasmania after a review sparked by complaints from logging industry representatives.
Chinese investment in Australia plunged by 61% last year, new data shows. But according to one researcher, this may be more about changed foreign investment settings than a strained economic relationship.
Thousands of Victorians may have missed out on early cancer diagnoses during the pandemic, potentially allowing the disease to progress past the chance of recovery and causing a “cancer spike” later on, the Cancer Council says.
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