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The Guardian - AU
National
Elias Visontay and Matilda Boseley (earlier)

Vaccine taskforce makes recommendation on jab for under-50s – as it happened

Paul Kelly, Greg Hunt, Scott Morrison and Brendan Murphy making the AstraZeneca announcement
(From left) Chief medical officer Paul Kelly, health minister Greg Hunt, prime minister Scott Morrison and health department secretary Brendan Murphy announce on Thursday evening that the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine is no longer recommended for Australians under the age of 50 due to rare blood clots. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

What happened today, Thursday 8 April 2021

For the second time, we’ll leave it there for today. Thanks for tuning in.

Here are today’s main developments.

Updated

Before I leave you, here is a press release from Scott Morrison and Greg Hunt:

Earlier this evening the Australian government received advice from the vaccine expert taskforce, the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (Atagi).

The detail of that advice is attached.

The government accepts the advice from Australia’s medical experts and will move swiftly to ensure Australia’s vaccination program and advice to patients is adjusted accordingly.

The Australian government places safety above all else, as it has done throughout the pandemic, and will continue to follow the medical advice in protecting Australians.

The Atagi advice is clear that the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine is highly effective in preventing severe disease caused by Covid-19.

The medical advice to the government is that the risk of blood clotting side effects from the AstraZeneca vaccine is four to six in 1 million people, in the first four to 20 days post the vaccine. This is a rare but serious side effect.

On that basis, the recommendation is that it is preferred that the Pfizer vaccine be provided to adults under the age of 50. The AstraZeneca vaccine should only be given as a first dose to adults under the age of 50 where the benefit clearly outweighs the risk for that individual.

AstraZeneca is recommended for those over the age of 50.

The vaccination program will continue, particularly for the most vulnerable Australians in phase 1b, including those over the age of 70 who are not impacted by this revised advice.

The longer term timeframe for the program is being reviewed following this medical advice.

The Department of Health will provide preliminary, updated advice to general practitioners and health professionals.

The Atagi advice follows further international evidence including from the vaccinations in Europe and the United Kingdom. Atagi had already provided updated guidance on 2 April.

The Atagi advice has today been considered by the Australian health protection principal committee, which is the medical expert panel led by the chief medical officer, and also comprising all state and territory chief health officers.

The advice will be provided to national cabinet tomorrow.

Greg Hun and Scott Morrison at Thursday evening’s press conference
Greg Hunt (left) and Scott Morrison at Thursday evening’s press conference. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian


Updated

The Greens’ health spokeswoman, Rachel Siewert, has issued a statement.

She says:

The government’s rollout is in shambles. This is precisely why Australia should have built domestic mRNA vaccine manufacturing capacity at the start of the pandemic.

We shouldn’t be playing catch-up – completely rewriting our vaccine strategy weeks into the rollout, with vaccine choice determined by availability, not evidence-based health policy.

If we had domestic mRNA manufacturing capacity established in Australia, we wouldn’t be telling under 50s that they should only be vaccinated where ‘the benefits outweigh the risk’. We would be vaccinating them with the best, safest vaccine.

If we had domestic mRNA vaccine production ability, we could be shifting our rollout to other vaccines, like Novovax or Pfizer.

Instead, Scott Morrison is seemingly just making it up as we go along.

We need to make sure that people here are rapidly vaccinated with the best available vaccine, and that we’re able to play our role in supplying vaccines to the Pacific.

To do that, we need a publicly-owned mRNA vaccine manufacturer in Australia.

Scientists and health experts have backed the Greens’ call for Australia to build mRNA vaccine manufacturing capacity on our shores.

With publicly-owned domestic manufacturing capacity, we won’t just be able to make sure that everyone here is inoculated against new pandemics as they come, but we’ll be a vaccine production hub for the region.

Updated

It’s also worth underlining that when Morrison was asked when we can expect the new timetable, he said:

I don’t think anyone can expect that any time soon.

Updated

The press conference has now finished.

Just to return to some comments from the prime minister earlier.

He said repeatedly he could not say what the impact would be on the broader rollout, but that the effect on its early stages would be less significant.

This is because it’s mostly people over 50 getting the vaccine. However, they are not the only people getting the vaccine.

The eligibility for phase 1b, according to the Department of Health, is:

  • Elderly people aged 70 and over
  • Healthcare workers currently employed and not included in phase 1a
  • Household contacts of quarantine and border workers
  • Critical and high-risk workers who are currently employed
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 55 years and over
  • Adults with an underlying medical condition or significant disability
A vial of AstraZeneca
Scott Morrison says he can’t say what impact the new advisory on AstraZeneca will have on Australia’s vaccine rollout. Photograph: Loïc Venance/AFP/Getty Images

Updated

Morrison ends with some new figures on the rollout: as of Wednesday, there had been 996,214 doses administered.

Updated

Kelly confirms Australia has seen only one case of blood clots after a person received the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Hunt is asked about possible import problems with Pfizer. He says:

We don’t identify, for security reasons, the specific source. Shall we say that we’ve been very heartened by the continuity, the reliability, of Pfizer so far.

Updated

It’s also noted – and this is important – that the advice can change based on the Covid situation.

That is, if there is a significant outbreak – like we saw in Victoria – that could impact the “risk-and-benefit equation”.

Updated

Question: Will all Australians get at least one jab by the end of this year? And if we were to see another Melbourne-style, Victorian-style outbreak, would you change your advice to encourage younger people to get theAstraZeneca vaccine?

Morrison says he can’t answer.

Well, I’ve already answered the first question on several occasions. I don’t propose to do that again.

Does he have a “rough timetable”?

No, we don’t ... We’ve learnt this at 7pm this evening, and I think we have to take the time to assess the implications for the program. When we’ve done that, we may be able to form a view. But I don’t think anyone should expect that any time soon. This will take some time to work through the implications.

Updated

Morrison emphasises it will have little impact on the initial stage of the rollout. That is because older people are among the first who will be vaccinated.

The key question – and the one Morrison says it is too early to answer – is what impact this will have on the latter stages, when people under 50 are set to get their jabs.

Morrison then returns to a theme he has been increasingly emphasising in recent days:

This is not a certain world. And we’re not on our own. The whole world is dealing with the same uncertainty. The whole world has gone through a process of relying on expert medical advice to define those vaccines that they would seek to contract and have available to their populations, and Australia has made some very sound decisions on that front.

The point he was making is that “when we have indicated these types of markers, we have always qualified them by saying that is subject to the events that may occur”.

Updated

'Too early' to outline implications for rollout: Morrison

Morrison is asked on the key questions many of you will be wondering about: what does this mean for the speed of the rollout?

He says:

In terms of what the overall implications are at this stage, it’s too early to give you that answer. That’s what I said in my opening comments. I mean, this now has to be considered, the impacts assessed, and the program evaluated and recalibrated. And once we’ve done that, we’ll be in a better position to understand those implications.

The early-stage implications of this, though, are far less significant because of the nature of who we’re vaccinating right now. I can tell you down at Park Hill in Melbourne, they’ll be cranking out AstraZeneca just as quickly as they were over the last few weeks, and that will continue. The distribution will continue.

Updated

Murphy says the government will be sending “preliminary information” to all its vaccination providers tonight and “we’ll provide new information over coming days”.

Updated

A journalist notes that Novavax is still in the approvals process with the Therapeutic Goods Administration. Where is that up to?

Murphy says:

Well advanced. It’s a progressive process. They’re providing data as they come. Obviously, final approval will probably await the publication of the main phase-3 trial in the US. But they are progressively providing information to the TGA, and that’s progressing.

Updated

Brendan Murphy is asked about vaccine supply. Can CSL also produce Novavax? What impact will this have on the production of AstraZeneca?

Murphy says:

All options are on the table. Clearly, CSL - we still have a big need for AstraZeneca. It is going to be a really important vaccine to vaccinate a significant proportion of the population. So they will continue to make AstraZeneca.

We will be reviewing with them over coming months, just what the output will be. They can’t make another vaccine while they’re making AstraZeneca. They’ve made that very clear. We will explore with Novavax if there are any options to manufacture onshore. But most importantly, we are working with Novavax to get their promised deliveries as early as possible

Updated

The prime minister insists he is speaking tonight to say “we’re being very up-front with you”.

There is this issue – it is an issue of, I’d say, low risk in terms of its incidence; so, four to six out of 1 million, that is a very low incidence. But it would not be appropriate, it would not be the right thing to do to not share that information with Australians.

Updated

Morrison says this was “unforeseen”.

I mean, these are not things that are presented in the trials or other phases, as I understand it, when the AstraZeneca vaccine was going through that process either here or overseas.

Updated

Morrison adds:

It goes to the point that the health advice is that the AstraZeneca vaccine, for persons aged over 50, is well advised because their risk – should there be an outbreak of Covid-19 – they would be very exposed to that risk.

They are the most vulnerable group in the country. And so it’s important for them to be vaccinated, because the vaccine protects against very serious illness, as we have seen in the more than 900 deaths that we’ve had in Australia.

Updated

Kelly insists there is “definitely a tendency for it [blood clots] to be in younger people, and we’re still working out what the mechanism might be for why this is occurring”.

He says:

It most likely seems to be an immune reaction probably to the immunovirus of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Updated

Morrison fleshes out the meaning of the recommendations. He says:

The advice here today is not to not have the AstraZeneca vaccine: there is not a prohibition on the use of theAstraZeneca vaccine for persons under 50. There is an expression of a preference.

Australians will look at that risk, they will ask their doctor about that risk, their doctor will know their own personal health circumstances and can answer any questions that they might have and, for the benefit of they may feel quite strongly that they may be better off having that vaccine, given the risks are clearly understood. So this is not a directive. This is not an instruction.

Updated

Just return to some early comments from Paul Kelly, which are important.

He says of the instances of blood clots from the AstraZeneca vaccine:

At the moment, it seems to be around four to six per million doses of vaccine. It’s only been found in the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, usually within four to 10 days after that vaccine. But it is serious, and it can cause up to a 25% death rate when it occurs.

Updated

Morrison also refers to a “recalibration” of the vaccine program.

There will be a recalibration of how the program will need to be adjusted to take into account the decision the government has taken tonight to accept those recommendations from Atagi. As the health minister has just said, there are, of course, Pfizer vaccines that are in Australia, and we are getting a regular supply of those, and they can be prioritised against the individuals for whom that will be the more appropriate vaccine for them. But we will just have to work through the logistics of that and the calibration of how that is done, and that will be our task now. So we’ll do that in an orderly way. Tomorrow, I will meet with the national cabinet.

Updated

Greg Hunt notes Australia already has 20m Pfizer vaccines, which are due this year, and were “reconfirmed with the head of Pfizer Australia today”.

We have theAstraZeneca, which of course is available for all of those over 50 years of age. We have Novavax - 51m units. The latest advice is that that is expected to commence, confirmed today, that this remains their intention and their projection subject to clinical trials and approvals within the third quarter for Australia.

And we also have access to the Covax facility. Of course, the committee that Professor Murphy chairs/recommends, additional acquisitions, we will seek those but won’t pre-empt them publicly.

Updated

Vaccine rollout will need to be 'recalibrated'

Here is Murphy on the ramifications for the rollout.

For Phase 1, which is vulnerable people, we will pretty much continue as we are. Those over 70 and 80 will continue to get AstraZeneca at their GPs and be confident in its efficacy and its safety. For those healthcare workers under 50, they will now be prioritised to Pfizer, and that might delay that particular phase of 1b. But that’s the only phase that might be delayed. The important thing is that all of the vulnerable people – those vulnerable to severe COVID – will be covered, as we planned, by the middle of the year.

Clearly, when we move into the broader, younger population later on, we will have to recalibrate by reprioritising some Pfizer for younger people, and we are now reviewing all of the vaccine purchases we’ve made.

Murphy says there are 51m Novavax coming later in the year, and authorities are “looking at when we can bring other vaccines forward”.

He suggests Australia’s vaccine portfolio was always diverse but adds: “We will have to replan the prioritisation of the program, replan – with the states and territories, who are our partners in this endeavour – how we will deliver vaccines. And we’ll have to comeback at a later stage with better estimates on when things in each phase will be completed.”

Updated

The secretary of the health department, Brendan Murphy, begins by reiterating that these blood clots are “a very, very rare event, and it is a highly precautionary position that Australia can take ‘cause we’re in a fortunate position with Covid”.

Murphy says:

All vaccines have adverse effects. Some serious. Flu vaccines do. The Pfizer vaccine has a risk of anaphylaxis, which we’ve seen. But this syndrome, after all of the work we’ve done with the UK and Europe, does seem to be a real syndrome, and we now feel that, at an abundance of caution, given that this syndrome seems to occur mainly in younger people for whom the risk of severe Covid is not so great, that there is a basis to have a preferred recommendation for those under 50. I want to reiterate that we are strongly encouraging those 50 and over to take up the AstraZeneca vaccine - it is a highly effective vaccine at preventing severe Covid.

Updated

Kelly says:

The final recommendation is that the Department of Health further develop and refine resources for informed consent that clearly convey the benefits and the risks of the AstraZeneca vaccine for both immunisation providers and consumers of all ages, and that is underway, that work, and that will be provided overnight and into the morning.

Kelly continues.

The second recommendation is that immunisation providers should only give a first dose of AstraZeneca to adults under 50 where the “benefit clearly outweighs the risk for that individual’s circumstances”.

The third is that people who have already had their first dose of Astrazeneca without any serious adverse events “can safely be given their second dose”.

“This includes adults under the age of 50, and people who have had blood clots associated with low platelet levels after their first dose of Covid-19 AstraZeneca should not be given the second dose,” he says.

The chief medical officer, Paul Kelly, says Atagi has recommended that the Pfizer vaccine be preferred over AstraZeneca for people under 50.

He says:

This is based both on the increased risk of complications from Covid-19 with increasing age, and thus increased benefit of the vaccination, and the potentially lower, but not zero risk, of this rare event [blood clots] with increasing age.

Updated

PM announces new advisory for AstraZeneca vaccine

Morrison says the government has accepted the advice of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (Atagi) on “rare and serious side effects mostly associated with younger people from the AstraZeneca vaccine”.

There will be an advisory “provided for administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine for persons under the age of 50”.

This means there will be “some changes to the arrangements we have as part of the vaccination rollout”.

That includes “when we might expect our first doses, ultimately, to be able to be offered to all Australians”.

Updated

Morrison is noting that “we can still go about our lives here in Australia”, in contrast to many other countries.

Morrison confirms the advice from Atagi has been received. That’s the purpose of the press conference.

He says the government has “always based our decisions on the expert medical advice. It has not been our practice to jump at shadows.

It has not been our practice to take unnecessary precautions. We’ve been taking the necessary precautions based on the best possible medical advice.

Scott Morrison and Greg Hunt have stepped up.

Morrison begins:

Australia’s journey through Covid has been certainly one of the world’s best, and there’s no place you’d rather be. We’ve had our successes over the course of the last year, but we’ve also had our setbacks, and we’ve indeed had our heartbreaks as well. As so many Australians can attest.

As a pre-press conference primer, here is my colleague Daniel Hurst’s news story from earlier today.

Scott Morrison to give vaccine rollout update

Good evening everyone. This is Luke Henriques-Gomes.

We’re re-opening the blog to bring you prime minister Scott Morrison’s press conference, which is scheduled to begin at 7.15pm.

We’ll soon know more, but it is expected Morrison will be providing an update on the vaccine roll out.

As you would have read, Australian authorities met today to discuss fresh concerns raised by European regulators about the AstraZeneca vaccine causing blood clots.

Morrison said earlier today the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation would look at the evidence and weigh that “against the very positive benefits of the vaccine program”.

Stay tuned.

Updated

What happened today, Thursday, 8 April 2021

We’ll leave it there for today. Thanks for tuning in.

Here are today’s main developments.

Thanks so much, and have a great evening. We’ll be back tomorrow.

Updated

A rabies-like virus that can kill humans has been discovered in South Australian bats.

SA Health has issued a warning to people heading outdoors to avoid any contact with bats, after it was confirmed that two recent exposures in the state last month involved bats carrying Australian Bat Lyssavirus.

The SA’s Department for Health and wellbeing’s communicable disease control branch director, Dr Louise Flood, said the latest exposures were the third time in SA that ABL had been confirmed in bats, with the first detected in 2012.

ABL is a rabies-like disease that can be transmitted to humans if they are bitten or scratched by an infected bat and if treatment is delayed until after the onset of symptoms, the condition is invariably fatal.

While only one per cent of bats usually carry ABL, these two recent exposures are concerning and is an important reminder that bats should only ever be handled by appropriately trained and vaccinated animal handlers.

While the development of ABL from bat bites or scratches can be prevented through prompt wound management and post exposure prophylaxis, it is important to avoid contact in the first place.”

According to SA Health, if you are bitten or scratched by a bat, or come into contact with bat saliva, you should take immediate action by:
• Cleaning the area with soap and water for at least five minutes
• Applying antiseptic such as povidone-iodine
• Contacting a doctor or hospital emergency department and commencing a course of post-exposure prophylaxis if necessary

Marise Payne was asked about the ongoing standoff with the European Union over the vaccine supply issues.

The foreign minister told Sky News the government was working with its European counterparts on the matter, particularly on the request for 1 million AstraZeneca doses to be made available for the purpose of assisting Papua New Guinea.

“Papua New Guinea is clearly at a point of crisis,” Payne said.

The minister said she was also aware that a number of non-government organisations were also trying to persuade the EU to clear the way for those vaccines to go to PNG.

Payne acknowledged that “it is a very difficult time internationally”, with many countries battling high numbers of Covid-19 infections and deaths – but she said PNG needed international support.

“We encourage the European Union to assist with the release of those vaccines.”

A spokesperson for the EU told Guardian Australia yesterday: “We confirm that the president of the European Commission has received a letter from the Australian prime minister on this topic and we will reply in due time.”

Updated

Australian Medical Association president Omar Khorshid has backed up the safety of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine amid blood clotting concerns.

Asked about calls for alternatives, after moves in the United Kingdom to offer anyone under 30 an alternative to the AstraZeneca vaccine, Khorshid noted most younger Australians are not scheduled to start receiving their vaccine for some months.

Right now in Australia we are not vaccinating young fit people with this vaccine. We’re only vaccinating those at high risk, including those over the age of 70 and in nursing homes and things.

We do know catching Covid is a much more dangerous thing to your health, far, far more dangerous than the risk of a very rare side effect from a vaccine.”

Khorshid noted Australia’s order for 51 million doses of the Novavax vaccine, and said that while it could gain approval “hopefully in the second half of the year”, that vaccine was also encountering supply issues.

Updated

Nationals senator Matt Canavan believes Australians who are in the populations deemed vulnerable to blood clotting from the AstraZeneca vaccine should be offered an alternative vaccine.

Canavan, who noted he was “derided” when he called for Australia to pause its AstraZeneca vaccines several weeks ago when European countries halted their rollouts, told ABC News his government should seek to get vaccines from other sources.

Canavan said:

I’m happy to wait for our own health authorities to look at this evidence but everything seems to be pointing to the fact there possibly are sub populations or some parts of our population that would have a higher risk and we need alternatives for them.

I think it’s very desperate here that we do seek to get alternative vaccines from other sources.

We’re in this situation not through any fault of the government but we need to be flexible here.

His comments follow moves in the United Kingdom to offer anyone under 30 access to an alternative vaccine.

Earlier in the TV spot, he also called for former Australia Post chief Christine Holgate to be reinstated to her role, and said he supported Liberal MP Andrew Laming remaining in the LNP party room despite an Australian Electoral Commission investigation into running a network of Facebook pages, as well as allegations of abusing constituents.

Updated

The Australian government says it will not resile from raising human rights concerns as the foreign minister, Marise Payne, renewed her “deeply held concerns” over the situation in Xinjiang.

The comments follow yesterday’s two-hour-long press event at the residence of the Chinese ambassador to Australia, Cheng Jingye, who said Beijing would respond “in kind” if Canberra followed other countries in imposing sanctions against its officials.

The Chinese embassy-arranged press event included a video conference with officials in Xinjiang who said the estimate that at least 1 million Uyghurs and members of other minority groups were in concentration camps was “fabrication” – but declined several requests to reveal a current figure.

In an interview with Sky News Australia this afternoon, Payne began by expressing support for democratic values of free speech and a free media, and noted that diplomats in Australia were able to avail themselves of that freedom.

“But we have been vey clear about our deeply held concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang, particularly as it relates to forced labour, to re-education, to restrictions on freedom of religion, potential restrictions on reproductive rights, including forced sterilisations and also very credible reports of the systematic abuse and torture of women. These are matters we have raised at the highest levels … and we work closely with our international counterparts who share our concerns.”

Payne said the Australian government continued “to hold those concerns” and would continue to advocate for appropriate access to be granted to the UN high commissioner for human rights, Michelle Bachelet, to visit Xinjiang.

Xu Guixiang, an official in Xinjiang, said yesterday that officials would “warmly welcome” Bachelet “to come to Xinjiang for a real-time investigation”. But he did not respond directly to Guardian Australia’s question about whether any restrictions or conditions would be placed on Bachelet’s level of access, amid ongoing negotiations about the terms of the proposed trip.

Asked if Australia would follow the EU, UK, US and Canada in imposing sanctions on Chinese officials over human rights abuses in Xinjiang, Payne noted that Australia did not have the same sorts of sanctions systems as those countries (such as Magnitsky-style laws), and did not currently have an autonomous sanctions regime in place for China.

“But we have been very consistent and very clear in raising our concerns.”

Asked about the Cheng’s comment about China not swallowing “the bitter pill” of interference in its internal affairs, Payne said she had not had the opportunity to watch yesterday’s entire conference, but Australia would not resile from raising concerns.

The Australian Council of Trade Unions is concerned the Morrison government’s announcement on sex discrimination law reforms don’t go far enough to protect women in the workplace.

ACTU president Michele O’Neil was asked by ABC News about the changes, announced today as a response to the Respect@Work report’s recommendations made by sex discrimination commissioner Kate Jenkins in March 2020, and said:

We wanted the government to adopt and act urgently on all 55 recommendations ... The things they’ve not agreed to act on are important. They go to changes in workplace health and safety legislation. The need for a new regulation.

This is something the government can influence in the next month because there will be a meeting of commonwealth and state and territory health and safety ministers. Where the federal government is likely to have the casting vote on whether that new regulation to ensure that employers take steps to eliminate sexual harassment and the risks is put in place. They haven’t committed to that.

The sex discrimination commissioner said sexual harassment should be prohibited in the Fair Work Act and the [government hasn’t] agreed to do that. This change would mean you could have quick, fast access, easy access to justice and a complaints process within our workplace laws for women and people who are experiencing sexual harassment.

Instead, what the government has done is said they’ll tweak what’s called bullying orders. There’s real problems with that. It just doesn’t go far enough and doesn’t make it clear it’s against the law to harass women in our fair work laws.

O’Neil also accused the government of failing to agree to a recommendation that would give the commissioner the right to instigate her own inquiries and investigations.

Updated

Stoker was also asked about Grace Tame’s criticism of her appointment as assistant minister for women last week.

Stoker said she sent Tame “a note that very day asking to meet her for tea. Anywhere she likes. We’ll find a mutually agreeable time.”

“Sadly I haven’t heard back. I’m not really concerned about this as far as sledging me goes,” Stoker said.

You can read more about what Tame said about Stoker last week here:

Liberal National senator for Queensland Amanda Stoker has just been speaking to ABC News about the amendments to the sex discrimination law the Morrison government announced today.

She dodged a question about whether she believes gender-based violence is driven by gender inequality, instead linking the issue to equality of opportunity.

Stoker, who was criticised by Australian of the Year Grace Tame last week after she was appointed as the new assistant minister for women, was defending the government’s response to the Respect@Work report and recommendations made by Kate Jenkins in March 2020. The government responded to the recommendations earlier today.

Asked by host Matt Wordsworth if she agreed with recommendation 6, that governments recognise sexual harassment is driven by gender inequality and is a form of gender-based violence, this exchange occurred:

Stoker: “I think it’s very clear on the face of the report that we agree that sexual harassment is absolutely wrong.”

Wordsworth: “But is it driven by gender inequality?”

Stoker: “We say equality of opportunity is absolutely important as between men and women so I don’t think there’s any divergence there.”

Wordsworth: “There is a difference there though, isn’t there?”

Stoker: “Not wildly, no. When we say that there is inequality on one hand, to say we believe in equality of opportunity is the flipside of the same coin.”

She then went on:

I know as a country we can’t be unrealistic about this. We’ve got to say we aspire at all times to give genuine equality of opportunity to all Australians no matter what their sex, no matter what walk of life they come from.

But to promise equality of outcome is a falsehood and doesn’t reflect the divergent goals and aspirations of Australians. Everyone wants something different from life. But I do absolutely think that action is needed to make sure we have equality of opportunity.”

There have been some changes in staffing in Anthony Albanese’s office that might be of interest to any political nerds out there.

The shake-up sees the promotion of two women into Albanese’s circle of closest advisers – his so-called “leader’s executive”, which has been without a female voice since the controversial departure of Sabina Husic last year.

Liz Fitch has been promoted to the position of director of media, while Matthew Franklin will take on the role of senior press secretary.

The switch in roles will see Fitch sit on Albo’s executive team, while Franklin will spend more time on strategy, speechwriting and parliamentary tactics, along with his usual journo-wrangling.

The opposition leader’s office is also bringing in fresh talent, hiring Katie Connolly as strategic communications special adviser.

Connolly, who starts in Albanese’s office next week, was lead pollster for US Democrat Pete Buttigieg’s “Pete for America” campaign, and previously worked as a pollster and researcher for Barack Obama.

Connolly will be the team’s strategic communications special adviser as Albanese sharpens his pitch to voters in the lead-up to the election.

Updated

How’s this for a cracking picture, from our British print edition yesterday.

Morning commuters in crowded boats on the Buriganga River in Dhaka, Bangladesh, despite Covid-19. Taken by Azim Khan Ronnie.

Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart will kiss goodbye to the sunshine this weekend when a “polar blast” of icy air will send temperatures plummeting on Sunday, bringing rain, snow and even hail in some regions.

Jonathan How, a meteorologist at the Bureau of Meteorology, said a cold front expected for Friday would be followed by a second front on Saturday, created by a “polar blast” moving north from the Antarctic.

Together they will deliver what may the coldest day of the year so far.

“This is looking to be the last hurrah of the warm season and the summer ... This will be the last time we see the high 20s and low 30s until next spring.”

On Sunday the conditions will move through to Sydney, making for a chilly weekend.

“Even though we’re not going to see any record broken, the main message is that it is going to be quite uncomfortably chilly,” How said. “This sudden swing will catch people by surprise.”

On current BoM projections, the weather in Sydney will hit a low of 13C on Sunday, with the mercury falling to 10C in Melbourne and 0C in Canberra on Monday.

Read more:

Updated

The Northern Territory is offering thousands of dollars to fruit pickers who travel to the Top End and help harvest the ripening melon crop.

Coronavirus travel restrictions and closed borders have stopped foreign backpackers travelling to Australia, leaving growers desperately short of labourers to pick their fruit.

AAP reports the NT government wants Australian workers to fill the shortfall and help harvest the more than 75,000-tonne melon crop, which includes seeded and seedless watermelons and rockmelons.

The $70 million per year NT industry is critical to national melon supply and allows shoppers to buy the produce 12 months of the year.

The NT government is offering $1,000 per worker for up to 200 people to pick the fruit, along with $480,000 for bonuses to help businesses retain them.

A bonus of $200 per week will be available for people who work a minimum of 30 hours per week, for at least five weeks between 12 April and 12 July.

“We produce the best melons in Australia and we have to get them off our farms into grocery shops and supermarkets across Australia,” minister for agribusiness Nicole Manison said on Thursday.

“Our message is simple, come to the Territory to work in a great place, have a great experience, and pick our melons.”

The jobs on offer include picking, packing, sorting and logistics roles.

Workers with licences to operate forklifts, trucks and production machinery will be in hot demand. Manison said the NT’s seasonal and overseas workforce has fallen by 73% over the past year.

Updated

Pharmacies oppose mass vaccination site plan

The Pharmacy Guild of Australia has lashed the New South Wales government’s move to rollout mass vaccination sites, saying the plan “makes no sense”.

The guild said pharmacies are set to join the rollout from phase 2a, commencing in June, and that they can support rapid delivery of the vaccine in a way mass vaccination sites can’t.

The guild notes there are over 5,900 community pharmacies across Australia, and in capital cities, 97% of Australians live within 2.5km of their local pharmacy.

National president of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, Prof Trent Twomey, is calling for pharmacies to be considered one of NSW’s major vaccination providers, adding that pharmacists “are used to working over public holidays and being open for extended hours and on weekends”.

Twomey said:

We’re trained and experienced in providing vaccination ... We have the consult rooms set up and ready to go. We’re only down the road for many Australians, who visit us at least 18 times a year on average.

So with this mass vaccination idea, how does it work if I need to go to a footy stadium for my Covid shot? Assuming I’m in a city near a footy stadium, I’d have to take time off work during the week, then have to get to the stadium in the traffic, probably with my young family in tow, wait for hours for my shot in close quarters with hundreds of others, putting us all at greater risk of community transmission, and then wait around, then to find a way home for all of us.

Why wouldn’t I just want to go to my pharmacy down the road from home on a weekend? I could be back at home within 30 minutes with no disruption to my family, and a lot less risk of community transmission. It just doesn’t make sense.

Twomey also claims the “most successful” vaccine rollout in the United States has been in West Virginia because “they’ve gone with the local pharmacy option as the vaccination provider”.

Updated

An interesting update from the Guardian’s Brussels bureau chief, Daniel Boffey, related to the tensions between Scott Morrison and the European Union over its vaccine export controls.

On Wednesday, as Morrison shifted to blame Australia’s slow vaccine rollout on the 3.1m doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine that haven’t arrived from Europe, he accused the EU of blocking vaccine shipments.

The EU hit back at the government on Wednesday, saying it had only blocked one shipment, of 250,000 AstraZeneca vaccine doses from Italy in early March, and that it hadn’t blocked any further shipments.

However the Morrison government returned fire and said the EU was “arguing semantics”. This was because it said the EU had signalled it would block future export requests, so AstraZeneca – which has to lodge the requests on Australia’s behalf – didn’t submit any.

It has since been revealed that the 717,000 AstraZeneca doses Australia has been able to import arrived from the UK, according to the Sydney Morning Herald, suggesting the EU has not approved any vaccine export requests to Australia.

Boffey reports that a spokesman for the European Commission confirmed that officials in Brussels had held talks with the Australian government over the 3.1m jabs but insisted the EU would not permit exports by AstraZeneca as long the company failed to live up to its commitments to the bloc.

The EC commission spokesman said:

The European Union itself is not receiving much more than three million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines from the provider,

You will remember that the gap between what the company has delivered to us and what was expected, up to the end of the first quarter is extremely big. And that the gap between what we would have expected under the advanced purchasing agreement, and what AstraZeneca is currently saying it will deliver is also extremely important.

Finally we’re not the only region in the world producing AstraZeneca vaccines and therefore this is a global issue. It is definitely not simply a bilateral issue between one country and the European Union.”

The spokesman refused to be drawn further on the content of the discussions with the Australian government.

You can read more about the vaccine export stoush, and Australia’s plea for 1m of its ordered doses to be sent to Papua New Guinea (low and middle income countries are meant to be exempt from the EU vaccine export control):

Updated

Western Australia’s Department of Fire and Emergency Services have warned they expect Tropical Cyclone Seroja, could reach category 3 when it hits the state’s coast over the weekend.

On late Sunday or early on Monday, Tropical Cyclone Seroja is expected to cross the coast as a Category 2 and could even be a Category 3 system.

The will be experience most likely in the area between Carnarvon and Jurien Bay. Destructive winds with gusts and 150km/h and intense rainfall that could cause flash flooding are expected near the system, as it moves over the coast.

A direct impact to Perth is unlikely, but there could be strong rain on Sunday.

However there will be three weather systems that authorities are monitoring that could approach tropical cyclone classification over the weekend.

Authorities believe the first system to hit, named tropical low 23U, will affect the coast off Exmouth on Saturday, and are warning travellers to consider leaving the area now.

Seroja – which originated in Indonesia and was named by that country’s meteorological authorities – will become the main point of concern later on Saturday and on Sunday and Monday, following that first system.

The third system is a tropical low that is not expected to impact the WA mainland but it is forecast to bring heavy rain and gusty winds to the Cocos Keeling Islands on Friday and Saturday.

New South Wales police have now taken a formal statement from a longtime friend of the woman who alleged she was raped by Christian Porter, but insist the investigation remains closed.

In answers to NSW estimates, police have said that Macquarie Bank managing director, James Hooke, a friend of both Porter and his accuser for 30 years, was known to them as far back as July but until recently did not wish to make a statement because “he understood why the investigation had been closed”.

Porter has been accused of raping a 16-year-old in January 1988 when he was 17. He strenuously denies the allegation.

On 12 March Hooke publicly stated he had “relevant discussions” with Porter’s accuser from “mid-1988 until her death” in June 2020 and with Porter from 1992 onwards.

The revelation prompted the NSW police commissioner, Mick Fuller, to promise to reexamine the case, which was closed when the alleged victim indicated to the NSW police that she no longer felt able to pursue the complaint, before taking her life in June 2020.

In answers to supplementary questions on notice in NSW estimates, the NSW police have revealed they were in possession of an email from Hooke that had been forwarded to them by a friend of the victim on 2 July, shortly after her death.

Read more:

Updated

The Morrison government has warned a legal challenge to Australia’s outgoing travel ban brought by rightwing thinktank LibertyWorks, threatens to “drive a truck” through biosecurity laws.

In submissions to the federal court, the commonwealth said LibertyWorks’ argument that the health minister has no power to impose a blanket ban on all citizens leaving Australia ignored the “emergency context” of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The case is the first major challenge to Australia’s strict external border restrictions limiting people’s right to leave the country, but does not seek to overturn the cap on the number of arrivals to Australia.

Read more:

New Zealand’s prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, has given an update on the new Covid-19 case detected in a 24-year-old Auckland hotel quarantine worker who had not been vaccinated.

In response, Ardern has announced a temporary suspension of travel from India into New Zealand, coming into effect from 11 April until 28 April, and it will apply to New Zealand citizens.

Ardern also said it was her expectation that frontline border workers be vaccinated, and that from Monday, those who have not been vaccinated would be moved into other roles.

The case is not expected to effect Australia’s travel bubble arrangement with New Zealand.

Updated

Thanks for taking us through the day so far Matilda.

I’m Elias Visontay, and I’ll be taking you through the next part of the day.

If you see anything you think I should be aware of, you can get in touch with me via Twitter @EliasVisontay, via email at elias.visontay@theguardian.com, and Wickr at eliasvisontay.

With that, I might hand you over to the fantastic Elias Visontay to help you stay abreast of the news and bust Covid-19 misinformation for the afternoon.

One story that I haven’t mentioned today so far is the death of an elderly woman with pre-existing conditions in an aged care home in Queensland who passed away in the hours after being vaccinated.

It is understood the 82-year-old received a dose of the Pfizer vaccine at the Springwood Yurana aged care facility on Wednesday, before she died in the afternoon.

On any given day more than 100 aged care residents die in Australia, sadly, and currently there is no indication the vaccine caused her death.

Greg Hunt has been asked about this case at his press conference:

The advice that we have is that there is no evidence, no sign or no hint of any causal link at this stage.

Sadly, an elderly person has passed but very sadly they are one of a thousand that pass [each week] ...

So, there are no cases that have been identified to this point in time, where there has been that consequence, but wherever there is a reported case, it’s investigated. I will leave that to the authorities. Both Queensland and commonwealth ...

I would respectfully say that we have to be very careful – when there are sadly inevitably and agonisingly a thousand people who pass [away] in aged care every week – that drawing the causal link after an event such as that is something we have to very, very careful about.

Updated

The acting premier of Victoria, James Merlino*, said this morning the states have the capacity to do more to help with the vaccine rollout.

Hunt has been asked if he would consider changing the rules around which groups state-run facilities can vaccinate. (Currently, the states have only been tasked with vaccinating their essential frontline workers).

Hunt said the federal government would welcome that**:

The partnership agreements that we’ve stuck with the states and territories precisely included the option for when they feel that they have reached a point that they can expand the range of people that can be included ... and indeed some states are already doing that. I think it’s a very heartening development.

I have previously indicated to the Victorian minister that when Victoria feels that they are ready to expand beyond health workers to other members of the 1B cohort, that’s already in the agreement, we would fully support it, fully welcome it and embrace it. I think that’s positive.

*If you remember, the actual premier, Daniel Andrews, is off work for a number of weeks after fracturing his spine.

**Seems getting the rollout happening faster is worth the bruised pride of being saved by the states.

Updated

Hunt has outlined the process the Australian health authorities will go through in order to determine what, if any, action they will take in regards to the AstraZeneca vaccine, now the EU has declared blood clotting a possible but rare side effect:

We already have had updates from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation [ATAGI], and the Therapeutic Goods Administration and the chief medical officer … That’s been an ongoing process.

Now with the additional advice overseas from the European Medicines Agency, which is their equivalent of our Therapeutic Goods Administration... we have asked the [ATAGI] here in Australia to review and provide advice.

That advice will go to the chief health and medical officers of Australia, the body chaired by Professor Paul Kelly, the chief medical officer, and also at the same time the TGA or the Therapeutic Goods Administration is considering the latest advice from overseas.

That will come through to government and as the prime minister indicated this morning, that will be discussed at a health ministers meeting this evening and national cabinet with all of the states and territories and their leaders and the prime minister tomorrow.

So, that’s the process that we’re taking.

Updated

Federal health minister Greg Hunt is speaking now.

He says the residents of 1000 aged care facilities have now received their first vaccine dose and 435 have received the second.

The impact of China’s trade actions against a range of Australian sectors has been “quite limited” in most cases because exporters have been able to find other markets, according to new analysis published by the Lowy Institute today.

The institute’s lead economist, Roland Rajah, says Australia’s merchandise exports to China were worth A$145bn in 2020, about 2% below the 2019 peak, despite the Covid-related downturn.

He says that at the headline level, “the effect of China’s trade sanctions on Australia’s export numbers has been completely swamped by the booming iron ore trade – which China hasn’t been game enough to touch”.

Rajah says exports to China “have predictably collapsed in the areas hit by sanctions, but most of this lost trade seems to have found other markets”. He describes this as a “reshuffling of global trade”.

In a piece for the Lowy Institute’s The Interpreter site, he crunches the numbers:

So what has happened to the exports China has specifically targeted? The list includes barley, beef, coal, copper, cotton, seafood, sugar, timber and wine.

Collectively, these targeted exports to China were worth roughly $25 billion in 2019, or 1.3% of GDP. A meaningful, if not massive, amount. In the three months to January 2021, the total value of these exports to China was running at the equivalent of a little under $5.5 billion a year – a huge drop.

But China’s trade sanctions haven’t actually cost Australia the almost $20 billion remaining in annual exports, compared to 2019.”

Rajah argues Australian coal exporters have been “quite successful in diverting to other markets”. He also says sales of barley, copper, cotton, seafood and timber to other markets rose sharply, “but only after China’s sanctions intensified in late 2020”.

One important exception is the wine industry. Rajah says wine exporters have “struggled to make up for the loss of the premium China market”.

The analysis has been published a day after the Chinese ambassador to Australia, Cheng Jingye, argued the “difficulties” in the diplomatic relationship were not initiated by China. Cheng also issued a warning that Beijing would respond “in kind” if Canberra followed other countries in imposing sanctions against its officials over human rights abuses in Xinjiang.

Earlier the prime minister was asked about a report from Guardian political correspondent Sarah Martin today which showed Laming awarded a $550,000 grant to a rugby club with links to one of his staff members as part of the government’s controversial female sports facilities grants program.

Morrison claimed that “rants aren’t decided by members of parliament,” but are instead decided by the department.

So it wouldn’t be right to put it the way you have put it.

But as Sarah has pointed out that is simply not the case, according to the department, as the grants were allocated as part of election commitments, and was not open to applications.

This means the department did not assess applications as Morrison suggested, but instead they were nominated by the government

You can read Sarah’s full story below:

China’s ambassador to Australia has warned that Beijing would respond “in kind” if Canberra followed other countries in imposing sanctions against its officials over human rights abuses in Xinjiang.

The ambassador, Cheng Jingye, said people should not be under the illusion “that China would swallow the bitter pill” of meddling in its internal affairs, nor attempts to mount a “pressure” campaign.

Cheng was speaking at a media event at his official residence in Canberra on Wednesday, which also included a two-hour-long video conference with officials in the Xinjiang region.

The event was an attempt by Beijing to push back at growing international criticism of what some western countries and analysts have said amounts to genocide against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities.

You can read the full report below:

Wait a second. So Annastacia Palaszczuk or her team has time to make intricate graphics every day on Canva.com (I assume) but somehow don’t know how to crop out the Notes app header in this statement?

I give up. Sip?

Also, and much more importantly, the Queensland premier’s calls for a national women’s summit were heard yesterday, with the prime minister confirming it will be held in July.

This will be an opportunity for government and social services leaders from around the country to discuss how to improve the position of woman in Australian society, including tackling family violence, the gender pay gap and sexual harassment at work.

Updated

AMA calls on Australia to donate locally made vaccines to PNG

The Australia Medical Association has called on the Australian government to “urgently dispatch more of our domestically produced AstraZeneca vaccine to Papua New Guinea”, as it battles a devastating Covid-19 outbreak.

AMA president Dr Omar Khorshid commended the prime minister’s comments yesterday, in which Morrison suggested Australia would consider donating domestically produced vaccines to PNG if the EU would not allow the 1m AZ doses designated for the humanitarian efforts to be exported out of Europe.

It’s encouraging that the Prime Minister is considering this option, but it’s time to act now. The rapid increase in reported virus infections and deaths across Papua New Guinea is alarming.

Late last month, we saw case numbers almost double in a week, with a high proportion of those infections among our healthcare colleagues.

We also know there are many undetected infections and underreported deaths, so the need to support Papua New Guinea’s vaccination effort is urgent and vital.

The AMA’s position is that delays in Europe mean Australia must take a leadership role in the region, making up the difference with domestic supply.

[Donating] is simply the right thing to do. We need to ensure that vaccine supplies to Papua New Guinea are sufficient to prevent a health crisis worsening into a humanitarian crisis. And the reality is this will also help with our Covid-19 efforts.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen many of the cases of COVID-19 in hotel quarantine originating from Papua New Guinea, and sadly the death this week of former PNG Governor Malcolm Smith in a Brisbane hospital.

We know that positive cases in hotel quarantine can, and will, leak into the Australian community – this is not a virus that abides by borders.

Updated

Queensland’s state government has now administered 100,000 vaccinations, but more importantly …

Weird graphic design alert! SIP!

Updated

Arggggggggh, I missed this before but Scott Morrison has decided to try to lay the blame for the current climate of disrespect towards women on social media – as if women haven’t been being disrespected for the last 10,000 years as well.

Morrison:

It’s so important to say, “It all starts with disrespect.” That’s where it starts and I would argue not just disrespect towards women, disrespect full stop.

We’ve got to be careful in our society that we don’t allow the reservoir of respect to drain ... I genuinely fear that the reservoir of respect and the way we deal with each other and speak to each other is draining: I think social media has the most corrosive impact on that behaviour.

Sorry to editorialise but just to be crystal clear, things haven’t “suddenly got worse for women”, that’s not why we are having this sexism reckoning now.

Things have been terrible for women since day one. In fact, this is the best we have ever had it, in the entire history of humanity, and it’s still terrible. That’s the problem.

Social media is actually a huge part of the reason we even can have this conversation now.

The fact that our prime minister seems to think this is somehow a new problem, or that the “reservoir of respect” is only draining now is really worrying to me. The woman’s reservoir has always been empty.

Updated

NSW borders will stay open to NZ despite new Covid-19 case

NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian says she has no intention to close the NSW to New Zealand after learning about the country’s new Covid-19 case mid press conference:

We should accept that during this stage of the pandemic, there will be cases that pop up unexpectedly but just as I would expect people to keep borders open to New South Wales if we had an outbreak we thought we could manage, I would extend that courtesy to New Zealand as we did to Queensland and other states.

I don’t worry about outbreaks which can be managed. We should expect that during a pandemic and having the inconsistency and uncertainty of sudden border closures does not help anybody.

We all need to step up and demonstrate greater confidence in our health systems.

While individual states may choose to open and close their borders, ultimately the federal government has the ability to block quarantine free travel from New Zealand, but so far we have no indication that they are likely to do this.

NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian.
NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian. Photograph: Bianca de Marchi/AAP

Updated

Berejiklian has been asked if all aged care residents in the state have been vaccinated, and to paraphrase her response was “Brah, don’t look at me, ask Scotty about that one.”

Now her actual quote:

Well, as I’ve said previously, that’s the specific responsibility of the commonwealth and I understand the federal government has issued contracts for that to happen.

It would be unusual and difficult for us to intervene*.

That’s why yesterday the New South Wales government announced we can’t [control] the supply of the vaccine and what vaccine we get but we can support getting the doses out to the community ...

In a pandemic, there are things you can control and things you can’t and as the premier and leader of New South Wales, our team has always focused on what we can control ... things we can do, which is why we’ve stepped up our ability to get doses out the door. So if we get more, we’ll get it out.

*Did anyone ask her to intervene? That’s a pretty strong indication of lack of trust in the federal government’s rollout that’s on her mind.

Updated

While my attention was turned across the pond NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian has stood up for a press conference. I will bring you those updates shortly.

Unlike NZ, NSW recorded no local Covid-19 cases over night.

Well, it looks like something don’t change no matter what country you are in.

New Zealand’s director general of health Ashley Bloomfield is being grilled over why this newly infected hotel quarantine security guard wasn’t vaccinated.

They certainly will have been offered ... I don’t have any further information on the reasons why [he hadn’t received the jab].

My understanding is not the person has objected to being vaccinated, but it’s just being the logistics of getting the vaccine.

Updated

It appears this new New Zealand case – a hotel quarantine worker at the Grand Millennium hotel – has prompted a review of the quarantine facilities.

Bloomfield:

So back to the Grand Millennium, you will be aware, we previously reported a couple of weeks ago that cleaner at this hotel had tested positive for Covid-19 that was on the 22nd of March ...

Because of that earlier case and the case we’re talking about today. We have decided to carry out a cycle infection prevention and control audit at the facility, similar to those previously done at [other facilities.

We also called a meeting of the managed isolation and quarantine technical advisory group about this case to provide a check and advice on the actions under way at the facility.

Updated

New Zealand border worker infected with Covid-19

The New Zealand press conference is starting now.

New Zealand’s director general of health Ashley Bloomfield says there has been one new community Covid-19 case, a 24-year-old worker at a hotel quarantine facility who had a sore throat four days ago.

The person lives alone ... The case travels to work by private people with a colleague, and this colleague was informed last evening as well that they are a close contact, and they are self-isolating at home. I should say the case his colleague has been fully vaccinated and will be having a swab taken today.

So Auckland Regional Public Health officials have this morning carried out the scoping interviews with the case to determine any potential locations of interest, and the stage, there are none to report.

The case worked over Easter and appears to work night shifts over the Easter period. He was not at work yesterday and did not visit anyone yesterday. If and when locations of interest are identified, we will make, we will notify those.

Updated

Victoria to open two mass vaccination hubs

Victoria will open two new mass vaccination hubs at the Melbourne Showgrounds and the Mercure convention centre in Ballarat, as part of their plan to complete 300,000 vaccinations before 16 May.

States are only responsible for a tiny portion of the Australia vaccination rollout, vaccinating state government essential frontline workers during phases 1a and 1b, but NSW has already offered to take on extra responsibility once their offical vaccination responsibilities are completed.

While Victoria hasn’t yet made a similar offer, they are significantly ramping up their vaccination facilities despite already administering 120,000 doses of their 300,000 dose commitment.

The state government released a statement this morning:

These sites join five existing high-volume centres across the state plus dozens more hospital vaccination hubs, sub-hubs, and outreach delivery services currently in operation or preparing to come online.

Victorians living in public housing and included in phase 1a and 1b will also be able to receive coronavirus vaccinations close to home through dedicated community health centres and mobile “pop-up” clinics.

This innovative, targeted approach recognises that many Victorians more vulnerable to coronavirus may not be able to travel long distances to get vaccinated due to carer obligations, disability or lack of transport options.

The community vaccination centres will be established in Prahran, Lilydale, Broadmeadows, West Melbourne and Deer Park, supported by community health partner agencies and using their local community expertise – with vaccinations already underway.

Mobile vaccination vans will also be used to provide outreach, partnering with local organisations and workplaces across the state.

Updated

Australian Uighurs want to meet Chinese ambassador

Australian Uighurs are calling for the Chinese ambassador to meet them to help make contact with loved ones missing in Xinjiang, reports AAP’s Marion Rae.

Several Uighur associations issued the joint request after China’s ambassador to Australia called local journalists to his residency in Canberra.

There are several thousand Uighur people living in Australia and many of them have family living in China.

Australian Uighur Association secretary Bahtiyar Bora says many have lost contact with their loved ones.

We are asking Mr Cheng to sit down with us to hear our stories and answer our questions.

Australia has condemned restrictions on the freedom of religion, mass surveillance, extrajudicial detentions, forced labour and sterilisation in Xinjiang, but stopped short of imposing sanctions.

The Morrison government has also not followed the United States in calling events in Xinjiang genocide.

China’s ambassador to Australia denied human rights abuses in Xinjiang in a presentation to local media on Wednesday.

Ambassador Cheng Jingye said it was “fake news” made up by anti-China forces.

Updated

The Victorian health minister says they do not know how many of their residents have been vaccinated by the federal government.

This is similar to comments made by NSW health minister Brad Hazzard on ABC’s 7:30 Report last night.

All the health and states and territories governments are keen to work with the federal government but it’s difficult if we don’t know what the supplies are and it would appear the federal government aren’t very sure ...

The federal government are obviously struggling with trying to do the right thing by the community of New South Wales and indeed Australia, but just having a very difficult time knowing precisely how much vaccine will be available, what quantity, and, of course, it has to go through all the approval processes and there was clearly an expectation from some of the earlier statements that they would have a lot more.

He went on to say the NSW government was getting a lot of their information from the 7:30 Report rather than the commonwealth.

Updated

Victoria reports no new local Covid cases

It’s been such a busy morning that I haven’t brought you the Victorian numbers.

Spoiler alert: it’s zero.

Updated

More revelations have come out today about embattled Liberal MP Andrew Laming.

Guardian political correspondent Sarah Martin today reported Laming awarded a $550,000 grant to a rugby club with links to one of his staff members as part of the government’s controversial female sports facilities grants program.

This comes after accusation from multiple women of harassment both on and offline, and the Australian Electoral Commission confirming they would investigating Laming for more than 30 Facebook pages he operated without disclosing his identity.

He is currently on leave from parliament after reports about his poor behaviour towards women, and although he says he will not contest the election the Morrison has declined to ask for his resignation from the Liberal party or parliament (a move that would plunge the government into minority).

Federal member for Bowman Andrew Laming.
Federal member for Bowman Andrew Laming. Photograph: Glenn Hunt/AAP

Earlier Morrison was asked if still feel Laming is “a fit and proper person to sit in the Coalition party room and in the Liberal party and National party room?”

Morrison:

I simply say, on the issue of grants, those grants aren’t decided by members of parliament. They are decided by the department. Recommendations are made by members of parliament, and then they are assessed and considered whether they’re compliant with rules and then the decision is taken at that level. So it wouldn’t be right to put it the way you have put it.

In relation to the other issue. Where there are recommendations on other matters that have been reviewed by the AEC, then I’d expect them to be fully complied with.

You can read Sarah’s full story below:

Updated

Possible new Covid-19 case in New Zealand

By the sounds of it, there might be a Covid-19 case in New Zealand.

Guardian Australia hasn’t independently confirmed but the New Zealand Herald is reporting that a border worker has been diagnosed with the virus, but there has been no community spread so far.

New Zealand’s director-general of health, Ashley Bloomfield, is holding an unscheduled press conference at 1pm (11am Sydney and Melbourne time) where we should learn more.

Scott Morrison has been asked about this at the press conference.

Reporter:

There are reports there might be a coronavirus case in New Zealand. Do you have any advice on that? And are you concerned that events like this may derail the travel bubble?

Morrison:

No, I don’t at this stage.

New Zealand’s director-general of health, Ashley Bloomfield.
New Zealand’s director-general of health, Ashley Bloomfield, is due to give a press conference. Photograph: Marty Melville/AFP/Getty Images

Updated

OK did Scott Morrison just PLAGIARIZE my birth control side effects comparison in his press conference! (I mean no, it’s a fairly obvious idea, but still how funny).

The prime minister is still discussing the EU’s new advice that blood clotting is a rare side effect of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

I think we need to maintain a perspective on these issues and that’s what I’m sure Atagi will do over the course of today. I mean, you will have already been aware through other experts that have been in the media today putting in context the type of risk that needs to be managed here.

Let’s note that in the UK, the advice is that some 6,000 people’s lives have already been saved by this very vaccine. So we need to consider the positive benefits of them.

But what we’re looking at here is an incidence of this clotting behaviour of some one-to-five in every million.

To put that in some sort of perspective: the combined oral contraceptive pill, that can include adverse side effects of venous thromboembolism [a type of blood clotting], that’s seven to 10 [cases] per 10,000. So one to five per million to seven to 10 per 10 thousand.

Equally, a commonly used antibiotic, Amoxicillin, has a clinically serious hypersensitivity in skin reaction, that’s 1-in-10 per 10,000.

Even when you go to something as commonplace as Paracetamol, although rare, a known adverse reaction with Paracetamol products including an increased level of liver enzymes and severely lowered white blood cell count and occurs with a frequency of 1-in-10 per 10,000.

We’re dealing with something that impacts people to the tune of 1-to-5 per million and so what Atagi will be doing is they’ll be looking at that evidence and they, of course, will be weighing that against the very positive benefits of the vaccine program and then they’ll be providing further advice.

Updated

No changes to Australian AstraZeneca rollout, says prime minister, but waiting on advice from health authorities

Morrison says there are currently no plans to pause the AstraZeneca vaccine rollout:

At this point, there’s no advice to suggest there would be any change to the rollout of the vaccine particularly when we’re dealing with 1B populations, the majority of which are older Australians and the medical impact of what we’re talking about here is what we have seen from the UK deals with much younger and we also have alternative vaccines in Pfizer presently for those smaller populations, frontline health workers, quarantine workers and so on.

So my advice at this point, but that’s obviously subject to what Atagi might say later in the day, there is nothing to suggest at this stage that there would be any change but we’ll update further if there’s any change to that.

Updated

The prime minister has been asked what he would say to someone who feels the government’s response is “actually just trying to ban flirting in the workplace?”

And sure Morrison’s response does involve yet another story about the bloody footy, but overall quite worth reading.

Morrison:

I was recently at a game, and there was an older couple sitting next to me catching the game. They had a much better night than I did that night because they were backing a different team.

I heard something the husband said to the wife what she had said, and he said, “We can’t say that anymore.” I went, “That’s what we were talking about” it wasn’t angry, it wasn’t dismissive. It was respectful, it was positive and I think that’s the sort of conversation that we have to have in our relationships, in our communities, in our homes, in our clubs, in our churches, wherever you happen to be.

We’ve got to have these conversations and people need to understand in our own workplaces what is OK, what’s not OK. People just want to know.

I think in many cases, we’re dealing with unconscious behaviour and we want to help inform that behaviour and I think people will happily change their behaviour if they were aware that some of their unconscious acts could be leading to that sense of hurt or dismissal with their fellow Australians.

I mean the sentiment would carry more weight if his government hadn’t repeatedly dealt with sexual assault and harassment accusations so terribly though.

Morrison has been asked when we can expect to see these changes come into effect:

I think we’ll draw a package of legislative reforms this year and whether that can be done in time for the budget sittings, that would be our goal to do that before the end of June to introduce that.

But it’s important, I think, with such sensitive legislation that we engage with the drafting of that legislation that we consult on that. And what I would like to see happen here is I’d like to introduce this legislation through the attorney and see this enjoy bipartisan, multi-partisan support.

It’s worth remembering that it has taken the government more than a year to respond to this report, with the avalanche of alleged sexual harassment scandals in parliament in recent weeks finally pushing this to the top of the agenda.

Reporter:

Why has it taken the events of the last six weeks for the government to complete its response to this? And before you say the pandemic, we’re all aware there’s been a pandemic, you have been able to manage other issues as well.

Morrison:

Well, no I wouldn’t agree with that last assessment. There have been many issues that, yes, we have continued to pay pensions and we have continued to fund childcare centres and we have continued to do all of those things. Last year was a very extraordinary year. We would all agree with that. There were many issues that we were not allowed – were enabled to advance last year because of the demands and pressures of Covid.

For example, not one occasion was I was asked about this matter in the House of Representatives nor were my ministers. Not on one occasion did that come up in question time in respect to the Respect At Work inquiry I was advised last year.

But that said ... we did provide our initial response in last year’s budget – nine out of the 20 recommendations that were directly recommended to the commonwealth government, we responded to in last year’s budget ...

Now we have completed that process for the other 11 and we have gone further to the full 55 here today.

Updated

Michaelia Cash has laid out some specific legal changes that will be made, including extending the period a victim can come forward to two years, and clarifying that sexually harassing someone is a valid grounds for dismissal:

What the report found is that the existing legal and regulatory frameworks for addressing workplace harassment, they’re complex but they are also difficult to navigate for both workers and employers.

What we are going to do and have accepted is to develop and implement a suite of legislative and regulatory reforms, our aim is to reduce complexity but also strengthen the national framework for addressing sexual harassment. For example, we will amend the definition of serious misconduct in the Fair Work regulations to include sexual harassment.

We will also clarify that sexual harassment can be a ground, or a valid reason for dismissal. This will give employers the certainty they need to take action but what it also says to employees and victims of sexual harassment, is there are consequences for this action in the workplace.

We are also going to amend the Human Rights Act so that the president’s discretion to terminate a complaint under the Act is extended. Currently it is six months. As you know, victims don’t necessarily come forward in that six-month period. We’re going to extend that out to 24 months to enable them and give them the time they may need to come forward but what we’re also going to do is clarify the scope of the Sex Discrimination Act that it extends to judges and members of parliament.

Senator Michaelia Cash.
Senator Michaelia Cash. Photograph: Sam Mooy/Getty Images

Updated

Attorney general Michaelia Cash is unveiling the government’s response to the respect at work campaign now:

In terms of the report itself, without a doubt, it provides a series of comprehensive recommendations to prevent, which as the prime minister has said, is just so important and address sexual harassment.

What the report also highlights though is that it is not about one person or one industry. This is a societal problem that requires a societal response...

Updated

Morrison appears fairly sombre and serious today about the need for cultural change in regards to sexual harassment.

It’s worth remember last time he took this tone in a press conference he accidentally outed a false harassment scandal at News Corp in an attempt to strongarm journalists into not asking hard-hitting questions about the government’s track record in this area.

Fingers crossed it goes better this time.

Morrison says:

We believe our response, a road map for respect, will do the same thing. It is about creating a culture of respectful behaviour in Australian workplaces.

That is what we are seeking to achieve to stop sexual harassment in those workplaces so Australians can be safe at work. Our response is based on our government’s core values, respect, dignity, choice, equality of opportunity and ensuring justice.

The response, as you will see, set out in our report is guided by five key principles as we’ve assessed all of these recommendations. This report was considered at length by cabinet on more than one occasion. It was also considered by the cabinet taskforce ...

There is extensive consideration of both the recommendations and the actions the government intends to take but what guided us were these five principles.

Everyone has a right to be safe at work. Sexual harassment must be prohibited in the workplace. Policy must be evidence-based.

There are many recommendations in the report that go to the urgent need for better data and research and information to guide the responses, not just of the Australian government but all governments and indeed employers and workplaces and employees all around the country.

Prevention must be our goal, is the third principle. Stop it before it starts, to put it another way. Fourthly, simplicity and clarity is necessary to make the law easier for Australians to understand and access.

Updated

Federal government responds to Respect at Work report

Morrison is now discussing the Respect at Work report from Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins:

The government first responded to this report after receiving it in January last year in the budget where we adopted nine of the 20 recommendations that had been directed solely to the Australian government ... Today, we complete that response. We are the only Government to have provided a response to this report. We do so by embracing the respect at work report.

All 55 recommendations are either agreed wholly, in part, or in principle, or noted where they are directed to governments or organisations other than the Australian government, or the government is able to achieve the intent of the recommendations through other means as set out in the report.

Last night I had the opportunity to speak to Kate Jenkins and I know the attorney has also – and the attorney will speak more to that in her remarks and we’re able to speak through our responses and the support we’re providing right across the board for both the intent and in the overwhelming majority of cases, the specific recommendations as put forward.

Updated

The prime minister is speaking today following the first meeting from the new women’s cabinet taskforce, and his announcement yesterday that a National Women’s Safety Summit will be held in July.

According to the Australian Human Rights Commission, 39% of women and 26% of men have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace in recent times.

The events around this building over the course of the past few months have only further highlighted and reinforced the seriousness of these issues, the challenge that we face and the great frustration that is felt by Australians, and, in particular, women all over the country.

Sexual harassment is unacceptable. It’s not only immoral and despicable and even criminal, but particularly in the context of the respect at work report, it denies Australians, especially women, not just their personal security but their economic security by not being safe at work.

Updated

Scott Morrison is speaking now.

Queensland records no local Covid-19 cases overnight

Queensland Annastacia Palaszczuk has just spoken and confirmed there were no new local Covid-19 cases recorded in the state overnight.

While we wait, here is a bit more from the chief medical officer Paul Kelly from his appearance on ABC News Breakfast this morning:

So the European regulator, the TGA equivalent, did not make a specific recommendation yesterday but did talk about people under the age of 60 and, particularly, women as being at higher risk and there’ll be a warning about that from the European regulator. But they didn’t go further.

The UK has made a decision for the 18- to 30-year-old age group as being advised to get an alternative if that is available. So those two recommendations will be brought to the table today and looked at in the Australian context.

I think there’s a couple of things we need to realise. Firstly, the AstraZeneca vaccine is extremely effective and very safe for most people. There is this extremely rare event which appears to be associated with that particular vaccine in some people.

[It’s] four per million. The benefit of course is that the vaccines are very effective at preventing Covid illness, which can be very serious, can lead to deaths, particularly in older people. So those issues will be brought to the table today as they were yesterday and over previous days by the group.

Updated

We are just standing by now for the Scott Morrison press conference.

Just an observation: it’s totally understandable if you are feeling a bit anxious this morning about the AstraZeneca vaccine possibly having blood clotting as an extremely rare side effect. I know I’m a bit uncomfortable about it too.

But it’s worth keeping in mind the numbers we are talking about here.

There have been 86 blood clotting cases in Europe out of the 25 million people vaccinated with the AZ jab.

Just again in numbers: 86 out of 25,000,000.

Also just for reference here is a list of common and uncommon side effects for one of the most commonly used birth control pills, Levlen ED*.

  • acne
  • nausea
  • stomach pain
  • changes in weight
  • headache, including migraines
  • mood changes, including depression
  • breast tenderness or pain
  • hair loss or hair growth.
  • pain in the chest, arm or below the breastbone
  • pain or discomfort that goes to your back
  • breathlessness and/or difficulty breathing
  • swelling, pain or tenderness of one leg
  • sudden weakness, numbness or bad ‘pins and needles’ of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
  • sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
  • severe, sudden stomach pains
  • a fainting attack or collapse
  • unusual headaches or migraines that are worse than usual
  • sudden problems with speaking, seeing or understanding what people are saying to you

Oh, and blot clotting is in there too! Here are possible signs of that happening because of the birth control pill.

  • jaundice (yellowing skin or yellowing eyes)
  • coughing up blood
  • breast lumps
  • unexplained vaginal bleeding.

Source: NPS MedicineWise.

Updated

We have just got word that Scott Morrison will hold a press conference with the new attorney-general Michaelia Cash at 9am AEST.

I’ll bring you all the updates from that when he stands up.

Updated

Young women least willing group to get vaccinated

A study from the Australian National University shows that young women are the most reluctant group in Australia to get vaccinated against Covid-19.

But, fortunately (or I guess maybe, unfortunately), according to their research these opinions could change depending on their level of confidence in the government.

(Wow, I wonder if the government has done anything to lose the trust of young women recently?)

The study tracked a nationally representative group of 3,030 people throughout the pandemic, analysing their attitudes toward vaccination.

Dr Diana Cardenas, who lead the study, said young women were the least willing:

More than half of Australia’s young men, aged 18-24, are keen to get vaccinated as soon as possible – 62% – compared to 43% of young women the same age.

ANU professor Kate Reynolds said older people were the most willing group, with more than 64% saying they would get the jab as soon as possible.

But one of the most important factors was trust in the government:

We found people – regardless of ethnicity, age and gender – who have greater confidence in state and the federal governments are more willing to be vaccinated.

Social cohesion also mattered. We found key drivers of getting vaccinated for Covid-19 included when people had a sense of belonging in their neighbourhood, and a belief that people are being treated fairly.

It shows us trust in the government and social cohesion are important. For example, if young women have been put off the government because of the handling of sexual harassment and political culture, then they could well turn off engaging about vaccination.

Their study show only 30% of young women aged between 18-24 said they had confidence in the federal government, compared with 47% of the rest of the population.

Updated

The WHO has released an interim statement following the EU requiring AstraZeneca to list blood clots as a possible rare side effect.

They have taken a more conservative approach, saying a link between the vaccine and blood clots with low platelets is “considered plausible but is not confirmed”.

It is important to note that whilst concerning, the events under assessment are very rare, with low numbers reported among the almost 200 million individuals who have received the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine around the world.

Rare adverse events following immunizations should be assessed against the risk of deaths from Covid-19 disease and the potential of the vaccines to prevent infections and reduce deaths due to diseases. In this context, it should be noted that as of today, at least 2.6 million people have died of Covid-19 disease worldwide.

Updated

TGA to examine EU AstraZeneca findings today

Australia’s chief medical officer Prof Paul Kelly says issues with the AstraZeneca vaccine will be weighed up by Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (Atagi) and “we’ll go from there”.

Speaking on ABC radio now, he says authorities are mindful that even though possibly vaccine-related blood floating is is an “extremely rare event”, it could affect confidence in the vaccine.

There seems to be a trend in younger people and, at least in the European data in women being more common, but I would really stress these are extremely rare events and like with any treatment ... we have to look at the risk and benefit.

And we do know that the benefits of vaccinations against this very serious disease Covid is a really important component of our control ...

The Covid vaccine is the way out of the pandemic for the world including Australia ...

Ultimately it will be a decision by the Australian government about what that means for the vaccine rollout.

Professor Paul Kelly, Australia’s chief medical officer.
Professor Paul Kelly, Australia’s chief medical officer. Photograph: Dean Lewins/AAP

Updated

Just in case you forgot, Australia’s vaccine rollout is going extremely slowly. This includes efforts to vaccinate the entire residential aged care population, which the government originally promised would be completed by the end of March.

Shadow minister for senior Australians and aged care services, Clare O’Neil, is speaking on ABC radio now, with some fairly strong words against the government’s efforts:

Something that staggers me... is the difference between what’s actually happening in aged care right now and the rhetoric of the government.

I mean how is it responsible for [health minister] Greg Hunt to get up, day after day for Scott Morrison to get up, day after day, and pretend that this is all on track.

We’re playing with fire here. We know what happens when this gets into aged care, the consequences can be devastating, and we just simply have to push the government to get this back on track. It’s completely unacceptable.

Shadow minister for senior Australians and aged care services Clare O’Neil .
Shadow minister for senior Australians and aged care services Clare O’Neil . Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Updated

Australia mulls latest AstraZeneca advice from Europe

A government spokesperson has told AAP that Australia is considering the UK’s decision to give people aged under 30 an alternative to the AstraZeneca vaccine due to possible blood clot links.

The federal government has asked its immunisation advisory group and the national medicine regulator to review the findings by the EU medicines regulator which advised that blood clots should be listed as a possible but rare side-effect.

Regulators have already been working with their international counterparts to consider the latest international evidence ...

That advice will be provided to the commonwealth government for immediate consideration and relayed to the AHPPC, which is the medical expert panel led by the chief medical officer, and also comprising all state and territory chief health officers ...

The Australian government places safety above all else, as it has done throughout the pandemic, and will continue to follow the medical advice in protecting Australian.

It’s likely this will be a major topic of conversation at the next national cabinet meeting with state and federal leaders.

Boxes containing doses of AstraZeneca Covid vaccine in Naples, Italy.
Boxes containing doses of AstraZeneca Covid vaccine in Naples, Italy. The country has announced it will reserve AstraZeneca’s vaccine for the over 60s following concerns of a link to blood clots in younger people. Photograph: Ivan Romano/Getty Images

Updated

Hello everyone, it’s already Thursday and the end is in sight! It’s Matilda Boseley here to take you through the day’s news.

The biggest news today has to be the EU’s medicines regulator declaring overnight that blood clotting should be listed as an (extremely) rare possible side-effect of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

This sounds scary but it’s important to note that EU regulators have also repeatedly stressed that the benefits continue to far outweigh any risks.

The announcement came after the EMA examined 86 blood clotting cases, 18 of which were fatal, out of some 25 million people in Europe who have received the AstraZeneca vaccine. Most of the cases were in women aged under 60.

A huge proportion of Australia’s vaccination rollout plan is reliant on the AZ jab, although we do have a large contract for promising Novavax doses which could be available later in the year, if approved by the TGA.

A number of nations have suspended the use of AstraZeneca’s vaccine for younger populations and the UK will now offer most people under 30 an alternative jab.

Australia has also had a non-fatal blood clotting case in a man aged in his 40s, with health experts saying it would be fully investigated as well as considering any research and advice coming out of the EU.

Here is what Professor Brendan Murphy said yesterday:

One case is not a strong signal but we are working very closely with our counterparts in the UK who have now done well over 18m doses of this vaccine, and in Europe, that have done many million ...

The government and the department have taken the view that safety is absolutely paramount ...

Europe has better data and that’s why we’re looking at their data to see whether this is a real problem and whether we need to do anything about it. At the moment, we don’t have those answers.

Big things are also happening down in Melbourne today, with Victoria’s much-maligned hotel quarantine program resuming overnight and international flights touching down for the first time in almost two months.

Some 106 returned travellers arrived at Melbourne airport from 4.30am this morning, coming from Colombo, Doha, Dubai and Singapore.

They have now gone into revamped hotel quarantine facilities, including the Holiday Inn at the airport, which was at the centre of the city last outbreak – it grew to 24 cases, triggering a statewide five-day lockdown.

After a number of reviews, the program restarted with ventilation controls in rooms and corridors and PPE requirements for staff.

Covid-19 quarantine Victoria commissioner Emma Cassar said Victorians should be confident in the third iteration of the scheme:

We have done everything we can to make this as safe as we can and we will continue to ensure the program keeps ahead of this virus.

All hotel quarantine staff have now received at least one Pfizer dose, while the majority have also undergone N95 mask-fit testing.

As a Melbourne resident, I have my fingers crossed that the third time’s the charm!

OK, with that, let’s jump into the day’s news.

If there is something you reckon I’ve missed or think should be in the blog but isn’t, shoot me a message on Twitter @MatildaBoseley or email me at matilda.boseley@theguardian.com.

Updated

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