What we learned: Tuesday, 2 March.
That is where I will leave you for today. Here’s what we learned:
- The cabinet minister at the centre of an historical rape allegation is likely to identify himself tomorrow. It comes after the New South Wales police said in a statement on Tuesday that it would not investigate the allegation, citing “insufficient admissible evidence”.
- Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce became the first government MP to back an inquiry into the allegations, something the prime minister Scott Morrison has so far resisted. “I think there should be an inquiry,” Joyce told the ABC.
- The Victorian Greens agreed to back the state government’s proposed nine-month extension of its Covid-19 state of emergency laws. Their support – along with other minor parties – meant it was likely to pass late on Tuesday night. The Greens agreed to back the extension after the government said it would halve Covid-19 fines for minors.
- Ahead of a looming state election in which he is an overwhelming favourite, the Western Australian premier Mark McGowan said he would consider keeping Covid-19 border restrictions in place after the pandemic was over to address illicit drug importation.
- The Australian government is planning to add a far rightwing group to the list of proscribed terrorist organisations – the first time it has done so – after repeated warnings from security agencies about the growing threat posed by such extremists.
- Police in NSW confirmed that human remains which washed up on a beach in Mollymook on Friday did not belong to Melissa Caddick.
Updated
Our own Katharine Murphy is now reporting the same. The cabinet minister has engaged the services of a defamation lawyer, Murphy reports.
New: The minister at the centre of the allegation of rape in 1988 has engaged the services of defamation lawyer Peter Bartlett, and there is a strong prospect he will make a statement tomorrow #auspol
— Katharine Murphy (@murpharoo) March 2, 2021
Updated
Minister at centre of historic rape allegations to identify himself Wednesday – reports
The Australian’s Sharri Markson understands the cabinet minister at the centre of a historic rape allegation will identify himself on Wednesday:
EXCLUSIVE: The Cabinet minister who is the subject of the historic rape allegations is planning to identify himself tomorrow. It is understood he will give a press statement addressing the claims now that the NSW Police investigation has closed.
— Sharri Markson (@SharriMarkson) March 2, 2021
Updated
Victoria’s state of emergency looks set to continue for another nine months...
State of Emergency vote now expected tonight. Probably quite late, but it will go through. It can then remain in place until December 2021. #springst #auspol
— Shannon Deery (@s_deery) March 2, 2021
'There should be an inquiry': Barnaby Joyce backs independent review of rape allegations against minister.
Barnaby Joyce has just told the ABC he would have “no problems” if the government commissioned an independent person to investigate claims an historical rape allegations against a current member of cabinet.
Speaking on ABC TV, Joyce said that if “an independent person away from parliament looked into this, I’d have no problems with that”.
Joyce, who faced a sexual harassment claim in 2018 that was investigated with no conclusion reached, spent much of the interview claiming that incident was politically motivated. Here’s part of what he said:
I would have liked to have had a proper process surrounding that, so I could have defended myself, because someone can make an allegation and you just can’t defend it. So what I would say is we create a dangerous precedent. It’s so hard because it’s such a horrible, horrible thing, and it’s a criminal act, and people’s lives have been destroyed, so it’s a really hard thing to engage in ... because when you show a contrarian view, people think that, inherently, you’re not sympathetic to the alleged crime. If this crime happened, people shouldn’t resign – they should go to jail. That’s where you belong.
Then, under further questioning, Joyce said:
I think there should be an inquiry. I just don’t think - the parliament is not a court, and politicians are not policemen. And we should not confuse them as such. They’re very good at being politicians.
If someone said an independent person away from parliament looked into this, I’d have no problems with that. I wish I had that opportunity.
Updated
At the Covid committee, professor Raina MacIntyre also warned that it is almost “100% likely” that the more infectious mutations of Covid-19 will become the dominant strain.
Given the uncertainty of the effectiveness of the AstraZeneca vaccine on the South African strain, MacIntyre argued it was important for frontline workers in the 1A priority category to get the Pfizer vaccine to make border systems including hotel quarantine “impregnable”.
Later, Beverley Menner, the executive director of CSL’s Covid vaccine project, and Christopher Larkins, senior vice president, of Sequirus’ manufacturing operations gave an update on the manufacture of AstraZeneca in Australia.
Larkins said they are “well past” having made 15m doses at the bulk stage and the company has started thawing them to fill and finish vials. More than 1m doses have reached that stage, and the company expects to be producing 1m per week by the end of March.
Larkins said CSL will fulfil its order for 51m doses by the fourth quarter of 2021.
Menner said CSL is open to working with AstraZeneca to produce variants down the track – but that would only happen after the 51m doses have been delivered.
Updated
The minister for finance Simon Birmingham has announced the establishment of “an independent and confidential” telephone service for current and former parliamentary staffers, and “those who have experienced serious incidents in any Commonwealth Parliamentary workplace”.
It is, Birmingham says, “an interim recommendation by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet Deputy Secretary Stephanie Foster, ahead of the completion of her final report”.
Birmingham:
Every Australian has a basic right to feel safe in their workplace. I encourage current and former Commonwealth Parliamentary employees who have experienced a serious incident in the Parliamentary workplace, or who have been affected by the allegations of serious crimes in the past fortnight, to make use of this private and confidential new service.
While we have a number of reviews looking closely at these matters—and at the wider systems in place—we recognise the need for urgent support to be put in place as soon as possible.
I want to stress that this is just a first step. This support line will help ensure people get the immediate support they need, including supported referrals to police if required.
Updated
The deputy head of the Chinese embassy in Australia has hit out at “totally ridiculous” fears that China poses a threat to Australia’s sovereignty and security.
In a transcript of the speech posted on the Chinese embassy’s website, Wang Xining said it was becoming “really difficult to be China’s friend in Australia” and that it appeared politicians had to take a “stern face against China” in order to “win the heart of the Australian population”.
Speaking to a Chinese New Year dinner hosted by the Australia China Business Council ACT, Wang said friends of China were given a nickname “panda-hugger”, which used to be a term of appreciation but now carried a derogatory meaning.
Wang raised concern about the impression many people in Australia would get “if these people are immersed by those negative portraits of China by the major media outlets and brainwashed by the vulgarised and simplified political slogans”.
Amid ongoing tensions in the relationship between China and Australia, Wang said both countries had managed to contain the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic successfully. But he argued the relationship was being undermined by unfounded suspicion:
After so many years, between China and Australia, there is a multi-layered, multi-sector, cross-board structure of collaboration, which has brought substantial and fruitful benefits to both sides and also provided potential for sustainable development to both China and Australia.
“In face of the impact of Covid-19 on our economy and people’s lives, the best strategy is to strengthen and step up our collaboration. But last year, the collaboration in various fields was under a series of suspicions from a small number of people.
The excuse for such suspicion is China’s threats to Australian sovereignty and security, which is totally ridiculous. Because up to today no one single case has been substantiated or supported by evidence.
Updated
Department of Home Affairs officials have claimed the government had to abandon plans to refuse citizenship or cancel visas on character grounds because it would mean they would have to hand over confidential information and risk sources if those decisions were challenged.
At a Senate inquiry hearing reviewing legislation planning to change the law to keep such information secret, the department was the only organisation to speak in favour of the legislation on Tuesday.
Civil rights groups and refugee action organisations have said the legislation will deny people a fair hearing, and prevent people refuting false claims made about them.
But Andrew Rice, acting first assistant secretary for immigration integrity, told the committee the information was often related to “associations” the person might have, or tendencies “towards extremist type behaviour” collected by intelligence agencies from sensitive sources.
There are some cases today in saying that we just haven’t proceeded. So, there are potentially high risk individuals that we have not been able to proceed with either refusal or cancellation with because of the reluctance of agencies to provide this confidential information.
Visas that might have ordinarily been refused may not be refused, that the grounds of the cancellation of a vida may not be as strong as they could be in order to make the decision, and potentially in the citizenship space they may well not be sufficient grounds to refuse to confirm citizenship.
The government came under fire from civil liberties groups over the lack of consultation on the legislation prior to its introduction in parliament in December, but Rice said the “extensive advice” received by the department said the legislation is constitutional.
Updated
Professor Raina MacIntyre has told the Covid-19 Senate inquiry the vaccination rollout is “not quite” going to plan, citing anecdotal evidence that people in the 1A vaccine priority category such as frontline health workers are not always turning up to appointments.
Those administering the vaccine have been forced to look “last minute” for other people to take the vaccine, such as medical students who turn up (but wouldn’t be in the 1A category) – it’s a “little bit ad hoc” at times, she said.
This evidence follows the decision to throw out at least 125 Pfizer doses due to oversupply at a Werribee aged care centre. In that case the health department praised Aspen Healthcare for “respond[ing] resourcefully” and ensuring other vaccines were used.
At a press conference in Sydney, the health minister Greg Hunt defended the practice but did not appear to have a figure on hand of how many doses have been given to people outside the 1A category.
He said that sometimes “life intervenes” and somebody scheduled to get the vaccine may not be able to make an appointment. Making sure the vaccines don’t go to waste is simply “being resourceful” and the alternative is that vaccines go to waste if somebody is ill, or taking care of a sick child, or in a traffic accident.
Hunt said he was “not aware” if it’s a common practice but committed to “seek advice on that”.
We will provide that if that’s been recorded by the states and territories, that are carrying out those processes.
Updated
Human remains found on Mollymook beach do not belong to Melissa Caddick
Human remains discovered on a Mollymook beach last Friday do not belong to Melissa Caddick.
New South Wales police have released a statement saying preliminary testing has determined the remains are human, but belong to a man.
From the police statement:
While it has been established the remains do not belong to Melissa Caddick or a 39-year-old man missing from the Batemans Bay area since Monday 25 January 2021, further testing including comparative DNA testing will be undertaken to identify the remains.
The DNA profile will be compared against the missing persons database, which contains the hereditary and genetic mapping of long-term missing people in NSW.
Further inquiries will be conducted by South Coast Police District and the Missing Person’s Registry.
Updated
A parliamentary inquiry established following the destruction of Juukan Gorge is examining the possibility of putting a veto clause in federal Aboriginal heritage legislation, which would give traditional owners the ability to block development which would destroy sacred sites.
The joint standing committee on Northern Australia handed down its interim report on the destruction of the 46,000-year-old rock shelters by Rio Tinto last year.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984 (Cth) has only been used a handful of times to successfully prevent the destruction of heritage. In a hearing today, the committee asked a series of witnesses, including environmental lawyers, heritage specialists, activist group GetUp and the Central Land Council whether they would support the introduction of a veto clause in the federal act.
The model that was repeatedly emphasised by members of the committee, particularly Lingiari MP Warren Snowdon, is the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976, which allows Aboriginal landowners with the power to veto mining or exploration on their lands. That is, lands granted under this act, not native title lands. The veto lasts for five years, at which point the mining company can come back and ask again. There’s no limit on how often people extend the veto.
Katrina Budrikis, the legal practice manager of the Central Land Council, said a veto right was “obviously going to be the best form of sacred site protection”.
The new draft Aboriginal heritage laws in WA do not include a veto clause. Outgoing Aboriginal affairs minister Ben Wyatt argued, in an editorial in the National Indigenous Times last October, that although a veto was “a long held principle of some Aboriginal people; if I was to propose that, there goes any chance of an historic consensus for a new law to protect Aboriginal heritage in WA”.
Wyatt said the mining industry and the WA upper house – which is not controlled by Labor, although it could be controlled by Labor and the Greens after March 13 – would oppose the reforms if they included a veto clause. He also suggested a veto clause would be a “disincentive for agreement making … and could discourage the development of positive relationships” between traditional owners and the mining industry and other developers.
The inquiry continues.
Updated
Hunt is asked about the historical rape claims. He repeats the line that it’s a matter for the police. That’s despite the police saying earlier today that they are no longer able to investigate the matter.
It’s far better for it to be left to the police, I will let the police speak for themselves. The Australian federal police commissioner affirmed to both the parliament, and to the press and to the public, that the appropriate course of action is for these matters to be considered by the police. This clear guidance to us was to discourage commentary.
Hunt is also asked whether he wants his colleague to come forward and name himself, so that other cabinet ministers are not also implicated in the matter.
The minister again deflects, saying it’s a matter for the police.
Updated
Hunt is asked about the Western Australian premier Mark McGowan’s comments that he would consider keeping border controls beyond the end of the Covid-19 pandemic. McGowan suggested he would consider maintaining the controls to combat drug importation.
Hunt seems to take a dim view of the idea:
I think the job of controlling drug use in the individual states is surely a matter for the police and while I haven’t heard of this particular proposal, our history has been of a single united country since federation and this year and the last 12 months, pretty much 12 months now, has been about an extraordinary national emergency, and I think we should all be aware that we belong to a country which, under its constitution, is committed to open borders.
Updated
Interesting tweet from the law firm that had been representing the woman who made the rape allegation against a cabinet minister before her death:
Fair to say that the NSW Police do not usually move so quickly.
— marquelawyers (@marquelawyers) March 2, 2021
Updated
Hunt is asked whether it’s still the government’s goal to complete the rollout of the Covid vaccines by October. He says that “remains our goal” – so no change.
“What we have always done, if something has changed, we’ve indicated it,” he says.
Updated
Australia’s health minister, Greg Hunt, is speaking now. He says the government has now obtained some 733,000 doses of both the Pfizer and Astra Zeneca vaccines.
He expects almost 300,000 additional doses will be made available to the states over the next 10 days.
Updated
Bruce Springsteen (!) has released a statement following the death of Australian music promotion legend Michael Gudinski:
My friend Michael Gudinski was first, last, and always a music man. I’ve toured the world for the last fifty years and never met a better promoter. Michael always spoke with a deep rumbling voice, and the words would spill out so fast that half the time I needed an interpreter. But I could hear him clear as a bell when he would say, “Bruce, I’ve got you covered.” And he always did. He was loud, always in motion, intentionally (and unintentionally) hilarious, and deeply soulful. He will be remembered by artists, including this one, from all over the world every time they step foot on Australian soil. My deepest condolences to his wife and partner Sue and to the whole Gudinski family, of which he was so proud.
Updated
Here’s our full story on the New South Wales police announcement that it won’t pursue investigations into a historical rape allegation made against a sitting cabinet minister after citing “insufficient admissible evidence”.
Updated
On the extension of the state of emergency in Victoria, the Reason party has also said it will support it along with the Greens. That means the state government only needs one more vote to get it through.
Reason Party declares it’ll vote for the State of Emergency bill following negotiations. Says the amendments contain “a 9 month exit ramp and 3 monthly review”. Greens also backing the bill.. it’s understood @AndyMeddickMP may be as well. @10NewsFirstMelb #springst pic.twitter.com/W3qKM1DleK
— Simon Love (@SimoLove) March 2, 2021
Updated
WA premier says state considering maintaining border controls beyond Covid
A little earlier I mentioned the Western Australian premier, Mark McGowan, had made the quite extraordinary statement that the state would consider maintaining border checks and tracking of anyone who enters the state even after the Covid-19 pandemic recedes.
AAP reports that after casting an early vote ahead of the 13 March state election in the state, McGowan said he would consider maintaining the harsh border controls in a bid, he said, to control importation of methamphetamine.
Here’s what he said:
The police commissioner and I will continue to talk about what can be done to protect the state from the scourge of meth and other drugs and, if necessary, we’ll look at measures we can bring in should we be re-elected.
It’s actually been remarkable, the reduction in drug usage in Western Australia, and that’s because of the measures we’ve put in place. And that is a good outcome.
Travellers crossing the border at Eucla and Kununurra in WA are already subject to vehicle checks to prevent them bringing in fresh fruit and vegetables, and McGowan suggested that should be expanded to police checks for drug possession.
If staff are there checking for bananas, tomatoes and avocados, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to have other staff there checking and stopping meth, heroin and cocaine.
Meth is a threat to people’s health and we’ve had a 25% or thereabouts reduction in meth usage, so obviously some of the things we’ve put in place have worked.
Updated
Fragments of Covid-19 have been detected at the Cairns South wastewater treatment plant in Queensland, the state’s health department says.
The Queensland chief health officer, Dr Jeannette Young, says anyone with symptoms, no matter how mild, should come forward and get tested.
It is critical we detect any cases that we may not be aware of as quickly as possible through our testing system, to contain any potential spread.
We are concerned by the new variants that are emerging overseas that are more contagious than previous variants we have seen in Queensland.
It’s also possible that this detection relates to previous Covid-19 cases that can shed viral fragments for a couple of months after they are no longer infectious.
Updated
Victorian Greens agree to nine-month extension of state of emergency powers
The Victorian government is one step closer to securing an extension of its state-of-emergency powers after the Greens agreed to a nine-month extension from 15 March in exchange for halving of fines for people under 18, and reviews of fines for disadvantaged people.
The Andrews state government needs three crossbench votes in Victoria’s upper house to extend the powers, which have been in place during the Covid-19 pandemic, given the Liberal opposition will not support the legislation.
The Greens leader Samantha Ratnam’s support is key to that, and Ratnam announced on Tuesday the Greens would support the nine-month extension, with the government agreeing to reduce the Covid fines going forward for people under 18 by half, committing to reviewing fines for people from disadvantaged backgrounds, allowing appeals of detention orders within 24 hours, and clarifying the right to protest during the pandemic.
Ratnam said the government would also commit to alternative legislation that would replace the state of emergency powers with public health powers for the pandemic.
“The Greens will support a nine-month extension to the state of emergency, on the proviso that we work on new laws that mean this is the last time the state of emergency is used for Covid in Victoria, and on the condition that the government reduces fines for young people and implements important recommendations from the ombudsman’s inquiry into the public housing lockdown.”
Updated
NSW police say they won't proceed with investigation into rape allegation against cabinet minister
New South Wales police has issued a statement confirming it is unable to proceed with an investigation into a historical rape allegation against a current cabinet minister.
Police say there is “insufficient admissible evidence to proceed” following the woman’s death.
Here’s the statement in full:
In November 2019, a woman then aged 48, attended an Adelaide (South Australia) police station seeking advice about reporting historical sexual offences, which allegedly occurred in 1988 in Sydney (New South Wales).
“The matter was then referred to the NSW Police Force and an investigation by the Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad commenced under Strike Force Wyndarra.
“NSW Police Force has been the lead agency in respect to this investigation since February 2020.
“For various reasons, the woman did not detail her allegations in a formal statement to NSW Police. The woman passed away in June 2020.
“Following the woman’s death, NSW Police came into possession of a personal document purportedly made by the woman previously.
“NSW Police have since sought legal advice in relation to these matters. Based on information provided to NSW Police, there is insufficient admissible evidence to proceed.
“As such, NSW Police Force has determined the matter is now closed.
Updated
OK ... I’ll try to get you more on this press conference in Western Australia as soon as possible.
Extraordinary press conference with Mark McGowan, who has just said he’s in talks with police about continuing to guard the border and record entrants to WA - after the pandemic is over, to help keep drugs out of the State. #wapol
— Peter Law (@PeterJohnLaw) March 2, 2021
Updated
Albanese is asked (by my former Newcastle Herald colleague Michael Parris) what he thinks about the Labor MP Joel Fitzgibbon’s continued outspokenness.
“Nothing,” Albanese says.
It’s worth noting that standing with Albanese during this press conference is the Paterson MP, Meryl Swanson, a close ally of Fitzgibbon’s in the party’s right faction in the Hunter.
(Sorry it’s not very often that I get to flex my knowledge of Hunter region internal Labor politics.)
Updated
Albanese says allowing rape allegation against cabinet minister 'to drift' is untenable
Albanese is asked about the historical rape allegation that has been levelled against a current cabinet member. He points out that a police investigation into the matter is going to be “very difficult” given the woman has since died.
He says the current situation is “untenable”, but stops short of saying the minister should be sacked.
Albanese:
Now, therefore, the idea that this can just be allowed to drift and just stay where it is is in my view untenable. There is a dark cloud now over the government. And Scott Morrison needs to recognise that. And needs to satisfy himself that it is appropriate for this minister to be able to continue in his position. Now, whether that’s a coronial inquiry into the circumstances of this woman’s death, or whether there be other inquiries made, it really isn’t enough for the prime minister to think that this issue is just going to disappear.
Updated
Good afternoon!
The Labor leader, Anthony Albanese, is speaking in Port Stephens (where, for what it’s worth, I cut my teeth as a baby reporter) about the findings of the aged care royal commission.
He’s talking about for-profit aged care facilities, and the spectre of, as he puts it, “people driving around in their Lamborghinis and Ferraris doing quite well, while the residents they’re supposed to look after are literally not getting enough food”.
He’s asked whether he thinks companies making “obscene profits” out of aged care “should be held accountable”.
Albanese:
Absolutely. This government hasn’t done so. The idea of inspections is just a joke. We know this government has given essentially a heads-up before inspections occur. That’s not a real inspection. That’s not holding them to account. I’ll say this, there’s horrific [stories of] circumstances in which older people have found themselves in aged care facilities. I want to know also what’s the government doing to hold those owners to account for the tragedies that have occurred in these aged care homes?
Updated
With that, I might leave you for this afternoon, but the amazing Michael McGowan is waiting in the wings to help you through the rest of the day!
These are the important news updates I want and crave.
BREAKING: You get a lollypop with the vaccine https://t.co/ifjUHGbrka
— Rafael Epstein (@Raf_Epstein) March 2, 2021
The Australian Human Rights Commission has warned legislation to keep information secret related to the cancellation of a person’s visa on character grounds would limit their right to a fair hearing.
Home affairs minister Peter Dutton is pursuing the legislation in response to a 2017 high court ruling that the policy of not disclosing information to courts reviewing visa cancellations was unconstitutional.
Human rights commissioner Ed Santow told a Senate committee reviewing the legislation that by keeping the information a secret from those reviewing visa decisions, it prevents the person subject to that cancelled visa from challenging false claims.
If a person’s visa is cancelled, they are likely to be placed in immigration detention, often for long periods and ultimately removed from Australia, restricting information relevant to such a momentous decision can increase the risk of error and result in a breach of human rights.
He also said the only side the court is meant to hear from on whether information is kept secret is from the government, and the court cannot consider factors in favour of disclosure of information.
Santow questioned why the government was pursuing the legislation given confidential information can already be protected under national security legislation and with public interest immunity claims.
The Senate committee examining the legislation had just 15 days open for submissions, and a report is due on the legislation next week. Given the haste with which the government is seeking to pass the new law, Labor senator Kim Carr branded it a “fascist piece of legislation” because there had been little consultation on the legislation from the government.
This is a shocking piece of legislation ... I want to say the crime here is a government that wants to pursue legislation like this.
There’s been no consultation with anyone else as far as I know.
Visa Cancellation Working Group told the committee they had to “scramble” a submission due to the tight timelines.
Updated
Andrews said he is confident that prime minister Scott Morrison is also “passionate” about the issue of mental health, indicating that he is hopeful for some federal support towards reshaping the state’s mental health care system.
If they make this a priority I think we can absolutely recruit the extra people we need.
Updated
One thing is for sure, a huge piece of the mental health puzzle is a BUNCH more money. But Victorian premier Daniel Andrews seems to be hopeful that the new big bill will be worth it:
It will take some time, but I think that this is not a cost. This really is a profound investment in the system that will be there when you need it, a system that instead of making – being well, harder, it will actually facilitate that. Very simple thing. But until you call time on something that’s broken, you will never truly have the momentum and the ideas to get on and fix it. That’s what this royal commission process has been all about.
We will begin that hard work. It won’t be quick, and it certainly won’t be easy, and it won’t be cheap. But the benefits will be there for everybody to enjoy, and everybody can be confident about.
Updated
Andrews says the bulk of the new mental health care announcements will be made in the budget in May, with some instituted sooner.
The system that doesn’t work. We have to make sure we provide care much earlier and much closer to home. Local, early, not hospital, late.
It’s all about keeping people well. It’s all about saving lives. It’s all about investment. It won’t be easy, it won’t be quick. It’s a long journey. But important work is never easy. That’s why we’re committed to implementing every one of these recommendations. We will have more to say about that when the budget rolls around in May.
Andrews urged people not to take this as a report as a criticism of people working in mental health care, but instead about the system.
Updated
OK, Victorian premier Daniel Andrews is speaking now about this mental health royal commission.
Updated
Gosh, there is a bit going on in Victoria today!
There has been plenty of chatter these last few weeks about the state of emergency bill being extended. This is the bill that gives the Victorian government power to create social distancing laws, force people to quarantine if they have Covid-19 or are close contacts, give out fines for breaching physical distancing rules etc.
Looks like the nine-month extension is still the go, but some amendments have been made.
Amendments to the state of emergency bill are doing the rounds this morning. Looks like it will remain a nine-month extension but a series of concessions have been made. Opposition leader in the upper house David Davis describes it as a "sell out by minor parties".
— Benita Kolovos (@benitakolovos) March 2, 2021
Updated
Following on from the Victorian mental health royal commission report:
Police Association’s Wayne Gatt says the best people to deal with mental health crisis’ aren’t police. Welcomes recommendation from Mental Health Royal Commission for Paramedics and Clinicians to be first responders. @10NewsFirstMelb #springst pic.twitter.com/ysDm2e5HdM
— Simon Love (@SimoLove) March 2, 2021
Just on that zoom called with the Queen, I mentioned earlier:
Queens Elizabeth has praised South Australia’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic when speaking with Premier Steven Marshall and Governor Hieu Van Le.
Marshall told the Queen that South Australia was “getting almost back to a sense of normality” after restrictions and other measures to combat the coronavirus, reports AAP.
He said it had been a great co-operative effort between the state’s health services, the police, the government and the people of SA.
The Queen sound fairly pleased with that:
That sounds very good. It must be very encouraging that they can all get together again.
Updated
A well-known Sydney pub has been fined for multiple Covid-19 breaches after nearly 10,000 NSW venues were checked by inspectors, AAP reports.
Sydney’s Lord Wolseley Hotel has been fined $5000 for multiple Covid-19 breaches and an additional $2400 for missing two subsequent court appearances.
The penalties were levied after inspectors from Liquor & Gaming NSW in September found the director of the Ultimo pub had not properly registered the venue as a Covid-safe business.
The venue didn’t have an approved Covid-19 safety plan and wasn’t properly record the entry times of patrons on sign-in sheets.
In October, the defendant elected to have the matter heard by a court but then failed to appear on two occasions.
Liquor & Gaming NSW Director of Compliance Dimitri Argeres on Tuesday warned venues to stick to the rules:
What has not changed, is having robust, digital check-in processes that allow for effective contact tracing ... and a clear COVID Safety Plan.
Inspectors from Liquor & Gaming NSW, NSW Fair Trading and SafeWork NSW say they have conducted 9,783 Covid safety visits, have issued 330 penalties worth $1.3m and temporarily closed four businesses.
Updated
No local cases in Queensland either (not that that’s that surprising nowadays).
Tuesday 2 March – coronavirus cases in Queensland:
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) March 2, 2021
• 0 new locally acquired cases
• 4 overseas acquired cases
• 14 active cases
• 1,335 total cases
• 1,962,878 tests conducted
Sadly, six Queenslanders with COVID-19 have died. 1,313 patients have recovered.#covid19 pic.twitter.com/t7WnlnFjJ1
The summer just gone was Australia’s wettest in four years, with official data showing there was above average rainfall as a cooling La Niña imposed itself across much of the continent.
The average temperature across the continent was slightly above average, representing a respite from the previous two summers that remain in the nation’s top two on record for heat.
Data from the Bureau of Meteorology showed the wet summer included an especially drenched December. Countrywide, it was the third wettest on record going back to 1900.
You can read the full story below:
A Holocaust museum is set to be established in Tasmania, with the support of the state government, the federal treasurer says.
A privilege to join Holocaust survivors & parliamentary colleagues incl. Elise Archer to announce the establishment of a Tasmanian Holocaust Museum & education centre with the support of the Gutwein Govt.@BrianMitchellMP @WilkieMP @SenatorAbetz pic.twitter.com/RxubnWzUzs
— Josh Frydenberg (@JoshFrydenberg) March 2, 2021
Updated
No new local cases in NSW, huzzah!
NSW recorded no new locally acquired cases of #COVID19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night, the 44th consecutive day without a locally acquired case. Three new cases were acquired overseas, bringing the total number of cases in NSW since the beginning of the pandemic to 4,994. pic.twitter.com/GEQtWH7Lwm
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) March 2, 2021
Here is Victorian premier Daniel Andrew’s full statement:
Full statement from the Premier pic.twitter.com/QaowtC7T35
— Jodi Lee (@jodilee_7) March 2, 2021
Updated
Victoria to implement all mental health royal commission recommendations
Victorian politicians are discussing the royal commission report in parliament now.
"It's clearer than ever that our system is more than just cracked. It is completely broken. We need to build a new system from the ground up," Premier Daniel Andrews tells parliament. He says the government will implement all the royal commission's recommendations.
— Benita Kolovos (@benitakolovos) March 2, 2021
The premier has already committed to implementing all of the report’s recommendations.
Opposition leader Micheal O’Brien has called on the government to apologise.
Mr O'Brien says the state government must "apologise to Victorians for the failures of the past and act quickly and decisively to implement the important changes" recommended in the royal commission's report.
— Benita Kolovos (@benitakolovos) March 2, 2021
The chair of the Victorian mental health care royal commission, Penny Armitage, has spoken today following the release of the rather damning report into the state’s system.
The mental health system has catastrophically failed to live up to expectations and is woefully unprepared for current and future challenges.
The 2019-20 severe bushfire season and the Covid-19 pandemic have shone further light on the pressures of the system.
Personally, I was shocked by what I heard and what I saw during the course of this commission. The system wasn’t compromised in part. Its foundations were broken.
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Eight teenagers and an octogenarian nun have head to an Australian court this morning to launch what they hope will prove to be a landmark case – one that establishes the federal government’s duty of care in protecting future generations from a worsening climate crisis.
If successful, the people behind the class action believe it may set a precedent that stops the government approving new fossil fuel projects.
As with any novel legal argument, its chances of success are unclear, but the case is not happening in isolation.
You can read more about the case below:
And listen to the amazing Full Story podcast episode on the topic here:
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A spokesman for Queensland SES is giving an update on the cyclone situation now.
He said it’s expected to be a calmer day than Monday:
Weather-wise for our region, in particular, Cassowary Coast, Cairns, and the northern parts of the coast, we’re not anticipating to see any of the weather that occurred yesterday.
State Emergency Service had 127 jobs in total. They’re still working their way through those. Some are completed and some we’re still working on. The majority of those were impacted by trees, so trees impacted houses or, unfortunately, impacted and brought down power lines, therefore, causing a large outage of power across the whole region which Ergon is still working on at this stage.
Although a system that hasn’t crossed the coast and hasn’t been a cyclone until this morning, it has impacted Cairns quite heavily and SES has had a major response.
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Australian music industry icon Michael Gudinski dies
This is just in but Australian music industry icon Michael Gudinski has died suddenly overnight.
Known for running the Mushroom Records, Gudinski was also credited with launching Kylie Minogue’s career. He was extremely active in the last year creating a popular Covid at-home music concert.
It is being reported that he died of a heart attack in his Melbourne home.
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Federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg has had a hearty dig at Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk for requests for an extension of jobkeeper for tourism operators in her state.
In a Courier-Mail opinion piece, Frydenberg has accused the Queensland government of not pulling its weight when it comes to Covid-19 supports. The federal government has generally taken the position that it’s Queensland’s own fault its tourism operators are struggling because of their hard approach to borders.
Honestly, most of the opinion piece is just a pretty dry list of federal government support programs, but the general gist is as follows:
No amount of grandstanding and petty politicking by the Queensland Premier will detract from the indisputable fact that when it comes to the economic response in Queensland, the Morrison Government has done the bulk of the heavy lifting.
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Cyclone Niran leaves thousands without power
Cyclone Niran has 85km/h winds and 120km/h gusts as it slowly tracks north-east about 235km north-east of Cairns this morning, leaving homes without power and causing flooding in some areas.
The Bureau of Meteorology says it will continue intensifying over the next day or two.
The cyclone is expected to continue moving slowly to the northeast during today, before becoming slow-moving or drifting back slowly to the west this evening into Wednesday.
Notionally the cyclone will turn into a category 2 system by 1 pm today and intensifying into a category 3 storm by Thursday morning.
Luckily it is moving away from the coast and the eye of the storm isn’t expected to hit land.
But, a gale warning has still been issued for coastal and island communities between Cape Flattery and Innisfail, with gusts up to 100km/h expected by Wednesday.
The winds already left about 42,000 homes without power in the region and two people were rescued from floodwaters near the Star River, west of Townsville on Monday.
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"The present system is not designed or equipped to support the diverse needs of people living with mental illness or psychological distress, families, carers and supporters, let alone to cope with unforeseen pressures that may arise." https://t.co/zWBT9eOg7F
— Melissa Davey (@MelissaLDavey) March 1, 2021
Andrew Leigh, the federal Labor MP for Fenner in the ACT has been asked about the allegations of historic rape by a current cabinet minister while speaking to the 2SM radio station this morning, calling for a full investigation:
The Prime Minister needs to live by the words that he uttered when the issue of sexual assault in Parliament House came up, saying that we need to take this seriously. And if he does that, then we need a full investigation of what’s gone on and potentially the minister should also stand aside during the course of that investigation.
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Complete rebuild is necessary for Victoria’s mental health system, report says
As that lock-up has just finished, here are the broad strokes of that report from AAP:
Victoria’s mental health system cannot meet the needs of the people it’s designed to support and a complete rebuild is necessary, a royal commission says.
The creation of a new Mental Health Act no later than mid-2022 and a new authority to hold the government to account are among dozens of recommendations to reform the system.
It also said a mental health and wellbeing commission, with at least one commissioner who has lived with mental illness, should be established to hold the government to account.
Other recommendations include the creation of a chief officer for mental health and the creation of between 50 and 60 local adult mental health services, to ensure people can get treatment close to home:
Despite the goodwill and hard work of many people, Victoria’s mental health system has deteriorated for a multitude of reasons and over the course of many years.
The report says a lack of resources has meant many people were turned away unless they were in absolute crisis.
We heard from people and their families, at times in harrowing detail, about the impacts of being turned away from services at their darkest hour, and the sometimes tragic consequences of this.
The commission’s recommendations – 65 unveiled on Tuesday on top of the nine previously canvassed in its 2019 interim report - include a review of mental health laws five-to-seven years after the new act is introduced.
If this topic is difficult for you, you can call Lifeline 13 11 14 or Beyondblue 1300 22 4636.
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Speaking of Victoria, perhaps we will hear more about this slower vaccine roll out at the press conference today.
Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews and the Minister for Mental Health, James Merlino, will hold a press conference at 12:30pm #springst
— Political Alert (@political_alert) March 1, 2021
I should mention that the main thrust of this press conference will be on the release of the Victorian mental health royal commission report.
Journalists have been given two hours of lock-up time to pore over the report before the press conference (which is what people were upset with Scott Morrison for not doing before the aged care royal commission release yesterday).
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It seems Victoria’s Covid-19 vaccinations are rolling out slowly, with less than a third of the supplied doses being administered.
According to federal figures, only 30 per cent of Victoria’s doses were injected in the first week of the vaccination program, compared to 74 per cent of New South Wales’ doses.
On Monday, Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley called on the federal government to be more transparent about its rollout, as the state ramps up its regional vaccination program”
We just think there’s a bit of a need for the commonwealth to share more information, to be a bit more transparent...
“We were quite disturbed to hear that there had been cold chain breaches that saw this very precious Pfizer vaccine essentially wasted.
The state government launched vaccination hubs in Bendigo and Ballarat on Monday.
There are now six hubs operating in Melbourne and regional Victoria, providing the vaccine to hotel quarantine workers, airport staff, and frontline health staff.
NSW MP Rose Jackson says she will bring racially charged comments made to local councillor Kun Huang to the NSW attorney general tomorrow.
Huang, who is Chinese Australia, publishing a screenshot of the email, which is filled with anti-Asian sentiments and slurs, described it as “repulsive and disgusting”.
Jackson labelled the email as “hate speech” and said action should be taken:
I will be raising this in budget estimates tomorrow with the attorney general. This is why we have s93Z of the Crimes Act. This kind of hate speech is illegal in NSW and I’m so glad Kun has been brave enough to come forward and report to police.
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I don’t know about you but I have been obsessed with Calla Wahlquist’s WA election coverage. This is from her profile on opposition leader Zak Kirkup:
Sixteen days before the state election, Western Australia’s opposition leader, Zak Kirkup, conceded defeat. As the doors opened to early voting booths last week, he said what had been obvious for months: the Liberal party was not going to win and needed to work hard just to save the furniture.
At a leadership debate on Thursday night, he urged people to vote Liberal anyway to ensure Labor did not gain “total control”.
“I know what happened in the past when Labor had too much power and a popular premier – it resulted in WA Inc,” Kirkup said. “It is dignified to talk about the future of our state and talk about what it means for democracy if Labor gets too much control.”
Read the full story below:
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I told you before that the prime minister held a rather heated press conference yesterday after giving media only 30 minutes’ notice when a damning report following the royal commission into aged care was released.
(Traditionally you would have a full lockup situation as occurs before the budget.)
Here is a little snippet from that presser where Scott Morrison declares “I am the prime minister”, while being questioned by an ABC reporter.
.@anneconnollyabc asks @ScottMorrisonMP which of the reports and recommendations from the #AgedCareRC his government would take onboard. #abc730 pic.twitter.com/RdQbT8T0i6
— abc730 (@abc730) March 1, 2021
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A dark omen ...
Craig Kelly finally got released from his “seven-day Facebook ban” after nearly three weeks all up
— Josh Butler (@JoshButler) March 1, 2021
“I’m back and 100% independent” with a Rambo meme and promising even more of that premium hydroxychloroquine content pic.twitter.com/JMRP96bC7u
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I mentioned before that another 25 asylum seekers are set to be released from detention in Brisbane. Here is a bit more information on that situation via AAP.
The Refugee Action Coalition says refugees brought to Australia for medical treatment under now repealed medical evacuation laws will be released today.
Twenty-three are being held at the Kangaroo Point Central Hotel and two are at the Brisbane Immigration Transit Accommodation Centre.
All will be released on six-month bridging visas, like the 25 detainees who were released on Monday.
The RAC expects another 45 asylum seekers will be released later this week, leaving about 175 still in detention.
Those released on Tuesday will be provided with three weeks accommodation, but the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre has previously warned those being freed were in precarious situations and need government support while they sought work to support themselves on the bridging visas.
“It is uncertain what support people now being released will receive. People on bridging visas are excluded from government safety nets of jobkeeper and jobseeker.”
The Department of Home Affairs said final departure bridging visas issued to released detainees include the right to work and access Medicare.
The department said “short-term support”, including help to link former detainees with essential services and accommodation, was on offer but didn’t say for how long.
The bridging visas are being issued to allow detainees to finalise their medical care and not – the government says – as a pathway to settle in Australia.
Detainees will have to “continue on their resettlement pathway to the United States, return to Nauru or PNG, or return to their home country”, the department said.
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Nine news Europe correspondent Sophie Walsh says the man who attacked her live on air in 2020 has been sentenced to four months in prison.
Walsh was speaking to the Adelaide 6pm news program from Hyde Park in London during a Black Lives Matter protest when a man grabbed her, allegedly shouting threatening religious comments and made stabbing motions with his hands, although did not physically hurt her.
The broadcast has cut away to footage of the protest but Walsh’s yells could be heard on air as the attack took place.
He later pleaded guilty to assault, possessing an offensive weapon and possessing cannabis.
The man who attacked me during a live cross in Hyde Park in London was sentenced overnight to two years, four months jail. Thank you to everyone who reached out at the time and checked in since. Your kindness meant a lot to me 🙏🏻
— Sophie Walsh (@sophie_walsh9) March 1, 2021
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New laws are set to be introduced into Victorian parliament this week which aim to prevent offenders or people responsible for causing a death having the right to make decisions about their victim’s grave or memorial, according to the Herald Sun.
The family of slain Melbourne mother Karen Ristevski has pushed for a law that stops jailed husband, Borce, keeping control of her grave.
Karen Ristevski was killed and dumped in Victorian bushland by her husband in 2016. After years of investigation, Borce finally pleaded guilty to manslaughter in 2019.
Ristevski currently has control over his wife’s grave, according to the report. Her family wants Ristevski’s headstone changed, as well as stopping her husband from being buried next to her.
It’s hoped the new laws will be able to be backdated to 2005.
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An Australian senator will seek support from fellow upper house members to recognise China’s treatment of the Uighur Muslim minority as genocide, after similar parliamentary motions passed in Canada and the Netherlands.
The proposed motion – placed on the Senate’s notice paper for 15 March – looms as a test for the major parties at a time when Australia should join the international community in taking a stand, according to the South Australian independent senator Rex Patrick.
While the Morrison government has thus far declined to describe the situation in China’s Xinjiang region as genocide, the foreign affairs minister, Marise Payne, has raised concerns about “some very horrific reports, particularly around forced labour, around re-education camps, allegations in relation to the systematic torture and abuse of women”.
Read the full report below:
Search continues for Melissa Caddick remains
Police are continuing to scour beaches on the NSW south coast for traces of remains of alleged Sydney fraudster Melissa Caddick, reports the AAP.
Remains have been located at three separate beaches starting with Caddick’s decaying foot which washed ashore south of Tathra on 21 February.
People on popular Mollymook Beach then discovered a chunk of stomach flesh on Friday evening and called police.
Additional remains were found at Cunjurong Point on Saturday afternoon and Warrain Beach at Culburra on Sunday morning.
Police said on Monday evening they would forensically examine the findings to determine if they belonged to 49-year-old Caddick.
But remains found by members of the public at Tura Beach on Saturday evening have been confirmed to come from an animal.
Caddick, who is alleged to have stolen more than $20m from investors, vanished the day after corporate watchdog Asic executed a search warrant at her luxury Dover Heights home on 11 November.
Liquidators say the fraudster “meticulously and systematically” deceived those who entrusted millions of investment dollars to her over seven years, then used the money to fund her lavish lifestyle.
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I mentioned the aged care royal commission before but, if you are still finding it a little confusing, Elias Visontay has broken down all the major recommendations for you.
You can get up to date right here:
More medevac refugees released in Brisbane
Twenty-five more medevac refugees are being released on bridging visas in Brisbane this morning.
Twenty-three people will be released from the Kangaroo Point facility and two from Brisbane Immigration Transit Accommodation.
Their release follows yesterday’s release of another 25 medevac refugees in the same city.
Dozens more are expected to follow around the country this week, with some spending more than a year in hotels or detention facilities. The detainees were brought to Australia from Nauru and Manus Island for medical treatment under medical evacuation laws which have since been repealed.
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Tropical cyclone moving away from Australian mainland
Looks like people in Cairns might be in for some rough weather this morning with residents bracing for winds of up to 100km/h.
This has been caused by the formation of a tropical cyclone off the coast. Luckily Cyclone Niran is moving north-east so isn’t currently expected to hit land.
Tropical #CycloneNiran has developed NE of #Cairns this morning. The cyclone is moving slowly northeast, away from the coast, and is not expected to cross the coast. Heavy rain, gale winds and abnormally high tides possible. https://t.co/nKG7Lb7Bfh pic.twitter.com/y5Ul7x7KYQ
— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) March 1, 2021
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Victoria reports no new Covid cases
Good news! No Covid-19 cases in Victoria today.
Yesterday there were no new cases reported. 13,525 test results were received. Thanks for getting tested - #EveryTestHelps.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) March 1, 2021
More later: https://t.co/2vKbgKHFvv #COVID19Vic #COVID19VicData pic.twitter.com/nxweDyyOdM
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Another thing to look out for today is the continuation of the Juukan Gorge inquiry.
The International Council for Monuments and Sites and Central Land Council are set to give evidence in today’s hearings about the destruction of the 46,000-year-old caves in the Pilbara region of Western Australia by mining giant Rio Tinto.
Calla Wahlquist will be watching that and bringing us updates.
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Just in case you haven’t been watching The Crown and forgot that we have a monarch, here is some slightly cute Queen news this morning.
Lizzie herself has appeared via Zoom to meet with the South Australian premier Steven Marshall and governor Hieu Van Le.
On the 24 February call, which has only recently been made public, the premier showed the Queen photos of the bronze statue of the monarch that has been erected outside Adelaide’s Government House.
I would think possibly it might be quite alarming to suddenly see it out of the window. You’d think, ‘gracious, has she arrived here unexpectedly!’
In the same call, the Queen expressed something alarmingly close to a political opinion, a fairly rare occurrence from the historically apolitical head of state.
She said people who were hesitant to take the vaccine “ought to think about other people rather than themselves”.
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Anyone else remember that the former finance minister Mathias Cormann has been gunning for the top OECD spot?
Well, looks like the campaigning might pay off, as he is now one of the final two candidates in the international race to become the next Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development secretary-general.
This comes after the withdrawal of Greece’s candidate overnight on Monday.
Cormann will now face off for the leadership against Sweden’s candidate Cecilia Malmström.
The successful candidate will succeed current secretary-general Ángel Gurría for a five-year term beginning at the start of June.
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Jeremy Samuel says he met the woman who has alleged she was raped by a cabinet minister in January 1988 during that same year.
“I was her friend,” Samuel told Guardian Australia on Monday. “I just want to say that my friend was an incredibly smart, witty, talented and capable person.”
Samuel and the woman met in Brisbane when they were high-achieving teenagers with shared interests, and kept in touch for three decades. He said she first revealed the historical rape allegation to him in June 2019, a year before her death. “Not just her death but a lot of events of her life were tragically sad,” he said.
You can read the full report below:
Welcome to Tuesday
Good morning, Matilda Boseley here to battle the day’s news with you.
And excitingly I’m going to be around a lot more from now on, with you most non-sitting weeks morning before passing you back into the capable hands of Amy Remeikis on the days the politicians sit down to business in parliament.
If you see anything in your travels this morning that you reckon I’ve missed or think should be in the blog make sure you get in touch with me on Twitter @MatildaBoseley, or by email on matilda.boseley@gmail.com.
Today one of the main things to look out for is the fallout from that slightly disastrous prime ministerial press conference yesterday in which Scott Morrison said the unnamed cabinet minister who has been accused of a historical rape in 1988 should not be required to step down while police continue their inquiries.
Morrison says the cabinet minister in question “vigorously rejected” the claims made by a woman who has since taken her own life.
This is the latest in a string of sexual assault allegations levelled at people involved in the government and the effects of that have begun to show. A new Essential poll shows that two-thirds of Australia believe the government has shown more interest in protecting its political interests than the interests of women who have made rape and sexual assault allegations.
This poll came after a fortnight of questions about the government’s handling of the alleged rape of then-political staffer Brittany Higgins in the defence industry minister’s office in Parliament House in 2019.
About 65% of respondents agreed with the statement: “The government has been more interested in protecting itself than the interests of those who have been assaulted.” This included 51% of self-identified Coalition supporters.
That press conference was actually called because the damning royal commission report in Australia aged care was handed down.
The government has been criticised for not giving the media enough time to actually read the huge document before a press conference was held. Now that they have had the night to pour over the 148 recommendations, we can expect some more tough questions launched at whichever politicians stand up to speak today.
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