What happened today, Wednesday 26 May
Time to wrap things up for the evening. It was a big day, here are the key events:
- Victoria has said the next 24 hours will be critical as authorities try to contain a growing Melbourne Covid-19 cluster. There are 15 active local cases. The state government did not introduce further restrictions today.
- South Australia has shut its borders to travellers from greater Melbourne. The NSW premier, Gladys Berejiklian, has encouraged residents of the state to postpone any non-urgent travel to greater Melbourne and Bendigo.
- A Senate committee has called on the Australia Post chair to resign and demanded that Scott Morrison apologise over the treatment of the former managing director Christine Holgate.
- The Uluru Statement from the Heart has been awarded the Sydney peace prize.
- The ABC’s managing director, David Anderson, has told a Senate estimates hearing the broadcaster has signed letters of intent with both Google and Facebook for payments under the news media bargaining code.
Thanks for joining us, we’ll see you back here tomorrow.
Updated
Second AFL fan tests positive to Covid
A second AFL fan has tested positive for Covid-19 in Melbourne.
Authorities have confirmed a person who has Covid attended the Sunday 23 May match at the Marvel Stadium between Essendon and North Melbourne.
All patrons who were sitting on level one between aisles 5 and 28 or level three between aisles 6 and 29 are being contacted by the Victorian government and asked to immediately get tested and isolate until they receive a negative test.
“The department of health are also asking anyone else who attended the game and were seated outside of the areas listed to monitor for symptoms and to get tested if symptoms develop,” the AFL said in a statement.
The new case comes after a person who attended the Collingwood v Port Adelaide game at the MCG also tested positive.
Victorian clubs have been ordered into lockdown in an attempt by the league to ensure the season is not derailed by the latest outbreak in Melbourne. The move comes as three clubs with interstate games this week made plans to leave the city earlier than scheduled in case any further restrictions were imposed in response to the developing situation.
Updated
The federal attorney general, Michaelia Cash, is reconsidering her predecessor’s decision to gag parts of an auditor general’s report that were highly critical of the government’s purchase of its new Hawkei combat vehicle fleet from French multinational Thales.
After representations from Thales, the then attorney general Christian Porter used extraordinary powers in 2019 to issue a certificate to suppress parts of an audit that criticised the purchase.
The independent senator Rex Patrick has since successfully obtained the redacted parts of the report through freedom of information laws.
Now he has been told by Cash that she is considering revoking the order suppressing the audit report.
In legal and constitutional affairs estimates just now, the acting department secretary, Iain Anderson, confirmed his staff were advising Cash on the matter.
Anderson said: “I believe that as a general rule if there’s a power that can be exercised, there’s implicit power to undo the exercise of that as well.... we’ve given advice to the attorney on this.” Patrick told the Guardian the continued existence of the gag order was “perverse”.
“We have a most perverse situation where the auditor general can’t talk about the findings of his own audit, even though the findings are now in the public domain as a result of Freedom of Information.”
“Notwithstanding that the censoring certificate should never have been issued by the former attorney general, it makes sense for the new attorney to revoke the certificate so that parliamentarians can ask questions about the conduct of the Hawkei procurement.”
Updated
Police who tasered and restrained an Indigenous man in Perth have told an inquest into his death their use of force was “100%” justified, AAP reports.
Coroner Michael Jenkin is examining the May 2017 death of 39-year-old Mr Riley, whose first name is not being used for cultural reasons.
The father of six, who had a history of drug-induced psychosis, was approached by constables Rory Winterburn and James Wolfe outside an Officeworks store in East Perth after being seen rocking from side to side and slapping his forehead.
They called triple zero to request an ambulance when Riley did not engage with them.
Winterburn on Wednesday told the inquest Riley had then sprung to his feet, advanced on the pair and yelled “I’m going to kill you”.
The pair retreated and warned him to stay where he was before Winterburn fired his Taser, causing Riley to fall forward.
They attempted to restrain the prone man as he struggled, asking a civilian witness to help by sitting on Riley’s legs until back-up arrived.
The inquest has been shown confronting footage of Riley wailing as he was pinned down on his front by multiple officers for seven minutes before an ambulance arrived.
Attempts were made to resuscitate him at the scene before he died in hospital.
A pathologist found his cause of death was consistent with cardiac arrhythmia “following violent exertion necessitating physical restraint in a man with methylamphetamine effect, known systemic hypertension and morbid obesity”.
The inquest heard Riley had tried to grab Wolfe’s holstered gun and had bit down on his arm, causing it to bleed heavily.
Winterburn’s Taser was trigger-activated 10 times in less than two minutes.
He said he could only initially remember firing the weapon three times and believed only the first discharge had achieved neuromuscular incapacitation.
Asked if he believed the use of force was necessary under the circumstances, Winterburn replied: “100%, yes.”
Riley had exhibited “extreme strength” and resisted harder and for longer than anyone he had experienced as a police officer.
“I feel like we would have [otherwise] lost control and the threat level would have escalated,” Winterburn said.
The police officer told the inquest he was left “shellshocked” afterwards and had suffered depression and anxiety.
Under questioning from Greg McIntyre SC, representing Riley’s family, Wolfe said his holster had a locking mechanism preventing access to his Glock pistol.
McIntyre suggested this made snatching the gun “a fairly remote possibility”.
“Just because it didn’t happen, doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen,” Wolfe replied.
The inquest continues.
Updated
The NSW premier, Gladys Berejiklian, has appointed two new ministers. The MLC Natalie Ward becomes the minister for sport, multiculturalism, seniors and veterans.
The member for Ku-ring-gai, Alister Henskens, takes on the portfolios that were held by Gareth Ward, becoming the minister for families, communities and disability services.
Natasha Maclaren-Jones will also become cabinet secretary.
“Mrs Ward, Mr Henskens and Mrs Maclaren-Jones have already made significant contributions to the community and I look forward to seeing that continue in their new roles,” Berejiklian said in a statement.
Updated
The communications minister, Paul Fletcher, has responded to today’s Senate committee report that called on the government to apologise to the former Australia Post chief Christine Holgate.
In a brief written statement, Fletcher said: “The government has consistently acknowledged that Ms Holgate was an effective chief executive of Australia Post and I congratulate her on her new role at Global Express.”
Fletcher added that the government’s response to the findings of the Senate Environment and Communications References Committee was “reflected in the detailed dissenting report”.
(The dissenting report from Liberal and Nationals members of the committee brushed off the recommendation that Scott Morrison and senior ministers apologise, saying the claim that Holgate was denied procedural fairness and natural justice was “contested”.)
Updated
The federal government has announced plans to send 130,000 additional doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Melbourne - including both AstraZeneca and Pfizer doses. From Monday, a GP respiratory clinic at Altona North will become an AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccine hub.
— Tom McIlroy (@TomMcIlroy) May 26, 2021
Lisa Cox will take you through the evening – she’ll be keeping an eye on what is happening in response to the Melbourne cases, as well as any updates from the ongoing estimate hearings.
Thank you to everyone who joined us today – I miss the comments too. Hopefully we can have them on again soon.
I’ll be back early tomorrow morning – but please, take care of you. Especially you, Melbourne. We are all thinking of you.
Updated
There are another 464 people who South Australia are classifying as tier 2 contacts, as they went to the AFL game in Melbourne on Sunday attended by a positive Covid case.
Updated
Good evening all. We reported a couple of hours ago that the former Liberal MP Craig Kelly had been dining with Clive Palmer at lunchtime today in Parliament House – which is obviously what you do if you want to be seen.
For readers with a keen epicurean interest, I believe Kelly had an octopus salad and Palmer a chicken salad, and the two shared a bowl of chips.
The conversation went to a legal action Kelly plans to take against the social media giant Facebook.
Facebook has taken the MP off the platform. Kelly wants to sue Facebook for defamation and breach of contract – but that’s expensive. Cue Palmer.
Kelly has told me they discussed Palmer chipping in to fund the proposed legal action.
I note the Australian is reporting this afternoon that Palmer has agreed to fund the action, but Kelly tells me that’s not right. He says they are in negotiations and Palmer is keen, but nothing has yet been finalised.
Updated
Back to South Australia, and Steven Marshall is asked if he feels any “guilt” over the Victorian situation, given it started from an Adelaide quarantine hotel breach:
Well obviously any leak from a quarantine hotel and medi-hotel is something we take very, very seriously.
We have maintain a very high standard in South Australia but this is a highly contagious disease, there is no doubt about that.
That is why we made sure there was a thorough and robust investigation straight away.
Now, that investigation hasn’t shown any breach whatsoever.
It just heightens, I suppose, our focus on making sure that there is a continuous improvement program. We’ll share our findings with other states and the territories as well who are operating quarantine hotel arrangements because we have got to be working together at any infection, any community transmission across the country, any leakage from a quarantine hotel is something that we have to take very seriously because it does potentially affect the way that we are living in our country at the moment.
Updated
Given the border closure, and the possibility of more cases, Labor will be ramping up it’s attacks on the government over quarantine and vaccinations.
This was Anthony Albanese during the matter of public importance debate today:
Watch the full speech: https://t.co/Om05uM8707
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) May 26, 2021
ABC signs letters of intent with Google and Facebook for payments under news media bargainig code
The ABC has signed letters of intent with both Google and Facebook for payments under the news media bargaining code, managing director David Anderson has told Senate estimates.
“When these commercial deals are concluded, they will enable the ABC to make new and significant investments in regional services,” Anderson said.
“These investments will provide a huge boost to the regions at a time when many areas of regional and rural Australia have experienced a withdrawal of media services.”
The national broadcaster is one of the last media organisations to sign up with the digital platforms, and the news comes months after talks started with Google.
Anderson said the ABC was the most trusted media outlet and source of news, entertainment, and information for all Australians.
“This means we are the natural home and platform for any community engagement or town square conversations. Whether you are talking about issues of national significance or debates of local community interest, the ABC provides the platform.
“The ABC reaches 80% of Australians on a monthly basis.
“This public service media model that the ABC operates under, where it is independent of both government and commercial interests, contributes to high levels of public trust.”
Updated
Meanwhile, in estimates, the ABC management is facing questions.
People who are arriving in South Australia from a Melbourne flight after 6pm will be greeted by authorities and told of the new restriction and testing arrangements.
Updated
The border between South Australia and greater Melbourne will be closed for an undisclosed amount of time – SA aren’t putting a timeframe on it.
Updated
The report into the breach at the Adelaide quarantine hotel has also been handed down - no one has been found to have done anything wrong, but an infectious person opened their door to bring in the food which had been left for them, and within a short period of time - 12 minutes or so - someone else nearby opened their door to bring in their food. The person didn’t know they were infectious at the time.
But particles, man. They hang in the air (this is the untechnical technical explanation)
Three South Australians are being considered close contacts to cases in Melbourne because they sat within two rows of a person who had contracted the virus.
Updated
South Australia closes border to greater Melbourne
The South Australian premier Steven Marshall is announcing new restrictions in response to Melbourne’s Covid cases:
Anybody from greater Melbourne is not permitted to travel to South Australia.
This will come into effect as of 6pm this evening.
The only people exempted from this are essential travellers with the appropriate permit and also returning South Australians and returning South Australians will need to subject themselves to 14 days of quarantine.
There are essential travellers coming to Australia with permission and they will need to be in quarantine, except for the time they are undertaking activity for which they have received that exemption.
Secondly, anybody who has returned from greater Melbourne since the 20th May will need to under take a range of testing.
In fact testing on day-1, 5 and 13 and again after that first test is taken, they will need to go into isolation pending a negative result coming through.
Thirdly, and this relates just to the Bendigo LGA, people coming in from Bendigo will be permitted but they will need to under take tests on day 1, 5 and 13 and again isolate pending that negative result from test number 1.
Our thoughts are with everybody in Victoria at the moment, particularly those in Melbourne.
Any outbreak in Australia is something that we need to take extraordinarily seriously at the moment, Australia’s doing extraordinarily well in tackling the coronavirus compared to just about any jurisdiction in the world. So we have got to work together to make sure that we don’t have further outbreaks and if there are, we do everything we can to keep our population safe.
Updated
Asked about the news from estimates yesterday, that the AFP had received 19 allegations of sexual misconduct – 12 of which it was treating as “sensitive investigations”, Richard Marles says:
I’m appalled and it does make me ultimately feel really sad. It’s a larger number than I would have expected, that is the honest answer to the question.
I do though think there is a cultural problem which exists in this building and the answer to your question is that that cultural problem’s not got any better in the last couple of years. There is a long way to go. I don’t know whether it’s got better in the last couple of months.
It’s a huge privilege to work here, a fantastic place to work but none of that is a licence for bad behaviour, yet that seems to be where matters have gone. In fact it needs be the opposite.
The privilege of working in this building means that for all of us there’s a responsibility to make this the exemplar of safe employment of respect for women in the country and that’s where we have got to get to and clearly we are a long way from that.
Updated
Marles continues:
The one facility which is more fit for purpose than any other facility is Howard Springs and it’s had the best result in terms of not get letting the virus get through its gates .
To put people in hotels where you have single ventilation systems, where the hotels are in the middle of the major population centres doesn’t make sense.
You only need one person to escape the net and we have seen it happen time and again over the last six months to create really serious situations which is what Victoria is now facing. So this is a matter of doing everything minimise risk.
The [lack of] purpose-built facilities in respect of quarantine is not minimising the risk. That is on Scott Morrison and the government because quarantine is their job.
Updated
Speaking to Patricia Karvelas, MP Richard Marles continues Labor’s push to have the government act on federal quarantine:
I think the commonwealth has to take responsibility which includes financial responsibility to make sure that these quarantine facilities are built.
The commonwealth’s own adviser was making the point mid last year that there needed to be purpose-built quarantine facilities in this country. It is the commonwealth’s responsibility, it is right there in the constitution and the anxieties that are being felt by every Victorian on this day is a direct result of the prime minister’s failure to take responsibility in relation to quarantine.
Updated
For more on Christian Porter’s comments today, Paul Karp has you covered:
Christian Porter doesn’t rule out plans for supporter to pay defamation case legal bills https://t.co/rnWO89xLzx
— Guardian news (@guardiannews) May 26, 2021
The Nationals MP Bridget McKenzie, who was also on the Australia Post Senate committee, has released her own statement.
Here is part of it:
Certainty of the future of Australia Post and its services has been secured for the licensees, employees and regional communities who rely on vital post services, following the tabling of the Australia Post inquiry report today in parliament.
The Nationals senators are backing changes that will enhance the viability and sustainability of licensed post offices (LPOs), particularly for those located in rural and regional Australia.
They include:
- Guaranteeing financial stability for 2,500 post offices in the regions.
- No privatisation or divestiture of Australia Post and its services.
- Ensure essential parcels and financial services remain and grow, as core business of Australia Post’s community service obligations.
Leader of the Nationals in the Senate and senator for Victoria, Bridget McKenzie, said: “We have seen an explosion in parcel deliveries and changes in consumer behaviour from increased e-commerce over the past two years.”
Postal services and parcels have been in demand during the Covid-19 pandemic. Last year, Australia Post delivered more than 2.8bn items around the country.
“This service was put in doubt following the political storm of Christine Holgate leaving. The Nationals will continue to fight to keep Australia Post services in regional and rural areas. I support the recommendation that Australia Post review its procurement principles. The Nationals back increasing local products in local post offices.
“It is unfortunate that Labor’s gambit to target Ms Holgate in Senate estimates last October has seen the organisation lose a strong CEO, particularly given her support for regional post offices and their licensees.
“That is why it is important Australia Post reviews its internal expenditure policies, so they are clear for all employees. What happened to Ms Holgate cannot happen again, especially given Mr Di Bartolomeo said that: “There were no policies that [Ms Holgate] contravened. There’s no doubt about that.”
Mr Di Bartolomeo also admitted Ms Holgate was “treated abysmally”. However, he did say “I don’t believe Australia Post owes her an apology”, a position other directors of Australia Post supported.
Updated
Mike Bowers was in a loud and shouty question time where the Speaker evicted members from both sides of the chamber.
Updated
Does this surprise anyone?
Anyone at all?
Clive Palmer has revealed he will bankroll Craig Kelly’s campaign to run as an independent in the seat of Hughes at the next election. #auspol https://t.co/M4oQUmZnOM
— Greg Brown (@gregbrown_TheOz) May 26, 2021
NSW Health has issued new advice in response to Melbourne’s covid cases:
NSW Health is advising people in NSW to postpone non-urgent travel to greater Melbourne and Bendigo, as Victorian health authorities continue to investigate an outbreak of Covid-19.
People with Covid-19 have visited a number of venues in greater Melbourne and in and near Bendigo while infectious. This includes the Melbourne Cricket Ground and a number of hospitality venues.
If you are in NSW and have been in Victoria since 12 May, please check the Victoria Department of Health and Human Services website regularly to see if you have visited any of these venues of concern, and if so, immediately follow the relevant public health advice. Please ask family or friends you went with to do the same.
If you attended any of the venues identified at the times listed, please contact NSW Health immediately on 1800 943 553.
Anyone now in NSW who has been in greater Melbourne or in the Bendigo area since Wednesday 12 May:
- Should not visit residential aged care facilities.
- Should not visit healthcare facilities, unless seeking medical attention or for compassionate reasons.
- Should come forward for testing immediately with even the mildest of cold-like symptoms, then isolate until a negative result is received.
NSW Health asks that anyone who has been in Whittlesea local government area remain particularly vigilant for signs and symptoms of Covid-19, in light of the community transmission in that area. They should limit their exposures to high-risk settings, such as pubs, clubs, gyms, large family gatherings and any crowded indoor settings wherever possible for 14 days since they were last in the Whittlesea local government area. Mask use is strongly encouraged in settings where physical distancing is not possible.
Updated
Sarah Hanson-Young, who chaired the Australia Post Senate committee, will hold a doorstop at 3.45 to speak on the report.
Updated
The committee (which included members of the government) also believes that Christine Holgate is owed an apology – including from Scott Morrison:
Recommendation 5:
“The committee recommends that the Australia Post board and shareholder ministers and the prime minister apologise to Ms Holgate for denying her the legal principles of procedural fairness and natural justice in her departure from Australia Post.”
Presumably, they don’t mean a ‘sorry to hear you were offended’ type apology either.
Updated
Senate inquiry recommends Australia Post chairman resign
Among the recommendations (from the bipartisan committee):
Recommendation 13:
The committee recommends that the chair of Australia Post resign in acceptance of his responsibility for the organisation’s failings with respect to the Holgate matter, the veracity of his evidence provided to the committee, his capacity to defend the independence of Australia Post and the lack of effective robust policies and financial oversight processes in place throughout his tenure.
Updated
Question time ends.
Updated
There are 25 recommendations in the report.
Senate inquiry into Christine Holgate departure is tabled
Committee chair Sarah Hanson-Young has commented on the Australia Post inquiry report, which looked into Christine Holgate’s departure from the organisation:
This inquiry has found there was political interference in the management of former CEO Christine Holgate and that Australia Post’s independence has been undermined by the actions of the board.
A restructure of the board is needed to restore independence and ensure this essential public service acts in the public interest, at all times, regardless of the political whims of government.
The committee found Ms Holgate was disgraced and humiliated by the PM and the shareholder ministers, and abandoned by the board. The prime minister’s overreach in the parliament sealed Ms Holgate’s fate.
Ms Holgate was denied natural justice, due process, and fair treatment and is owed an apology from Mr Morrison and his government.
The purchase of Cartier watches was unwise. However, the treatment of Ms Holgate by the prime minister and the Australia Post chairman was disproportionate and denied Ms Holgate of a fair process.
Throughout this investigation, the committee was concerned with the way the Australia Post board engaged with the inquiry and has serious concerns about the reliability of the evidence given by members of the board, including the chair.
Given the failings of the board in relation to the Holgate matter, the veracity of evidence given to the committee and the clear issues with protecting the independence and public ownership of Australia Post, the committee has resolved that the chair of the board should resign.
Australia Post should be independent of government and accountable to the parliament. It is concerning that the lack of independence of the board and close relationship of members of the board with the Liberal party means this has not been the case.
The committee has recommended a restructure of the board to include representatives of Australia Post workers, licensed post office holders and members of parliament. This restructure would ensure that Australia Post can function properly as a public enterprise and properly consult with some of its most important stakeholders, workers and LPOs.
The report makes numerous recommendations for work to be done to clean up the operation of Australia Post and prevent privatisation, brought to a head by the treatment of Ms Holgate. Most importantly, the culture of secrecy surrounding decisions relating to the future of Australia Post needs to end and the government needs to immediately publicly release the BCG report.
Updated
Tony Burke to Scott Morrison:
Can the prime minister give a straight answer to this simple question: Should labour hire workers be paid less than the workers beside them who are doing the exact same job?
Morrison:
Mr Speaker, the laws that govern workplaces should be upheld for every single Australian. Every single Australian, Mr Speaker. And that’s what this government provides for.
Updated
Terri Butler to Scott Morrison:
These payslips are from two men who work at the same abattoir, do the same job for the same hours on the same shift in the same room. One works for the company that runs the abattoir. Another is a labour hire casual. The labour hire worker gets $500 less per week. Why does the Morrison government continue to protect this rort that keeps wages down?
Morrison:
Mr Speaker, this question is very similar to the one put to me by the member for Watson, Mr Speaker. Under Labor’s Fair Work Act, the wages and conditions paid to employers are determined by the relevant industrial instrument, Mr Speaker. These are Labor’s laws.
We actually have sought to improve on those laws, Mr Speaker.
We sought to make positive changes that would help businesses to employ more Australians, would help workers to be able to achieve and earn more, Mr Speaker. But those opposite decided not to support them, and they thought that workers were collateral damage for their political objectives in scuttling the changes that we were seeking to make. Mr Speaker, those opposite are no friends of the workers.
They’re no friends of the workers, Mr Speaker. And workers know that, Mr Speaker. Workers know that, Mr Speaker, because as the member for Paterson said, Labor sound like they are whingeing and people just don’t like it. ‘I worry that Labor is sleepwalking off a cliff’, Mr Speaker. That’s what workers think of the Labor party, Mr Speaker.
Updated
Graham Perrett becomes what I think is the 10th MP to be ejected under 94A in this question time.
Updated
Tony Burke to Scott Morrison:
These two payslips are from two train drivers at Pacific National’s coalmine in the Bowen Basin who do the same job. One’s employed by a labour hire firm, one by Pacific National. The train driver for the labour hire firm is a casual but still earns $308 less every week than his colleague. Why does the Morrison government continue to protect this rort that can only drive wages down?
Morrison:
Thank you, Mr Speaker. We believe in a guaranteed safety net for minimum terms and conditions for employees, Mr Speaker.
When it comes to labour hire specifically as a proportion of all employers, this remains stable at around 2% for the last decade.
Indeed, longer than that, Mr Speaker. Labour hire employees have the same rights and protections as all other employers when it comes to, for instance, unfair dismissal rights, award entitlements, general protections, and Work Health and Safety protections, Mr Speaker, just to name a few.
Labour hire employees under enterprise agreements also have entitlements above the minimum safety net.
This is the framework those opposite created. Under Labor’s Fair Work Act, the wages and conditions payable to employees are determined by the relevant industrial instrument.
There is no requirement under Labor’s Fair Work Act for enterprise agreements to provide for a particular level of pay above the safety net, Mr Speaker. The arrangements that we administer are the ones that the Labor party put in place, Mr Speaker.
If that, Mr Speaker - Mr Speaker, if that is their position, if that is what they maintain is the case, Mr Speaker, if there’s some unfairness in the arrangements that are already in place, Mr Speaker, then why did they design it that way?
Updated
Keith Pitt is pulled up before he can talk about alternative approaches he was not asked about ...
Updated
Ballarat Health investigating Covid test result from returned traveller
Ballarat Health Services is currently investigating a Covid test result from a patient who presented to the hospital overnight. The patient was a returned traveller from overseas who stayed in hotel quarantine interstate.
Initial investigations suggest it may be a historic case and further testing is under way.
The individual and their close contacts, including staff and patients, are isolating “out of an abundance of caution”.
The person is being monitored at home. The location of their hotel quarantine has not been released.
Dale Fraser, CEO of Ballarat Health Services, said: “This serves as a timely reminder to our community that the pandemic is well from being over and we need to remain vigilant and cautious.”
Updated
Tim Wilson has been booted from the chamber under 94A.
Labor cheers, although there are more than a few empty chairs on that side of the House - and frontbench - too.
Updated
Has anyone ever tallied up how often Josh Frydenberg says “the reality is”?
Surely it would be in the thousands. Line them all up and they could go for years.
Updated
Eligible Australians could soon be getting the Pfizer vaccine through their GP or local pharmacy following a Therapeutic Goods Administration decision on Monday.
The TGA changed the storage requirements for the Pfizer vaccine on Monday from -70C to 2-8C. This means the vaccine can be held at this temperature for up to 31 days, and makes it much easier to distribute and store with GPs and pharmacies.
The health minister, Greg Hunt, flagged at a pharmacy conference last week the decision would be a “game-changer”:
We have supply and we have refrigeration, which means that we will be able to have a dual-track program of our general practices and community pharmacies. And I’m committed to that, I believe in that, I fought for that and I can be absolutely certain that pharmacies will be a fundamental partner in that third stage of our vaccine delivery right around the country.
Updated
Tanya Plibersek to Scott Morrison:
My question is to the prime minister: Why did the report prepared by the prime minister’s chief of staff blame journalists for smearing Brittany Higgins’ loved ones? Does he seriously expect this House to believe journalists - not his own office - were at fault? Why won’t the prime minister ever accept responsibility?
Morrison:
Mr Speaker, the report from my chief of staff was tabled yesterday, and I don’t accept the caricature of the way that was represented by the member in asking that question.
Updated
Tony Smith rebukes Melissa Price
In another dixer asking for alternative approaches/policies Melissa Price moves into this:
.... When the leader of the opposition failed to mention the defence of our nation in his budget reply speech, and just ask the member for Paterson - she says her country’s sleepwalking off a cliff. You don’t need our opinion.
Tony Smith:
The minister will pause. Members on both sides. The minister was asked about alternative policies. She wasn’t asked about criticisms of what those have said opposite, because that is outside the standing orders. So you need to stick to policies that have been put forward by someone else - ie, an alternative - and, if that happens to be the opposition - which it almost always is - you will need to say what those alternatives are.
Price:
I think the Australian public and the men and women in uniform know what we stand for, and we stand on our record. Unlike those opposite, too busy fighting amongst themselves.
Updated
PM confirms Brittany Higgins was not given notice of Kunkel report
Catherine King to Scott Morrison:
My question is to the prime minister: Can the prime minister confirm, when he tabled his chief of staff’s excuse for a report yesterday, no one had told Ms Higgins it was coming, no-one had told ...
Tony Smith:
I will give her an opportunity to rephrase the question.
King:
Can the prime minister confirm, when he tabled his chief of staff’s report yesterday, that “no one had told Ms Higgins it was coming”, “no one had told Ms Higgins what it said”, “no one had told Ms Higgins it would be tabled” and “no one had told Ms Higgins it would repeat the smear that led to the report in the first place”? Doesn’t Ms Higgins deserve better than this, prime minister?
Morrison:
These were serious allegations. They were taken seriously. There was a proper investigation undertaken by my chief of staff. Mr Speaker, those opposite yesterday were seeking to criticise the government for not being transparent about the release of the report. We released the report, Mr Speaker. Whether we released the report, they were critical.
If we don’t release the report, they’re critical, Mr Speaker. So we released the report in the interest of full transparency. I have not made any comment on the contents of the report or repeated any of the matters in that report. It is there, tabled for the benefit of all members to be able to read and have available to them, Mr Speaker. At the time of tabling the report, my chief of staff also contacted Ms Higgins and ensured that she had a copy of that as we reached out to ensure she received a copy of the report at the same time it was being tabled.
Updated
Mark Butler to Scott Morrison:
My question is to the prime minister again. According to the front page of today’s Herald Sun, the prime minister’s Covid vaccine rollout is so slow that Australia is ranked 113th in the world. The prime minister promised Australians last year we would be at the front of the queue. Prime minister, isn’t it true that we’re so far back, we can’t even see the front of the queue?
Tony Smith delivers a sigh at the end of that question, but calls Morrison.
Morrison:
I don’t know what world those sleepwalkers opposite are living in, Mr Speaker. I don’t know what world they’re living in.
But I know every Australian is very happy to be living in Australia during the course of this pandemic, Mr Speaker.
I don’t know Australians who want to go and take up residence and live in the Covid environment, whether it be in Europe, the United States, UK or anywhere else, Mr Speaker. I know that Australians - because they approach me every time when I go out into regional Australia or the suburbs and cities of this country, Mr Speaker - they know here, in this country, they’re living a life in this country during Covid like few are anywhere else in the world, Mr Speaker.
They know the reality - that the government of this country has worked together with other governments at a state and territory level, Mr Speaker, to ensure that this country has enjoyed a safety from this pandemic and an economic recovery like few, if any, other countries in the world.
Those opposite, Mr Speaker, may want to retreat into whingeing and complaining and undermining the government, as we fight the virus and they focus on the politics, but I think Australians will form the same view that the member for Paterson has.
That Labor sound like a whingeing people that people don’t like.
Tony Smith:
The prime minister’s indicating he’s concluded his answer.
I will make the point I was about to make anyway - when it comes to relevance - which I presume is the standing order the leader of the opposition was rising on - when a question has a number of elements, including a really flippant element at the end of the question that arguably is outside, or certainly could be argued on a strict sense to be outside, the standing orders - my option is to rule the question out of order or allow a lot of tolerance in the answer. That’s why I did on that occasion. So, for those framing the questions, you just need to bear that in mind.
Updated
Labor’s Jenny McAllister is asking attorney general Michaelia Cash about the assistant attorney, Amanda Stoker, expressing concerns about aspects of the Australian Human Rights Commission’s Racism It Stops With Me campaign.
The AHRC temporarily pulled a tender aimed at enhancing an existing antiracism program over Stoker’s concerns that it was using taxpayer funds to promote critical race theory.
The $140,000 tender aimed to enhance the campaign by looking at “structural/systemic and institutional racism and unconscious bias” was removed on the same day Stoker called the AHRC president, Rosalind Croucher.
McAllister quoted Croucher’s comments to Guardian Australia:
Assistant minister Stoker rang me to express her concerns and I made it clear that while open communication is valuable, and welcome, it is not for an assistant attorney to give direction to an independent agency head.
Cash replied:
Prof Croucher [has indicated] that the assistant attorney raised her concerns with her, but as appropriate Croucher didn’t let it influence any decisions. The assistant attorney has been clear she respects the AHRC’s independence, but that doesn’t mean you can’t discuss or ask questions. Croucher was clear that this didn’t influence any decision the AHRC made.”
Updated
Tony Smith is also throwing out Labor MPs for heckling. He is taking it from no sides at the moment.
Tony Smith rebukes Greg Hunt
Greg Hunt is asked a question about quarantine by Labor, and turns it into an attack.
Tony Smith steps up again when Hunt continues with his preamble:
Hunt:
... And we saw significant opposition and criticism to our actions to prevent the influx of cases from those on the other side. What we have seen is the leader of the opposition playing with the idea of importing positive cases to Australia ...
Smith:
No, the minister for health will resume his seat.
The minister for health will resume his seat.
I’ve now asked the minister for health to resume his seat for the third time.
The minister for health can resume his seat, full stop. I’m not going to be ignored.
We’ll go to the next question. I asked him three times to resume his seat. The member for Robertson.
Updated
Either Tony Smith read this take on how terrible question time had become (doubtful),
or he is taking the review into QT seriously - because this week he has really stepped up the “get your shiz together” mode.
Updated
Tony Smith rebukes Josh Frydenberg
Anthony Albanese stands up with a point of order on Josh Frydenberg’s dixer:
I refer to your [Tony Smith] previous ruling where you encourage people on this side of the House to stay within standing orders. And you’re quite right that they should. But when government ministers can’t go one minute on their issues without just then spending over 2.5 minutes sledging the opposition, then you will get unruly behaviour, Mr Speaker.
You will get that. This is question time, not sledge time.
Tony Smith:
The treasurer was asked about alternative policies. That does open the question up. I agree that the manner in which these questions are answered can prompt unruly behaviour, no matter how unparliamentary that is. What I do ask of ministers is they actually have to - if they’re asked about alternative policies - refer to them, not give a political speech or a character assessment on the individuals. It’s policies they’ve been asked about, so you’ll need to stick to the policies.
Frydenberg:
The leader of the opposition, in his dressing gown, in his sleep, in his sleepers, sleepwalking towards the cliff, Mr Speaker, aided and abetted by the member for Maribyrnong - he doesn’t know what he really thinks. He does not know what he really thinks, Mr Speaker ...
(Sleepwalking must have come up in a focus group)
Smith:
I’m saying to the treasurer - as I’ve made very clear, there’s been, there’s a number of points I’m trying to make as clearly as I can.
One is I’m not going to keep tolerating the level of interjections (“exactly,” says Frydenberg, “exactly”).
I think I’ve made that clear today.
The other thing I’m not going to tolerate is rulings being acknowledged and then, frankly, ignored. So I’ve asked the treasurer to stick to alternative policies. If he wants to give a general character assessment of those opposite, he’ll need to find another time to do it throughout the parliamentary day.
No matter how much he’s scripted it beforehand.
Updated
Josh Frydenberg takes an “alternative approaches” dixers but of course has to yell out a resume before he gets to the point - talking about tax cuts.
I’m just looking for a spoon to dig my ear drums out.
Updated
Speaker Tony Smith rebukes Scott Morrison
Anthony Albanese to Scott Morrison:
My question’s to the prime minister: How many more outbreaks do there have to be until the prime minister understands that he needs to do his job and deliver a safe, national, purpose-built quarantine system and fix his bungled vaccine rollout?
Morrison:
Well, there you see it, Mr Speaker - the bipartisan display in the fight against the virus, Mr Speaker ...!
That’s what we’ve seen from the Labor party all the way through this, Mr Speaker.
On every opportunity when they’re tested, Mr Speaker, they’d rather fight the Liberal party, fighting those Tories, Mr Speaker, which is the reason why the leader of the Labor party came here - didn’t come here to work together to get solutions, he just came here to fight, and fight the Tories, Mr Speaker.
Fighting the Tories isn’t going to fight the virus, Mr Speaker. That’s what this government’s doing. That’s what this government’s doing. And under this government, Mr Speaker, working with the states and territories - 30,000 deaths have been avoided in this country. 30,000 deaths avoided in this country when you compare it to the average of OECD countries around the world.
And Mr Speaker, there are more people in jobs today than there were before the pandemic. The leader of the Labor party, Mr Speaker, may want to play politics with the pandemic. He may want to do that.
Tony Smith tells him to be relevant - warning that he has had a preamble and now needs to get to the question.
Morrison:
Mr Speaker, half a billion dollars invested in the national resilience facility for quarantine in the Northern Territory.
That was the recommendation of the Halton review that went to National Cabinet, commissioned by National Cabinet, to supplement the support that has been provided in the exercise of public health orders at a state level, as agreed by the National Cabinet, to fight this pandemic.
We’re working to the plan that the states, territories and commonwealth agreed as part of the National Cabinet. The leader of the Labor party opposed the National Cabinet, then he said he wanted to be on it, Mr Speaker, and then he opposed it again and said it was useless. Mr Speaker, this is a leader of the Labor party who hasn’t sought to help the government fight the virus ...
Tony Burke then stands on relevance saying the PM’s answer is “not relevant, or true”.
Smith tells Morrison to be relevant. Again.
Smith:
I’d just say to the prime minister - he needs to be relevant to the question. He’s had a preamble. He doesn’t get a closing statement. He’s had the preamble. I’m making myself very clear.
Morrison:
It is in direct reference to the quarantine system put in place by the government with the states and territories ...
Smith:
OK, I’m going to say to the prime minister - he had done that, and he’d moved on. I’m asking you to return to the question.
Morrison:
Happy to do that, Mr Speaker.
Smith:
I don’t care whether you’re happy or not. You need to return to the question.
Morrison:
Half a billion, Mr Speaker, invested in the national resilience facility, putting in place support to go with a further system around the country - done with the states and territories - that has delivered a 99.99% effectiveness rate for quarantine in this country. That is just a simple fact. That is the system that this country has put in place. Mr Speaker, they are the facts of the effectiveness of the system run by our states and territories, together with the commonwealth. Those opposite may want to talk it down. Those opposite, Mr Speaker, may want to undermine public confidence - whether it’s in the vaccine program or in the quarantine system, Mr Speaker.
Updated
Can you guess?
Clive Palmer is at Parliament House today. Guess who he was catching up with?
— Patrick Gorman MP (@PatrickGormanMP) May 26, 2021
The answer is Craig Kelly
Unfortunately, the current deputy prime minister remains in the chamber and is at the despatch box.
Time for a bathroom break.
Updated
Tony Smith is not playing around today - he has thrown out more MPs under 94A.
Again, being thrown out of the chamber is not a punishment.
Updated
How many of the people who have contracted Covid in Victoria were vaccinated, Greg Hunt was asked.
He doesn’t know. Confidentiality.
But he can tell you that there has been “a record” 104,000 vaccinations administrated today.
Updated
The only thing we learned in that dixer from Scott Morrison is that “sleepwalker” is his new favourite sledge.
Updated
Question time begins
We are straight into it
Richard Marles to Scott Morrison:
The current Melbourne Covid outbreak has been linked to a man who caught the virus while in hotel quarantine in South Australia. If the prime minister had fulfilled his responsibility for creating a safe, national, purpose-built quarantine system, wouldn’t Australians be safer today?
Morrison:
I think that is an outrageous thing to put on the South Australian government, Mr Speaker, for the way ... that they have acted, (ummmm, I am not sure there was actually a sledge against the SA government there?)
.... as indeed all states and territories have acted, consistent with the National Cabinet decision of March a year ago, Mr Speaker, where - together - the commonwealth and the states have worked together to put in place a system of quarantine, administering state public health orders, Mr Speaker, that has had a 99.99% effectiveness rate, Mr Speaker. The leader of the opposition says it’s going well.
Mr Speaker, I would ask the leader of the opposition to name me one country in the world today, Mr Speaker ... one country that has a quarantine effectiveness rate greater than 99.99%, Mr Speaker.
Tony Smith says that is not how question time works and tells Morrison to get back to the question.
Morrison:
Not one, Mr Speaker. If I had said to this House more than a year ago that working together with the states and territories, we have put in place such a regime which would have achieved that level of effectiveness, Mr Speaker, then they wouldn’t have believed me - and they probably would have opposed it, Mr Speaker. Because what we have seen from the Labor party throughout the pandemic, Mr Speaker - dragged kicking and screaming on every occasion, Mr Speaker ...
Mr Speaker, as the government has worked together with the states and territories to fight this virus, all the Labor party has been interested in doing is fighting us, Mr Speaker.
And now, they fight amongst themselves, Mr Speaker. So, what we will continue to do - more than 1,000 ADF personnel are out supporting this arrangement - half a billion dollars supporting the national resilience facility put in place in the Northern Territory as recommended by the quarantine systems review, Mr Speaker, conducted for National Cabinet.
And even today, Mr Speaker, as I was speaking to the acting premier in Victoria, even today, working together now on what I think is a very comprehensive proposal, Mr Speaker ... to a proposal that was received from the Victorian government only weeks ago.
Mr Speaker, unlike those opposite, I’m not going to attack the states, Mr Speaker ...
I’m not going to attack the states.
I’m going to thank the states, Mr Speaker, for the great job they’re doing. I’m going to thank, Mr Speaker, those people who are working in our quarantine facilities. It seems I woke up to sleepwalkers – woke up the sleepwalkers over there, Mr Speaker.
A bunch of Labor MPs are thrown out under 94A, the interjections were so loud on that one.
But I mean seriously. Not attacking the states. THE AUDACITY
Updated
In Senate estimates, Labor is back asking about legal assistance for ministers.
On 7 May the attorney general, Michaelia Cash, approved legal assistance for Paul Fletcher “in relation to a claim made on 21 April in relation to an employment matter”.
Cash told estimates this is “in relation to Australia Post”.
On 22 April Guardian Australia reported former Australia Post chief executive Christine Holgate had engaged a team of leading lawyers who invited Fletcher and finance minister Simon Birmingham to mediation.
Holgate is eyeing potential claims beyond the breach of contract she alleges against her employer, including negligence, tortious interference in contractual relations and defamation – although she is seeking a settlement to avoid litigation.
There is also a 22 October approval by then attorney general Christian Porter for aid to Alan Tudge “to assist in an inquiry”. Labor’s Murray Watt establishes this relates to a criminal complaint being investigated by AFP, at an event Tudge attended, but the complaint is not levelled against Tudge. The cost to date of the Tudge matter is a touch over $1,000.
Further questions about these matters were taken on notice.
Updated
The Liberal MP James Stevens responded to that:
Let’s not forget that Mr Gaetjens has not completed this process. I also suspect that there are some people who have participated in it who would like to protect their identity and anonymity.
It would actually be a reverse outcome if people felt that by coming forward, speaking confidentially and finding that in a Senate inquiry, they could be identified or their story could be told when they wanted it to be kept confidential, that could discourage people from participating in the process.
So I think it’s appropriate that until Mr Gaetjens completes this process, he shouldn’t be answering questions in a Senate inquiry and he should be respecting the people that he has interviewed. He should finalise the process and bring his recommendations back appropriately.
Except the investigation is not into the allegations - the investigation is into who knew what about the allegations, and when, in the PMO.
As Peta Murphy says:
It’s an investigation into who in the prime minister’s office knew what, when, and who they told. It is not an investigation into whether people in the prime minister’s office have been abused or allegedly raped.
Brittany Higgins had to come forward and put her name forward and her anonymity had to go.
She had to suffer herself and her family members and her loved ones being undermined in the media because she was brave enough to come forward. It’s not just a Senate inquiry.
It’s a Senate estimates process. It’s not about encouraging people to make complaints in this inquiry. It’s actually about holding ministers, prime ministers and their staff, accountable for how they look after people when they do come forward and say that they’ve been [allegedly] raped in a minister’s office. That’s what it’s about.
Updated
Peta Murphy is asked about what happened in estimates yesterday, when Phil Gaetjens was asked questions about the review into who knew what, when in the PMO, about Brittany Higgins’s rapes allegations.
She told the ABC:
No, I watched the footage of a section of that questioning. And he refused to say simple things like how many people he’d spoken to.
And as the head of the public service, he acted as though the Senate didn’t have any right to ask him questions.
And that’s not right.
And I think it reflects an attitude that comes from the prime minister down of not wanting to be held accountable, not wanting to answer questions.
It’s actually extraordinary that Phil Gaetjens has to conduct such an inquiry and the prime minister apparently doesn’t have enough control of his own office to see who said what and when they said it.
There’s been a lot of words said in this parliament, and by members of this parliament in the media, about better standards and making this place better, and there’s been almost no action.
You know, 12 times, every member of the government has voted to keep the member for Bowman as the chair of an education committee, despite almost every one of them who asked about Andrew Laming’s behaviour revealed saying that it was outrageous and they didn’t accept it. This is the sort of leadership we’re getting.
Is it any different that the people the prime minister have appointed to the public service answering questions in the Senate [are the same]?
Updated
Victorian AFL clubs put into lockdown
Victorian AFL clubs have been placed into lockdown for a week - players have been given strict instructions about staying home, and reportedly can only leave the house for essential reasons
JUST IN: The AFL's 10 Victorian clubs have all been put into lockdown for seven days. #9Newshttps://t.co/fmsqNdCXG5
— 9News Melbourne (@9NewsMelb) May 26, 2021
SA Liberal MP James Stevens was just asked on the ABC about the Victorian Covid situation and whether the vaccine rollout delays are partly to blame.
Stevens:
I don’t think that what’s happening in Victoria at this stage is anything to do with the rate of vaccination. And obviously, we’re only in the first few days of data coming through. It’s obviously of a concern. But I don’t think that anyone is suggesting that the rate of vaccination is responsible.
Updated
The inclusion of babies in the chamber has helped a lot with lowering the temperature on some days. It’s hard for anyone to be screaming about something that doesn’t matter (it’s rare for anyone to scream about something that does matter) when there is a baby nearby.
Updated
During the last division in the house the member for Lilley, Anika Wells, attended the vote with her twins Oshy and Dash.
Updated
Here are the updated exposure sites from Victoria Health:
📍Three Monkeys, 210 Chapel St, Prahran on 22 May 9:10pm - 11:00pm
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) May 26, 2021
📍Somewhere Bar, 181 Chapel St, Prahran on 22 May 10:30pm - 1:00am
📍Three Monkeys, 210 Chapel St, Prahran on 23 May 12.30am - 2:00am
📍Circus Bar, 199 Commercial Rd, South Yarra on 23 May 1:30am - 4:15am [2/2]
The latest blackout was because of a yet unidentified fire at a coal-fired power station - and a newish one too.
The other coal assets Hanson talks about here have been closed by private operators because they were at the end of their life and were too costly to keep up.
This is why we can never have a serious conversation about anything in this country. It takes a lot of work to disprove feelings dressed up as factual assertions, and just a moment to say, yeah, nah, I believe my thing.
The facts show that the Liberal/National Coalition is killing coal fired power in Australia.
— Pauline Hanson 🇦🇺 (@PaulineHansonOz) May 26, 2021
Since 2013 this Government has watched as at least 7 coal fired power plants closed and none have been built to replace them.
Coalition promises coal power but delivers blackouts! -PH
Updated
Barkly Square shopping centre in Brunswick has issued a statement to say it has been identified as a Tier 2 exposure site. People who visited Tier 2 locations during the at-risk time need to get tested urgently and isolate until a negative result is received.
We have been advised the affected individual was present at the centre on Saturday, 22 May between 1:15pm and 2:30pm,” centre management said.
The individual is understood to have attended the following retailers: Priceline Pharmacy, OPSM, Kmart and Woolworths. As a result, the impacted retailers have notified all staff members who have been in close contact with the individual to isolate for 14 days, and a comprehensive deep clean of their tenancies will now be undertaken.”
Updated
We are on the downhill slide into QT on this hump day.
Hold your loved ones close.
Updated
Meanwhile
Water minister Keith Pitt has introduced legislation to establish the office of the Inspector-General of water compliance.
— Kath Sullivan (@KathSully) May 26, 2021
(Its the job he gave to Troy Grant, and a lot like the job David Littleproud gave to Mick Keelty sans powers).
This is well worth a read
This is happening in Gunnedah
Family & friends of Gamilaroi man Michael Peachey are rallying in Gunnedah today to demand justice & change. The rally began at 12pm at Wolseley Park with a march to the police station & then to the hospital.
— Aboriginal Legal Service (@ALS_NSWACT) May 26, 2021
For more info/to arrange interviews contact Helen Eason - 0400 468 956 https://t.co/mxfrc2TZvz
This was all of us when we were looking for the funding in the budget.
But it’s how the official moves the coffee cup which really does me in.
@jennymcallister asked the most basic question about the Government's waste of taxpayer money on a new gas-fired power plant.
— Chris Bowen (@Bowenchris) May 24, 2021
Watch the Government's "answer" 👇 pic.twitter.com/C5RnHYJDc6
I haven’t seen this on the exposure sites as yet – our Melbourne team are following it up.
Wife tried to drop into KMart at Barkly Square (Brunswick) and was greeted with this. Case attended 1:15-2:30pm Sat 22nd May. Can't find any mention of this anywhere yet. #COVID19Vic @MelissaLDavey @BridgetJuneJudd @han_mills pic.twitter.com/F49Bq5rl9H
— Nick Devereaux (@nickjdevereaux) May 26, 2021
Updated
Over in finance estimates, finance minister Simon Birmingham is being grilled over a headline appearance at a post-budget Liberal fundraiser by Peter Costello, who is also chair of the Future Fund’s board of guardians.
Labor senator Tim Ayres asks:
Is it appropriate that a chair of an Australian government board is headlining Liberal party fundraisers?
Birmingham responds:
Senator, in his own time, outside of his duties in relation to his role as a member of the board of guardians, yes. It’s fine.
Ayres asks:
Where does governing finish and self-interest begin?
Birmingham says Costello’s political affiliations and his role in creating the Future Fund are well-known to all Australians.
He serves in his role as chair of the Future Fund with skill and distinction, but as I said before, these are not [Australian Public Service] appointments that are made.
Earlier the head of the Future Fund, Raphael Arndt, was questioned by Greens senator Larissa Waters about its investments in Adani Ports and Alibaba, the online retailer. The fund has a $3.2m investment in Adani Ports.
The ABC reported in March that the Adani Group had been cooperating with the Myanmar military junta over a proposed container port in Yangon, an allegation it denied.
The US has placed strict sanctions on dealings with the Myanmar regime. The fund also has investments, through an index fund, in Alibaba, which was last year revealed to be allowing the sale of child sex dolls. Arndt says:
“They [Alibaba] are a significant part of the index that we invest in.”
Waters: “Why, why would you not change your investment decision after they got embroiled in a child sex doll scandal that was widely reported?”
Arndt: “I’m not familiar with that.”
Updated
The same answer to a question on notice notes that on 30 April 2021, the minister for finance Simon Birmingham “approved assistance for senator the Hon Linda Reynolds in relation to an Australian federal police investigation”.
This relates to Brittany Higgins’ allegation she was raped by a fellow Liberal staffer in Reynolds office in March 2019.
Yesterday the AFP revealed a brief of evidence is “likely”to go to prosecutors within weeks from that criminal investigation.
No invoices have been received in relation to the legal advice so we don’t know how much it may cost taxpayers. No other ministers have sought legal assistance in relation to that matter.
Updated
Yup
The time is now for an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice to be enshrined in Australia’s Constitution. The Uluru Statement from the Heart is 4 years old today. Come on Australians. Support what is right and fair. https://t.co/2pfkWzwDkO
— Cathy Freeman (@CathyFreeman) May 26, 2021
The ceasefire does not mean everything has been solved
Out front of Parliament House for the Australian for Justice and Peace in Palestine rally. pic.twitter.com/csvwsGybo7
— Graham Perrett (@GrahamPerrettMP) May 26, 2021
Sarah Hanson-Young is cross-examining the attorney general’s department about a question on notice revealing the attorney general has approved assistance for Liberal Jonathon Duniam “in relation to defamation claims” made against him on 29 April and 12 May.
Duniam is assistant minister for forestry and fisheries, so is eligible to have legal costs picked up for him for work in the course of his ministerial duties.
Last week we reported on the blog that Duniam unreservedly apologised to Hanson-Young over false and defamatory comments claiming her niece was put in harm’s way at an anti-logging rally.
Officials confirm that the legal bills relate to Sarah Hanson-Young’s defamation claim, and another from Bob Brown “in relation to the same event”.
Officials say that no bills have been received yet, so they can’t say what the cost will be to the taxpayer.
But taxpayers will be picking up costs for Duniam, the other side (Hanson-Young and Brown) and damages.
There is no cap on how much taxpayers can be charged, although conditions can be placed on the approval.
Hanson-Young is not pleased:
So you can mouth off and the taxpayer picks up the bill if you’re a minister of this government?”
Updated
Mark Butler has held a doorstop with Richard Marles about the need for a vaccination campaign from the government:
I do not watch a great deal of TV but I have not seen a single ad from the government. Increasing rates of vaccine hesitancy and experts are calling on the government to put in place a strong campaign to deal with hesitancy rates and to encourage people to get vaccinated.
We are seeing it around the world, a range of messages for us to draw on, and we have our own strong tradition of strong public health campaigning, going back to the 1980s Aids campaign*. I do not understand why Scott Morrison is so resistant to the consensus advice being given to him that we need a campaign, and we need it yesterday.
*Everything I have read about this campaign though, speaks of the damage it did to the community. It has taken decades to shake the image of that campaign. Amy health campaign can’t be used to scare people, but instead inform them.
Updated
Uluru Statement from the Heart awarded 2021 Sydney peace prize
Naaman Zhou reports the Uluru Statement from the Heart has won the Sydney peace prize:
The Uluru Statement from the Heart has been awarded the Sydney peace prize for 2021 four years after it was written, with organisers saying time is up for the government to take action on the landmark statement.
The judging panel said the Uluru statement was a “powerful and historic offering of peace” that was crucial to the “healing within our nation”, but had not yet been acted upon.
First presented to the Australian people in May 2017, the statement made two recommendations: a constitutionally recognised Indigenous voice to parliament, and a Makarrata process to investigate truth-telling and treaty-making. Neither have been implemented or, in the case of the voice, put to a referendum.
On Wednesday, First Nations leaders Pat Anderson, Prof Megan Davis and Noel Pearson accepted the award on behalf of everyone who worked on the statement, which was the result of years of consultation with thousands of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Updated
Michaelia Cash’s legal expenses in AWU raid case totalled more than $400,000
Back in estimates for a second, we have an update on how much has been spent on Michaelia Cash’s legal representation in the AWU raid legal case – $434,757.
Here is the exchange between Labor senator Murray Watt and Michael Johnson, who is the assistant secretary of legal services coordination (of the department).
Murray Watt: Just returning to the matters about public funding provided for legal advice to minister cash concerning the AWU legal cases, and the AWU raid, the raid on the AWU, in the February 2019 Estimates of this committee, I asked how much had been spent by this department providing legal representation to minister Cash in the AWU matters. And as at that time, the 19th of February 2019 it was $298,812. Am I able to get a total figure for what was ultimately spent?
Michael Johnson: Senator, Michael Johnson, assistant secretary office of legal services coordination, I can provide you that figure. I’ll just begin, however, senator to note that it’s not technically paid for by this department, but we do administer it as a special appropriation from the Department of Finance.
... So there are three separate approvals that the attorney general in her previous role received under the regime. The first ...
Watt: And the ones you’re about to tell me all relate to the AWU matter?
Johnson:
Correct, yes. The first approval which was of 24 November 2017, in relation to responding to a subpoena before the federal court, total amount expended was $215,079.46.
The second approval with the approval date being 1 June 2018, which was also to respond to subpoenas issued by the federal court, the total amount for that approval is $204,930.
The third approval which was dated 25, February 2019, which is in relation to legal representation relating to matters of privilege before the federal court. The total amount for that approval was $14,748.
Those three approvals combined – I believe this must be a rounded number because there’s no cents on it – $434,757.
Updated
Gladys Berejiklian says not enough people have been vaccinated for anyone to relax in Australia when there is an outbreak:
When we ask questions about if people can be treated differently when they are vaccinated, we can’t right now because people have not been vaccinated enough.
We are still in a very initial stages of getting our population vaccinated, and that is why it is really essential – when you look around the world, look at what is happening in Victoria – that could happen in any state in Australia, and we do not have enough of our back, my population vaccinated.
The more people who are vaccinated, the more we can look at those issues in the future.
Can I thank the nearly 17,000 people who got tested overnight in NSW. That is a great number, and it gives us confidence that if there is community transmission, and if that is those links established to that South Australian traveller that went to Melbourne, that happens some weeks ago and this is a wake-up call for us. This is why we follow the doctor’s advice.
When we had those cases in NSW recently, this is why we ask people to wear a mask for a week out of fear that in some time in the next few weeks, we could find these cases we did not pick up.
This is why we asked people to do that – to mitigate the chance of that occurring in NSW. I am not suggesting it will not happen here, but it is important for us, when we do get a case and we cannot find the link will be no there are missing links, to take mitigation action.
We have greater choices for our population when the vast majority is vaccinated. That gives us freedom to make decisions, but at this stage, we need people to stick to what we have been saying from day one – if you have the mildest of symptoms, to get tested and stay home.
Updated
At least two close contacts of Melbourne Covid cases are in NSW
There have been at least two close contacts of the Melbourne cases in NSW – both have been tested and have so far received negative results – and both are in isolation.
Dr Kerry Chant:
There were two I was aware of but a number of others had gone to the shopping centre, and as you would remember, the shopping centre would have captured a broader group of people. Victoria Health has looked at CCTV footage and it has deescalated some of that, so we can update you, but I am saying thank you to the community.
They have done the right thing. As soon as they had become aware, they have alerted us and we can then provide them with up-to-date advice and get them urgently tested and assist them if they cannot isolate effectively.
Updated
ACT residents who have travelled to Victoria are also being asked to fill out an online declaration and lodge it with ACT Health.
Updated
NSW Health officer Dr Kerry Chant has a message for anyone in NSW who may have been in Melbourne recently:
If you have returned from Victoria, particularly the greater Melbourne area, please check the Victorian Health website for the areas of concern.
We know they have been cases overnight, bringing the total to 15 cases in Victoria, and obviously that number will potentially change, but it highlights that there is a lag sometimes in the venues coming on to the website as those case interviews are done, so can everyone, please – I urge you, if you have returned from Victoria, ensure that you check that website.
Check it at lunchtime, again this evening and again tomorrow.
We are dealing with an evolving situation. If you have been contacted by Victoria Health or anyone else who has indicated you had been to a close contact venue, you can contact NSW Health and we can assist you with rapid testing and assessing your ability to quarantine at home if required and assist you if needed. I would like to thank the community who have identified NSW Health that they have been at those venues of in addition, it is critical at this time that you complete those declaration forms if you have come in from greater Melbourne, and we may be extending that is the situation evolves to other parts of Victoria.
But that is just one back. We all play a role. If you know that your friends or relatives have recently come back from Victoria, please just nudge them and get them to check the website – that will keep us safe.
The other message is: get tested. While the vaccine is our way out, we know there are behaviours that we need to embed on that journey, and one of those is, if you have the most minimal of symptoms, get tested.
You can see from the Victorian case how the disease can spread at a number of generations that is not recognised.
Thank you to those individuals, like when we have had these cases, my deepest appreciation to those cases, coming forward and getting tested who have allowed this outbreak to be unearthed at this point. It shows the importance of those actions in getting tested.
Updated
The Law Council has released a statement of concern over Dr Yang Hengjun’s access to legal representation:
(you can read more on his story here)
The Law Council of Australia strongly supports Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Marise Payne, in calling on the Chinese Government to permit Australian citizen Dr Yang Hengjun access to legal representation and consular assistance.
This includes permitting Australian consular staff to attend Dr Yang’s closed trial when it begins on 27 May.
Law Council President, Dr Jacoba Brasch QC, said “the right to independent legal assistance must be ensured from the moment of deprivation of liberty, and access to effective legal representation guaranteed to all persons at all stages of criminal proceedings.
“This is a fundamental precondition to realising the right to a fair trial.”
“The seriousness of the charges against Dr Yang render the protracted deprivation of legal assistance even more egregious, falling well short of international fair trial standards,” Dr Brasch QC said.
Since Dr Yang was detained in January 2019, the Law Council has repeatedly voiced grave concerns for his welfare and the lack of procedural fairness. In particular, concern has been raised over the delayed and restricted access to consular assistance and legal advice made available to Dr Yang, who was formally charged with espionage in October 2020, and first granted access to a lawyer in September 2020.
Under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations to which China is a party, as well as the bilateral consular agreement in force between Australia and China which incorporates these principles, Australian consular officials are entitled to communicate with Dr Yang, receive information on the charges against him, and attend Dr Yang’s trial and other legal proceedings.
“We would expect that any caveats on these obligations – arising from the nature of the charges against Dr Yang – must give full effect to the purpose to ensure fairness, transparency, and humane treatment for which these rights were accorded,” Dr Brasch QC said.
The international legal community should continue to insist upon procedural guarantees for all persons in accordance with international fair trial standards, irrespective of the offence for which they are accused.
Updated
Sarah Henderson has been very concerned with how her comments in the committee she is chairing are being portrayed. The senator mentioned a post from this blog yesterday – now it is a tweet from a Labor senator.
Murray Watt thanked her for bringing attention to his Twitter account.
Sarah Henderson now holding up the legal committee over this tweet. Says she hasn't tried to prevent any questions about the fitness of Michaelia Cash to be AG. https://t.co/LPWQZkZUGi
— Matthew Elmas (@mjelmas) May 26, 2021
Updated
This is wonderful to see.
I know a lot of people want the vaccine and aren’t yet eligible (myself included) but if you are, speak to your GP and book yourself in.
Decent queue outside the Carlton mass vaccination hub today. It wraps around the side of the building to those white tents. pic.twitter.com/tAHacUBaLx
— Josh Taylor (@joshgnosis) May 26, 2021
Updated
The Victorian Covid outbreak has also given NSW a vaccination bump – here is NSW Health’s latest update:
NSW recorded no new locally acquired cases of Covid-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night. Two overseas-acquired cases were reported in the same period, bringing the total number of cases in NSW since the beginning of the pandemic to 5,387.
There were 16,698 tests reported to 8pm last night, compared with the previous day’s total of 7,262.
NSW Health administered its highest-ever number of vaccines in one day, giving 13,200 vaccines in the 24 hours to 8pm last night, including 5,220 at the vaccination centre at Sydney Olympic Park.
The total number of vaccines administered in NSW is now 1,142,002, with 371,117 doses administered by NSW Health to 8pm last night and 770,885 administered by commonwealth government providers, including GPs, to 11:59pm on Monday 24 May.
Updated
Government urged to step up on fourth anniversary of Uluru Statement from the Heart
It’s been four years since the Uluru Statement from the Heart was delivered.
Linda Burney, Pat Dodson and Mark Dreyfus has issued this statement:
The statement was the result of dialogues with First Nations communities around Australia, culminating in a summit at Uluru, as part of the broader national conversation on constitutional recognition and reconciliation.
The government asked First Nations people their vision for constitutional reform through the appointment of the Referendum Council in 2015.
Throughout 2016, 12 regional dialogues were held across the country.
Between 23 and 26 May 2017, the First Nations National Constitutional Convention met and it delivered the Uluru Statement from the Heart, which was later adopted in the Final Report of the Referendum Council.
The desires of First Nations people as outlined in the Uluru Statement were reasonable and generous.
A constitutionally enshrined voice to the parliament and a national process for agreement making and Truth Telling.
It is simply a desire to be heard on the issues and decisions that affect us – a secure voice that cannot be abolished by the government of the day.
It also expresses an aspiration for acknowledgement of the truth and history of our nation.
It asks so little, yet would mean so much to so many.
Four years later and the government continues to place these very reasonable aspirations in the too-hard-basket, kicking the can down the road.
The government says it will legislate a voice to the government. This is not what First Nations people asked.
And there remains no further details or developments on what the model would like, or a timeline for when it will be revealed.
Since the last term of the parliament, the government has appropriated funds for a referendum on constitutional recognition. And yet there remains no indication of when the government will make good on this promise.
In 2019, the minister for Indigenous Australians, Ken Wyatt, said there would be a referendum in this term of the parliament. Now he says it is unlikely.
We’ve seen a lot of talk from this government but time and again it always fails to match its own rhetoric.
How long should First Nations people have to wait before the government shows the leadership and respect First Nations people deserve?
Updated
Suiting my mood for today, there is a super blood moon tonight.
Which you can see before bedtime.
Updated
The prospect of “rivers of gold” in tax revenue flowing from the gigantic offshore gas projects undertaken by fossil fuel multinationals appears to have receded further due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In answers to questions on notice from the Greens, the Taxation Office says the amount of carried forward expenditure available as a credit against future years petroleum resource rent tax rose $18bn last year, from $264bn to $282bn.
The PRRT is a special tax designed to capture a share of profits from individual projects. Oil and gas companies are supposed to pay it on top of company tax, but in recent years there’s been concern that it hasn’t captured much revenue, leading to changes to some of the rules by the Morrison government.
The picture is consistent with what second commissioner Jeremy Hirschhorn told Guardian Australia in December.
But contrary to the ATO’s previous hopes that these projects would soon start to pay significant tax revenue, one way or another.
ATO commissioner Chris Jordan has previously told parliament that once construction of projects stopped, ending the losses, they would become “very profitable” – “ they’ve written off all their costs, they’ve got all their tax deductions for their costs and then it’s rivers of gold, so to speak”, he told estimates hearings last year.
However, the low price of gas has resulted in at least one big multinational, Shell, declaring it expects that it will never pay a cent of PRRT on gas from its Australian operations, which include 25% of the biggest offshore project, Gorgon.
Updated
That is where the press conference ends.
To sum up:
- Six more cases of Covid have been identified. That is on top of the five people we already knew about.
- That brings the number of people who have been infected in this cluster to 15.
- So far, all the infections can be linked.
- No one is in hospital with the virus.
- The number of exposure sites have increased, which is worrying authorities.
- The next 24 hours will be critical in determining whether there needs to be any further restrictions put in place.
Updated
In light of the positive case identified as having visited the MCG on Sunday, Port Adelaide players and staff members who were at the venue for the game against Collingwood will undergo Covid-19 tests today.
Wednesday had already been a scheduled day off for players and football department staff, who will await negative results before returning to training.
Could the AFL be cancelled?
Brett Sutton:
Everything is on the table. In the review of restrictions, including for public events, everything is on the table.
James Merlino says it is on the table that more restrictions may be put in place.
But he says he will wait for health advice on what to do next.
There are a number of factors that come into play as the chief health officer advised. If the need to be changes to the one we announced yesterday. As Brett said, the ink isn’t even dry on the changes we made yesterday.
Victorians are doing the right thing with wearing masks, making adjustments for those private gatherings inside or outside the home the next 24 hours will be critical.
The difference so far, is that the cases are all linked. But it will depend on the next 24 hours.
We know there is a link with all 15 cases as part of this outbreak. The good thing we know is the link going back to the hotel breach in South Australia. These are good things. We are concerned about the number and kind of exposure sites only to see the impact of the excellent work of our contact-tracing team, the last 36-48 hours going through four levels of investigation, the work of the contact-tracing team, the impact of changes announced last night.
The next 24 hours will be critical. We are not going to foreshadow what those changes may or may not be. It will be dependent on what happens over the next 24 hours and advice from the public health team.
Updated
Martin Foley says the Three Monkey bar announced it had a Covid case before Victoria Health “out of an abundance of caution”.
The Chapel Street bar put an announcement on its social media.
Foley says it was the right thing to do.
Updated
The acting Victorian premier says the uptick in vaccinations has been a positive of the latest outbreak:
The one positive out of all of this is the massive increase in the number of people coming out yesterday to get vaccinated.
Right now, we do not have a problem with the supply. As I have set a number of times at our state sites, we have got the capacity to do two, three times what we have been doing, and we saw that yesterday.
So we can replicate yesterday’s number every day and do more, and people see the incentive.
We know that the best way to defeat outbreaks and the best way to defeat the pandemic is the successful rollout of the commonwealth vaccine program and, secondly, to have an alternative quarantine system, particularly for our most highly at risk individuals.
... Supply has been a challenge for much of this year, and there is no doubt that the commonwealth’s vaccine program has been significantly delayed and there are global reasons for that. There is no doubt that the commonwealth’s vaccine program has been delayed to date, but right now, we have had additional supplies of Pfizer. We have got enough AstraZeneca. Right now, supply is not the issue and we need people to pick up the phone, call the vaccine hotline, book an appointment and get vaccinated. At the same time, we are looking at the best way to expand eligibility.
Updated
James Merlino doesn’t say what the sticking points on the quarantine proposal are, just that it’s under discussion:
We are working through the details. As I said, the key thing for the state government, on behalf of all Victorians, is that we want an outcome that reduces the risk in hotel quarantine, and we are talking today about an outbreak at everything that we are doing and everything all Victorians are doing to make sure that we get on top of this.
The genesis was a breach at a hotel in SA, and thus we have consistently said, hotel quarantine is not a no-risk environment and we must have alternative quarantine options, particularly for people of the highest risk. I am very hopeful that, in a short space of time – and believe me, there is a strong sense of urgency from the Victorian government on this - we have had cooperative engagement with the federal government and I am hopeful that we will have a positive result shortly.
Updated
James Merlino says building a new dedicated quarantine facility 'urgent'
James Merlino says discussions are continuing with the federal government about a dedicated quarantine facility – but he says it needs to move to action.
The discussions between commonwealth and state officials between our two governments is proceeding well, but there is a sense of urgency about this.
The best time to have had an alternative quarantine facility is 12 months ago and the next best time is now, so we are very keen to finalise those discussions with the commonwealth and the commonwealth provided the green light in terms of access to the site, so we can crack on and do the planning and the design work and, secondly, commit to the funding of its construction.
Updated
Brett Sutton doesn’t think this strain of Covid is as infectious as the strain people are seeing in India, but it may be just as infectious as the UK strain. The health expert panel will be looking at the epidemiology today, as it considers whether more restrictions are needed.
Sutton:
We have run down four generations of transmission in the last 36 hours and that is a fantastic job, but we remain concerned by numbers and the fact that we will have further exposure sites identified. What comes out of that is what we are watching today, and we will continue to watch it going forward.
Updated
Brett Sutton also wants everyone to get vaccinated:
We know many people over 50 still have not had the vaccine and many will be booking now.
Many turned up yesterday. There are tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, who can get vaccinated now and should get vaccinated now.
The concerns about clots, I understand. This is the same vaccine – the AstraZeneca vaccine – that has been given to the UK. It is down from over 60,000 cases per day to two and a half thousand cases per day. It is getting over its pandemic through this vaccine.
There is always a risk with medications and as the clots go with AstraZeneca, that is a small risk.
Updated
There is still the missing link between the case from the South Australian hotel quarantine to the Wollert case – which Brett Sutton says is a concern, but he just wants anyone who is displaying symptoms to go get tested.
Updated
Professor Brett Sutton:
The fact that there have been exposures over a number of days ago back in time is concern.
It is clear that we have run down multiple generations of transmission in the last 48 hours. That has been extraordinary work, and finding the primary close contacts and getting them tested and identifying their contacts and getting them tested and going to the next ring has been fantastic, but there has been a lot of chasing to be done because we have had those individuals out in the community for some days in the past, so there are potential exposures there that relate to some days ago that I get to potentially play out new cases.
Updated
So, the latest Melbourne Covid cluster stands at 15.
There are six new cases above the five we knew about yesterday.
All have been linked so far – which is great news, but there are a lot of exposure sites.
There are 301 close contacts who have been identified from those 15 cases – 80 have so far returned negative results.
Updated
There are now 40 testing sites across greater Melbourne, Martin Foley says, with major sites in areas of concern being expanded today.
Health minister Martin Foley says there are 301 primary close contacts who have been identified – so far, 80 have returned negative tests.
As primary contacts, they are isolating.
Updated
Next 24 hours 'critical', Victoria's acting premier says
James Merlino says he can’t say there won’t be further action:
I want to be upfront with everyone this morning – I cannot rule out taking some further action, but we’ll we will update people as soon as we know.
It’s fair to say for the next 24 hours are going to be particularly critical so the message this morning is, it’s good that everyone is linked at the stage, but we are concerned about the number, and also about the kind of exposure sites, and the next 24 hours are going to be pretty critical if we’re going to make any further changes beyond the changes that we announced yesterday.
Updated
As we have heard from Mike earlier today, James Merlino says the AFL has been preparing for the possibility of a positive case - and has procedures have been put in place to make sure contact tracers can have all the necessary information
James Merlino says all the cases are linked – that is great news – but they are worried about the potential for further infections, given the number of exposure sites.
Updated
Victoria gives Covid update
Acting premier James Merlino has stepped up to give the update.
26,180 people got tested for Covid yesterday, and 15,850 were vaccinated.
That’s Victoria’s biggest single day for vaccinations.
Updated
As we wait for Victoria officials to step up for the 9.45am press conference, the latest figures are 23 cases of Covid-19 in the state, 15 of which are cases of community transmission. The rest are cases in hotel quarantine.
Updated
We are just waiting on the Victorian press conference – acting premier James Merlino should be stepping up any minute.
Updated
Sarah Martin has more on the fractures within the NSW Liberals at the moment, with the preselection process getting very, very messy:
One of the Coalition’s most senior women, the federal environment minister Sussan Ley, is expected to face a challenge in her rural New South Wales seat of Farrer amid allegations of “toxic” branch-stacking by far-right conservatives in the seat.
The threat comes as the prime minister, Scott Morrison, urged Liberal colleagues not “to get distracted” by a tumultuous preselection season in NSW in which at least four sitting MPs are being challenged, including two female marginal seat holders.
As powerbrokers work behind the scenes to try to pressure challengers to withdraw their nominations against sitting MPs, senior government sources say Morrison is prepared to use federal intervention powers if needed to protect members.
While waiting for the Victorian covid update, I am going through the adjournment debate from last night (where MPs speak on whatever they would like), and well, it seems like it was an interesting night.
Andrew Laming was giving himself props about reforms to the PBS, in a speech which ended with “I am proud to say, this is probably one of the biggest social innovation savings from a MP since Federation.”
And Bob Katter went for a wander:
It was Sea Turtle Week last week in North Queensland. We have a great affection for our turtles. The figure for pigs in North Queensland is four million. I, like all of north Queenslanders, have a great love of nature; that’s why we live in North Queensland. If you have four million pigs and each female pig has a three-month gestation period, that’s two litters a year of—let’s be conservative—six. It could be as many as 10 but we’ll say six. That’s one million female pigs having 12 pigs each a year, which is 12 million pigs. I don’t know why they’re not exploding more than they are but the figure of four million is probably very conservative.
Where I live, we love our cassowaries. In fact, the name of our council is the Cassowary Coast Regional Council. The dunnart is a cute little kangaroo about that high; he’s doomed. The turtles are doomed, the cassowaries are doomed as are numerous species; they cannot possibly survive in the face of the pig explosion.
There are three ways of dealing with pigs that we know of. There may be others, but I never heard of them. There is baiting, trapping and shooting. Baiting: 40 per cent of our bird life in Australia, including cassowaries, are carnivores, so I have always strongly opposed baiting of pigs because of the threat that it poses to bird life. Trapping: well, I mean, seriously, are we going to trap 10 million pigs?
I don’t think so. Which brings me back to shooting. Instead of the louts and the hoons—like most young blokes in the bush, I was one of them once upon a time—playing up and causing trouble as all young people do, we could do what we did since time immemorial in this country.
We could take our rifles and go pig shooting on the weekend. If we took a carton with us, well, that was good too. It was a lot of fun and it had a great social value to our country, pig shooting. Without a semiautomatic-rifle, it is a bit of a joke.
In Queensland, we had no restrictions on firearms at all. There were no laws against firearms. I was with a gentleman today and he said, ‘I just walked in off the street and bought an AK-47 and 500 rounds of ammunition and walked out.’
I said, ‘I did exactly the same thing. I saw it in the window and bought it and took it away.’
There was no, ‘Oh geez, what would happen if we had no restrictions on firearms?’ Queensland had eight deaths with guns. New South Wales with 50 per cent higher population and stringent gun laws didn’t have 16, didn’t have 26, didn’t have 36; they had 38 deaths with guns. Victoria with Draconian laws—we had no laws at all and eight deaths—have 50 per cent more population than us, so as we had eight deaths, they should have had 12. They didn’t have 12, didn’t have 24, didn’t have 36, didn’t have 48; they had 54 deaths with guns. And similarly those countries like Finland and Switzerland and Sweden, where everyone has a gun, it might be an idea. With the imperialist totalitarian government in China, we might think again. As a kid of 12, I joined the cadets, as every other kid in Australia did when they were 12 years old.
This was 12 years after the Second World War. We took our 303 rifles home with us! All of us had a 303 rifle, and we took them home with us. But the pigs are going to destroy our wildlife. Unless something is done, it is going to happen as sure as the sun rises. We love our wildlife and our nature. That’s why live in North Queensland, nature’s wonderland.
The former attorney general, Christian Porter, is speaking to Sky News – not (directly) discussing his defamation matter but still throwing a few elbows at the ABC, who he is suing over a report that an unnamed cabinet minister had been accused of sexual assault in 1988. Porter emphatically denies the allegation.
Asked how he is funding his case, Porter noted the ABC side is the only side whose legal expenses are taxpayer funded.
Porter said:
I’m doing what I need to do [to fund the case], that will be a massive drain on me. If anything requires me to make disclosures, I will do that.”
Porter said he had been flooded with messages of support, including offers of donations, but he hadn’t taken those up, and isn’t crowdfunding for the case.
Asked about claims Louise Milligan had counselled sources to delete messages – something that hasn’t been established yet just alleged in court – Porter says he “can’t talk” about his defamation case but “nothing would surprise me now” and “people would be disappointed in that”.
Porter said it had “never occurred to him” to quit and he still has a contribution to make to the government. “I’m completely committed to my electorate, I’m completely committed to the government.”
Fifteen minutes in, and we’re now on to his new portfolio of industry and science, with the announcement the government’s approach to market to produce mRNA vaccines in Australia.
Updated
Just further on that post from Paul, the government still doesn’t have the support from the crossbench on that bill – and Craig Kelly has joined with his crossbench colleagues saying he is against it, so Jane Hume has her work cut out for her.
Updated
The minister for superannuation, Jane Hume, has defended the government’s Your Future Your Super package, in the face of crossbench opposition to powers for the treasurer to veto certain types of expenditure and investment. Hume told Radio National the Coalition wanted to to clarify trustees’ duties to act in the best “financial” interests of members, as the Productivity Commission recommended:
We know there are grey areas occasionally where expenditure doesn’t reflect a good use of members’ money. That’s why we’re introducing the regulation power, recommended by APRA, to clarify some grey areas that are hard to enforce. Let’s say there is an industry junket for board members overseas or sponsoring sports leagues.
Hume said this power would be a “measure of last resort” and parliament would have the power to disallow it:
It’s not a measure that allows a minister to wake up one morning with an agenda and strike out specific investments, it clarifies their duties of best financial interest.
Updated
The AFL says it is fully prepared for the situation it finds itself in this morning, after thousands of fans were contacted overnight and asked to take Covid-19 tests and self-isolate until a negative test is returned.
After it emerged on Tuesday night that a person who attended the Collingwood v Port Adelaide game at the MCG on Sunday tested positive, Victorian government health officials sent text messages to those fans who were in close proximity. The person was seated in zone 4, level 1 of the Great Southern Stand at the Punt Road end. Fans in other parts of the MCG on Sunday have been asked to monitor for symptoms.
The AFL said:
The AFL and the MCC have prepared for this situation in multiple simulations, with contact information linked to ticketing data and QR codes.
The announcement is a reminder why the AFL and various governments worked to develop measures that prioritised the health and wellbeing of fans and allowed the speedy identification of all patrons attending each match in the event of a positive test.
Ticketing for the next two rounds of games has been paused by the AFL and, with nine cases now detected as part of the Whittlesea cluster, the Victorian government is yet to make a decision on crowd numbers for this week’s games.
The MCG will undergo extensive cleaning after each upcoming match played there and a deep clean of the identified zone is being undertaken “out of an abundance of caution”.
Updated
Victoria records five new cases of Covid
All were locally acquired – five of them we knew about from yesterday.
That brings the number of active cases in the state to 23.
Reported yesterday: 10 new local cases and no new cases acquired overseas.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) May 25, 2021
- 15,858 vaccine doses were administered
- 26,180 test results were received
More later: https://t.co/lIUrl0ZEco #COVID19Vic #COVID19VicData pic.twitter.com/BCp1fpOLJB
Updated
Victoria’s acting premier, James Merlino, the minister for health, Martin Foley, and the chief health officer, Brett Sutton, will provide a coronavirus update at 9.45am.
Updated
The minister for women’s economic security, Jane Hume, has been asked about evidence from the AFP that they have received 19 allegations of misconduct relating to parliament, parliamentarians and their staff, 12 of which have been designated “sensitive investigations”.
Hume told Radio National:
I don’t think parliament is unsafe for women at all. It’s a demonstration that the letter AFP commissioner Reece Kershaw sent to each MP urging them to come forward with any allegations of misconduct they’re aware of is working. I think that’s a good thing. But it is concerning that so many have come forward.
Asked if MPs should quit parliament if they are accused of misconduct, Hume replied:
There should always be a presumption of innocence, that’s one of the foundation stones of our legal system. That said, complaints should be taken seriously. But it’s difficult to judge on hypotheticals.
Updated
Federal Labor is still dealing with internal rumbles – Meryl Swanson, the member for Paterson (a coal community) spoke in both the caucus meeting, and publicly about her concerns with how the party was tracking.
Here is what she told the ABC (and good on her for publicly putting her name to it):
We are living in extraordinary times, difficult times to be an opposition when things are so uncertain.
But we need to really be taking it to this government, particularly over the vaccine rollout failures and the enormous problems with quarantine, which is a federal responsibility Look at what is happening in Victoria. Why haven’t these problems been fixed by now?
We have to be alive to the fact we have a prime minister trying to pitch himself as a premier. He’s seen, we’ve seen, there is enormous power in incumbency.
It is really difficult to cut through. We need to attack harder now.
Mark Butler responded to her comments this morning:
I just say I don’t agree with her. I understand people’s concern about the difficulty of being in opposition right now during a pandemic.
I mean, that’s something being experienced at all levels of politics all around the world. Our job, though, is to hold the government accountable for their slowness, their failures in dealing with this next phase of the pandemic, which is about protecting us in vaccine terms and also in quarantine, and then putting in place a plan for the recovery. And we don’t see that from the prime minister. That is going to be the contest at the next election. I think we’re well-positioned for it.
Updated
Two new exposure sites, an RMIT building at Carlton and a bar in Chapel Street, have been named as new exposure sites in Melbourne.
They are the RMIT building 56 on Queensbury Street in Carlton, where a cleaner who has since tested positive worked from 8am to 10.30am on Friday 21 May; and the Three Monkeys bar on Chapel Street, Prahran, from 9pm to 1am on Saturday 22 May.
Three Monkeys has been classed a tier 1b site, which means isolate, test immediately and contact the Department of Health.
Three Monkeys owner Antony Harvey said he had been at the bar on Saturday night, along with another director and seven staff members.
All are getting tested today. They have also hired someone to deep clean the venue.
He told ABC Melbourne host Virginia Trioli that the bar on Saturday “wasn’t crazy but there were a good 100-plus people who came through the venue on the night”.
“And we have been able to provide DHS with our contact tracing already ... from the door to the bar you have to scan in.”
There was dance floor – dancing is a high-risk activity in times of Covid.
Harvey told Trioli he would be happy if restrictions were imposed to go back to seated service to reduce the risk of dancing and mingling. He is eligible to receive the vaccine now but told Trioli he hadn’t yet done so because he had questions “about how it moves around the body”.
He said he had some concerns and had been “having discussions with my GP over the last couple of weeks about the different options and the pros and cons”. But this exposure has pushed him to act:
I think I will [get vaccinated] after I get clearance from my Covid test.
Updated
Tier 1 exposure sites named
New tier 1 exposure sites have been announced in Victoria overnight, which means anyone who attended those venues during the times of concern need to get tested immediately and quarantine for 14 days from their exposure.
As mentioned earlier in the blog, the MCG is on the list, and some other institutions have also named their venues as exposure sites, though they are yet to appear on the official list.
Some of the venues include:
- Anyone who attended RMIT’s Building 56 (level 2) at Queensberry Street Carlton on Friday 21 May between 8am and 10.30am. An external contractor who attended the building during this time has tested positive. Classes in buildings 56 and 57 have been cancelled on Wednesday 26 May only to allow deep cleaning activities to be undertaken.
- Anyone who attended Three Monkeys bar in the city on Saturday 22 May after 9pm. Get tested and isolate immediately.
- All patrons who attended the MCG on Sunday 23 May and were sitting in zone 4, level 1 of the Great Southern Stand (the Punt Road end of the stand) in-between bays M1 and M16.
- Secco and Co bar in Fitzroy. A positive case attended a party at the venue on 22 May between 7.35pm and 8.55pm.
- Various stores in Highpoint shopping centre. Nandos Epping (Dalton Road). A positive case attended between 8.30pm and 9.20pm on 19 May.
- See the full list here, though updates are expected throughout the day, so keep checking.
Updated
CS Energy is still investigating the cause of an explosion at its Callide coal-fired power station yesterday. Thankfully everyone is OK, but it was a major incident.
Here is what Andrew Bell from CS Energy told the media about it this morning:
At 1:45pm yesterday, we had a fire in the turbine hall for C4. There were reports of explosions, which we did not know the cause or source of at this time.
Subsequently, both C units and one B unit tripped and came offline. One B unit was already on an outage for maintenance. The emergency evacuation measures were enacted and the site evacuated.
All 236 personnel at site were accounted for, with no injuries. Emergency services attended and took control of the site. At approximately 9:30pm last night, after it was deemed safe to do so, a limited number of critical staff were allowed access to site.
At midnight, emergency services handed control of the site back to CS Energy. Based on an initial inspection overnight, unit 4 has experienced major damage and failure of the turbine. It will take some time to fully understand the cause of the failure and the steps that will need to be taken to repair the unit.
Updated
The AFL have just released a statement about the exposure at the MCG. The person attended the Sunday 23 May match between Collingwood and Port Adelaide and has since tested positive to Covid-19.
All patrons who were sitting Zone 4, Level 1 of the Great Southern Stand (the Punt Rd end of the stand) in-between bays M1 and M16 have been contacted overnight and asked to immediately get tested and isolate.
The AFL said:
The AFL, in conjunction with all AFL venues nationally, have ensured each match has a COVIDSafe Event Plan that is endorsed by the relevant state department of health.
Each plan has specific measures in place to reduce any potential risk, including the sectioning of grounds to limit patron movement and implementation of both ticketing data capture and QR code scans for efficient contact tracing purposes.
The AFL and the MCC have prepared for this situation in multiple simulations, with contact information linked to ticketing data and QR codes.
Extensive cleaning of the venue takes place after each match and, out of an abundance of caution, a deep clean of the identified zone is now being undertaken.
Updated
Three Monkeys Bar on Chapel Street has also confirmed it has had a positive Covid case.
Here is the statement it issued on its social media overnight:
Late this evening (Tuesday 25/05/2021) Three Monkeys Bar was advised of a positive COVID-19 case which attended the venue on Saturday 22/05/2021 from 21:10 until 01:30 on 23/05/2021.
Three Monkeys Bar uses the approved Victorian Services QR code contact tracing system and extensive details from Saturday night have already been provided to the DHHS.
If you were at the bar on Saturday 22/05/2021 after 9:00PM you MUST get a COVID-19 test immediately and you MUST isolate for 14 days.
Seek immediate instruction from the DHHS or COVID-19 Hotline. The process of deep cleaning and sanitation at the venue in line with DHHS requirements is already underway and we will keep you posted.
Thanks again for your co-operation, we appreciate each and every one of you. Stay safe, get tested and isolate for 14 days. We will see you guys soon.
Updated
RMIT in Melbourne has released a statement confirming it has been told of a positive Covid case.
We haven’t heard from Victoria Health as yet, so we don’t know if this case has already been counted or if it will be added to the totals. We will keep you updated.
Here is what RMIT said:
An external contractor who attended RMIT’s Building 56 (Level 2) at Queensberry St Carlton on Friday 21 May between 8.00am and 10.30am has tested positive for COVID-19.
RMIT and the Department of Health (DOH) have notified the Tier 1 close contact who is now isolating for 14 days and seeking testing. Any person identified as a Tier 2 close contact is also being contacted and directed to seek testing and isolate until they have a negative result.
As an additional precaution any person in Building 56 or the adjoining Building 57 on 21 May outside of 8.00am and 10:30am, are being advised to get tested and monitor for symptoms.
Classes in Buildings 56 and Building 57 have been cancelled on Wednesday 26 May only to allow deep cleaning activities to be undertaken.
All other classes and activities across our many buildings and spaces are continuing as scheduled on Wednesday 26 May.
All RMIT staff and students are required to complete a COVIDSafe module before attending campus and a daily health declaration. In line with current Victorian Government guidelines, masks are compulsory in all indoor spaces at any RMIT campus.
For privacy reasons we will not be releasing any personal information about the individuals who have been impacted.
Updated
Does Mark Butler agree with health secretary Prof Brendan Murphy that sensationalist media coverage is to blame for vaccine hesitancy (as he told the ABC’s Four Corners):
Well, I think there is an unfortunate tendency in this government always to blame the media or someone else for essentially their own failures. We have a really strong tradition here in good public health campaigns to change behaviour in Australia, stretching back to the Aids campaign in the 1980s, but many other campaigns since that time.
Other countries are doing this with really strong effect. You see a pathway to freedom campaign, a very positive message in New Zealand. We’ve got celebrities like Dolly Parton in the US, and Elton John in the UK, particularly encouraging older members of their community to get vaccinated. Here, we really seem stuck. We’re not doing anything.
Updated
Mark Butler is speaking to ABC Breakfast News and says the Victorian Covid cases are a reminder of how vulnerable Australia remains:
This is the 17th outbreak from hotel quarantine. It appears that this outbreak in Melbourne is connected to a man catching Covid-19 while in hotel quarantine in Adelaide – the 17th in just the last six months. And it’s why we have been saying so strongly to the prime minister: “We need to speed up the vaccine rollout, but we also need a safe national quarantine system.” We can’t continue to see these outbreaks from a quarantine system based around hotels, which were built for tourism, not medical quarantine.
Updated
Craig Kelly is embracing the crossbench life:
I stand with the cross bench, industry super funds, unions & employers in opposing the Federal Govt's attempt in its "Your Super" bill to give the Treasurer the power to veto investments by super funds
— Craig Kelly MP (@CraigKellyMP) May 25, 2021
This goes too far & would create business uncertainty https://t.co/bVrkQkH65S
Updated
There is more trouble for the embattled NSW Labor leader, Jodi McKay, after her main rival for the leadership, Chris Minns, resigned. It appears that the leadership tussle is escalating.
Minns, the shadow transport spokesman, announced on social media he would step down from the shadow cabinet but remain as the MP for Kogarah.
Minns and shadow treasurer, Walt Secord, who resigned yesterday have taken offence at a dossier that was circulated to journalists detailing how caucus voted in the last leadership ballot and other allegations, which Secord labelled “absolutely disgusting”.
McKay is due to be interviewed on ABC radio Sydney at 8.30am.
Updated
David Sharaz responds to John Kunkel 'backgrounding' report
David Sharaz, the partner of Brittany Higgins, has responded to the prime minister’s chief of staff’s report into allegations that members of the PMO backgrounded against him.
As Paul Karp reported yesterday after the report was tabled:
Kunkel concluded he was “not in a position to make a finding that the alleged activity took place” but warned “the fact those allegations have been made serves as an important reminder of the need for [the prime minister’s] staff to hold themselves to the highest standards”.
Sharaz told Guardian Australia in a statement:
The PM’s chief of staff undertakes an investigation into his own office and finds it’s functioning well. How unexpected.
Even the most cynical person would see this for what it is – PMO staffers protecting themselves.
I’m incredibly proud of Brittany for everything she’s achieved, and the dignified way in which she’s handled herself at the hands of a government intent on treating her like a political problem.
We won’t be intimidated by those who wish to silence us.
Updated
Still on Victoria – you can find the whole list of exposure sites here.
That includes two locations in regional Victoria.
A positive case attended the Hairfolk salon in Bendigo on Saturday morning and a nearby function at the Axedale Tavern on Sunday.
Updated
Environment groups have called on the energy giant AGL to drop its legal action against Greenpeace Australia Pacific, describing the federal court bid an “unnecessary attack on civil society”.
AGL launched legal action against the environment group this month, alleging the use of its logo in a campaign was copyright infringement. The Greenpeace campaign targets AGL as Australia’s biggest corporate emitter.
In a letter to AGL’s chief executive, Graeme Hunt, and the company’s board of directors, the groups said they were alarmed by the legal challenge.
The letter is signed by 11 organisations including the Australian Conservation Foundation, the Nature Conservation Council of NSW, Environment Victoria, Friends of the Earth and 350.org. It says:
We see this as a direct affront to free speech and the ability of our organisations to hold corporations to account on urgent climate action.
The ability to publicly call out corporations, businesses, governments and individuals that are standing in the way of this action, without fear of litigation or retribution, is key to this work.
We firmly believe that it is critical that charities, not for profits, comedians and members of the community retain the right to criticise, parody and satirise corporations using their logo without the threat of litigation.
AGL has previously said its legal action is not intended to stifle public debate and the company reserved the right to defend its brand under Australian law:
The legal application seeks to prevent unlawful use of our brand as part of a third party campaign and is not intended to silence the campaign itself.
Updated
Good morning
Welcome to day three of parliament and estimates, where the fun just never stops.
Of course, all eyes are in Melbourne where the Covid cluster has grown to nine. There are no lockdowns as yet but there are social distancing restrictions in place. Authorities are worried about one particular case who may have been in the community while contagious for up to 10 days. Late last night Victoria Health updated its exposure sites
A positive case attended the Collingwood/Port Adelaide game at the MCG on Sunday, 23 May – sitting in Zone 4, Level 1 of the Great Southern Stand (the Punt Rd end of the stand).
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) May 25, 2021
[1/6]
We’ll hear more about that today and bring you the updates as soon as possible.
It’s also National Sorry Day. The Greens have announced plans for a compensation scheme for survivors of the stolen generations. The parliament will acknowledge the day, which commemorates the date the Bring Them Home report was released, but it is not a day of celebration. We are still failing First Nations Australians every day.
You have Katharine Murphy, Paul Karp, Sarah Martin and Daniel Hurst in Canberra, while Mike Bowers is already taking photos and walking the corridors. You have Amy Remeikis on the blog for most of the day. I’ve had two coffees – and am on to my third, so things are going to be fun.
Ready?
Let’s get into it
Updated
