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National
Naaman Zhou (now) and Elias Visontay and Matilda Boseley (earlier)

States close borders to Queenslanders – as it happened

Vehicles queue for Covid testing at a clinic in Bowen Hills, Brisbane
Vehicles queue for Covid tests at a clinic in Bowen Hills, Brisbane, after Queensland premier Annastacia Palazczuk announced a three-day lockdown for greater Brisbane, beginning at 5pm on Monday. Photograph: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

Summary

With that, we’ll be closing our blog for today.

Thanks for reading. And thanks to Matilda Boseley and Elias Visontay for running it earlier today.

There was a lot going on today – in both coronavirus news and politics. Here’s what happened:

Updated

Malcolm Turnbull to lead NSW government board on carbon neutrality

The former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has been appointed to lead a new NSW climate advisory board that has promised to guide the state to carbon neutrality.

As flagged in the blog earlier today, Turnbull will chair the state’s new Net Zero Emissions and Clean Economy Board. It is his first political appointment since leaving federal parliament in 2018. He was recommended by state’s Energy and Environment Minister, Matt Kean, and approved by the NSW cabinet on Monday afternoon.

The board’s role will be to help drive NSW to its target of net zero emissions by 2050. The goal was included in nation-leading renewable energy legislation that passed state parliament with multi-party support last year.

Turnbull told Guardian Australia he was “very committed to and supportive of the state government’s objective of getting to net zero by 2050, and the determination of the premier [Gladys Berejiklian] and the minister to make sure it happens in a way that maximises economic activity”.

He said the move to net zero emissions would create huge economic opportunities for Australia.

“I intend to make sure NSW realises them.”

Kean said the board would provide advice on job creation and supporting industries that developed low emissions technologies and modernised industrial processes. He said it would have a particular focus in helping the fossil fuel-dependent Hunter and Illawarra regions diversify.

Turnbull’s appointment is unlikely to be welcomed by some in the Coalition, given the former prime minister has been a vocal critic of the Morrison government on climate policy and other issues.

Updated

A correction to an earlier post we made – we said that South Australia had closed its border to Queensland today. It only closed its border to arrivals from greater Brisbane.

Victoria’s chief health officer, Prof Brett Sutton, says the state is “looking to have” Byron Bay in NSW as an orange zone.

He told ABC Radio Melbourne this just a few minutes ago.

Mutual obligations suspended for Brisbane during lockdown

The outgoing home affairs minister and incoming defence minister, Peter Dutton, has issued a statement reflecting on his time in the role.

Dutton was the first home affairs minister, presiding over a new and enlarged portfolio.

“Together we have thwarted 20 terrorist attacks, invested record amounts into Asio and AFP, seized record amounts of drug importations.”

He adds that he “cleaned up Labor’s regional processing mess”.

“The government has removed every child [in detention] from Nauru and PNG. Of the remaining adults, none are in detention, they all live freely in their local communities. In total there are now less than 240 individuals in PNG and Nauru.”

New Byron Bay venues listed as potential exposure sites

NSW Health has just released a list of new venues in Byron Bay and surrounds that are potential exposure sites.

At the same time, anyone who has been in greater Brisbane since 20 March must go through the same lockdown restrictions as people in Brisbane, “regardless of their current location.”

NSW Health says:

Anyone who has been to greater Brisbane since 20 March is required to stay at home, except for essential reasons that include shopping for food and supplies, exercise, work and medical care, under the public health order. People who have only transited through Brisbane airport are excluded from these restrictions.

Here are the new venues.

Those below must immediately get tested and self-isolate and remain in isolation until further advice is provided by NSW Health:

  • Byron Beach Hotel, Friday 26 March from 7pm-9pm
  • Suffolk Beachfront Holiday Park – women’s communal toilets, 143 Alcorn St, Suffolk Park, 26 March, 6pm-6.30pm and 9.10pm-9.30pm; 27 March, 3.20pm-3.50pm.
  • Mokha Café, 2/2 Lawson St, Byron Bay, 27 March, 10.30am-11.30am
  • The Farm Byron Bay, 11 Ewingsdale Rd, Ewingsdale, NSW, 28 March, 8.45am–10.30am

The following are casual contact venues. If you have been to any of these places at the listed times, you should immediately self-isolate and get tested, regardless of symptoms, and stay in isolation until a negative result is received:

  • Ghanda Clothing, 3/8 Lawson St, Byron Bay, 27 March, noon-12.15pm
  • Tiger Lily, 3/17-21 Jonson St, Byron Bay, 27 March, 12.25pm–12.30pm
  • Black Sheep, 46 Jonson St, Byron Bay, 27 March, 12.30pm–12.40pm
  • Quiksilver, 2 Jonson St, Byron Bay, 27 March, 1.40pm-12.45pm
  • Suffolk Bakery, Shop 1/2 Clifford St, Suffolk Park, 27 March, 2.45pm– 3.15pm
  • Park Hotel bottle shop, 223 Broken Head Rd, Suffolk Park, 27 March, 7.30pm-7.45pm
Byron Bay’s main beach
Byron Bay’s main beach. A range of venues in the area have been listed as potential Covid exposure sites. Photograph: Andrea Falletta/The Guardian

Updated

Here is our full wrap on today’s cabinet reshuffle from chief political correspondent Sarah Martin.

Updated

Services Australia defended a robodebt at the Administrative Appeals Tribunal a week after the federal court found the program was unlawful, a Senate inquiry has heard.

At a hearing on Monday, Labor senator Deb O’Neill raised a debt quashed by the tribunal following a hearing on 3 December, one week after the federal court found the government could not raise debts using the “income averaging” method that was central to the scheme.

O’Neill said:

Why didn’t Services Australia immediately inform the tribunal that it would be no longer fighting these matters and that it would instead reconsider whether the applicant had even actually owed a debt to the commonwealth?

Rebecca Skinner, Services Australia’s chief executive, said she would take on notice what the agency’s position was on the case. She noted the tribunal was required to undertake a “merits review”.

O’Neill said:

How could there be any merit in advancing a case through the AAT against an Australian citizen after a judgment ... [that] robodebt was illegal? How could the process of harassment continue?

O’Neill said the government needed to act as a “model litigant” and questioned whether the agency had lived up to this requirement.

Matt Flavel, a Department of Social Services deputy secretary, noted it was the welfare recipient who was appealing in the case. Services Australia would not have been represented at an initial AAT hearing.

The debt, worth about $4,500, was quashed by the tribunal, which ordered Services Australia to repay the welfare recipient.

Updated

WA introduces hard border with Queensland

The president of the ACTU, Michele O’Neil, says she hopes Cash (the new industrial relations minister) will listen to constituents in the role.

She now has the opportunity to do something about making women safe at work.

O’Neil also says that Liberal MP Andrew Laming should leave parliament immediately.

Updated

The environment minister, Sussan Ley, was just on the ABC.

She is asked by Patricia Karvelas about Michaelia Cash’s new role as attorney general. Karvelas says Cash is currently facing a workplace lawsuit filed by former staffer Rachele Miller – against herself and the education minister, Alan Tudge.

Karvelas asks if this is a conflict of interest for Cash as the new attorney general.

Ley says it is not.

Updated

Or to put it another way:

Independent senator Rex Patrick has described today’s cabinet reshuffle as “a meaningless exercise”.

He said in a press release:

It’s a traditional shuffling of the political deck. Whilst a number of the cards are in a different position, it’s the same deck made up of the same dog-eared cards.

The prime minister has conducted the shuffle as an attempt at a political reset. He is trying to create the impression that things have changed, but they haven’t.

Rex Patrick
Rex Patrick calls the cabinet reshuffle ‘a meaningless exercise’. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Updated

The Administrative Appeals Tribunal has been grilled over its handling of the robodebt scandal.

The tribunal – which reviews social security decisions, including welfare debts raised by Centrelink – was criticised by Labor senator Deb O’Neill for failing to refer the question of law central to the program to federal court, despite having the power to do so.

O’Neill told a Senate inquiry on Monday that tribunal members had continued to sound the alarm in their decisions for years, but no action was taken. AAT decisions are not published publicly, meaning few people knew about the tribunal’s concerns until much later.

O’Neill said:

The government was being told by its own Administrative Appeals Tribunal on a regular basis – and that’s what we have to assume at this point – that unlawful activity was occurring. That, to me, should have triggered something.

The AAT register Sian Leathem said decisions – including those related to robodebt – were sent to Service Australia, and it was up to the agency to determine how to respond.

Despite numerous AAT decisions questioning the debt recovery program’s legality, officials also confirmed they did not circulate any research notes about it among members.

Guardian Australia has previously reported that the tribunal first found a debt raised under the program was unlawful in March 2017. Several further decisions also raised the alarm, and Gordon Legal claimed in a court submission last year that at least 76 judgments found the program was unlawful.

The Department of Social Services has noted that other AAT decisions on the program found in the government’s favour, upholding the program’s lawfulness.

The inquiry is now hearing from Services Australia.

Updated

Victoria declares Brisbane a red zone

Victoria has declared Brisbane a red zone – effective from 6pm Victorian time today.

An inquest into the death of an Aboriginal woman who died in custody two days after being refused bail has been delayed until next year.

Veronica Marie Nelson, 37, died at Dame Phyllis Frost Centre, a Melbourne women’s prison, on 2 January 2020. The Yorta Yorta, Gunditjamara, Dja Dja Wurrung and Wiradjuri woman had been arrested on minor charges and represented herself in court on 31 December 2019 but was denied bail.

A coronial inquest into her death was listed for two weeks in June but has ben put off until April 2022, after the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service requested nine further expert witnesses be called to give evidence.

The coroner, Jacqui Hawkins, said the expansion of the inquest requested by the legal service, which acts for Nelson’s partner, Percy Lovett, left her with “no other choice” but to delay the hearing.

Hawkins said she would make a final ruling on whether to allow the expansion of the scope before the next court hearing on 7 June, but warned that her ability to investigate deaths in custody was “not unfettered”.

I do not have the powers to conduct an investigation as broad ranging as a royal commission, nor is it appropriate for me to do so.

The inquest has been relisted for three weeks from 26 April 2022.

Updated

NSW health minister Brad Hazzard has told people from Brisbane not to attend a music festival in Byron Bay.

He pointed out the Byron Bay Bluesfest starts on Thursday and runs for five days.

Hazzard says there will be between 9,500 to 16,500 people at the festival each day.

What I would say to the people of Brisbane who bought tickets to that festival is: don’t come.

Obviously the Thursday is out of the question [due to Brisbane’s three-day lockdown] and it would be preferable .. if the government in Queensland extends their lockdown period ... clearly tickets from Brisbane will not be welcome.

I have spoken to the organisers and understand arrangements have been put in place for refunds.

Updated

More than 1,300 people visited Byron Bay pub in Covid alert

The NSW chief health officer, Dr Kerry Chant, has said more than 1,300 people have been texted in Byron Bay after they checked in at a busy venue attended by two people infectious with Covid-19.

Alerts have been sent out for two Byron venues after infectious people from Queensland visited:

  • Byron Beach Hotel, 1 Bay Street, Friday 26 March from 7.15pm to 8.30pm
  • The Farm, 1 Ewingsdale Road, Ewingsdale, Sunday 28 March from 8am to 9.30am

Chant said of the Byron Beach Hotel:

I can indicate we have texted 1,321 people who signed in at that venue from 2pm to 8.30pm. Not everyone religiously checks out, so we have taken a wide timespan. We are ringing those individuals.

Only people who were there between 7.15pm and 8.30pm need to get tested immediately and isolate.

Some 166 people signed in at the second venue, the Farm, between 7.30am and 9.30am on Sunday. People there between 8am and 9.30am need to be tested and isolate.

Updated

In global news you may have seen, the ship in the Suez Canal has been freed.

Updated

Christian Porter says he has 'no regrets' on taking defamation action against ABC

Christian Porter has just issued a statement on his move from attorney general and minister for industrial relations to now, minister for industry, science and technology.

He says his decision to commence defamation proceedings against the ABC “now requires my replacement as attorney general”.

It has been a great honour and privilege to serve as attorney general and, since the 2019 election, as minister for industrial relations.

Much has been achieved in that time, including significant new laws to keep Australians safe through the espionage and foreign interference regimes as well as the establishment of the foreign influence transparency scheme.

In industrial relations, critical reforms have helped support Australians through the economic impacts of Covid, most notably the provision of jobkeeper IR flexibilities, which saved businesses and jobs. More recent reforms will give casual workers greater opportunity to switch to permanent work, if they choose.

Accepting and understanding that commencing defamation proceedings against the ABC now requires my replacement as attorney general does not change anything in respect of the crucial principle that required me to instigate defamation proceedings.

Given the false claims made about me by the ABC, I had no alternative but to launch the defamation proceedings and I have no regrets about taking that course of action.

The federal court action will allow for the truthfulness of the claims made by the ABC to be tested. I look forward to having these issues determined in a procedurally fair process with actual rules of evidence.

I thank the prime minister for my appointment as minister for industry, science and technology and congratulate senator Michaelia Cash on her new role as attorney general and minister for industrial relations. I wish senator Cash well in her new portfolios.

As I have done in all my previous portfolios, I will give this important portfolio all the energy and commitment I have.

Christian Porter at a press conference on 3 March
Christian Porter at a press conference on 3 March. Photograph: Richard Wainwright/AAP

Updated

Labor’s shadow attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, has said Michaelia Cash is “unfit to be the nation’s first law officer”.

He said in a statement:

The appointment of Michaelia Cash as attorney general is an indictment on the lack of talent, and standards, within Mr Morrison’s government.

Michaelia Cash’s appointment means Australia now has as a first law officer a minister who twice refused requests to co-operate with an Australian federal police Investigation into the leaking, by her own office, of information which compromised a police investigation.

Updated

NSW will not close border to Queensland

NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian spoke earlier, and the ABC is broadcasting her press conference now.

She says that NSW will NOT close its border to Queensland.

But she recommends that people who were planning to go to Queensland over Easter should “consider changing your plans”.

She also confirms what was reported earlier – that two people from Queensland who were infectious were in Byron Bay in NSW last week.

Fortunately, and this is very, very critical they did check in through their QR codes.

We can live a relatively normal life in NSW, notwithstanding what is happening in Queensland, as long as people do the right thing and check in.

Updated

Payne is asked, as “prime minister for women”, whether Andrew Laming should resign rather than retire at the next election.

She clarifies that Morrison has in fact now said she is is “the primary minister for women”, not the “prime minister”.

“The prime minister has raised this as ‘primary’ rather than ‘prime’,” Payne says.

“Mr Laming has taken the serious step to leave at the next election...he has been here for some years, his behaviour is clearly inappropriate. He has taken steps to address that.

“That is the minimum he must do. Then he has indicated he will not be returning to this place. That is a clear indication that he knows his behaviour is not appropriate”.

Morrison is then asked whether Laming should resign, given he has engaged in the online “trolling” that Morrison just criticised.

Morrison says:

He was elected by the people in his electorate and he was elected to serve for three years. And that is what he intends to do.

I am following what other governments have done in the past. Thanks very much.

He then abruptly leaves.

Marise Payne quotes Sacha Baron Cohen:

The problem with social media is it does much less social good these days and much more social harm.

Updated

Nine’s Chris Uhlmann tells the prime minister that “social media” abuse is one of the main issues facing women, and asks whether the government is thinking of passing laws to stop this.

Morrison:

Respect is degrading ... we all need to practice it more.

But it has to draw out of a well of respect in society which I fear is sadly depleting ... and one of the key degraders of respect in our country is social media. It has some positives ... but it can be a very dangerous tool in disrespectful hands. We have seen that in the trolling particularly of women.

Updated

An update on those earlier comments from Morrison about Marise Payne as “prime minister for women”.

I have gone back to the first post to add a few extra lines that Morrison said at the time.

He said, in full (when announcing the new cabinet):

Minister Payne will effectively become the leader of that group of women.

She is effectively, amongst her female colleagues, the prime minister for women.

Holding the prime ministerial responsibility in this area as the minister for women.

Then, Morrison was asked whether this meant he had failed as the prime minister, in representing women.

He said:

You may have misunderstood the point I was trying to make. Of course I am the prime minster. What I am saying is, in this case, the minister for women, is the minister that is responsible primarily for drawing together many different women who have been given ministerial responsibility for women.

If I had not made that comment I may have been accused of having too many ministers for women, and what is Marise Payne doing? Well that also would not have been the case.

I have given Marise a leadership responsibility amongst the women in our cabinet and across our ministry to pull it all together in the same way that I do across all areas of the government.”

Morrison earlier said this cabinet reshuffle was needed because some “perspectives were lacking”. He is asked precisely what perspective was lacking, and whether that was an issue of not talking enough to the women already in his cabinet or his government.

I have always wanted to ensure there is a strong voice of women in my government, and there has been. I think what we are announcing today has gone further than that.

Previous governments had a minister for women, who was expected to cover all issues that affect women ... I don’t think that is a constructive way to get outcomes for women. The whole government needs that. What I have done here is not have one, but many.

He stresses the importance of home affairs and attorney general as portfolios.

I have very capable women operating in very important portfolios. Home affairs. Home affairs. A big, important portfolio of law enforcement.

Updated

Morrison is asked about his comment that Marise Payne will now become, essentially, the “prime minister for women”.

He is asked whether that is an admission that he has failed as prime minister in representing women.

Morrison says that is an unfair characterisation.

Morrison is asked about Andrew Laming, and whether he should resign immediately.

He has done something quite significant. He said he is not seeking reelection.

That is not an insignificant thing to do ... to walk away from a career in politics, that he has served for many years.

He says Laming will undergo training and change his behaviour.

Morrison says he expects Laming to “return better for that experience”.

Updated

Morrison says that Christian Porter’s new role “fully addresses all the issues that relate to the advice received from the solicitor general, as well as the advice received in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet regarding the ministerial guidelines”.

Morrison called him a “very capable minister”.

A new cabinet taskforce has also been set up for women’s equality, safety, economic security, health and well-being. Marise Payne will co-chair that with Morrison, with all the other women in the cabinet to form the rest of the taskforce, along with the three finance ministers.

The cabinet reshuffle also means any freedom of information requests made to those ministers will now be shelved – when ministers move on, everything gets sealed up and new ministers are now responsible for the decisions of previous ministers.

Will this quell the problems? Well, no one has lost their cabinet spot – they have just been moved around. The issues haven’t been addressed, and Porter’s move is due to his defamation action against the ABC creating conflicts of interest with the attorney general portfolio, not the allegations.

Updated

Marise Payne is speaking now.

She praises the level of female representation in this cabinet, and says it is at a historically high level.

And here is the full list:

Updated

Christian Porter stays in cabinet, as minister for industry, science and technology

And finally, Christian Porter will stay in the cabinet – but will be the minister for industry, science and technology.

His previous roles of attorney general and minister for industrial relations have been given to Michaelia Cash.

Peter Dutton becomes new minister for defence

Peter Dutton will become the new minister for defence, and the leader of the government in the house.

Morrison praises his work as the first minister for home affairs.

The boats had stopped, he kept them stopped.

Updated

Morrison says Marise Payne will be 'prime minister for women'

Scott Morrison also says that current foreign minister Marise Payne will “effectively become the prime minister” of these new female ministers.

Minister Payne will effectively become the leader of that group of women. She is effectively, amongst her female colleagues, the prime minister for women”

Holding the prime ministerial responsibility in this area as the minister for women.

Minister for Foreign affairs Marise Payne at a press conference in the PM’s courtyard of Parliament House Monday, 29 March 2021.
Minister for Foreign affairs Marise Payne at a press conference in the PM’s courtyard of Parliament House Monday, 29 March 2021. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Updated

Linda Reynolds remains in cabinet

Linda Reynolds will remain in cabinet, and take on the role of government services and the NDIS.

Morrison says he spoke to Reynolds and they agreed a “domestic portfolio would be best”. He says her health is good.

Melissa Price will be returning to cabinet, as defence industries minister. This is a new addition to the cabinet.

Amanda Stoker will take on additional roles as assistant minister for industrial relations and to the minister of women.

Updated

Michaelia Cash to take Christian Porter's former portfolios

Michaelia Cash has been announced as the new attorney general and minister for industrial relations – which were both previously held by Christian Porter.

Karen Andrews will be the new minister for home affairs.

Anne Ruston has also joined the senior leadership team, and will have a portfolio of women’s safety added to her role.

Updated

Morrison says that this cabinet reshuffle will bring in historic levels of female representation in his government.

He also announces a “new cabinet taskforce” regarding women’s equality, women’s safety, and health and wellbeing.

It will be co-chaired by Marise Payne and himself, with all female members of his cabinet, and then also the treasurer, deputy prime minister and minister for finance.

Cabinet changes will 'shake up what needs to be shaken up'

Hi all, yes it is Naaman Zhou here.

In a throwback to more complex times, we have another case of duelling press conferences today. NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian is scheduled to speak now at 2pm about the Covid cases in Queensland.

The prime minister Scott Morrison and minister for foreign affairs Marise Payne announce cabinet reshuffle on Monday, 29 March 2021.
The prime minister Scott Morrison and minister for foreign affairs Marise Payne announce cabinet reshuffle on Monday, 29 March 2021. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

But prime Scott Morrison is also speaking now, he is announcing his cabinet reshuffle.

We’ll bring you the NSW news once Berejiklian starts, but for now, it is all eyes on Canberra.

Morrison says these changes will “shake up what needs to be shaken up” while “maintaining the momentum and the continuity and the stability that Australia needs”.

Updated

Ahead of Scott Morrison’s press conference (which was meant to start half an hour ago) I will hand the blog over to my colleague Naaman Zhou.

Here is the Queensland government’s updated list of venues of concern related to the Covid-19 cluster in Brisbane.

https://www.qld.gov.au/health/conditions/health-alerts/coronavirus-covid-19/current-status/contact-tracing

Woolworths has reintroduced product limits in Brisbane, as locals prepare to enter a three-day lockdown later this afternoon.

Woolworths general manager for Queensland, Chris Peters said:

We understand this will be an unsettling time for many Queenslanders, but we want to reassure customers we will remain open as an essential service.

We have continued access to stock from our suppliers and our team will be hard at work making sure it flows from our distribution centres into our stores over the coming days.

We encourage Queenslanders to continue shopping as they usually would and to be mindful of others in the community.”

A limit of two items per customer applies to the following essential products:

Antibacterial wipes, canned fish, canned tomatoes, canned legumes, canned vegetables, flour, frozen chips, including gems and wedges, frozen desserts, frozen fruit, frozen vegetables, longlife milk (regular, skim & lite), longlife specialty milk, liquid handwash, noodles, pasta, paper towels, rice, sugar, tissues, toilet paper, bread loaves (including in store), chilled pasta, eggs, fresh milk (excluding flavoured), meat (burgers, rissoles, meatballs, mince (fixed weight only), sausages, 2 packs beef, 2 packs chicken, 2 packs lamb, 2 packs pork.

People shop in Brisbane ahead of the Covid lockdown.
People shop in Brisbane on Monday ahead of the Covid lockdown. Photograph: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

Updated

South Australia shuts border with Brisbane

South Australia will impose a hard border with Brisbane from 4pm today as a result of the growing Covid cluster in Brisbane.

Premier Steven Marshall said:

Obviously we are extraordinarily concerned about the developing situation in Queensland.

We are concerned about what’s happening in Queensland. This morning I received a message from the premier of Queensland, Annastacia Palaszczuk, suggesting that South Australia move into a hotspot arrangement with greater Brisbane. That is precisely what we will do and I now announce the changes that we will take herein South Australia effective from 4pm this afternoon.

First of all can I say that any person who has come into South Australia from the greater Brisbane area, and that includes Moreton Bay, Ipswich, Redlands and Logan, they need to basically – if anybody has come in from 20 March, they need to go and get themselves tested and remain isolated until that test result comes back.

Anybody that has come in from the greater Brisbane area, Morton Bay, Ipswich, Redlands or Logan from 20 March must go and get themselves tested immediately and they must remain isolated until that negative result comes back. As of 4pm this afternoon, we will be putting new restrictions in place with regards to Queensland.

We are not happy to do this, in fact, we know that this is going to be a huge inconvenience to people, especially in the lead-up to this Easter period. But it’s quite clear to us now that there are cases in the greater Brisbane area that have come into contact with the community there.”

Brisbane residents exit a grocery store in Brisbane on Monday. Greater Brisbane will enter a snap three-day lockdown from 5pm.
Brisbane residents exit a grocery store in the city on Monday. Greater Brisbane will enter a snap three-day lockdown from 5pm. Photograph: Dave Hunt/AAP

Updated

Scott Morrison will be holding a press conference at 1:30pm AEDT where it’s expected he’ll announce a cabinet reshuffle, following concerns about the abilities of ministers including Christian Porter and Linda Reynolds to continue working in their portfolios.

I’ll bring you those announcements here on the blog.

In the meantime, you can read more about the reshuffle here:

Tasmania imposes two-week quarantine for travellers from Queensland hotspots

Tasmania has responded to the Covid cluster in Brisbane by imposing two weeks of forced isolation for travellers from the affected councils, according to AAP and ABC reports.

Updated

Thanks for taking us through the day so far Matilda.

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

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

With that, I will hand you over to Elias Visontay, to take you through the next little while.

Oh by the way the Suez canal is still blocked, in case you were wondering.

Here is a pic of the Evergiven compared to the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Updated

Malcolm Turnbull in line to head NSW climate advisory board

The former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull is in line to head a new board advising on New South Wales climate change policy, with his appointment to be discussed by state cabinet on Monday.

Guardian Australia has confirmed if approved Turnbull will be chair of the NSW Net-Zero Emissions and Clean Economy board. The state’s Energy and Environment Minister, Matt Kean, has recommended Turnbull for the position.

It will be Turnbull’s first political appointment since leaving parliament in 2018, and follows his accepting a role as chair of Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest’s ambitious Fortescue Future Industries initiative, which aims to help build 1,000 gigawatts of green energy across the globe.

The board’s role will be to help drive NSW towards meeting its commitment to be carbon neutral by 2050. The state last year passed nation-leading renewable energy legislation with multi-party support.

Turnbull’s appointment is unlikely to be welcomed by some in the Coalition given the former prime minister has been a vocal critic of the Morrison government on climate policy and other issues.

Spokespeople for Kean and the deputy premier and Nationals leader, John Barilaro, both declined to comment.

Updated

Hunt has been asked about Laming again:

Again, I haven’t seen [the interview] so I will respectfully wait until I have those details.

Moreover, as I will say this – the decision to effectively terminate someone’s career, the action that the prime minister has taken, was strong, clear, immediate*, decisive and powerful. It’s a very strong step.

Other elements [are] matters that Mr Laming will have to reflect on and I haven’t seen, as I say, today’s comments that you’ve referred to so I’ll respectfully follow those up.

*Not immediate at all.

Updated

Hunt has been asked if the person accused of sexually harassing Nationals MP Anne Webster should face further consequences:

Look, firstly, I am not aware of the details of Anne Webster’s claim. They should be immediately pursued. I think that that is very, very important that she is entitled to be safe. Every woman, everywhere is entitled to be safe every single day.

Hunt then responded to a question on if Liberal MP Andrew Laming who has been accused of harassing multiple women should be conducting radio interviews as he did with ABC earlier this morning. He said he will not contest the next election but he has not been removed from parliament and may remain in his elected position for up to a year:

In terms of Mr Laming, I haven’t seen his interview. I will say this, that the actions of the prime minister in effectively terminating someone’s career* are strong, clear, powerful, decisive and immediate.

*Terminating it in a year’s time.

Updated

Greg Hunt has urged vaccination efforts to continue throughout the Brisbane lockdown.

It’s worth noting that one of the infected people in that cluster was a nurse on a Covid-19 ward. It’s unclear if this woman was vaccinated or not, but that will no doubt be a key issue in the coming days.

Importantly the message that Queensland has given is one I would emphasise as well, vaccinations are considered a critical reason to leave home. We would encourage all patients, subject to checking with their doctors, to continue with their vaccination program.

If you are in the Brisbane area, please continue with your vaccination program subject to your practice being in a position to do so. We understand that that is the case and if there were any interruptions we would provide that advice at this stage. As we speak I haven’t received any information.

I think it is very important to put this in context. We know how to do this. Australia has had 53 days with zero cases this year already. We know that around the world we are at almost half a million cases a day after having seen a peak and then a dip over much of the last two months, we are now seeing global cases rise again, particularly in Europe and eastern Europe.

And so this pandemic around the world at approximately half a million cases a day, continues to provide a global challenge on a scale we have not seen since World War II.

So against that background, the continued roll out adds to the protections. We know how the protect ourselves and to contain, but we can only be fully protected once we are vaccinated but also once the world is vaccinated. So it is a two-part process – at home and abroad.

Updated

Federal health minister Greg Hunt is speaking now about the Brisbane Covid-19 situation.

I have spoken with the Queensland minister this morning, Yvette D’Ath, and offered our support and the actions we are taking are as follows – firstly, we have authorised asymptomatic testing, that means that people can be tested without symptoms across the Brisbane region. That’s already under way through the GP respiratory clinics or the Commonwealth respiratory and vax face clinics.

Secondly, we have authorised and I have authorised asymptomatic testing in aged care facilities in the affected areas of Brisbane and I have also instructed that the Commonwealth and Queensland Aged Care Response Centre be established. At this stage there are no signs of any infections that have been transmitted to aged care but we are taking early, pre-emptive action to ensure that those protections are in place.

As we speak, the chief medical officer who briefed me earlier today is leading the AHPPC or Australian Health Protection Principal Committee with chief medical officers and chief health officers from all states and territories.

Updated

Peter Ford, who Jeremy Cordeaux was speaking with during the chat where the radio veteran called alleged rape victims Brittany Higgins a “silly little girl”, has also issued a response.

He says he disagreed with some of Cordeaux’s statements, but it “wasn’t his place” to speak up about it, and said it wasn’t his place to apologise on Cordeaux’s behalf. He concluded by calling Cordeaux a remarkable broadcaster.

Updated

Brittany Higgins has responded to Jeremy Cordeaux’s comments from the weekend.

Oh no.

Adelaide radio veteran Jeremy Cordeaux OAM has broken his silence after being sacked from the 5AA radion station for calling alleged rape victim Brittany Higgins a “silly little girl who got drunk”, and he is doubling down on his comments.

Just a fair warning the following clip has some serious undertones of victim-blaming and I think could be quite difficult to hear if you have experienced sexual violence.

Now I don’t want to editorialise too much here, but just speaking generally I want to be absolutely clear that getting drunk and having someone assault or rape you is not “putting yourself in harm’s way”.

Women have the right to be drunk and still be safe. The perpetrator is the one who puts the victim in harm’s way, no exceptions.

Updated

Here are the Gladstone exposure sites. I tried to bring you the list directly from the website but I can’t find this information online.

Either it isn’t there yet or it’s somewhere that takes longer than 10 minutes of googling to find. Either way, not a brilliant look for a state in the middle of a Covid-19 crisis.

Updated

Adelaide radio veteran Jeremy Cordeaux OAM has been sacked by Nova for saying Brittany Higgins was a “silly little girl who got drunk” on his breakfast show on Saturday.

I just ask myself why the prime minister doesn’t call it out for what it is – a silly little girl who got drunk ...

If this girl has been raped, why hasn’t the guy who raped her been arrested? Security, you know, should never have let these two into the minister’s office at two o’clock in the morning. Never.

Nova and radio station FIVEaa said on Monday morning:

Without reservation whatsoever, FIVEaa and Nova Entertainment sincerely apologise to Brittany Higgins for the comments made by Jeremy Cordeaux’s weekend breakfast show on Saturday morning.

We acknowledge that the comments were completely inappropriate and offensive.

Updated

The charge of incitement against Refugee Action Collective activist Chris Breen has been dismissed.

Breen was charged after he organised a car cavalcade outside the Preston Mantra in Melbourne in April last year during the state’s lockdown. This was the location at which medevac refugees were being detained at the time.

Updated

Australia’s resources and energy exports are forecast to reach a record $296 billion in 2020/21, despite the global economic downturn driven by Covid-19, AAP reports.

The latest Resources and Energy Quarterly report, produced by the federal Office of the Chief Economist, says the outlook for the sector has strengthened due to China’s quick rebound from the downturn and government stimulus.

Production constraints in many countries have seen prices gain momentum in early 2021.

Iron ore, LNG and base metals have reached multi-year highs, while there has been some restoration to coal prices.

As well, lithium exports – which were worth an estimated $1 billion in 2020/21 – are set to rise more than fivefold in real terms as interest booms in electric vehicles and electronics.

Nickel exports are expected to almost double, while copper exports are set to increase by almost one third over the same period.

Revenue from these three commodities combined are projected to reach $28 billion by 2025/26.

Moderating prices for the major commodities are expected to see earnings drop slightly, while Australia’s export volumes remain strong.

In real terms, export earnings are forecast to fall three per cent to $288 billion in 2021/22, before stabilising over the next four years.

Australia’s iron ore earnings are forecast to rise by over a third to $136 billion in 2020/21, before declining to $104 billion in real terms in 2025/26.

Metallurgical coal earnings are forecast to recover in line with higher prices, projected to reach $31 billion in 2025/26 while thermal coal export earnings are forecast to soften to $15 billion in 2020/21.

Gold export earnings are set to reach $29 billion 2020/21, before declining over the next four years.

Updated

Australia’s major sporting codes are again dealing with a significant Covid-19 disruption after Brisbane was sent into a minimum three-day lockdown.

The Queensland state government on Monday confirmed “significant” further community transmission of coronavirus since last week’s outbreak. Greater Brisbane – including the Logan, Moreton Bay, Ipswich and Redlands areas – will go into lockdown at 5pm AEST on Monday.

The Brisbane Lions’ AFL home game against Collingwood at the Gabba on Thursday night now appears likely to be moved to Melbourne. The Lions have been stuck in limbo in Victoria since last Friday night’s loss to Geelong, awaiting further updates on Brisbane’s developing virus situation.

You can read the full story below:

Updated

An update on Andrew Laming from Amy Remeikis:

In the house economics committee, Labor’s shadow assistant treasurer, Andrew Leigh, has led Wayne Byers, the chair of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, through a series of questions designed to discredit the government’s early superannuation release scheme.

Although it’s too late to yank $10,000 out of your superannuation account, the effect of the policy is still relevant because the committee chair, Liberal MP Tim Wilson, has been campaigning on a policy of “House First Super Second” to allow first homebuyers to have access to super.

Asked if the early release will push up demand, Byres said “you have to think it would add to the demand”.

Leigh: “And what effect would that have on house prices?”

Byres: “All else equal, it is likely to push them up. But the size and extent of the increase, obviously it’s difficult to tell ...”

Leigh: “For a first-time buyer who didn’t take money out of superannuation to buy their home, would it make it harder or easier for them to buy a home?”

Byres:

Well, I assume you’re again asking all else equal. There’s a lot of hypotheticals, a lot of hypotheticals here. So I guess if you were saying house prices are higher, that always acts as something of a barrier to first time buyers. But again, there are lots of ifs, buts and all else equals around any kind of analysis.

Updated

Organisers of the first post-Covid-19 major music festival will be watching nervously as greater Brisbane enters a three day lockdown.

Bluesfest director Peter Noble is seeking urgent advice from NSW Health to ensure the Byron Bay festival, which has been run annually for the better part of two decades, will go ahead as planned over the Easter long weekend. It is scheduled to open on Thursday, with Brisbane’s three-day lockdown expected to be lifted at 5 pm that evening.

Bluesfest’s extensive Covid-safe plan, negotiated with NSW Health, will operate under a limit of 50% capacity and all concerts will be seated only.

Updated

So Melbourne is installing “artificially intelligent beehives” in ports to detect Varroa destructor mites – and I’m sure that is very useful but I can’t help thinking about that episode of Black Mirror with the killer robot bees anytime someone mentions it.

As AAP reports, the Purple Hives are solar-powered devices that detect the Varroa destructor, a mite that feeds on honey bees.

Using artificial intelligence and cameras, the hives provide alerts in real time and have been trialled in New Zealand, where the mite is established.

Authorities estimate 20,000 cropping and horticulture businesses would be affected if Varroa mite became established in Australia.

The national bee pest surveillance program has hives at Melbourne, Geelong, Hastings and Portland ports and these are monitored for pests every six weeks.

HiveKeeper will install a smart hive at the Port of Hastings, with the device using bee health and behaviour to detect pests and sending alerts to a computer or mobile device.

Now if this interests you, I recommend you DO NOT watch the season three finale of Black Mirror.

Updated

Two high-risk locations in Byron Bay

NSW Health has listed two high-risk locations in Byron Bay, urging everyone who attended the venues at the times listed to get “tested immediately and self-isolate until further advice is provided by NSW Health”.

These venues are:

  • Friday 26 March - The Byron Beach Hotel, Byron bay - from 7:15pm – 8:30pm
  • Sunday 28 March - The Farm Byron Bay, Ewingsdale - from 8:00am – 9:30am

Updated

NSW records no new local cases but urges people with symptoms in Byron Bay to be tested

NSW health authorities have urged everyone in the areas with even the mildest of symptoms to get tested.

The state recorded no locally acquired cases today:

Updated

The Victorian state government won’t release a three-page email chain in which a decision to put Melbourne under a coronavirus curfew was made, reports Karen Sweeney from AAP.

Victorian opposition MP David Davis requested all documents relating to the curfew to be released under Freedom of Information.

An 8pm to 5am curfew was introduced on 2 August last year under the state’s coronavirus lockdown measures. It was eased by an hour to begin at 9pm from 14 September and was lifted on 25 September.

Davis says he was told in November that his September application had identified one document relevant to his search for anything involved with or which informed the decision to impose the curfew, but that access was refused.

He’s now taking the department to VCAT. Representing himself, he described the case as straightforward:

These are the documents that relate directly to the decision to put Melbourne under a curfew and the reality, in our view, is there is little reason the documents should not be in the public domain.

There are unlikely to be issues of “cabinet in confidence” given the curfew related to public health and wellbeing legislation, which is separate to cabinet, he said.

The department’s solicitor Michelle Roland said the document was being withheld on three grounds.

We have one document - it is three pages of an email chain containing legal advice.

Roland said the entire document was covered by legal privilege. The application was also rejected because it was an internal working document and related to personal affairs.

She agreed to a confidential conference - where the VCAT presiding member has access to the secret document - to resolve the matter, but Mr Davis said he was concerned about how long the process was taking.

It is a single document – it may just be a single decision has to be made by the tribunal ...

It’s just hard to see why this has been strung out for so long.

The case will return to VCAT for an administrative hearing next month.

Updated

It’s worth considering how soon this lockdown is coming after the end of jobkeeper and how close it is cutting it to the start of the federal government’s half-priced plane ticket program.

Jobkeeper ended on Sunday, and the tourism sector support program is slated to start on 1 April.

Even without the lockdown treasury estimates up to 150,000 jobs could be lost without the jobkeeper wage subsidies, with about 100,000 vulnerable businesses expected to collapse.

Many suspected the tourism program – which was essentially a government subsidy for flights to popular interstate tourism destinations – was intended to make it more difficult for states to close their borders.

The current lockdown is set to end at 5pm on Thursday 1 April, which has the potential to affect the first few of those flights. While Brisbane isn’t one of the half-price locations, if other states snap their borders shut to the whole of Queensland (like WA is known for doing) that could make for an interesting battle between the federal and state government.

Updated

Well, this Jeannette Young quote from 10 days ago aged like milk:

Updated

No updates yet in relation to the Victorian border.

Updated

Queensland cases summary

Here is a breakdown of the current cluster in Queensland and these new cases:

  • 1st - The first case in this cluster was a man in Stafford, diagnosed last Friday.
  • 2nd - It’s believed he infected a man in Strathpine. This man was accused of throwing a large party while isolating but this was found to be untrue.
  • 3rd - The brother of one of these two men was found to be a historical case. He is no longer infectious but is believed to be the missing link between this cluster and a doctor who was infected earlier in the month.
  • 4th and 5th - Two of the new cases are work colleagues of the Strathpine man. They may also be housemates. One of these men was in Gladstone between 25 and 28 March while infectious.
  • 6th - A nurse has also been infected. She worked at a Covid-19 ward but health authorities aren’t convinced this is where she acquired the virus, and are waiting for genomic sequencing.
  • 7th - The nurse’s sister was also infected. The sisters travelled to Byron Bay in NSW while infectious.

Updated

Queensland lockdown summary

OK, so here is the long and short of the Queensland situation:

Brisbane:

  • Greater Brisbane will go into a snap 3-day lockdown from 5 pm AEST this evening.
  • This includes the areas of Brisbane, Logan, Moreton Bay, Ipswich and Redlands.
  • You will only be able to leave your house for four essential reasons: exercise with family groups, shopping for essentials, healthcare and caring; and work and school if this can’t be done from home.
  • You must wear a mask in all public indoor settings.
  • Restaurants and cafes can only serve takeaway.
  • Schools will be closed for all except for the children of essential workers.
  • Anyone who has been in Brisbane since 20 March will also come under the restrictions.

The rest of Queensland:

  • One of the new infectious cases went to Gladstone between 25 March and 28 March while infectious.
  • Mask wearing is compulsory for all public indoor spaces across Queensland.
  • Gatherings at home will be limited to 30 people.
  • Hospitality venues can operate but all patrons must be seated.
  • Hospitals, aged care homes, disability facilities and prisons will limit visitors.
Doctor Jeannette Young speaks after Queensland premier Annastacia Palazczuk announced a three-day lockdown for the greater Brisbane area.
Doctor Jeannette Young speaks after Queensland premier Annastacia Palazczuk announced a three-day lockdown for the greater Brisbane area. Photograph: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

Updated

Gosh, and the press conference is over already. I’m used to the two-hour marathons that Daniel Andrews holds in Victoria.

Give me half a second and I’ll whip up a summary to get everyone up to speed, because that was a bit confusing in the middle there.

Updated

Annastacia Palaszczuk has taken a subtle dig at the federal government’s extremely slow vaccination rollout.

This is going to be part of the Australian way of life until everyone is vaccinated.

So it is very important that the vaccination rollout continues and that people continue to book in with their GPs, especially those GPs that are administering the vaccine, but until we have the population vaccinated there is of course the risk of community transmission.

So by today declaring that greater Brisbane a hotspot, I’m asking all other state and territory leaders to do exactly the same and hopefully, fingers crossed, like our last 3-day lockdown it [will give] our contact tracers the opportunity to get on top of everything.

The halving of our international arrivals will also contribute to us being able to focus on the task at hand and hopefully after the three days we will be able to update Queenslanders.

Updated

The health minister, Yvette D’Ath, is answering questions now about the man health authorities falsely accused of throwing a party of 25 while awaiting test results.

We made it clear that what has come from the information that had been received over the last 24 to 48 hours is that yes, the gentleman did have a party but it was two weeks earlier.

It appears that might not have been clear at the time when the health officers first spoke to him, when that party had occurred, and it was certainly believed at the time that it was that Friday night.

So, the premier has already commented on this, as have I, and we are just pleased that it is only the housemates and they are all in quarantine.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palazczuk announces a three-day lockdown for the greater Brisbane area.
Queensland premier Annastacia Palazczuk and chief health officer Jeannette Young. Photograph: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

Updated

Queensland will halve international arrivals, the premier says:

I’ve had word that the prime minister has accepted the halving of those international arrivals. As you can see, because we’ve got more people with Covid in our hospitals, they are highly infectious and the risk is greater of that being passed on ...

I think [we were accepting] around 1,300; now that will be halved.

Updated

So we know that the infectious man was in Gladstone from 25 March to 28 March.

Young says she is “not sure that I have the Byron dates at this stage”.

She says she will inform the New South Wales authorities of those dates as soon as she can.

Annastacia Palaszczuk has urged Brisbane residents not to use the time before lockdown begins to panic buy.

Can I also please put out to everybody, please do not go and panic buy.

The supermarkets, the shops, are full of supplies and you will still be able to go out and get food as part of this lockdown. So please don’t go out and panic buy today. The food shops will operate as per usual.

Updated

It’s important to note that this lockdown is occurring in the 24 hours after jobkeeper officially ended.

Health minister Yvette D’Ath says she will be calling NSW health minister Dr Kerry Chant to warn her about the two cases who were infectious while visiting Byron Bay.

Annastacia Palaszczuk has urged other state leaders to declare greater Brisbane a hotspot.

Today we are declaring, from 5pm, greater Brisbane a hotspot so my recommendation to other states and territories is that they should declare this greater Brisbane a hotspot as well.

That worked very well when we did that last time. Once we declare it we are asking other people around the country to do that same thing and declare it as well.

Updated

Jannette Young:

[The lockdown] will be put in place from 5pm this afternoon so people can complete their day.

I would hope, and I’m sure that this will not occur, that people don’t choose to leave Brisbane during this time. It’s important that people go home.

If your home is normally outside Brisbane, you have come into Brisbane to work for the day, as we know a lot of people do of course, you can then return to your home but anyone who has been in that greater Brisbane area since Saturday, 20 March, is now required to follow those same requirements, that is to stay wherever they are except for those four reasons.

Updated

Two Queensland Covid-19 cases were in Byron Bay while infectious

Chief health officer Jannette Young is giving details about the four new cases now:

So we have four new community-acquired cases overnight which means that the current cluster that we’re dealing with has seven cases.

The initial two gentlemen, and now a brother of one of those that we think could be that link between the doctor who was infectious two weeks ago and this cluster, then we have two colleagues of the second new case who have tested positive yesterday and one of those people was in Gladstone for three days while they were infectious so we’re working very closely there to identify venues that person was at.

Then very late last night I was notified of another case who happens to be a nurse working in the Covid ward. She did some shifts there. But I’m not sure that’s where she’s acquired it. We will have to wait for genome sequencing results that we should get back late together or tomorrow morning which will make it clear.

Her sister is also positive and we are not sure whether the transmission has happened there. Again, we need to wait for genome sequence results ...

They have recently been in Byron Bay during their infectious period. So we now have significant community transmission and significant numbers of venues of concern all through Brisbane and we know that people have moved from Brisbane out into the broader community.

Updated

Some Covid-19 restrictions to be reimposed for the rest of Queensland.

Annastacia Palaszczuk is speaking about the 3-day snap lockdown to take effect in Brisbane from 5pm tonight:

What this means for greater Brisbane is that we will have to go into a 3-day lockdown. This is the UK strain. It is highly infectious. Now we need to do this now to avoid a longer lockdown ...

That lockdown will be for greater Brisbane, which is Brisbane, Logan, Moreton Bay, Ipswich and Redlands ...

That will mean that our schools will close from tomorrow and, as I said, we need to do this - this will also enable our health authorities to get on top of the contact tracing.

This is a huge job now that we have to do because we’ve got more of this community transmission. I know this will mean some disruption to people’s lives but we’ve done this before and we’ve got through it over those three days in the past and if everyone does the right thing I’m sure that we will be able to get through it again. So that means that people will only be able to go out for those four essential purposes ...

Now, the other news is that one of these people also travelled to Gladstone. So that means now for the rest of Queensland we will be putting in that compulsory mask wearing for the rest of Queensland and limiting gatherings to your own home to 30 people.

Updated

Brisbane to go into three-day lockdown after four new local Covid cases reported

Annastacia Palaszczuk says there are 10 cases overnight, six from overseas four local acquired.

She says this means a three days lockdown from 5 pm this afternoon.

Updated

Okay, there has been a slight delay on this Queensland Covid-19 update but Annastacia Palaszczuk has started a live stream on Twitter so it can’t be long now!

Renewable energy and batteries can secure Australia’s electricity grid as effectively as coal and gas, new research suggests.

The research, commissioned by the Australia Institute thinktank and released on Monday, found clean technologies provided the fast frequency response service and voltage control needed to secure the energy grid and reduce cost. But the report says regulatory barriers currently limit the ability of renewable energy and batteries to provide system security.

The electricity grid requires controls to keep frequency and voltage within safe limits – a service historically provided by coal, gas and hydro power stations.

You can read the full story below:

Three close contacts linked to the Queensland cluster are currently isolating in a Victorian hotel quarantine facility and have so far tested negative.

Given international flights have been paused in the state these three must be pretty much the only guests in the program.

Updated

A man has been found dead in a home in Sydney’s south-west and a woman is under police guard in hospital, AAP reports.

Police say they were called to the home on Rickard Rd at Bankstown on Sunday afternoon after reports a 49-year-old man had a stab wound.

When they arrived the man had already died and a 37-year-old woman, who was known to the man, was taken to Bankstown hospital where she remains under police guard.

Updated

Looks like the Extinction Rebellion protests have moved from Melbourne to Sydney.

Here are some scenes from the CBD this morning:

Updated

An international flight crew member has tested positive to Covid-19 in Victoria.

The Logies will be back in the Gold Coast, which seems to be big news this morning for some reason.

Something to look out for – the Queensland premier is set to step up for a press conference at 8.15 am Queensland time (9.15 am Sydney and Melbourne time).

We will hopefully get an update on if there have been any more Covid cases in their ongoing cluster and it will be interesting to see if any apologies are issued to the Covid-19 positive man who was mistakenly accused of throwing a party while awaiting test results.

Updated

Adelaide radio host sacked after calling Brittany Higgins a 'silly girl who got drunk'

Nova’s Adelaide station 5AA has just announced it has sacked longtime host Jeremy Cordeaux, who came under fire over the weekend for labelling alleged rape victim Brittany Higgins a “silly girl who got drunk”.

Breakfast hosts David Penberthy and Will Goodings read out a short statement on air around 7.45 am this morning:

Without reservation whatsoever, 5AA and Nova entertainment sincerely apologise to Brittany Higgins for the comments made by Jeremy Cordeaux on 5AA’s weekend breakfast show on Saturday morning.

We acknowledge that the comments were completely inappropriate and offensive. The views expressed by Mr Cordeaux do not reflect those held by 5AA and Nova Entertainment, and we unequivocally withdraw them.

Mr Cordeaux’s employment is being terminated at 5AA and Nova Entertainment have immediately taken broad action to ensure this can never happen again. On behalf of all of us at 5AA and Nova Entertainment, we apologise unreservedly to Miss Higgins.

Updated

And Webster’s interview has closed with a question about how she feels the prime minister has handled the last few weeks:

I think this has been a really incredibly difficult time. What I’ve seen of the prime minister, every interaction I’ve had of him is that he is a man of integrity and that he is determined to see this through and to right the wrongs.

He’s determined to set us on a better path to the future, and I personally see these glitches, if you like, or next exposés – call them whatever you will – are always an opportunity for change and I think that everyone in parliament, I would hope everyone in parliament, is wanting to see change.

Updated

Anne Webster has been asked if she thinks it’s acceptable that Liberal MP Andrew Laming has been allowed to stay in parliament until the next election after being accused of harassing multiple women, including an allegation of “upskirting”.

Despite coming out with her own story about sexual harassment in parliament this morning, it doesn’t seem Webster, a Coalition MP, is able to say too much about the government’s decision – but perhaps we can read between the lines?

Look, I don’t want to comment on the decisions being made by the Liberal party.

I think for us as the National party, we had a whole bunch of new youngsters who made it clear to me, both men and women, that they want change ...

Clearly what has been alleged is appalling and if it were my daughter or me, I think that tells you the story. None of us would be happy with that.

Updated

Nationals MP says she was sexually harassed 'in the chamber' of parliament

Parliament House has been rocked with yet another harassment complaint after Nationals MP Anne Webster said she has lodged a complaint against someone else who works in the building after she was allegedly harassed last week.

Webster has declined to go into details but says she has received assurances from the alleged perpetrator that it won’t happen again.

She is speaking ABC News Breakfast now and has confirmed it was a case of alleged sexual harrasment, and occurred “in the chamber”.

Look, I’m satisfied with an apology at this point in time but the point to me is, what was deemed OK 15 years ago, 30 years ago, is no longer the case and culture has changed. We need to change culture in Parliament House. As representatives of our wonderful people across Australia, they expect more and we should be able to deliver more.

Micheal Rowland:

Was it another politician?

Webster:

Well, it was in the chamber, Michael ...

[Nationals leader Michael McCormack] has already taken action.

What has happened is that the deputy prime minister called me several weeks ago when the allegations of Brittany Higgins first arose and he asked me to be someone that our party, both staff and politicians, could come to in my former career as a social worker. They thought I might be appropriate as someone for people to talk to.

Obviously, the Kate Jenkins review [on harassment in the workplace] is very important, I certainly plan on speaking to her. To be able to direct people to the appropriate councils, I just didn’t think I would be walking through it myself and need to call on the finance department counselling service last week.

Nationals member Anne Webster.
Nationals member Anne Webster. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Updated

Man charged after Victoria highway shooting

Victoria police have charged one person over the shooting death of a man in the moments after a vehicle crash at Geelong, reporters AAP.

The incident occurred on the Princes Highway at Corio about 6am on Saturday, police said.

A silver station wagon with a driver and two passengers turned on to a service road to access the highway when a truck hit it and caused extensive damage.

Then the occupant of another vehicle, which had been following the silver car, approached the crash and allegedly fired a gun at the occupants before fleeing.

A 43-year-old Corio man died at the scene from gunshot wounds. Two other men – aged 25 and 26 – were taken to Geelong University Hospital with minor injuries sustained in the crash.

Police on Sunday night said a 26-year-old Corio man had been interviewed by detectives and charged with murder. He was remanded in custody and will appear at Geelong magistrates’ court on Monday.

A 25-year-old Corio man who was assisting police was released pending further inquires.

The truck driver was not injured.

Updated

Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie is visiting flood-affected areas in New South Wales today but her interview with ABC News Breakfast has turned pretty quickly to discussing Andrew Laming as well.

She says she has encouraged one of the young woman allegedly harassed by Laming to take the matter further, but would not call on Laming to resign from his elected position immediately:

Michael Rowland:

Speaking about respect for women – a Liberal MP from Queensland, Andrew Laming, has been accused of taking a photograph of a young woman while she was bending over and her underwear was exposed. What’s your view on that in terms of showing respect for women?

McKenzie:

Well, it’s unacceptable.

Michael Rowland:

Should he stay in parliament?

McKenzie:

I think that Dr Laming has made the right decision. You know, he was elected by the people of Bowman but made the right decision not to contest the next election. And that is unacceptable.

Michael Rowland:

It’s not just unacceptable – it’s illegal ...

So why is he staying?

McKenzie:

It is illegal and I’d encourage the young woman to take that further.

At the end of the day, he’s made the right call. It is absolutely unacceptable behaviour and those of us who were elected to parliament for the great privilege to represent our communities need to take that very, very seriously and be exemplars ...

One of the things I’ve been concerned about in the wake of the last six weeks is the lack of a bipartisan approach to this, because at the end of the day, if we don’t all come together to deal with this, it will be the women, not just in Parliament House, but in our broader society, that actually miss out on this being the reform opportunity that we all need to see.

Queensland MP Andrew Laming.
Queensland MP Andrew Laming. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Updated

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has been grilled over the government’s decision to allow Andrew Laming to stay in parliament until the next election this morning after appearing on ABC News Breakfast.

Laming has taken leave after a series of allegations about his behaviour towards women and said he won’t recontest the next election, but this means he could still remain in parliament for a year.

Michael Rowland:

Do you believe Andrew Laming is a fit and proper person to serve in parliament, a fit and proper person to give you his vote until the next election?

Frydenberg:

Well, Andrew Laming’s behaviour is completely unacceptable. It’s demeaning of women and it certainly [is] not becoming of a member of parliament let alone anybody across our society at large. Yes, he’s apologised for his behaviour, yes he’s going through counselling and other education processes to correct his behaviour, and, yes, he’s announced he will not contest the next election, so really the onus is on Andrew.

Michael Rowland:

Is he a fit and proper person in your view? You’re the deputy leader of the [Liberal] party, to stay?

Frydenberg:

He should stay in parliament as I said yesterday but I also believe he should correct his behaviour and he was elected by his constituents to serve out of his term, he has a responsibility to deliver for them a better government and Australia coming through this pandemic, that’s what the Coalition is determined to do as we continue to role out the economic support measures we have just been talking about.

Importantly though the onus is on him to show that he has understood the errors of his ways, he has understood the gravity of his behaviour and that he has understood the need to ensure that he improves.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Updated

Scott Morrison's approval rating takes a dive

Scott Morrison’s approval rating has dropped seven percentage points to 55% in the past fortnight, according to a Newspoll published by ihe Australian on Monday.

Polling was conducted between Wednesday and Saturday and provides information on an extremely contentious two-week period for the Coalition government, where they faced pressure over the handling of rape allegations and the national March 4 Justice protests.

It’s the first time since March 2020 that Morrison’s rating has dropped below 60%.

The survey of 1,517 voters showed Labor with 52% of two-party-preferred votes, leaving the Coalition with 48%, which is unchanged from earlier in March.

Morrison leads the “better prime minister” stakes 52% to 32% for opposition leader Anthony Albanese, with 16% of respondents uncommitted.

Prime minister Scott Morrison arrives for question time last Thursday.
Prime minister Scott Morrison arrives for question time last Thursday. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Updated

Covid-positive Brisbane man speaks out about false house party claims

The Covid-19 positive man falsely accused by health authorities of hosting a party with 25 people while awaiting test results has spoken out.

Lachlan Simpson told Nine News he believed authorities had got their dates confused with a gathering he held two weeks ago.

My heart’s been racing for the last 24 hours ... I didn’t have a party with 25 people ...

I told them that I had a gathering two weeks prior to me getting tested and somehow they’ve taken that day and moved it forward to Friday.

We went on a pub crawl the next day [after the gathering] but I think at that point I had no symptoms at all.

On Sunday, health authorities confirmed that while five people were at the man’s home one night while he was isolating. Four actually lived at the residence and there was no party.

Yesterday police confirmed in a statement they would not take further action:

Police conducted inquiries into the allegations but are satisfied the occupants of the house did not breach the health directions, and people from outside the residence were not involved ...

Police investigators have not found any evidence to warrant action being taken against a man following reports of a house party involving people in quarantine at Strathpine.”

Updated

Welcome to Monday

Good morning, Matilda Boseley here to kick off the week and take you through all the news of Monday.

There has been yet another sexual harassment complaint in federal parliament this morning, with Nationals MP, Anne Webster lodging a complaint against someone else who works in the building after she was allegedly harassed last week.

She says she does not want to go into details but lodged her complaint directly with the Nationals leader, Michael McCormack. Webster spoke with ABC radio this morning:

First thought was, “You got to be kidding me. I mean, really?” I was just dumbfounded that this behaviour, because it wasn’t the first time and so for me, it was, like, “No, I have to actually address this”, and I have since spoken to the person and he assures me it won’t happen again.

In Queensland, health authorities have been forced to backtrack after incorrectly accusing an infected man of throwing a large party on the after being asked to isolate.

Brisbane man will not face police action after he was cleared of wrongdoing by police later Sunday afternoon.

The health minister, Yvette D’Ath, yesterday said Queensland Health received the incorrect information from the man himself.

We were told at the time there were 25 people that attended the residence ...

It is extremely unfortunate that what has been discovered over the last 24 hours, that it wasn’t 25 people, but as I understand it this is the information that was received from this gentleman himself ...

Whether the health officials misunderstood what he said, I wasn’t there, I didn’t hear the conversation, but this is the information that they believe that he had provided them at the time.

Further investigations by police and health authorities suggest the people who attended were limited to the man’s four housemates and one other person.

The Strathpine man in his 20s tested positive on Friday after contracting the UK strain of Covid-19 from a male friend in Stafford.

Health authorities were struggling to find a source for this new outbreak but a historical case reported on Sunday is believed to be the “missing link” connecting this small cluster to a doctor who tested positive earlier this month.

The Strathpine man and his Stafford friend are being treated in the hospital while further testing is conducted.

With that, why don’t we get cracking with the day.

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

Updated

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