What happened today
This is where we’ll leave our live coverage for the day. Let’s recap the main news.
- The Australian federal police didn’t pass on a statement detailing allegations against attorney general Christian Porter to police, instead providing a “summary” document, NSW police told budget estimates.
- A friend of Porter’s accuser says he has “clear recollections of relevant discussions” with Porter in the early 1990s. James Hooke, now managing director of Macquarie Bank, made the comments in a statement today.
- The federal government plans to push ahead with debating its controversial industrial relations bill in parliament next week, despite Porter, the industrial relations minister, remaining on leave.
- Defence minister Linda Reynolds has agreed to pay compensation to former staffer Brittany Higgins as part of a defamation settlement over calling her a “lying cow”. Higgins has said she will donate the money, less legal costs, to an ACT organisation supporting sexual assault victims.
- Prime minister Scott Morrison has sought to reassure Australians that the AstraZeneca vaccine is safe after Denmark, Norway and Iceland temporarily halted vaccinations to investigate 30 reported cases of blood clots in the 5 million people to receive the vaccine so far.
- A veteran News Corp photographer told a media diversity inquiry she was directed to take photographs only of attractive women for the newspaper, no “pigs in lipstick”. The chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, Rod Sims, also appeared at the inquiry and said current merger laws could have allowed News Corp to buying another competitor, like Fairfax (now owned by Nine).
- A Coalition-majority Senate committee has recommended the government’s online safety bill, which advocates say could put sex workers at risk, be passed parliament next week.
- A businesswoman and friend of ousted MinterEllison CEO Annette Kimmitt has said there was “almost a conspiracy to destroy her”.
- A state funeral was held for Papua New Guinea’s first prime minister, Sir Michael Somare.
- The truck driver who killed four Victorian police officers in a crash on a Melbourne highway last year has apologised to their families in court, saying he “didn’t mean to hurt them”.
- Former ABC managing director Mark Scott has been appointed vice-chancellor of the University of Sydney.
- Victoria has recorded 14 days without a locally-acquired case of Covid-19.
- The OECD says the election of its new leader, a contest between Mathias Cormann and former European trade commissioner Cecilia Malmström, is too close to call.
- And Western Australian opposition leader Zak Kirkup appears likely to lose his seat in the state election tomorrow. Polls are predicting a swing to the McGowan government.
Thanks for your company.
Updated
AFP didn't pass on statement detailing allegation against attorney general to NSW police
The Australian federal police did not pass on a statement containing an allegation of historical rape against the attorney general to NSW police – instead providing a “summary” document.
Christian Porter has denied the allegation, dating back to 1988, which was contained in documents sent to the prime minister in late February by the woman’s friends.
Following questions in a state budget estimates hearing, NSW police on Friday lodged a summary of its dealings with the woman who made the allegation against Porter.
The summary revealed that after Scott Morrison sent the bundle of documents his office had received anonymously on to the AFP, it only provided NSW police with a “summary email” of the allegation.
“However, no attachments were provided,” NSW police said in its response to the questions in estimates.
Read more here:
Updated
Covid-19 vaccines have been delivered to Fiji, Cambodia, Indonesia and the Philippines as part of the Covax initiative.
Covax, a global vaccine sharing initiative, has allocated an initial 1m doses to the Pacific and 25m to Southeast Asia. Other eligible countries are expected to receive their first dozes by April.
Foreign minister Marise Payne and minister for the Pacific, Zed Seselja, said in a joint statement:
There is no higher priority for Australia and countries in our region than access to safe and effective Covid-19 vaccines. The Australian government is committed to working together with our neighbours to save lives, help economies reopen and ensure our region’s stability.
Updated
The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) has warned Australian businesses that they are at risk of a security threat due to a vulnerability in Microsoft Exchange.
Assistant defence minister Andrew Hastie said Australian businesses should urgently patch vulnerable versions of the email server.
Our first priority is to keep Australians safe, including when online, and it is vital that Australian small businesses and organisations take the necessary steps to protect themselves from this vulnerability.
Now that this vulnerability is known, organisations and businesses – particularly small businesses who may not update their IT security regularly – are at additional risk of being targeted by malicious cyber actors who are financially motivated.
The best thing Australian organisations can to do protect themselves is visit cyber.gov.aufor the latest advice from the ACSC and Microsoft on how to protect yourselves against this vulnerability. It is easy to do, and I am urging all Australian businesses to get on top of this and protect their networks.
There’s a thunderstorm and flash flooding warning for Sydney’s southern suburbs.
⚡Detailed Severe Thunderstorm Warning⚡
— Bureau of Meteorology, New South Wales (@BOM_NSW) March 12, 2021
for HEAVY RAINFALL
A thunderstorm producing heavy rainfall is moving over the southern suburbs in Sydney. Heavy rainfall may lead to flash flooding.
⚠️Warnings: https://t.co/CGaedGPvSN
📡 Radar: https://t.co/EjEe94d6rl pic.twitter.com/M4RxqEAlnE
A stadium in Port Moresby has been packed out for the state funeral service of former prime minister Michael Somare, known as “the father of the nation”, AAP reports.
The “Grand Chief” died of pancreatic cancer on February 26 aged 84, with the government declaring two weeks of mourning, ending with Friday’s four-hour service at Sir Hubert Murray Stadium.
PNG’s Post-Courier newspaper reported on Friday morning that the stadium was packed to capacity with more than 20,000 people, with one group storming the gates and overpowering marshals to force their way in.
The funeral service, to be led by Cardinal Sir John Ribat, was due to start at 1pm local time and finish at 5pm.
Sir Michael’s wife, Lady Veronica, arrived at the stadium in a wheelchair with her sons, daughters and grandchildren, the Post-Courier reported.
There has been a recent surge in coronavirus cases in PNG, prompting the Somare family to urge people to stay Covid-safe and watch the service from home live on television.
“Sir Michael would have wanted us all to keep each other safe, especially during these unprecented times. Stay home if you can and follow the directions of health authorities,” Sir Michael’s daughter Bertha said in a statement.
Sir Michael was PNG’s first prime minister following the nation’s independence in 1975 and had later stints in the top job, serving 17 years in that role.
Updated
Age care services minister Richard Colbeck has warned it will take “probably a couple of years” before the full benefits of a new aged care act – recommended by the royal commission to enshrine “a universal right to high quality, safe and timely support and care” – will be felt by older Australians.
As the Morrison government considers the royal commission’s 148 recommendations and outlines its plan for the sector before the 11 May budget, Colbeck told a Committee for Economic Development of Australia webinar on Friday that he hoped some reforms could be actioned as early as July – specifically new regulations limiting the use of chemical restraints.
However he indicated the government would take its time drafting a new aged care act – a recommendation made by both commissioners – appearing to suggest it aims to only meet the 1 July 2023 deadline the commissioners set for the new act.
In addition to the new aged care act which Colbeck said would provide the foundations for the sector’s reforms, Colbeck indicated the government would provide further investment for home care packages, and adopt transparency measures about aged care providers’ performance, in the budget response.
It’s probably a couple of years that will be required for a new act ... the scoping, the drafting and the legislating of a new act is going to take a period of time.
Other recommendations from the royal commission include setting requirements for aged care residents to receive 200 minutes of care per day, higher requirements for staff qualifications and resulting pay rises, as well as a levy to raise the additional money the reforms require.
Economists have calculated Australia’s aged care system will require at least $36bn each year if the Morrison government adopts the royal commission’s cheapest recommendations to address neglect and abuse and realise a right of care for older Australians.
You can read more about the aged care royal commission recommendations here:
Updated
Liberal MP Jason Falinski has been asked, on ABC News, whether he thinks the government should hold an independent inquiry into the allegations against Christian Porter. Allegations that Porter strenuously denies.
Falinski, wearing some kind of football scarf, said:
Yeah, sure, we should set up an independent inquiry. If we want to have governments setting up independent inquiries outside the justice system.
I mean, what is at stake when people make calls like this is that you would then move from the rule of law to the rule of individuals where any government can decide that it wants to start having inquiries into all sorts of different things. This is an exceptionally difficult circumstance, what happened here. These are tragic events, it is an incredibly hard case. There are two people who were 17 and 16 at the time. The attorney general has made it very clear that he denies the allegations, he denies anything untoward happened, and this has been investigated independently by the New South Wales police.
The calls for the government to set up a separate inquiry is just simply taking us into extraordinarily dangerous situations and an area and we have seen that when countries in the past have done this, that it is not the guilty who end up being persecuted, it is the innocent.
A fact check: the case has not been investigated by NSW police as the complainant died before she was able to give a police interview. Police have said they are not able to progress the matter.
As Labor MP Louise Pratt said:
Well, the rule of law can’t resolve this issue. The alleged victim is dead and the police have acknowledged that they can’t continue with inquiries because of that fact. But this nation needs a process in order to assure ourselves that we have an attorney general that is fit for office.
I would note that this government, you know – they put Julia Gillard through a royal commission, I saw Carmen Lawrence go through a royal commission many years ago. They’re quite prone, frankly, to putting up their own independent inquiries when it suits them. So I think this is nothing other than a convenient response to the government to be able to say that the rule of law needs to speak for itself.
Updated
Businesswoman and friend of ousted MinterEllison CEO says there appeared to be 'almost a conspiracy to destroy her'
An experienced business woman says former MinterEllison chief executive Annette Kimmitt’s departure from the firm came after what appeared to be “almost a conspiracy to destroy her” in the media.
Susan Oliver said Kimmitt, who she co-founded an angel investor network for women with in 2013, had found it extremely tough as the circumstances behind her departure played out publicly in the past week.
Kimmitt left MinterEllison by “mutual agreement” after an internal feud about the firm’s legal representation of Christian Porter spilled into the open.
Oliver is the chair or director at a number of companies and organisations, including the Wheeler Centre. She said:
It’s a big punishment for what appears to be not a wise email, but a relatively small matter. I think that it should be acknowledged that Annette is a very intelligent woman with a strong and accomplished career.
From the outside, because I’m not within Minters, I know she’s contributed as much as she possibly could.
Oliver said the media coverage leading up to Kimmitt’s departure had, in some cases, been “punitive” and “just extraordinary”, with some articles comparing her departure with the exodus of senior leaders from Rio Tinto after the destruction of Juukan Gorge.
I just believe there’s almost a conspiracy to destroy her, which is very unnecessary.
Oliver said Kimmitt’s departure raised questions about the culture at MinterEllison, but also the broader corporate world.
Sometimes when women are selected in a job, there’s a sense that when they start to be leaders, there’s some discomfort about them asserting that leadership. I don’t think we’ve built a culture that really accepts differences.
If we have organisations where everybody feels they have to walk in the same way, how will they see the opportunities.
When you look at EY [Ernst and Young, Kimmitt’s previous employer] and most of the professional firms, they’ve got the best approaches. I think [Kimmitt] came from an exemplary culture and perhaps expected to find the same thing at Minters.
Updated
Brimingham was also asked to comment on a statement made by James Hooke about the woman who accused attorney-general Christian Porter of rape. Hooke also said he had “clear recollections of relevant discussions” with Porter in the 1990s.
Porter has strongly denied the allegations.
Asked for his response to this statement, Birmingham said:
Well, I don’t know, I haven’t seen those reports or comments, and I wouldn’t really have any knowledge in relation to what historic discussions anybody may have had.
Does this increase the pressure on the federal government to set up an independent inquiry?
Well, the South Australian police are finalising their reports and advice to the South Australian coroner and he will make his decision in full independence, as is appropriate, with the laws under which the coroner operates to determine what steps may occur in relation to an inquest or other activity, and I think those legal processes ought to be run and to run their course free of any form of political interference.
Does Birmingham think there should be an independent inquiry separate to the coronial inquest, which will concentrate on the women’s death?
I think that we have a well-established rule of law in Australia, that it treats everybody equally, that there are proper processes attached to it and that we ought to let those processes run their proper course of events and that, I’m sure, is what will be the case in relation to the South Australian coroner and the police who are supporting him in his work.
Updated
Government frontbencher Simon Birmingham told ABC he was not able to say how Linda Reynolds’ “lying cow” comment was meant to be interpreted, because he wasn’t present when it was said.
Reynolds reached a confidential settlement with her former staffer Brittany Higgins over the comment, which was reportedly made after Higgins’ allegation of being raped by a colleague in Reynolds’s ministerial office was made public.
In a statement, the defence minister said she “did not mean it in the sense it may have been understood” but said that given it had been made public, she wanted to “retract it and unreservedly apologise to Brittany Higgins and acknowledge the hurt and distress it caused to her”.
Speaking to ABC24 this afternoon, Birmingham was asked whether it was appropriate that the formal apology took this long. He said:
Well, I believe there have been discussions between Ms Higgins and Senator Reynolds. As I had said previously, it was appropriate for Senator Reynolds to apologise and apologise to the full satisfaction of Ms Higgins and I hope the steps that have been taken achieve that outcome.
What else could the comment have been taken to mean?
Look, I don’t know, I wasn’t present. But what I hope for is that Ms Higgins is satisfied with the retraction and the full apology that has been provided.
A Coalition-majority Senate committee has paved the way for the government’s controversial Online Safety bill to be debated when parliament returns next week.
The Senate committee report recommends the bill be passed, which will give a broad range of new powers to the eSafety commissioner aimed at tackling online bullying, as well as censorship powers over adult content on social media.
The Coalition senators on the committee noted the concerns raised about the new powers, with little oversight or transparency, but argued parliament will have oversight over how it operates.
On regulating online content, the senators noted that the classification system is currently under review, and adult content would not be targeted as part of the enforcement of the new law:
In this respect, the committee notes the commissioner’s view that the new scheme is intended to focus on online harm, which the committee considers is an appropriate approach and which would not capture the significant majority of adult content online.
Labor senators raised concerns about the balance between free speech, and required protections against certain kinds of speech such as bullying, in the context of the extensive new powers over speech to be granted to the commissioner:
Labor Senators find it curious that a government that has made repeated attempts to repeal section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act on the grounds that it unduly restricts free speech despite the availability of defences in section 18D, is now seeking to rush through a bill that empowers the eSafety commissioner with discretion to determine matters of speech in relation to adult cyberbullying without greater checks and balances.
Labor called on the government to consider amendments around the scope of the powers, the appeals process, oversight and transparency for the commissioner’s proposed powers.
The Greens called for the legislation to be withdrawn and re-written to address the concerns raised about the new powers, as well as the impact the legislation would have on lawful online content and sex workers.
Daily Telegraph editor Ben English has criticised the Morrison government for the speed of the vaccine rollout, saying ScoMo was “in danger of becoming SloMo”.
Daily Telegraph editor Ben English says in his Friday afternoon newsletter that Scott Morrison is "in danger of becoming SloMo, the great vaccine vacillator". Says urgency over Australia's response to the COVID-19 pandemic appears to have disappeared with the vaccine rollout
— Natasha Robinson (@NC_Robinson) March 12, 2021
This is much better than continuing to use a nickname the prime minister chose himself, which I don’t think anyone should be able to get away with. You can’t enforce your own nickname.
Phillip Island locals have described a horrifying scene at a local beach, where the rotting, decomposing carcass of a beached sperm whale is apparently reminiscent of a scene from Fight Club, where a bag of stolen fat from a liposuction clinic explodes over Brad Pitt’s face.
Local Matt Bowtell told reporter Justine Landis-Hanley:
They throw the fat over the fence, and the bag breaks, and it just pours all over him and he’s just gagging – it’s just like that.
You are walking towards this whale – this beautiful, majestic creature – and suddenly you can feel your feet getting heavier and heavier. And you look down and it’s just curdled sand. All this fat and blubber has washed out to sea and been brought back up to the high tide mark.
It’s like you have dipped your foot in a grease tray. And the more you try and rub it off, the more it is rubbing in.
Bowtell said he ruined his favourite shoes – a pair of blue suede Jordans – by walking on the sand. He didn’t leave them by the stairs in case they got stolen, and said their current state, which is absolutely stinking of dead whale, is “funny in hindsight”.
Another local said the whale smelled “like nothing I have ever smelled before”.
We didn’t get closer than 30 metres but all had to shower and wash hair to get rid of the smell. It stays in your nostrils and throat for hours.
Gross. Read more here:
Updated
The media diversity inquiry is now hearing from former News Corp reporter turned independent journalist Anthony Klan.
media diversity inquiry hears from finance journo Anthony Klan who says after writing one particular story at the Oz, he was called into a meeting with Australian editors and several executives from Westpac were on the conference call. "It's an unusual situation"
— amanda meade (@meadea) March 12, 2021
Media inquiry evidence: Big corporates have "excessive clout" at newspapers, former reporter says. "He who pays the piper calls the tune." The editor was John Lehmann at the time. "They didn't want to upset the big end of town".
— amanda meade (@meadea) March 12, 2021
Updated
If you are thinking of spicing up your living spaces with some truly perplexing statuary, a Chinese furniture maker is selling statues of Donald Trump Buddha statues.
The statue comes in two sizes, one 16cm tall and one 46cm tall. Perfect for any space.
The seller has allegedly sold “dozens” of the statues already. We remain skeptical.
Coalition to push ahead with industrial relation reforms despite Porter's absence
The Morrison government says it wants to push ahead with debating its industrial relations bill in the Senate next week, despite the expected absence of the attorney general, Christian Porter.
The acting minister for industrial relations, Michaelia Cash, issued a statement this afternoon that said:
Discussions with crossbench senators and relevant stakeholders are continuing and the government remains committed to advancing the bill in the Senate during the coming sitting week.
Parliament is due to return on Monday.
Cash’s comments follow a government-dominated parliamentary committee recommending the passage of the bill. Greens and Labor members of the committee added dissenting reports opposing the bill.
Updated
Truck driver who killed four police in crash told families he was 'very sorry'
A truck driver who killed four police officers on a Melbourne freeway last year has apologised to their families in court, saying he “didn’t mean to hurt them” and was “instantly shattered” by the crash.
More from AAP:
Mohinder Singh was sleep-deprived and drug-affected when he crashed a 19-tonne semi-trailer into the officers impounding a Porsche on the Eastern Freeway last April.
Leading senior constable Lynette Taylor, senior constable Kevin King and constables Glen Humphris and Josh Prestney died.
Singh’s barrister, Peter Morrissey, told a pre-sentence hearing in Victoria’s supreme court on Friday:
There’s no real way of saying it but he’s very sorry.
Mr Singh was instantly shattered by what he did. But he’s not getting away with anything here – he’s facing the music. His remorse is palpable, sustained and authentic.
Singh had admitted to other police who arrived at the crash scene he hadn’t been fit to work that day.
He said:
Tell the families I swear to God I didn’t mean to hurt them. It was a really big accident. I’ve got nothing against police.
The 48-year-old has pleaded guilty to four counts of culpable driving causing death, three counts of drug trafficking and one count of drug possession.
Singh had been using and trafficking drugs and had very little sleep in the lead-up to the crash, the court was told.
That morning, he had been “talking nonsense” about being chased by witches.
A witness said:
I had never seen anyone as drug f---ed in my life.
Morrissey asked Justice Paul Coghlan to “mix justice with mercy and clemency” in punishing Singh.
He also thanked Victoria police on behalf of the Singh family for conducting a fair and balanced investigation.
Singh will be sentenced on 14 April.
Updated
Guardian Australia’s editor, Lenore Taylor, and managing director, Dan Stinton, are now giving evidence at the media diversity inquiry.
Media diversity inquiry hears: Guardian Australia is profitable now and receives 60% of its funding from readers, and the rest from advertising and to a lesser extent philanthropic grants.
— amanda meade (@meadea) March 12, 2021
Guardian Australia is tiny compared to News Corp and Nine and cannot be seen as a "counter balance" to Murdoch, the media diversity inquiry hears.
— amanda meade (@meadea) March 12, 2021
Guardian Australia editor Lenore Taylor was asked by senators why climate change is so contentious in this country. She says it's because "climate science is portrayed as a matter of debate when it's not, it's a matter of science".
— amanda meade (@meadea) March 12, 2021
Updated
Mining giant Adani has asked the government to make it illegal for activists to post phone numbers and email addresses of executives online as part of the federal government’s controversial new online safety bill.
Many of the more than 400 submissions to the consultation on the draft legislation said the proposed new powers for taking down bullying and adult content went too far, but Adani proposed it should be extended further.
In a submission, first reported by CommsDay executive editor Rohan Pearce, Adani’s country head, Lucas Dow, said activists opposed to the company’s mining operations in Australia had begun doxing the personal information including mobile numbers, email addresses and, in one case, an executive’s home address online.
He said:
While some posts contain personal information where followers are advised to ‘politely’ contact that person, the reality is that many of these direct communications are menacing, offensive and can cause serious distress and harm to an individual.
Harassing people this way is already a crime under Australian law, but Dow said the doxing had led to employees receiving “a significant volume of phone calls and texts – many threatening and abusive – to their mobile phones” and called for the practice to be made illegal:
Others have had their calendars jammed with meetings to the point where they are unusable, and in extreme cases activists have shown up to people’s personal homes, with their families present, demanding an audience.
These occurrences were only possible due to activists publishing personal details on social media platforms.
As a company we have seen first-hand the personal distress caused by doxing and the impact it has on the mental and physical health.
It is our submission that the online release of personal information without express authorisation of the individual/s should be illegal.”
The claim comes just four months after Guardian Australia revealed Adani had hired a private investigator to follow anti-Adani activist Ben Pennings, who took photographs of Pennings walking his nine-year-old daughter to primary school, trawled his wife’s Facebook page and followed her to work.
The Senate committee’s report on the bill is expected to be tabled today.
Updated
Here is James Hooke’s public statement in full:
I was mentioned in the Australian and the Adelaide Advertiser this week, and I am referred to in [an] unsworn statement and the extracts from [my friend’s] diaries. I continue to be repeatedly contacted by numerous journalists seeking public comment, and in response, I make the following personal statement. But beyond this, I have no further public comment at this time.
I continue to be devastated by the untimely death of my very dear friend, and I am enormously concerned for the privacy and dignity of [my friend’s] family. I am also concerned for the well-being of Christian Porter. I have known all of them for approximately 30 years. We all find ourselves at a very upsetting time.
Mine is just one set of recollections, and I am aware of the fallibility of human memory, however unintentional. That said, I have what I consider to be clear recollections of relevant discussions I had with [my friend] over the years from mid-1988 until her death. I also have what I consider to be clear recollections of relevant discussions I had with Christian Porter from April 1992 in Perth and through the mid-1990s.
The NSW police have determined that a criminal prosecution is not possible in this case. I made myself known to the NSW police after [my friend’s] death and I understand why they were unable to interview me.
In relation to any criminal prosecution, Christian Porter was manifestly and appropriately entitled to the presumption of innocence – it is essential to the rule of law.
In relation to any investigation of the important non-criminal aspects of this matter, I support an inquiry, like either that conducted by three retired eminent judges after Justice Lionel Murphy was acquitted of charges or that conducted by Dr Vivienne Thom into allegations about Justice Heydon. I am willing to testify under oath at any appropriately convened inquiry.
While I fully support the freedom of the press, I do not believe that the media is the optimal forum in which to investigate a situation of this sensitivity and significance.
Updated
Friend of Christian Porter accuser says he has 'clear recollections of relevant discussions' with Porter
A longtime friend of the woman who alleged she was raped by the attorney general, Christian Porter, as a teenager has said he had “clear recollections of relevant discussions” of the alleged incident with Porter, from at least 1992.
Macquarie Bank managing director James Hooke released a statement on Friday afternoon as someone who has known Porter’s accuser, and Porter, for the past 30 years.
Hooke said the woman, who he considered to be a “very dear friend”, and he had “relevant discussions” about the event from “mid-1988 until her death”. Hooke also recollects speaking with Porter about the allegations from 1992 onwards.
Porter has vigorously denied all the allegations against him as “never happening”.
In a written statement, Hooke said:
Mine is a just one set of recollections and I am aware of the fallibility of human memory, however unintentional,” he said in a written statement.
That said, I have what I consider to be clear recollections of relevant discussions I had with [the woman] over the years from mid-1988 until her death.
I also have what I consider to be clear recollections of relevant discussions I had with Christian Porter from April 1992 and through the mid-1990s.
Read more here:
Updated
Good afternoon, it’s Calla Wahlquist here, taking over from Elias Visontay.
I wanted to alert you to a bit of polling out of Western Australia, which shows that opposition leader Zak Kirkup is extremely likely to lose his seat in tomorrow’s election — the first Liberal leader to do so in 88 years.
The polling was conducted by YouGov for The West Australian. It shows the Labor candidate, Lisa Munday, on a primary vote of 55% and a swing toward Labor of 10.7% in the seat if the polling results are replicated on Saturday.
Now, the usual caveats apply: single seat polling can be unreliable, and the sample size is just 400 people, although YouGov said it did use mobile phone numbers and used quotas to ensure a good spread of the population was represented. But Kirkup currently has a margin of just 0.7%, so even if the polling is out by a few points it’s not looking good.
A Victorian firefighter has broken down before the media diversity inquiry while giving evidence about the alleged “vilification” of members of the firefighters’ union by the Herald Sun.
Peter Marshall, the national and Victorian branch secretary of the United Firefighters Union, was in tears as he spoke about the lack of justice available to members of the public who have been attacked by tabloid newspapers.
He said defamation was not an option and the press council refused to take their multiple complaints, saying they didn’t have the resources.
Marshall told senators that between 2015 and 2016 the Herald Sun “ran a concerted campaign” against the career firefighters which was “one-sided, inaccurate and unrelenting”.
He said:
During this period, the Herald Sun unjustly and offensively represented professional firefighters as greedy, lazy and indifferent to public safety – and more.
The inquiry will hear from more witnesses this afternoon.
Updated
JUST IN: Thailand suspends use of AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine
— The Spectator Index (@spectatorindex) March 12, 2021
Linda Reynolds to reportedly pay damages to Brittany Higgins
Defence minister Linda Reynolds will reportedly pay damages to her former staffer Brittany Higgins as part of a defamation settlement.
On Friday, Reynolds released a statement retracting the comments she reportedly made to her staff in February – in the aftermath of Higgins airing rape allegations – that she was a “lying cow”.
The defamation settlement is understood to include a “sizeable” payout that Reynolds has to personally pay.
Reynolds, who had previously apologised for the comments, remains on medical leave.
— Linda Reynolds (@lindareynoldswa) March 12, 2021
In a statement, Higgins said she would donate the settlement paid by Reynolds “to an organisation that provides counselling and support to survivors of sexual assault and abuse in the Canberra area”.
On the conclusion of proceedings against Linda Reynolds. pic.twitter.com/gKvoo4n1Sg
— Katharine Murphy (@murpharoo) March 12, 2021
Updated
Earlier today, Scott Morrison sought to reassure Australians that the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine is safe after some European countries suspended their rollouts of the jab during an investigation into cases of blood clots.
The prime minister said he had discussed the reports with the health department secretary, Brendan Murphy, who did not believe there was a need to change Australia’s classification of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Morrison also said Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration considered data from overseas rollouts as well as conducting its own testing of the vaccine batches being distributed across Australia.
Overnight, Denmark, Norway and Iceland announced they were temporarily halting all AstraZeneca vaccinations to investigate the cases, after the European Medicines Agency said 30 cases of “thromboembolic events” or blood clots had been reported among 5 million people who had received the jab in Europe so far.
Italy followed Austria, Estonia, Latvia, Luxembourg and Lithuania in banning inoculations with one particular batch of 1m doses that was sent to 17 countries.
Denmark’s national health agency said it was suspending AstraZeneca vaccinations for two weeks because a 60-year-old woman who was given a shot from the same batch had formed a blood clot and subsequently died.
You can read more here:
Updated
Australia’s largest bat is making life difficult for Adelaide residents with a heaving colony of more than 25,000 plunging households into darkness 40 times so far this year.
The protected grey-headed flying fox – a member of the megabat family – first moved into Botanic Park in the heart of the city in 2010.
Since then the colony has grown steadily and it has often hit about 25,000, but there’s something a little different about the situation this year and it’s playing havoc with the power network.
Adelaide didn’t get its usual heatwaves this summer, meaning vastly more pups than usual survived. It’s these naive young bats, still on their L-plates when it comes to flying, that seem to be causing much of the trouble, an expert says.
Jason van Weenan, an ecologist with the South Australian government’s Green Adelaide program:
These young bats are leaving the colony on their first foraging runs, and they’re getting into strife on the power-line infrastructure.
Read more:
Updated
A veteran News Corp Australia photographer has given devastating evidence to a parliamentary inquiry about the way the Murdoch newspapers treated female employees and directed photographers to only take pictures of conventionally attractive young women.
Anna Rogers, who was made redundant last year, told the media diversity inquiry she worked in a sexist and toxic culture at Cumberland Newspapers, the Australian, the Courier-Mail and the Cairns Post between 1991 and 2020, where men were consistently promoted over women.
You can read more from this morning’s inquiry here:
Updated
Thanks for taking us through the morning, Matilda.
I’m Elias Visontay and I’ll be be on the blog for the next short while.
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.
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That’s where I might leave you for today, but don’t worry, the amazing Elias Visontay is waiting in the wings to bring us to the finish line of this week!
Victoria has recorded a deficit of $10.1 billion for the first half of the 2020/21 financial year, AAP reports.
The deficit, revealed in Victoria’s mid-year financial report released on Friday, was attributed to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent slowdown in the state’s economy.
Net debt increased by $17.4bn to $61.7bn to pay for the government’s response to the pandemic as well as a suite of infrastructure projects.
Total revenue for the six months to December was $30.9bn, about 46% of the published full-year budget estimate and a decrease of $2.5bn from the same period last year.
This was in part due to the closures of Crown Casino, hotels and clubs depriving the state of gambling taxes and the reduction in payroll tax, as Victorians worked fewer hours due to the pandemic and the government offered up payroll tax waivers and refunds.
The state was forced into a second lockdown in July, lasting 112 days, after coronavirus escaped hotel quarantine and spread into the community, killing hundreds. Tough restrictions were also imposed on New Year’s Eve as the state battled a cluster linked to a Black Rock Thai restaurant.
Treasurer Tim Pallas said in a statement the state’s economy recovered strongly in the December quarter as restrictions eased:
After all the sacrifices Victorians have made to get this virus under control, we are seeing the rewards in a rebounding economy offering more jobs, more investment and more opportunity...
Victoria was the fastest growing economy in the nation before the pandemic and our strong fundamentals are on show now as we surge towards a healthy recovery.
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Naaman Zhou mentioned before that the former managing director of the ABC, Mark Scott, has been announced as the new vice-chancellor of the University of Sydney.
Current ABC managing director David Anderson has just put out a statement on the appointment:
Mark Scott has proven himself to be a consistently strong, thoughtful and engaging leader across many roles. His decade as managing director of the ABC is recognised as a remarkably successful period for the public broadcaster and his leadership set the ABC on a clear course for the next generation.
Sydney University and the broader tertiary sector will be very well served by his appointment.
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March4Justice protests are being planned around the country for Monday and it looks like a decent chunk of the crossbench and some opposition MPs will be taking part too.
The marches are intended to increase pressure on the federal government to call for an independent parliamentary enquiry into allegations that the attorney general, Christian Porter, raped a 16-year-old girl when he was 17, at a school debating competition in 1988. He has categorically denied these allegations.
So far the government maintains that as NSW police have declared that they are unable to open an investigation into the issue (largely due to the woman ending her life last year before making a formal statement to police), there is no need for an independent investigation, and launching one would compromise the “rule of law” in Australia.
Greens MP Larissa Waters says all women in her party will walk out of parliament on Monday and join the protest:
These last few weeks have made every woman in the country angry, sad, outraged and exhausted.
We are calling on women parliamentarians from all parties, and women who work in Parliament House, to join the march and stand in solidarity and demand better.
The government’s reaction and its subsequent lack of action in response to allegations of sexual assault in Parliament House and allegations of rape against the attorney general have left many of us feeling disgusted and fed up.
Opposition frontbencher Andrew Leigh has said he will close his office in order to allow his staff to attend the protest.
My office will be closed on Monday, so staff can attend the #March4Justice at Parliament House. #canberra #auspol #EnoughIsEnough #WhyIMarch pic.twitter.com/XBiYZBlrf3
— Andrew Leigh (@ALeighMP) March 12, 2021
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This is well worth a watch. Former AFP player and ABC sports reporter Tony Armstrong spoke this morning about his reactions to the news that three Indigenous people have died in Australia custody in the past week.
We’re angry – white-hot with rage.
Nothing’s being done. So much, so much finger-pointing, “the problem’s here, the problem’s there”.
The answers are in the royal commission from 30 years ago.
“We’re angry...white hot with rage.”
— News Breakfast (@BreakfastNews) March 11, 2021
The ABC’s Tony Armstrong says nothing is being done to address Indigenous deaths in custody. It comes amid growing outrage over a third death in custody in a week. @Tonaaayy_ @abcnews pic.twitter.com/GT1hE13YHQ
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The Herald Sun today reported that Victorian police and emergency services minister Lisa Neville has gone on holiday to Queensland while she is on sick leave from the state government.
Neville has taken three months off on medical advice from her doctor after she faced serious complication from Crohn’s disease, which she has lived with for many years.
Crohn’s disease is known to be worsened by stress and Neville was told by her doctor that without a period of leave, she faced the prospect of major bowel surgery and risked the “quality and length” of her life.
In the story, Neville was photographed with a long angle lens, eating and drinking wine with fellow MP Harriet Shing at a restaurant in Port Douglas.
Other government ministers have hit back at criticisms of the minister today, with Victorian attorney general Jaclyn Symes saying:
Where she chooses to rest is a matter for her.
I’ve heard criticisms from the opposition that this doesn’t pass the pub test. I spend a bit of time in pubs ... and I reckon this does.
AG @JaclynSymes on @LisanevilleMP in Port Douglas while on sick leave.
— Simon Love (@SimoLove) March 12, 2021
"Where she chooses to rest is a matter for her,”
"I've heard criticisms from Oppn that this dosent pass the pub test - I spend a bit of time in pubs.. and I reckon this does.” @10NewsFirstMelb #springst
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Sims has been asked about the dangers of the social media “echo chamber” whereby website algorithms can lead people to only consuming news from one political viewpoint.
While he said this was an issue he didn’t have any concrete strategies for how the government to contract this:
We did recommend that ACMA [Australian Communications and Media Authority] bring in place a disinformation, misinformation code, where they could have the power to take down – or agree on processes where the platforms would take down – deliberate misinformation, disinformation...
I think, trying to deal with the privacy issues would also help because part of this is all the data that people have on you and how they can then target you. Beyond that senator ... I just think it’s an issue to be watched and kept an eye on I don’t have an immediate answer as to how you deal with it, but I think it just needs to be watched.
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Chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, Rod Sims is defending some of Australia’s approach to media diversity stating that there are “many more concentrated sectors than the media sector in Australia”.
Senator Kim Carr has asked:
And that justifies media being dominated by so few players?
Sims:
Well, it’s a question of what you mean by dominance ... if I look at our media sector, and then someone says, you know, “Who are the main players?”, I’d say yes, News Limited.
Nine certainly is one because of their TV, radio, and they’ve probably got the dominant commercial radio network in every city, and they’ve got very important newspapers. The ABC, it’s got Radio TV everywhere. Seven West Media.
But you know a lot of people I know read The Guardian.
Carr:
You know, a lot of people I know read The Guardian, but that doesn’t necessarily change dramatically the level of ownership or control of the media in this country.
Well, at least it’s good to know that Sims and Carr at least hang out with a high calibre of people!
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Chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, Rod Sims is speaking in front of the senate inquiry into media diversity now.
He said the current merger laws could have allowed News Corp (Daily Telegraph, Herald Sun, Sky News etc) to buy competitor Fairfax (Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Macquarie Radio etc) if they had been so inclined.
I said publicly ... that we would not allow News Limited to acquire Fairfax.
Now you might think that’s obvious, but I said that loudly and clearly to get the message out. Had News Corp wanted to buy Fairfax and that went to court. I honestly don’t know whether we’d have won or lost.
And that’s where the merger laws, I think, do need [to be strong] because that I think by any definition should never be allowed. That didn’t happen or probably wasn’t even contemplated, but that’s where we could improve our merger laws but that’s a general issue rather than a media diversity issue.
Just an FYI: Fairfax has since been bought by Nine.
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Still on the media diversity inquiry, Anna Rogers has asked to make several final points about what she describes as the “toxic” culture at News Corp:
A colleague who returned from maternity leave was offered no flexibility, regarding her hours and consequently resigned. That’s quite recently.
There was unlimited overtime and TOIL with no pay.
I’m told [by my picture editor] that if I didn’t like my job that I could work at Maccas...
The contract that we all had to sign gave the company the right to listen into our phone conversations. And you couldn’t get a job with News Corp without signing that.
I wasn’t ever offered employment under the EBA I was only ever offered employment under the contract.
I’ve known employees on the award who weren’t pay their entitlements or penalties.
I know of cadets who weren’t graded accordingly after the requisite time.
So when I say, high staff turnover; since, 2015, we’ve had 53 staff leave out of the office. Thirty resigned. Nineteen have been made redundant, three sacked, two died.
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Mark Scott, former ABC managing director, named new vice-chancellor of University of Sydney
The former managing director of the ABC, Mark Scott, has been announced as the new vice-chancellor of the University of Sydney.
Since leaving the ABC top job in 2016, Scott has been the secretary of the NSW department of education – which means he is in charge of the state’s public primary and secondary schools.
He was the director of the ABC for 10 years from 2006 to 2016, and was previously an executive at Fairfax Media and an education editor of The Sydney Morning Herald.
The former vice-chancellor, Prof Michael Spence, left the role in January this year to become the president of University College London. The acting vice-chancellor has been Prof Stephen Garton.
The SMH reported that Scott would earn up to $1.15m a year in the role, including superannuation and a bonus – $500,000 less than Spence, who earned a total package of $1.6m in 2019. Australian university vice-chancellors are routinely paid far higher salaries than their equivalents overseas.
Scott will take over the role on 19 July, 2021.
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I’m just diving into the Senate inquiry into media diversity hearings that are running this morning.
Long-term News Corp Australia photographer based in Cairns, Anna Rogers, is speaking now about her experience in the company.
Senator Sarah Hanson-Young is asking Rogers about the times then prime minister Tony Abbott visited the newsroom.
Rogers:
I also think that, you know, the visits by Tony Abbott ... I’m pretty sure he can reinforce, you know the angle that we were expected to take.
Hanson-Young:
What would happen when the prime minister would come to the newsroom?
Rogers:
He would meet with the editor and the managing bosses.
Hanson-Young:
And were you all told that the prime minister would be coming?
Rogers:
Yeah, and he’d come and speak to the newsroom and come say hello and so forth.
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This morning the Victorian government launched a new wave of travel vouchers, giving people $200 to take a trip into the city and stay at least two nights.
And would you look at that! Within six minutes all 40,000 were gone!
Six minutes. All 40 thousand Melbourne travel vouchers gone already. @7NewsMelbourne pic.twitter.com/dqYGfck6rd
— Laurel Irving (@laurelirving7) March 11, 2021
The state government described the tourism support package like this:
The Melbourne Travel Voucher Scheme provides eligible Victorians with $200 to help cover the costs of a minimum two nights paid accommodation, plus attractions or tours in metropolitan Melbourne during the eligible travel period.
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News Corp photographer says she was discriminated against by Murdoch empire for being female
A long-term News Corp Australia photographer, Anna Rogers, has told parliament she was discriminated against by the Murdoch empire for being female in a “toxic” sexist environment.
The 25-year veteran of News Corp, who worked for many years at the Courier Mail, was made redundant last year and the union had to fight for her proper entitlements, she told the media diversity inquiry.
Rogers says the newspapers’ coverage is also driven by sexism, with directions to photographers not to shoot “a pig in lipstick” and only shoot attractive young women under the age of 35.
She says subscription targets are now driving court coverage with photographers told to mine social media accounts of defendants rather than read the charges.
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Victoria reaches 14 days without a local Covid-19 case
Victoria has now reached a full Covid-19 incubation cycle with no locally acquired cases. This will no doubt help raise confidence that the Melbourne airport quarantine hotel cluster has died out (although 28 days is needed in order to confirm elimination).
It’s worth noting that the last cases two weeks ago came from people already in quarantine, so posed no infection risk to the public.
Yesterday there were no new cases reported. 18,827 test results were received. Thank you to everyone who got tested - #EveryTestHelps.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) March 11, 2021
More later: https://t.co/lIUrl0ZEco#COVID19Vic #COVID19VicData pic.twitter.com/KK7k9bpS8x
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Australia won't halt AstraZeneca rollout despite concern in Europe
Home affairs minister Peter Dutton says the government is still confident in the AstraZeneca vaccine despite several European countries suspending the rollout.
Denmark, Norway and Iceland have temporarily stopped using the vaccine while authorities investigate whether it is linked to blood clots. (There are about 30 cases out of five million doses given out so far.) Other countries stopped the usage of a specific batch of the vaccine.
But Dutton told the Today Show that Australian authorities do not share these concerns:
The way in which this rollout has worked, not just here but around the world, means that we do have an enormous amount of data..
And the conclusion here is that the vaccine is safe, it will continue to rollout.
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Government will consider adding Mildura and Albury-Wodonga airports to tourism package
McCormack said Avalon airport was chosen as the government subsidised destination in Victoria as the nearby Great Ocean Road was heavily reliant on international tourists.
With the Great Ocean Road, that is where international tourists flock to. That is one of the biggest areas, which was hardest hit in Victoria. So, that was why we put Avalon on the list...
There are many fine operators up and down the Great Ocean Road. It is a fantastic area. I encourage Australians to go and visit. Take a drive or take one of the half price tickets. Go to Avalon. See the Great Ocean Road. Magnificent. Twelve Apostles. Look at it!
The deputy prime minister said the government would potentially consider adding other Victorian airports like Mildura or Albury-Wodonga (technically NSW, but it’s on the border) to the list, but didn’t miss the chance to slam Victorian acting premier James Merlino:
Like I say it is an initial list, an initial list of 15. We will certainly look at those other centres and other destinations as well but I will not stand here and take lectures from James Merlino.
I appreciate he is the acting premier and wants to get out and get on the front foot and get a headline for himself. A bit rich coming out and criticising the federal government when we have provided so much support for Melbourne, for regional Victoria, for the state of Victoria in general. When it’s been the Victorian Labor government that at the drop of a hat has closed its border and then caused so much heartbreak and hardship for so many people in this state.
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Given McCormack is speaking from Melbourne, perhaps it’s not surprising that questions have quickly turned to the Victorian state government’s displeasure at the federal travel rescue package.
Only one of the 15 “half-price” destinations is in Victoria, Avalon airport, only an hour out of the city. Acting Victorian premier James Merlino has slammed the plan, but McCormack says the state’s long and economically devastating lockdowns doesn’t mean they deserve a larger share in the $1.2bn package.
Well, the Victorian government locked down their borders like that. At the drop of the hat. Hasty decisions. Locked borders when they had a couple of community outbreaks.
I appreciate last July it was difficult when there was that massive outbreak which cost the lives of more than 800 people. I understand that. I know whatever we think and say about our premiers, they have done what they thought they needed to do to protect the people in their state. But it has come at a big cost. Come at a big cost to business. Come at a big cost to livelihoods...
Particularly when I have members in my own party who were far closer to Adelaide and South Australia than they were to Melbourne. Yet they were still under the same impositions that Melbourne was. I mean, I spoke to farmers who had to wear, for goodness sake, face masks to go and check on their stock when they were many hundreds of kilometres from Melbourne. That is pretty hard. That’s pretty difficult.
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Deputy prime minister Michael McCormack says there is “still hope” for vaccinating all adult Australians by the end of October, but seem to have conceded it’s not that likely.
He is speaking to media now from Melbourne:
There’s still the plan that’s still the hope ... Australia is a big nation. I’m pleased as a regional member that regional people are being vaccinated at the same rate as our city friends.
We have a plan. We’re rolling it out. We’re getting on with the job.
It won’t go flawlessly all the way through. The health minister Greg Hunt has acknowledged that, the prime minister acknowledged that, but we do the very best we can for a very large nation – this is the largest peacetime logistical exercise in Australia’s history.
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Channel Nine and Win to reunite
Regional television viewers can expect a shake-up in their television schedules after Nine Entertainment switched its affiliate broadcaster from Southern Cross to Win.
Ten will partner with Southern Cross again, reversing the change that was made five years ago.
Starting in July the partnership will see Nine expanding its reach into Tasmania, regional Western Australia, Victoria, Queensland and Southern NSW.
Nine told the ASX this morning that the seven year agreement will start from 1 July.
Chief executive officer of Nine Hugh Marks said:
While our relationship with Southern Cross has been strong over the last five years, the opportunities presented by the Win network to both extend the reach of Nine’s premium content into more regional markets under one agreement, and to work cooperatively with them on a national and local news operation, mean this is the right time for us to return to Win.
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The prudential regulator has closed its investigation into Westpac’s breaches of anti-money laundering laws – the breaches that resulted in it allowing transfers to the Philippines that were consistent with child sexual abuse.
Australia Prudential Regulation Authority watchers will not be surprised to learn that no breaches of the Banking Act or the Banking Executive Accountability Regime (a name clearly cooked up so that the acronym Bear could be used) and it thinks there’s no further action required.
The bank is already subject to an enforceable undertaking and a $1bn add-on to the amount of capital it’s required to hold.
In a statement, deputy Apra chair John Lonsdale said:
Although the investigation has not found evidence of breaches of the Banking Act or the Bear, Apra remains determined to ensure Westpac rectifies its risk governance weaknesses effectively and sustainably.
Under the enforceable undertaking, Westpac has clearly defined executive and board accountabilities for the implementation of its integrated risk governance remediation plan. Apra will be holding Westpac to account for the delivery of the required improvements.
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Good news for NSW residents in Auckland, they will once again be allowed to return to Australia without quarantine, as the New Zealand cluster dies out with no more new cases reported in the recent Auckland cluster since 28 February.
NSW health released a statement last night confirming the (one-way) travel bubble will reopen:
People who have been in Auckland in the past 14 days will be exempt from hotel quarantine provided that they seek testing for Covid-19 after arriving in NSW. They must self-isolate in their accommodation until they receive a negative result.
NSW Health will follow up arrivals from Auckland if a negative test is not recorded for them, to inform them of their obligations.
If a person has only been in Auckland airport after flying into Auckland airport from another part of New Zealand, they will not be required to quarantine or self-isolate on arrival in NSW.
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OECD election too close to call so far
The OECD has so far been unable to find a clear winner in the contest between former Australian finance minister Mathias Cormann and former European trade commissioner Cecilia Malmström – so the decision may not be finalised until later this month.
Cormann and Malmström, the Swedish candidate, are the final two nominees for the role of secretary general of the Paris based OECD. The selection process is based on seeking to find consensus among OECD member states.
A report by the OECD on the fifth round of consultations, issued overnight, said all OECD members were asked to identify their preferred candidate, so that aggregate levels of support for each candidate were identified.
Following discussion with the Selection Committee, the Chair’s conclusions were finalised and these were communicated first to the nominating ambassadors, and then to the Heads of Delegations in plenary. Following these consultations, the Chair has been unable to identify which candidate has the most support. Further steps will be taken in March, with the aim of concluding the process.
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Peter Dutton hits back at critics 'playing politics' with government's tourism package
Peter Dutton has pushed back against the widespread criticism of the federal government’s tourism package, taking aim at local mayors and others “playing politics” with the program.
The program has promised 800,000 government subsidised plane tickets to 15 tourist destinations in an attempt to bolster domestic tourism as jobkeeper ends.
But many have accused the government of choosing destinations disproportionately located in marginal electorates in order to court regional votes.
Dutton spoke about the package on the Today Show this morning:
There are lots of people that will take any dollar that you give them, and if you give them one dollar they ask for a second.
The fact is mums and dads love this policy because they want a cheap airfare and they want to go for a holiday, they want to be able to spend money in regional areas.
Deputy opposition leader Richard Marles also spoke to Channel Nine saying the tourism package was a massive let down, describing it as merely “half-price tickets to marginal seats”.
What they have got here is a lemon.
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Chinese students in Australia are afraid to speak out on politically sensitive issues because of potential repercussions for relatives back home, a parliamentary inquiry has been told.
Human Rights Watch has said its ongoing research into academic freedom in Australia had found anxiety and loneliness among Chinese students, with some engaging in self-censorship to avoid a backlash from Beijing.
Addressing an inquiry into foreign interference in the university sector, Sophie McNeill, a researcher for Human Rights Watch Australia, said on Thursday there was “a very deep fear of being watched, of being reported on”.
You can read the full story below:
A vessel carrying 200kg of cocaine has been intercepted off the NSW coast and one man has been arrested, reports AAP.
The drugs were unloaded and seized in Balmain, Sydney, on Thursday, the Australian Federal Police said on Friday.
The joint investigation by the AFP, NSW police and Australian Border Force started on 6 March after intelligence was received from “international law enforcement partners”.
A man is expected to appear in Sydney central local court on Friday.
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Several European countries suspend AstraZeneca vaccinations
Several European countries have either suspended inoculations with the AstraZeneca vaccine as a precautionary measure or banned the use of a specific batch.
This comes after the EU recorded 30 cases of blood clots forming in people after receiving the jab, out of more than five million.
The European Medicines Agency since released a statement confirming the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid vaccine can continue while the incidents are investigated.
The vaccine’s benefits continue to outweigh its risks.
Denmark, Norway and Iceland announced they were temporarily halting all AstraZeneca vaccinations to investigate the cases. Italy followed Austria, Estonia, Latvia, Luxembourg and Lithuania in banning inoculations with one particular batch of 1m doses that was sent to 17 countries.
Australia’s vaccine strategy is highly reliant on the AstraZeneca jab, with the majority of the country expected to be immunised with it.
You can read Jon Henley’s full report on the situation below:
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Thorpe has called for the minimum age someone can be held criminally culpable to be raised from 10 to 14:
We have got young children being locked up for stealing a chocolate bar in this country, we’re locking up children at the age of 10. We need to be in line with the international standard of 14 at least. That would see 600 children released tomorrow!
So there are simple steps we can do to achieve that. In Victoria we’ve had an increase of over 500% of incarceration of Aboriginal women. It just seems we get a little bit and then we’re taken back another three steps.
So, we need real change. We need to change these racist laws that continue to incarcerate us, continue to kill us in the justice system.
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Yesterday Victorian Greens senator Lidia Thorpe called the justice system “deeply racist”, following the deaths of three Aboriginal people in custody over the past week.
An Aboriginal man died in Victoria’s Ravenhall Correctional Centre on 7 March.
In NSW, a man in his 30s and a woman in her 50s have died in the past week, but their deaths were only revealed under questioning during a NSW parliamentary hearing two days ago.
The senator has just spoken to ABC News Breakfast and was asked if she see any improvement in the justice system:
Unfortunately, no. Not with the current government.
It’s the 30th anniversary of the royal commission into Aboriginal deaths in custody. This year, the families have called to meet with the prime minister. That’s fallen on deaf ears so far.
So, I mean how many more deaths do we need to go through for people to actually listen and take this issue seriously?
We have almost had 500 deaths since the royal commission. In 30 years, 500 [deaths], and no one’s immune. We’re a tight-knit community, and we’re all affected by this loss. And the systemic racism is real.
We’re based on a colonial system, right, and that colonial system doesn’t treat people in this country very well at all.
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Virgin Australia’s boss says an expected boom in domestic tourism and optimism caused by the vaccine rollout has allowed the company to reduce the number of redundancies it will implement once jobkeeper ends but confirms some will still be out of a job.
Jayne Hrdlicka has just spoken to ABC News Breakfast:
We’ve announced redundancies that were necessary. As I mentioned, the total number of redundancies at Virgin just reduced as a consequence of the optimism we have with respect to the domestic market coming back and confidence the international border will open in October. Great news.
The people we are standing back up will be moving Australians to destinations across the country. For every dollar spent on a plane ticket, $10 is spent in the community. That’s ultimately part of the travel agenda. The tourism businesses suffering right now are going to get the benefit associated with us moving people around the country now. So, the whole ecosystem starts to rise as Australians get out of the house.
Just for clarity, the international border opening by October is looking less and less likely as it would be reliant on the vaccine rollout being completed for all willing adults. Australia is already significantly behind schedule so the October deadline has been called into doubt.
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Welcome to Friday
Good morning, Matilda Boseley here with you to get through the last dying gasps of the week.
At least in the political landscape, the federal government’s tourism rescue package is still the hot topic of conversation.
Yesterday prime minister Scott Morrison announced $1.2bn dollars would be dedicated to providing half-priced plane tickets to a number of popular tourist destination in an attempt to bolster the travel sector as jobkeeper ends.
Morrison has rejected claims the government favoured Coalition and marginal seats when choosing these destinations, labelling opposition leader Anthony Albanese’s accusation that southern Tasmania had been ignored because it was a safe Liberal seat as “absurd”.
It’s ridiculous. I mean, the northern parts of Tasmania is the regional part of the state which needs that additional support...
We already have lots of flights going into Hobart.
The list released yesterday morning was just an “initial” list, Morrison says, with the government already adding Darwin (a Labor stronghold) later on Thursday.
But it doesn’t look like their troubles are over just yet, with Victorian leaders saying they have been short-changed after only receiving one (kinda weird) half-priced destination in the scheme.
Avalon airport was chosen, but it isn’t exactly in the middle of a tourism hub. It’s only an hour out of Melbourne, services the industrial city of Geelong, and while it would help funnel tourists down the Great Ocean Road, acting premier James Merlino says that won’t be enough.
It’s like they are looking at the Melbourne and Sydney markets and using them as the source for markets across the rest of the country. It is not fair, and we are disappointed...
You only have to look at the numbers. Five in Queensland, three in Tassie, two in the Northern Territory, just one in Victoria. This is not a great outcome for tourism operators, other than those who will be serviced by flights to Avalon.
Now the other important thing happening today is the WA state election entering its final day, with opposition leader Zak Kirkup insisting he has no regrets, despite the Liberal’s almost guaranteed defeat.
This could also spell the end of Kirkup’s short-lived political career after the 34-year-old has vowed to walk away from politics if he loses his ultra-marginal seat of Dawesville at Saturday’s state election.
We’ve done everything we can and will continue to work incredibly hard to get out there...
It takes a toll but I promise you it is worth it for the people of Western Australia so that they understand exactly what it might mean if Labor gets total control and total power.
Uttering the phrase “we’ve done everything we can” in the dying hours of an election campaign is probably not a good sign, to be honest.
Well, with that why don’t we jump into 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.
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