What we learned today, Thursday 8 July
That’s it for today, thanks for reading.
Here’s a recap of the day’s main stories:
- New South Wales records 38 Covid cases, the highest total since the latest Sydney outbreak began.
- A new police operation is set to start tomorrow in Sydney’s south-west, with more than 100 officers including mounted patrols to crack down on Covid-19 restrictions.
- Scott Morrison has dismissed suggestions Australia could have vaccinated enough people by now to have avoided a lockdown to control Sydney’s Covid-19 outbreak.
- Morrison has also announced a royal commission into the suicide of veterans and defence personnel; and
- Queensland and the Northern Territory both recorded two new Covid-19 cases, but in both jurisdictions the people were fully isolated. No other cases were recorded outside NSW.
Updated
WA woman's death 'likely' linked to AstraZeneca vaccine, TGA says
The death of a 61-year-old West Australian woman from a very rare blood clotting condition was “likely” to be related to her receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine, the Therapeutic Goods Administration says.
In its weekly safety report, the TGA said an external vaccine safety investigation group it convened on Friday concluded that the fatal case of immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) was likely to be related to immunisation.
The TGA says it has received 36 reports of suspected ITP and 76 cases of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) likely linked to the vaccine out of more than 5m doses.
“The TGA is closely monitoring reports of ITP in light of a case in a 61-year-old woman from Western Australia who developed severe ITP after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine,” the TGA said.
“Sadly the woman died and we extend our sincerest condolences to her family and loved ones.”
The TGA has previously confirmed two deaths from TTS likely linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Updated
Scott Morrison has dismissed suggestions Australia could have vaccinated enough people by now to have avoided a lockdown to control Sydney’s Covid outbreak as “completely and utterly false”.
In his first press conference in almost a week, Morrison defended his government’s vaccination rollout, insisting it was only two months behind schedule.
The rollout has been thrown off course more than once by delays, changes in advice, supply issues and vaccine hesitancy, but Morrison said even at its most optimistic point, Australia’s rollout would not have prevented the Sydney situation.
Read the full story here:
Updated
This little yarn out of the ABC earlier today is worth a look. Apparently Victoria is the only state in Australia recording data about ethnicity as part of the vaccination rollout, despite federal authorities previously saying that data on languages spoken and country of birth would be collected.
Updated
Christian groups in the NT are cool with you getting the jab, AAP reports:
Central Australian Christian groups say they support the Covid-19 vaccination rollout after some religious leaders allegedly discouraged Indigenous communities from receiving the jab.
Aboriginal health group the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress says it has received reports some Indigenous people in the Alice Springs area have been told vaccination “shows a lack of faith in God”.
A clinic run by the congress has also received phone calls accusing staff of killing Indigenous people after successfully rolling out the vaccine to a remote community, an official says.
“It’s potentially motivated by religious background,” the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress chief executive, Donna Ah Chee, told reporters.
Ah Chee has since contacted Northern Territory police and asked it to investigate the incidents.
She is also calling on religious groups in Alice Springs to throw their support behind the vaccine rollout.
Ah Chee is concerned the alleged religiously inspired messaging could cause some Indigenous people to not get vaccinated.
The Alice Springs Ministers Fellowship chairman, Ben Matson, says he was surprised by the accusations and is not aware of who is spreading the misinformation.
A group of central Australian religious leaders have met to discuss the matter.
“There’s not a single Christian organisation in Alice Springs that would tell people not to get the jab,” he told AAP.
“Everybody was up in arms and couldn’t speak strongly enough against it.”
Matson says Christian leaders are not medical professionals and strongly advise congregation members to seek professional health advice.
“The last thing we want to do is create conflict between faith and science and medicine,” he says.
“We definitely won’t be speaking against what the doctors and medical professionals say.”
Matson says member churches will be speaking to their leaders and laypeople to ensure congregations are not being discouraged from getting the jab.
“That’s not our message and that will be communicated very clearly,” he says.
There are more than 100 Indigenous communities and homelands in central Australia, with a variety of Christian groups catering to about 10% of residents.
About 30% of the NT’s 246,561-strong population is Indigenous.
More than 40% of Territorians have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, with about 16% – or 30,000 – fully vaccinated.
Updated
A great breakdown on clusters in NSW just issued by NSW Health:
Check this out from NSW Health. Currently 7000 close contacts. CBA Roselands the only retail setting post-lockdown where there has been transmission. @9NewsSyd #sydneylockdown pic.twitter.com/TtL6KIH8ie
— Chris O'Keefe (@cokeefe9) July 8, 2021
Updated
Two Northern Territory mine workers test positive
Two workers from the Tanami mine site have tested positive to Covid-19, the Northern Territory government has confirmed.
The statement from the NT government says there is no risk to the community as the men had been in quarantine at Howard Springs since 26 June.
The NT government says:
Two cases of Covid-19 have been recorded in the Centre for National Resilience.
Both cases are workers from the Tanami mine site who have been in quarantine since Saturday 26 June, which includes during their infectious period.
Both workers came into close contact with another worker who later became positive so are classed as locally acquired cases. They travelled on the flight from the mine to Darwin together.
The workers returned a positive Covid-19 result as part of their day 12 testing, having returned negative results on their tests undertaken upon entry and on day 5.
There is no risk to the community because the workers have been in Howard Springs during their infectious period.
Both men are displaying mild symptoms and are under the care of NT Health at the Centre for National Resilience.
The total number of cases diagnosed in the Northern Territory is 189. There are currently 11 active cases in the Northern Territory.
Updated
Sex crimes detectives in New South Wales have submitted a brief of evidence to prosecutors over allegations made against the state MP Gareth Ward.
NSW police confirmed on Thursday that a brief had been submitted to the state’s director of public prosecutions following an investigation into alleged “sexual violence-related offences against a 39-year-old man”.
The allegations relate to two incidents – one in 2013 involving a man who was then aged 25 and a second in 2015 involving a teenage boy who was 17 at the time.
Read the full story here:
Updated
Just on the extra vaccines for NSW, here is what the Queensland health minister says (through a spokesman – I asked if they had asked for any extra vaccines):
During Victoria’s outbreak, the Morrison government provided Victoria with an extra 100,000 vaccines.
When Queensland experienced community transmission, our request for additional Pfizer vaccine doses was denied by the Morrison Govt.
On Sunday, Queensland asked for a delivery of 42,120 doses of Pfizer to be brought forward. Disappointingly, we are yet to receive a response.
Today, the Morrison Govt has announced it will bring forward the delivery of 300,000 more vaccines to New South Wales.
But within minutes, the federal health department called Queensland and told them they would have their extra doses. This is possibly an interesting development ahead of national cabinet tomorrow, given Morrison said earlier today that additional agreements had been reached for Pfizer and AstraZeneca.
Updated
Here’s some reaction to the announcement of a royal commission into veterans’ suicide, made by the prime minister, Scott Morrison, earlier (via AAP):
Defence and veteran groups have welcomed the terms of reference of a royal commission into suicides in the military.
The RSL national president, Greg Melick, said the upcoming inquiry had been a long time coming.
“It’s going to be a completely and fairly exhaustive consideration of issues we’ve wanted dealt with for years,” he told AAP.
The Australia Defence Association executive director, Neil James, was also satisfied with the terms of reference.
“Many people thought they’d weasel out of this by rigging the terms of reference and they appear not to have weaseled out of it, probably because of the public outrage that would cause,” he said.
James was pleased the royal commission would investigate the role played by the defence and veterans’ affairs departments.
“There are too many laws, they are too complex and their administration is too bureaucratic,” he said.
“Hopefully the royal commission will suggest clear changes to fix that problem.”
Melick wanted the inquiry to look at more than just interactions between Australian Defence Force personnel and government departments.
He warned people engaged with the inquiry would need assistance and said the RSL stood ready to help.
“The royal commission’s going to stir up a lot of memories for a lot of people.”
An in-depth analysis of systemic risk factors leading to serving and returned personnel taking their own lives would form a key part of the probe.
The prime minister, Scott Morrison, released the terms of reference for the inquiry, which will be led by the former senior police officer and weapons inspector Nick Kaldas.
“The death of any Australian Defence Force member or veteran is a terrible tragedy that is deeply felt by all Australia but particularly those who served alongside them and their families,” he told reporters in Sydney.
James Douglas, a former Queensland supreme court judge, and Peggy Brown, a psychiatrist and national mental health policy leader, will assist Kaldas.
The commission will look at common themes relating to veteran suicide including the potential impact of pre-service, service, transition, separation and post-service issues.
The probe will be able to inquire into any previous death by suicide, including suspected suicide.
The royal commission is due to provide an interim report on 11 August 2022, and a final report on 15 June the following year.
The inquiry has been delayed by the prime minister’s overseas travel and a Nationals leadership spill, which saw Darren Chester dumped as veterans’ affairs minister and replaced by Andrew Gee.
Former soldiers and politicians of all stripes waged a long-running campaign for a royal commission.
The prime minister spent years pushing back against the calls, preferring to establish a permanent agency.
But he was dragged into action after Coalition members threatened to cross the floor.
The inquiry will examine all aspects of service and the experience of those who transition to civilian life.
It will look at the availability and quality of health and support services as well as issues facing ADF members and veterans including family breakdowns, housing and employment.
Private sessions will be available.
• In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is at 800-273-8255 or chat for support. You can also text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis text line counselor. Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org
Updated
The Queensland government has made it mandatory for students who do placements in hospitals to be fully vaccinated, which seems an eminently sensible idea.
Federal MP calls for end to greater Sydney lockdown
The federal MP Jason Falinski says the NSW government should end lockdown in parts of his electorate.
Falinski, the Liberal MP for the seat of Mackellar, which takes in parts of Sydney’s northern beaches, says hundreds of thousands of people should be released from stay-at-home orders.
There have been zero community transmitted cases across the region in the past four weeks, he said, and the peninsula had “paid its dues” when locking down over Christmas.
Falinski says:
We need to forge through this pandemic and break this seemingly infinite loop in Australia of outbreaks equating to mass lockdowns. Continuing to accentuate the pain of this pandemic by limiting individual liberty, crushing certainty for businesses and causing hardship for families through extensive restrictions when there is no overriding and greater public health reason for doing so has to end.
People of the northern beaches paid their dues over the Christmas and the New Year period. They carried the country and avoided a mass outbreak by locking down.
It proved you can manage the outbreaks through LGA restrictions without unreasonably upending millions of lives.
Australia can’t survive on federal government handouts; we need to get businesses back open, people back at work, kids back to school and all of us back to normal.
We can’t afford as a society to be unnecessarily spreading the suffering of this pandemic when we should be focused on limiting its impact.
Updated
NSW Health releases new venues of concern
Anyone who attended the following venue at the times listed is a close contact and must immediately get tested and isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result, and call 1800 943 553 unless they have already been contacted by NSW Health:
Revesby
Billy’s Cars, 4 July, 10am – 11.30am
Anyone who attended the following venues at the times listed is a casual contact who must immediately get tested and isolate until a negative result is received. Please continue to monitor for symptoms and immediately isolate and get tested if they develop:
Illawong
Charlie’s Grill Chicken and Seafood, 3 July, 2.50pm – 3.10pm
Belmore
Youies, 3 July 8.30am – 1pm and 4 July, 8.30am – 2pm
Menai
Aldi Menai, 4 July, 4pm – 4.30pm
Wetherill Park
Vodafone 4 July, 12.30pm – 12.40pm
Coles Wetherill Park Stockland, 4 July, 12.30pm – 2.30pm
Edensor Park
Fred’s One Stop Shopping, 4 July, 1.30pm – 3.30pm
Updated
More detail here on the police operation set to kick off in south-west Sydney tomorrow morning (via AAP):
A dedicated police operation in southwest Sydney will see at least 100 more officers deployed to the area to ensure compliance with COVID-19 rules.
“Clearly we are still having members of the community not comply (with public health orders),” Deputy Commissioner Mal Lanyon said on Thursday afternoon.
“We’ve heard very clearly and very loudly the words of our premier and (Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant) in terms of the emerging areas of concern in southwestern Sydney.”
The Fairfield, Canterbury-Bankstown and Liverpool local government areas have seen high rates of COVID-19 transmission in recent days, with Premier Gladys Berejiklian warning the region could be subject to elevated restrictions.
The operation will commence at 7am on Friday and bring in mounted police, traffic patrol, transport and safety officers, and staff from other specialist areas, Mr Lanyon said.
Police will be “a very visible presence”, he promised.
Police will be asking people who are outside their homes what their reasonable excuse is, and will be cracking down on activities like unnecessary shopping.
“You don’t need that pair of shoes today,” said local commander Assistant Commissioner Tony Cooke.
Mr Cooke said he had been in constant contact with the community leaders and would meet with them again on Thursday afternoon. Southwest Sydney is home to many of the city’s multicultural communities.
But he said there was no excuse for not complying with restrictions at this point in the pandemic.
“Our multicultural liaison officers have been deployed for weeks now cross the community, sending the message, we have paraphernalia in 56 languages distributed to communities,” he said.
“This is about us working together to comply with these orders.... When we do not get the compliance we will enforce.”
Earlier, Fairfield Mayor Frank Carbone told the Nine Network on Thursday he was concerned southwest Sydney was being unfairly targeted, saying “this isn’t a Fairfield problem, I won’t take anyone pointing a finger at Fairfield”.
Mr Lanyon on Thursday denied the operation was discriminatory.
“The virus has shown very clearly that it doesn’t discriminate and nor does the NSW Police,” he said.
“That is why we are targeting the southwest metropolitan area as of tomorrow, as we have done where other areas of concern have been identified.”
Updated
The scribes at AAP have knocked out this story on hospital staff isolating in Western Australia, despite a “minuscule” risk of them contracting Covid-19 from a bulk carrier worker.
Dozens of hospital staff and patients who may have been exposed to coronavirus in regional Western Australia have been ordered to isolate in a backflip by authorities.
It comes after an infected ship crewman spent up to three hours in the emergency department at Geraldton Hospital before being moved to a negative pressure room.
The man in his 50s was airlifted to Perth and remains in a stable condition at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. WA Health has confirmed he is intensive care.
Twenty-five staff, 18 patients and eight visitors at Geraldton Hospital have been ordered to quarantine until they return negative coronavirus tests.
They had already been classed as casual contacts and asked to get tested, but were initially told they would not have to isolate. That decision was reversed on Thursday following a meeting between government and health officials.
“The medical advice is any risk is minuscule,” Premier Mark McGowan told reporters.
“But in the interests of public confidence, we won’t be taking any chances here.”
Upon returning a negative test, staff members will be allowed to return to work but must wear face masks at all times.
They will also undergo daily saliva tests.
Mr McGowan said the crewman “probably would have died” if his ship, which has since departed, hadn’t been allowed to unload him for treatment at Geraldton.
It emerged on Wednesday that a separate staff member at the hospital was in quarantine after entering a lift used by the infected crewman.
The hospital worker wasn’t involved in the patient’s transfer but had inadvertently used the lift before it had been appropriately cleaned. They were not wearing personal protective equipment.
Authorities say the vaccinated staff member was sent home to isolate immediately and didn’t have any contact with the community.
They will be required to quarantine for 14 days and return three negative tests.
The state opposition has questioned why the crewman was not immediately placed into isolation, blaming the government for failing to implement proper safeguards at regional hospitals.
“With WA still battling with regular COVID-19 breaches in recent months ... you have to wonder why WA was not better prepared given the lessons learned in the past year,” opposition regional health spokesman Martin Aldridge said.
Mr McGowan said protocols would be reviewed at all major regional health centres.
“Obviously in the case of Geraldton, they haven’t had any cases. This was an unexpected event,” he said.
Here is a recap of the situation in NSW:
NSW police also mentioned earlier today that they would be targeting people travelling from greater Sydney to regional areas.
In total, 56 infringement notices were issued yesterday, 26 of those $200 fines for failing to wear a mask.
Updated
Frightening story coming out of New Zealand: hospitals are experiencing the payoff of “immunity debt” created by Covid-19 lockdowns, with wards flooded by babies with a potentially-deadly respiratory virus, doctors have warned.
Updated
Meanwhile, in Victoria.
Just 3 local active cases left in Vic @abcmelbourne #springst
— Bridget Rollason (@bridgerollo) July 8, 2021
Concern about the announcement of a major police operation in Sydney’s south-west (where NSW health are concerned about several outbreaks, but where police reckon compliance with restrictions is not worse than anywhere else). Senator Mehreen Faruqi says:
This is a terrible turn of events. Over-policing multicultural communities is a recipe for disaster. The mounted police were never called into Avalon or Westfield Bondi. The double-standard is there in plain sight.
Updated
There are growing calls in Sydney for a middle ground vaccination target that is less ambitious than the “unrealistic” 80% goal of fully vaccinating all adults that Gladys Berejklian has declared as necessary for a Covid-normal reality where NSW can avoid snap lockdowns.
The Committee for Sydney has today called for priority to instead be placed on ensuring everyone has access to the vaccine as opposed to coverage, and once everyone has access to a vaccine, that society should not have to wait until they have all made the decision to get the jab to reopen fully.
Gabriel Metcalf, chief executive of the committee, said “we can’t wait until a significant proportion of the population is vaccinated to stop the snap lockdowns”. Metcalf notes that the United Kingdom has not yet achieved 80% full vaccination, and said “we may never get there ourselves”. He said:
The key to living with Covid-19 has to be about access to the vaccine – not coverage. Everyone who needs a vaccine, must have an opportunity to get one. When that happens, we need to change our thinking around lockdowns.
Once every Australian is given timely access to a vaccine, we will have to learn to live with Covid-19 ... Now we need to shift our thinking to how we live with the virus and the key has to be access, not unrealistic targets of community coverage.
We also need to be conscious of language that can be interpreted by minority communities, particularly in western Sydney, as apportioning blame to them. We are all experiencing lockdown fatigue. The blame should instead be on the federal government for putting us all in this vulnerable position through their complacency, if not political expediency, in delaying the vaccine rollout and continuing our Fortress Australia settings.
Metcalf added that “Sydney is facing a major economic blow” and that “lockdowns work pretty well for professionals who have the option to work from home, but not for service workers”.
Updated
NSW police acting assistant commissioner Tony Cook said the operation, which will include mounted police, would build on the work the force had been doing with multicultural community groups.
He said he believed compliance with restrictions was similar across metropolitan areas (ie nowhere was worse than anywhere else).
The operation will run until NSW health advises police that it is no longer needed. The focus will be on whether people have a “reasonable excuse” to leave home.
Updated
NSW police to clamp down on Covid-19 rules in south-west Sydney
NSW police are announcing a major operation cracking down on Covid-19 compliance in Sydney. More than 100 police to be dispatched across south-west Sydney from 7am tomorrow.
Updated
Back to Morrison briefly, and his comments firmly rejecting that NSW could have avoided a lockdown even if the vaccination program had been on time:
🤔🤔🤔 pic.twitter.com/UUnB11O9Qh
— Greg Jericho (@GrogsGamut) July 8, 2021
Updated
McGowan is gone. Thanks for your time premier.
I’m tuning into McGowan on Facebook now.
He’s told by one of the reporters that some people are saying they cannot get an appointment for Pfizer until October. McGowan says he is expecting significantly more Pfizer in August.
Updated
McGowan is reiterating his view that the vaccine should be given by the federal government to states and territories on a per-capita basis – and the ABC has cut away from the press conference. Not entirely clear what he was getting at here.
Updated
McGowan says it’s a good thing if his NSW counterpart Gladys Berejiklian is distancing herself from comments made by NSW health minister Brad Hazzard yesterday.
McGowan said those comments from Hazzard were, in essence, saying that if people weren’t complying with lockdown that you “let the virus run”.
McGowan is asked about why it appears people in NSW are not following the rules.
“It’s an odd thing, it’s an odd thing. I’ve seen some of the images. It’s odd.
“All I’d say to the people in New South Wales is, follow the rules.”
Updated
WA premier urges NSW to 'get it under control'
McGowan is now being asked about comments that WA could permanently close its border to NSW if they decided to let Covid-19 run there, rather than staying in lockdown until transmission was controlled.
“When a state goes rogue, in effect ... other states would have to have precautions in place.
“I’d just urge NSW ... get it under control.”
Updated
McGowan is looking forward to Monday, when West Australians can hopefully “ditch the mask”.
McGowan says there were more than 50 staff who were in a Geraldton hospital when a Covid-19 positive case from an offshore bulk carrier was treated there. Those people are in isolation. The patients and members of the public who were there are being contacted.
“The medical advice is that any risk is minuscule,” McGowan says.
Updated
The WA premier Mark McGowan is here. He’s making a joke about being on time, saying “he got a carton” (reckon he means beer, but could be eggs or smokes) because he’s been prompt. There’s a fourth day in a row of no new Covid-19 cases in the west.
Updated
So the main Covid-19 points from Morrison are:
- 300,000 more vaccines for NSW to be targeted on the south-western suburbs of Sydney. This will not impact the allocations for other states;
- $10,000 asset test waived for Covid-related disaster payments of $325 or $500;
- Says the federal government is now “hitting our marks” with the vaccination program;
- Rejected suggestions the NSW lockdown could have been avoided if the vaccination program had not been delayed; and
- Says it appears the NSW outbreak could take longer to control than the recent Victorian outbreak.
Updated
Here is the full statement released from the prime minister’s office in relation to the royal commission he has just announced:
Today the Government has formally established a Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide following approval by the Governor-General.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Royal Commission recognised the unique nature of military service, and the ongoing effects on the physical and mental health of members and veterans as a result of their service.
“We recognise the contribution and sacrifice of the men and women who have served our country,” the Prime Minister said.
“The death of any Australian Defence Force member or veteran is a tragedy that is deeply felt by all Australians. As a Government we are committed to addressing the ongoing impact of service, including preventing future deaths by suicide and providing opportunities for healing.”
The inquiry will be led by Mr Nick Kaldas APM, former Deputy Commissioner of the New South Wales Police Force, where he commanded around 14,000 staff members and a budget of more than $2 billion. Mr Kaldas also has extensive international experience in law enforcement and peacekeeping, including as Director of Internal Oversight Services for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, and as Chief of Investigations for the United Nations Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in Syria.
Mr Kaldas will be supported by:
· The Hon James Douglas QC, an esteemed former Judge of the Supreme Court of Queensland and respected member of the legal community, and
· Dr Peggy Brown AO, a consultant psychiatrist and national leader in mental health policy with extensive experience in health and mental health service planning, governance and administration.
The Royal Commission will inquire into systemic issues and common themes related to defence and veteran death by suicide, including the possible contribution of pre-service, service, transition, separation and post-service issues, and other matters believed by the Royal Commission to be relevant to its inquiry.
The Royal Commission will be able to inquire into any previous death by suicide, including suspected suicide. It will be conducted independently of Government, including the Departments of Defence and Veterans’ Affairs.
In making recommendations on systemic issues, the Royal Commission will be informed by the individual experiences of defence members, veterans and their families and support networks.
The Royal Commission will conduct its inquiries in a trauma-informed way and private sessions will be available to those who wish to share their story in private.
A legal financial assistance scheme will be available to people called as witnesses to the Royal Commission. An independent legal advisory service, counselling and support services will also be made available to people engaging with the Royal Commission.
The Terms of Reference have been informed by feedback received during an extensive public consultation process and views from states and territories. Over 3,000 submissions were received during the consultation on the themes.
“I thank all those who provided feedback on the themes for the Terms of Reference. Each piece of feedback received during this process was integral in informing the final Terms of Reference,” the Attorney General, Michaelia Cash, said.
Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Defence Personnel Andrew Gee welcomed today’s announcement and said he hoped the Royal Commission became a seminal moment in Australia’s care of veterans and their families.
“The Royal Commission is a crucially important piece of national work that I hope can be a catalyst for positive change in the treatment and care of veterans and their families, both now and for future generations,” Minister Gee said.
“Our country asks so much of the men and women of the ADF and we owe it to them and our veterans to make sure that this Royal Commission and its findings lead to lasting results.”
The National Commissioner for Defence and Veteran Suicide Prevention Bill, currently before the Parliament, will be amended to ensure that the National Commissioner will complement, and not duplicate, the Royal Commission’s important work. The National Commissioner will be the permanent body responsible for implementing the Royal Commission’s recommendations. These landmark measures will together reduce deaths by suicide of defence members and veterans.
The proposed amendments will provide for the commencement of the National Commissioner’s functions and powers following the conclusion of the Royal Commission, or at an earlier point in time if recommended by the Royal Commission.
The Royal Commission is due to provide an interim report on 11 August 2022 and a final report on 15 June 2023.
Further information on the Royal Commission, including the Terms of Reference and information on how to make a submission will be available at https://defenceveteransuicide.royalcommission.gov.au
The Australian Government is committed to supporting the health and well-being of those who have served our nation in the defence forces. $11.7 billion in federal funding supports more than 325,000 veterans and their families each year.
If you, or someone you know, need support, you can contact:
· Lifeline Australia – 13 11 14
· Suicide Call Back Service – 1300 659 467
· Open Arms (current and ex-serving ADF personnel and their families are able to seek this free and confidential support) – 1800 011 046
· ADF Mental Health All-hours Support Line (for current serving ADF personnel and their families) – 1800 628 036.
· Safe Zone Support (for current and ex-serving ADF personnel and their families) – 1800 142 072. When you call Safe Zone Support, you do not need to identify yourself if you do not want to.
Updated
That’s it from prime minister Scott Morrison at Kirribilli House.
Morrison now being asked a question about the veterans’ suicide royal commission.
“We will keep a very open mind to make sure we support veterans and their families ... through what I hope, at the end of the day, will be a very illuminating process.”
Updated
Morrison is repeating the “hitting our marks” line regarding the vaccination program.
“The vaccine will not turn up at your doorstep. You have to make your way to it.”
Updated
“I know people are getting tired, I know people are getting frustrated. This is a virus we’re dealing with, and it tends to set its own rules.”
The suicide rate is being discussed in relation to the pandemic. Morrison clarifies that suicide rates in Australia are not higher than they were prior to the pandemic.
Morrison says “we are hitting those marks now” when it comes to the vaccination program. He then clarifies that “hitting those marks” would mean the program would still be two months behind the forecasts made at the start of the year.
Updated
Morrison says the evidence is that “the situation” in NSW will take longer to control than what occurred during the recent lockdown in Victoria (which went for three weeks, the same length the NSW lockdown is supposed to go for).
Updated
Morrison says he will work very closely with the NSW government to ensure they will provide appropriate economic support should further restrictions be required, saying the state is on “shifting sands”.
“What is happening in Sydney does not just have implications for Sydney.”
Morrison is asked about why Australia’s “special relationship” with the US hasn’t allowed it to secure greater vaccine supplies.
Morrison: “We have been accessing additional doses, it’s true, we have ... but equally the focus of the United States ... is increasingly focussed on developing countries.”
Updated
It is the intention, based on the advice, that every Australian who wants a vaccine will be able to get one by the end of the year, Morrison says.
Updated
Questions for the PM. The first one is about the vaccination program spluttering along. Morrison is asked: is this lockdown on you?
At no stage, at any time, in the past 12 months, has there been any suggestion we would reach the same level of vaccination as in the UK.
The suggestion that somehow there was a vaccination rate that would have somehow put us in a different situation than we are right now is simply not true.
Updated
He says these 300,000 doses will not come at the expense of other states and territories.
300,000 vaccine doses to be brought forward for western Sydney
Morrison says the federal government will bring forward 300,000 Covid-19 vaccine doses in western Sydney. Half AstraZeneca, half Pfizer.
Updated
Morrison says he is announcing financial supports that will also apply to other states. The liquid assets test applied to payments of $325 or $500 for those who have missed work will be waived.
Updated
“Whether it’s a party of footballers or just a simple family gathering, coming together, it can have the same consequences.”
Updated
He says he’s spoken with NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian several times today, and reiterates that NSW residents should be more compliant.
“You just can’t go from one house to the next ... I understand why people would wish to do that.”
Updated
Morrison is now on NSW. He says it’s very serious. Thanks for that PM.
Updated
He says more than 3,000 submissions were received as part of the consultation before the commission.
Updated
Morrison says the royal commission will be able to inquire into any death by suicide, including suspected suicide, and will make recommendations about systemic issues.
Updated
Former NSW police commissioner Nick Kaldas will lead the royal commission, Morrison says.
Scott Morrison announces royal commission into defence and veteran suicide
The prime minister Scott Morrison is speaking at Kirribilli House.
He says there are two very important matters he’d like to raise: a royal commission into defence and veteran suicide and the emergency Covid-19 situation in Sydney.
Updated
Dr Khorshid of the AMA is really making clear what he thinks of the discourse bubbling away that suggests the NSW government should just fling open the doors.
There’s no such thing as living with Delta, that is really clear. You only need to look at other countries around the world to see what Delta does to a population that is not vaccinated.
We are not in the situation of the US or the UK where we have very significant numbers of people vaccinated. We’re simply not there yet. We need to look at India or Indonesia to see what the reality will be in Australia if we let this virus rip through the community.
We do have the benefit of significant numbers of people in aged-care facilities now being vaccinated, that means we would see less deaths in that group than we saw in the Victorian outbreak but this Delta strain affects young people. It affects people in their middle ages and we are seeing young people in hospital and in ICU right now in New South Wales as a result of Delta.
Updated
He says, if anything, the NSW government should consider stricter conditions.
The Delta outbreak is probably the biggest threat of Australia’s prosperity that we have seen during the Covid crisis. The numbers aren’t anywhere near what they were in Victoria but the virus is so much more transmissible, so we are at a crossroads here.
If the state of New South Wales does the right thing then all indications are the virus will be eliminated and we can get back to relatively normal and the important task of vaccinating the whole community. Get it wrong and we are at looking at a very different Australia until there’s vaccination.
Updated
Khorshid says it is clear the NSW government should have ordered lockdown sooner.
When you look back in retrospect would New South Wales be in a better position if they locked down earlier? I think the answer to that is is unequivocally yes but this is Australia’s first experience with a significant outbreak of Delta ... Throughout the rest of the pandemic lessons had to be learnt.
Unfortunately, that has resulted in the need for a longer lockdown but we do know that lockdowns work. We have seen with Victoria that with far more cases lockdowns eventually did work. It was a lot of pain for many Victorians but they did eliminate the virus, they got back to relatively normal and that has got to be the aim for New South Wales.
Updated
The AMA president Dr Omar Khorshid is speaking in Perth. He says any suggestion that people in NSW could “live with Covid-19” rather than continuing lockdowns is flawed.
There’s no alternative to elimination for New South Wales. And nowhere in the world has any community been able to live with Delta without very significant levels of vaccination. We are simply not ready to live with this Delta strain and we’re already seeing significant numbers of people, around 10% of the cases, already in hospital.
Just multiply that out to thousands and thousands of cases, which is the inevitable outcome within a very short period of time if restrictions are eased, and imagine what the hospital system will look like and imagine what you might experience if you need to go to hospital for urgent care such as with a heart attack or cancer. This is avoidable through continued lockdowns and that is the reality ... for New South Wales.
Updated
The federal ministers Stuart Robert and Anne Ruston have confirmed that the suspension of mutual obligation requirements – which apply to those on some forms of government support – have been extended in parts of New South Wales, in line with the decision to extend lockdown.
In a joint statement, they said:
The suspension of mutual obligation requirements will apply to New South Wales job seekers and participants in the Bayside, Blue Mountains, Canada Bay, Central Coast, City of Sydney, Greater Sydney, Inner West, Randwick, Shellharbour, Waverley, Wollongong and Woollahra and will remain in place until Tuesday 20 July 2021 inclusive.
These arrangements will apply to job seekers in jobactive, Online Employment Services, Disability Employment Services and participants in ParentsNext who live or are serviced in these areas.
Job seekers and participants in these areas will not face payment suspensions or financial penalties for failing to meet their mutual obligation requirements that are due, or are arranged to occur, during the suspension period of mutual obligation requirements.
Job seekers and participants in these areas are still encouraged to stay connected to employment services to ensure they are supported to access the full range of assistance including mental health services if required, and to continue to check when their mutual obligation requirements are due following the temporary suspension.
Special Circumstances Exemptions continue to be available through Services Australia for job seekers who require them.
The Government will continue to closely monitor the evolving situation in New South Wales.
Updated
I don’t think anyone in the US should be criticising other countries about anything wall-related for at least another five years.
The @nytimes take on Aus vax rollout: “They thought they had this covered. Life was normal in Australia & they thought ‘we can take our time with vaccinations because we’ve got this big wall keeping the virus out’
— Ashlee Mullany (@AshleeMullany) July 7, 2021
& then the virus came over the wall” https://t.co/SG5tbd7ece
Foley signs off with “see ya in sunny Port Melbourne again some time soon”.
Updated
Prime minister Scott Morrison to speak to the media
In about half an hour from Kirribilli House. He’s come under fire for making no public appearances for the past five days (he did tweet last night about the Olympic flagbearers).
He’s been asked about sea dragons too. It is sunny both literally and in disposition in Melbourne, I tell ya what.
"I think we all want to see sea dragons flourish," Health Minister Martin Foley says. Contender for #springst quote of the week?
— Benita Kolovos 🐯 (@benitakolovos) July 8, 2021
Foley is asked about a Covid-19 cleaner driving around in a truck with a numberplate COV-19, for some reason.
Foley has twice referred to the situation regarding vaccine supply in Victoria as a “drought”.
Foley is asked about the NSW push for more federal government income support, and starts to warm up.
He says there is a view the federal government is “Sydney-centric”, and he’d be frustrated if more support was available for NSW than was made available to Victoria during its most recent lockdown.
But he says that ultimately should NSW succeed in receiving more support it would benefit all states.
“I’d be disappointed if there was a different situation put in place in NSW that was not put in place for every other state.
“No one wants [lockdowns] to be in place, but if we don’t have them ... then the implications are bad for all Australians.
“[The federal government] have a role here, they just can’t keep outsourcing all their responsibilities to the state.”
Updated
NSW education department hit by cyber security attack
An interesting story developing in NSW (even if it is school holidays). Education minister says return to class next week should not be impacted.
I’ve been informed the Department of Education has been a victim of a cyber-security attack. As a precaution, all systems have been taken down. I am assured systems for teachers will be online ASAP and students learning from home next week will not be impacted.
— Sarah Mitchell (@smitchellmlc) July 8, 2021
Updated
I’m not sure if this is a signal to someone somewhere, but in most press conferences Foley has the right collar of his shirt hanging out over his jacket. Maybe it’s an attempt at some Boris-style unkemptness.
Health Minister Martin Foley flags there may be tougher circumstances from Victoria’s perspective for NSW / Sydney given the situation. Concerns about leakage to regional Orange zones. He’s again urging people against travel to NSW. @10NewsFirstMelb #springst #covid19vic pic.twitter.com/BzggiZgqiy
— Simon Love (@SimoLove) July 8, 2021
Updated
Foley fairly collegial here. No overt NSW bashing. “Their fight is our fight, and we want to work with NSW to do whatever we can to assist.”
On the WA approach of shutting down, he says it’s a matter for them, but he reiterates that Victorians should try to avoid NSW travel (unless they’re near the border).
Updated
Foley is asked whether he thinks NSW will “have this cleaned up in a week”.
He basically gives a non-answer: “I don’t have any advice as to whether NSW will be able to mop this up in a week or so, obviously I hope that they do.”
Updated
The Victorian health minister Martin Foley is speaking in Melbourne. He says the state government is considering declaring more postcodes in NSW as red zones.
“The situation is clearly not heading in the direction that all Australians want NSW to be in.”
Updated
With that, I shall pass you over to the awe-inspiring Nino Bucci who will guide you through the afternoon.
An update coming out of WA – 7 News is reporting that the Covid-infected MV Emerald Indah ship is on its way back to Indonesia. The ship docked in Geraldton earlier in the week after a man became ill and “deteriorated quickly” with bad weather preventing a helicopter evacuation.
He tested positive for coronavirus before being airlifted to the capital, and the premier Mark McGowan ordered that the ship not dock at its original destination just south of Perth and instead leave Australian waters.
I believe the infected man is still in hospital in Perth, but I will confirm.
The MV Emerald Indah is on its way back to Indonesia.@7NewsPerth
— Syan Dougherty (@SyanDougherty) July 8, 2021
Updated
More than 80% of Australians blame Chinese investors for rising house prices, even after a year of closed borders, when data shows foreign property investment has fallen to record lows.
A recent survey of Australian attitudes towards China, conducted by the University of Technology Sydney, found that 82% of people believed “foreign buyers from China drive up Australian housing prices” and making it harder for first-home buyers to enter the market.
House prices have surged in the past year, after a slight dip at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. In Sydney, house prices rose a record 8.5% between January and March 2021, and overall capital city house prices rose 10% in the year to March 2021.
Analysts and economists say this is due to domestic Australian buyers and record low interest rates, not foreign and Chinese buyers.
You can read the full report below:
Updated
NT government offers financial support to disrupted businesses
The Northern Territory government has offered businesses impacted by ongoing Covid-19 health restrictions extra financial support after an outbreak at a central Australian mine, reports Aaron Bunch from AAP.
The lockdown in the Top End and Alice Springs may have ended, but many businesses, such as gyms, yoga studios and market stall holders, have been ordered to remain closed due to NT health concerns they could spread the virus.
The minister for small business Paul Kirby spoke about this issue today.
We know that some territory small businesses have been hit harder than others - that’s why we’ve increased this support package.
Businesses unable to open after the five-day lockdown ended on July 9 can apply for an extra Small Business Lockdown Payment worth $1000.
It comes on top of an initial NT government Business Lockdown Payment offer of $1000, which has already been granted to 2650 businesses.
Small businesses eligible for the extra payment must have a turnover above $75,000 and below $10 million and no more than 20 full-time staff.
Health restrictions, including the mask mandate, ordered by NT chief health officer Hugh Heggie are scheduled to end on Friday at 1pm.
Updated
SYDNEY COVID OUTBREAK
— Joe O'Brien (@JoeABCNews) July 8, 2021
New cases, in community while infectious, partially
Jul 2 ... 35. 9. 3
Jul 3 ... 16. 2. 1
Jul 4 ... 35. 7. 4
Jul 5 ... 18. 2. 5
Jul 6 ... 27. 7. 7
Jul 7 ... 38. 11. 9
Side note: where is Scott Morrison?
Updated
AMA urges NSW not to open up until the Delta outbreak is under control
The Australian Medical Association has written to NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian in support of the extension of current restrictions in NSW, calling for them to remain in place for as long as necessary to bring the current Covid-19 outbreak in Sydney under control.
This statement appears to be a direct response to NSW health minister Brad Hazzard’s comments yesterday that NSW may “at some point”, “move to a stage where [they’re] going to have to accept that the virus has a life which will continue in the community,”
The AMA said it supports National Cabinet’s four-stage plan, emphasising that Australia should move to a position of living with Covid only once the population is vaccinated.
AMA president Dr Omar Khorshid said:
While I have no doubt once we are all vaccinated we will be in a position to ‘live with COVID’, now is not the time to ‘open up’ or relax.
Doing so without being vaccinated would not mean ‘suppression’. It would mean suffering the same devastation we have witnessed unfold overseas.
It would mean that the vast bulk of the population, who are unvaccinated, would be at real risk of serious disease, and potentially worse. It is not something we should accept, and it’s not something our hospitals could cope with.
Lockdowns, when complied with, work. Victoria has beaten back COVID through lockdowns, and come out the other side stronger and safer. Sydney can, and must, do the same.
Updated
Reporter:
Do you think we will be in lockdown until we reach zero community transmission?
Hazzard:
There is a reason why we have advice not just daily but almost to the minute from Dr Chant. I think we were here last night with Dr Chant’s until 9:50 p.m., she was here until midnight, we were on the phone again this morning.
We come out here and try and share the message. Can I make clear, the message for our community at the moment is, I know we are tired of a year and a half of pandemic and we are tired of the pressures on our community. I know we are tired of lockdown. But it really is so critical at the moment that we in greater Sydney understand that we really must not leave our homes except for essential reasons.
One person, if you have a caring or compassionate reason, one person please. If you can, do it outside the home in fresh air when we know it is safer.
On that note, thank you but we are off. Thank you.
More angry dad vibes from Hazzard:
Reporter:
[Western Australia] is suggesting a permanent hard border with New South Wales if we don’t crush the virus, or the Delta variant. What would be your response?
Hazzard:
I guess the first thing I would say is when we have asked the question and had a response from the premier that should be sufficient*.
If you want me to answer, I will say I agree with the premier.
*Okay 1. The premier’s answer was four words. 2. The WA premier made those comments as a direct response to your comments yesterday Hazzard, very reasonable that journalists would want to ask you as well.
Does he understand that reporters asking questions is kind of the whole point of a press conference?
Updated
Oh good lord, at what point do we just ask the health minister Brad Hazzard to stop coming to these press conferences?! He is just giving off crotchety dad energy every time a journalist asks him a question.
This time he is admonishing a reporter while also aggressively going back on his comments from yesterday. A pretty advanced and impressive tactic.
Reporter:
On the comments you made yesterday, that people are not listening to the warnings from Dr Kerry Chant, we might have to accept that the Delta variant is in the community. The premier seems to have watered down those comments today. Do you stick by what you said yesterday?
Hazzard:
Yes, but as Dr Chant has said and I have said, we have had more than 500 press conferences in the last 18 months, while we have had to suffer this pandemic.
It all has to be in context. The context is that we would like to have more vaccines, and we have to try and achieve getting that vaccine into people’s arms. That is our focus and that is where we should be focused.
My man! That is not at all what you said yesterday!
Claiming you have been taken out of context, when you made your comments in the middle of an hour-long live broadcast of a press conference your government controls is ... bold.
Updated
Chant:
So I think I have been clear in the advice and the premier has sort of stated it repeatedly, that our vision is that we have to have about 80%, my vision is that we need to have 80% of the population, the adult population, offered vaccination and then we have a discussion about what the new world looks like.
At some point, we have to accept that there will be community transmission. There will be at some point, outbreaks.
But the difficulty, particularly with the Delta virus, [is] control, it is proving quite challenging.
The reason I recommended an extension to the lockdown was that we would have expected to see, I think I mentioned in previous press conferences, the case numbers to decline, or a higher proportion of people infectious [in home quarantine].
The fact that we still have a number of people infectious in the community means we haven’t effectively stopped those chains of transmission.
Updated
Gosh the NSW press back love a dramatically worded question!
Reporter:
Do you feel like we are losing the battle? This is the highest number yet. The feel in the community is bordering on mutiny*.
Chant:
I am always impressed by how the New South Wales community has actually rallied.
If you look at the positive side, about testing rates they have been sustained, the fact that we have seen high testing in the areas we have called out for. Clearly, what we have seen is that there has been transmission in a lot of households, in a number of different settings. And that has led us to identify cases.
What we really have to do is assess over the next 24-48 hours, have we stopped the expansion of that?
*Come on dudes, it’s been a semi-hard lockdown for two weeks so far. It sucks, it’s horrible and devastating ... but mutiny?
Updated
I mentioned in my very first post today there was a feeling the NSW government had perhaps irresponsibly singled out the high-density migrant communities in Sydney’s south west where case numbers are high as an attempt to pass the buck of Covid-19 responsibility from the government to vulnerable communities.
Berejiklian has hit back at this accusation during today’s press conference, as well as (kind of) apologising to communities who felt offended.
That is never the intention of the needs of our government, quite the contrary. We are here to make sure people know what the risk is. I don’t think I would be doing my job properly if I did not call out what [is happening]. It is really important for me to say it like it is.
Please note that when I say it like it is I don’t mean to cause offence, I just need to get the information out. If we don’t say it like it is, people won’t think about their own actions and behaviours and I think the people of this state would expect me to be honest and direct, especially at a time like this, I am not going to beat around the bush.
I need to be direct and I don’t mean to cause offence to anybody. Quite the opposite. Our words come out of care and compassion, our words come out of wanting us all to come out of this as quickly as possible, as safely as possible and as accurately as possible, and that is why it is my responsibility to be direct.
If I have offended anybody I apologise it is not intentional. It is really important to be honest and direct and to get the message out so that people sit up and notice. And most of the time it is just because people are not across the rules or don’t know, or don’t understand. And that is why it is really important to highlight the risks of what your behaviour might mean.
Updated
Oh my gosh!
Berejiklian has just been asked about the WA premier’s comments that he may institute an indefinite hard border with NSW if they aren’t able to crush the Delta variant spread.
The NSW premier’s response was short and biting:
At least he is consistent.
Updated
There have been some reports suggesting Covid-19 advice and messages distributed in Sydney’s south west, where case numbers are high, have not been properly translated for multicultural communities there.
Berejiklian didn’t address this directly when asked, but said, in a general sense, the government was working with community leaders to get the message out.
Can I firstly thank all the community leaders that engaged with us yesterday, between minister Hazzard, Mike and myself, whether it is all the local mayors, local MPs, religious leaders, all faith leaders, community leaders, we have had great consultation and ... we will continue that.
We are following up with all the multicultural channels to make sure the message gets out, that goes for across greater Sydney, but of course in particular communities ... I just really want to thank everybody for their engagement, the health experts have relied on that consultation, know what people are doing on the ground and what we are observing people are doing to respond in the way we have, and I also want to thank a number of people who have put aside their political differences to really come forward and give us that great advice, and we will be relying on everybody to help us get the message out in all different forms.
We have had outstanding engagement with all communities from the get go, but obviously, that will be further enhanced and continue in the following days.
Updated
NSW premier says it's still 'achievable' that Sydney ends lockdown next Friday
Berejiklian has been asked if the 16 July lockdown end date is now “insignificant”.
We’re still aiming for that, don’t get me wrong, but also know that that is dependent on all of us doing the right thing...
Experts have told us it is achievable. If it was not achievable we would not have provided those details to the community.
That’s assuming everybody does the right thing and we work together to make sure we stop the spread and as we have all said, we just need people [to stop] moving around – we see people moving around because they feel like it, only go shopping when you have to. Don’t visit people in homes unless you are the same person providing care or support to that same person. We just need people to stop interacting for this lockdown to work, and I don’t just mean in one part of Sydney, this applies to all people and stay-at-home areas.
Updated
The NSW premier has left the door open to extending the greater Sydney lockdown past the end of next week.
Reporter:
Does that mean we won’t necessarily come out of lockdown on Friday given that we have now seen the highest single day of numbers?
Berejiklian:
What is important is all the experts have said if every single person does the right thing, that we can get to where we need to go at the end of the three-week period. That is a big ask because we know that unfortunately, unintentionally at times, people don’t do the right thing, so it’s really important for all of us to have equal responsibility...
For us to think that we can control a very contagious variant without having a certain proportion of the population vaccinated would be an unrealistic assumption, and that is why it is really important for all of us to do the right thing.
Updated
Berejiklian confirms NSW wont 'live with Covid' until widespread vaccination
OK, remember that slightly wild response from the NSW health minister, Brad Hazzard, yesterday, suggesting NSW might throw in the proverbial towel and decide to live with Covid-19 if it can’t be crushed in the next week?
Well, it seems Gladys Berejiklian is not on the same page at all, so that is at least pretty reassuring!
What is apparent is that – and this has been demonstrated by every other place in the world, and we can’t pretend we’re different in New South Wales in Australia – is that you can’t live with the Delta variant unless you have a certain proportion of the population vaccinated. That’s the bottom line.
If we could have done that, New South Wales would have found a way and in previous outbreaks that we have had, we have managed not to go into lockdown because we have had the resources, the capacity and the transmissibility rates to deal with it, but this new variant is a game-changer, and there isn’t anywhere on the planet that has managed to live with this variant, the Delta virus, without having a proportion of the population vaccinated, and that is why it is so important for us to make sure that people follow the health advice that we have been given on a daily basis.
This is why New South Wales from day one has had a sense of urgency about the vaccination and getting a population vaccinated*.
*But less of a sense of urgency about locking down as it seems.
Updated
CHO Dr Kerry Chant came under a bit of fire yesterday for saying that people in their 30s being hospitalised for Covid-19 should be a “wake-up call” for young people that Covid-19 can still be extremely dangerous for them.
Here is the thing, young people have just spent months being told that the AstraZeneca vaccine was statistically more of a concern for them than getting Covid-19 and therefore shouldn’t take it, and have been clamouring to get access to Pfizer jabs, so many felt it was a bit unfair to claim they needed a wake-up call.
Chant has addressed these comments this morning.
In terms of young people, I understand that young people, my messaging around young people is that you have a great role to play. We know that you often support others with caring functions and again to listen to those messages, to make sure that they are essential caring functions.
We also want young people to reach out through their social networks, they can do that quicker than our contact tracers can. Make sure that they are encouraging high rates of testing among their social groups. And they can play a part in reinforcing this message. And we know that young people care dearly about their loved ones. And they wouldn’t want to put them at risk.
So if Granny says they want to have a visit, please do it on the phone or face time. Please explain to others why it is so important that we don’t have that connectivity across households at this time. Use digital and phone options, as I said, in summary only one person should be making care and compassionate visits.
If possible keep it to the one person. All these little steps reduce the risk of contact.
Updated
Chant:
In terms of the areas that we are concerned about, we obviously need everyone to be concerned. So when I read out the suburbs, it doesn’t mean if you are in a different suburb you don’t have to be worried.
But what we’re trying to highlight is areas where we are particularly calling out for testing. We have done this traditionally in terms of saying ‘of concern’.
So the Fairfield local government area, places like Bossley Park, Smithfield, Fairfield, Glenfield, West Hoxton Park, Greenacres, St Johns Park, Bonnyrigg, Bankstown, Roselands. They are examples of areas where we know that we are having, seeing cases. But the cases will change...
Again, I can’t emphasise enough the employers and businesses often have ... understanding if people have symptoms and cannot come to work. I would urge everyone, do not attend work if you have symptoms. In this context, I am sure that all employers and businesses would be very understanding if you need to stay home and get a test. That is the best way that you can protect the community.
Updated
Three people are currently on ventilators in the ICU due to Covid-19 induced sickness.
Here are the daily hospital numbers for NSW from Chant:
We had 40 Covid patients admitted to hospital, 11 in ICU, three of whom are ventilated.
17 people admitted to hospital at the moment are under 55 and of those 10 are under the age of 35.
Of the 11 people in ICU, one is in their 30s, one is in their 50s, five are in their 60s and four are in their 70s.
Updated
NSW families urged to all get tested if one person is symptomatic
NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant has urged families to consider all getting tested for Covid-19 at once if one person is showing even mild symptoms.
New South Wales recorded 38 locally acquired cases of Covid in the 24 hours to 8pm last night. 26 were locally acquired and are linked to known cases or clusters and 13 are close contacts, and 13 household contacts of previously identified cases.
Again demonstrating what the premier has said. When we find a case in the family we find that everyone in that household has the disease ... You go in and find one case and there might be five other people in the household, they are infected.
It is critical that we get to those households as early as possible so again, make sure even now we are asking if you have symptoms, even consider getting all of your household tested at the same time to reduce the time between sequential notifications.
Updated
This is from Sky News:
🚨 The PM @ScottMorrisonMP is currently chairing a meeting of the National Security Committee discussing the NSW situation.
— Laura Jayes (@ljayes) July 8, 2021
NSW Treasurer @Dom_Perrottet is pushing hard for more support.
The Feds are seriously considering it. Weighing the length of the lockdown
Berejiklian:
The two biggest areas where people are spreading the virus is through household contacts of people close to them, and people who are undertaking activities with symptoms.
These [are the] two greatest causes for where we see the rates of community transmission at the moment.
We don’t want to prolong the lockdown, we don’t want to see Sydney or New South Wales going in and out of lockdown until we have the vast majority of our population vaccinated. It is up to all of us to step up, as difficult as it is.
You would expect me to be very direct and frank on what we need to focus on and I ask everybody who is under the stay-at-home orders to really respect the rules that are in place, they are there for a reason.
Updated
Are we still doing that whole “first wave”, “second wave” thing?
At what point does this count as NSW’s second wave?
Berejiklian:
I want to say in the most, strongest possible terms, please, please avoid contact with other households, please avoid visiting family and friends because you are not allowed to.
When we talk about providing care or compassion, we are talking about one person visiting someone who might be isolated, dropping off essential services or goods.
We are not talking about visiting extended family members, we’re not talking about visiting friends.
Data over the last few days shows this is how the virus is spreading.
The saddest message out of all of that is that people with the virus are passing it on to those they love the most. We are seeing the greatest number of people get the virus in the last few days being household contacts.
Updated
20 Covid-19 cases spent time in the NSW community while infectious
NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian is speaking now, she says 20 of the day’s 38 cases spent some time in the community while potentially infectious:
Overnight, New South Wales had 38 cases of community transmission. 18 of those were people who had been in isolation for the entire time, nine had been in isolation for part of the time, and unfortunately 11 we understand have been infectious for a number of days in the community. Those numbers are too high. We need to get those numbers down.
NSW records 38 local Covid-19 cases
NSW recorded 38 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night. pic.twitter.com/LipFvnmVTG
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) July 8, 2021
Only sharing this because we will find out one way or another in the next five minutes, but rumour has it (from Nine News at least) that’s it’s not brilliant news.
Hearing NSW numbers are in the 30s today, but it all sounds a bit volatile. I’m sensing that the break-up could be nasty. @9NewsAus #sydneylockdown
— Chris O'Keefe (@cokeefe9) July 8, 2021
Just a reminder, we are waiting by for the NSW numbers when premier Gladys Berejilian stands up for the daily Covid-19 update.
Steven Marshall confirmed that these new, downgraded travel restrictions will come into effect immediately.
Updated
SA lifts border restrictions to some of Queensland
When it comes to Queensland, the travel restrictions become a bit more complicated with South Australia adopting a “nuanced” approach to the sunshine state.
Steven Marshall:
We will keep the level six restrictions in place with Brisbane, Moreton Bay Sunshine Coast, Noosa, Gold Coast, Logan, Redland, Lockyer Valley, Scenic Rim, and Somerset.
We are going to move to level three restrictions for people who are arriving from Townsville and those who have attended the big red bash at Birdsville. They will move to level three, which is where there is testing required on day one, day five and a 13.
Then we will apply for the rest of Queensland no restrictions whatsoever. I am sure this will be absolutely huge relief to many people will stop many South Australia’s who might be in Queensland at the moment, in Far North Queensland, they will be able to return with no restrictions whatsoever.
For those people who will be able to come out of quarantine, home quarantine in South Australia today, we are asking that they continue with those level three restrictions, their Day one, day five and a 13 test.
Direct travel is available through New South Wales as long as you don’t stop on the way through. You can stop for fuel, food and if you are tired. Otherwise direct road access through New South Wales is required. We have those buffer arrangements in place and others really is moving into New South Wales and back again will not be required to do that testing.
SA brings down border wall to WA and NT
South Australia’s premier Steven Miles has just stepped up for a press conference and has announced he will reduce border restrictions with Western Australia and the Northern Territory:
First of all, I can announce that for both Western Australia and Northern Territory, the border will be removed.
The level six restrictions will be removed and we will go back to level three which will require testing on day one, day five and 13. From Sunday, we envisage that this will be removed completely and there will be no testing requirement.
But the ACT has missed out on this occasion:
New South Wales remains closed. ACT remains closed. We have considered the ACT very carefully, we know that they have no cases there, we haven’t had community transmission in Canberra for an extended period of time and this somehow confounds the epidemiologist because we know it is a very porous border and there are more than 10,000 people currently home, not out in the local area because they have been into New South Wales.
We would like to ease the border restrictions there are between ACT and SA but because of the Delta variance and our concerns there, we won’t be doing that today, but we will keep a close eye on that.
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The main topic of conversation today is the fight for the electorate of Dawson in far north Queensland, after conservative Nationals politician George Christensen, who now holds the seat, announced he would not contest the next election.
Anthony Albanese is spruiking his new Labor candidate Shane Hamilton and has started his attack by talking about workforce casualisation. TL;DR, he isn’t a fan of it.
This is a trend that has occurred under this government. And it is a trend that is being encouraged by this government ...
A federal government supporting casualisation, supporting labour hire companies rather than permanent work, rather than secure work. And that is one of the big divides in Australian politics. And that is why it is important that Shane Hamilton be elected as a member for Dawson, because he will stand up for your work, he will stand up against the increasing casualisation.
It means that people without that security can’t get a mortgage, they can’t get their way in life and advance. Australians don’t ask for much. They want a better future for their kids than they enjoyed. A better standard of living. They want decent working conditions. And that is what the labour movement have fought for for a long period of time.
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The federal opposition leader Anthony Albanese is speaking now from Mackay in Queensland.
Annastacia Palaszczuk has been asked if she would consider an indefinite hard border with NSW (as suggest by WA premier Mark McGowan) if the state’s leadership decided to adopt a tactic of living with the virus rather than eliminating it.
The Queensland premier doesn’t seem quite as keen to lock down the southern border:
Look, I just think we need to see how New South Wales goes over the next week. They are working incredibly hard. We know that they’ve got good contact tracers.
Dr Young is in regular contact with [NSW chief health officer] Kerry Chant.
You know, so we’ll see what happens over the next week. They might not be able to control that. I will be watching it every day just like everyone else.
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Thursday 8 July – coronavirus cases in Queensland:
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) July 8, 2021
2 new locally acquired cases, detected in home quarantine. Both are linked to the Alpha cluster.
1 new overseas acquired case, detected in hotel quarantine.#covid19 pic.twitter.com/J21DSFIU9L
And it’s time for the daily reminder that masks are still mandatory in formerly locked down areas of Queensland. Here is the police representative:
We are still seeing a number of people not wearing masks in our community.
We handed out 204 [penalty notices] – that brings the total to 1,149. So the message goes out to the people, please carry and wear your mask. Please do that. We did see a couple of people not do the right thing, there was one person claiming to be a sovereign citizen in the Lockyer Valley, who, despite repeated warnings, refused to wear a mask.
And another male person at Dalby, despite being given several directions, continued to spit at police. So that person was fined as well.
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Health minister Yvette D’Ath has also stepped up to comment on this situation:
Not only were they wearing PPE, they were vaccinated.
The moment the incident was over and this woman’s life was safe, they immediately self-reported they were concerned their PPE might be compromised and sought advice as to whether they should be quarantining or not. They have gone above and beyond. I want to thank them.
I want to thank all of the health workers who work in Covid wards and around our hospitals. Their jobs are not easy. Every time there’s a transmission in a hospital, they feel like they’re being targeted in their jobs*.
The fact is that health workers around the world have been infected by this virus, no matter how careful they are, because it is highly contagious. And I want to thank those workers who do work in our Covid wards.
It’s why we said we’re happy to vaccinate the families of those working around Covid patients as well.
*I mean, in fairness, the premier did stand up last week and say she was “furious” at the health system for not ensuring a clerk working outside a Covid-19 ward was vaccinated.
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Chief health officer Jeannette Young clarified that the workers were wearing PPE but were worried that it may have been compromised during the emergency:
I do want to clarify, that those 10 individuals involved were all wearing PPE. They just felt their PPE may have been compromised because they were in such a rush to help that patient.
That patient is no longer requiring the ICU.
All 10 staff were vaccinated. One of them was just waiting for their second dose because it wasn’t due yet. So that’s also good.
But despite, that because we’ve been very, very cautious with the Delta variant, which is what the patient does have, all 10 have gone into quarantine for 14 days and will be regularly tested in quarantine.
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Palaszczuk has commended the hospital workers who dived in to treat a Covid-19 patient who was experiencing an extreme, life-threatening allergic reaction, even though they did not have time to ensure their PPE had been donned correctly:
I want to give a big special shout-out to the 10 staff at the Sunshine Coast University hospital, who went beyond everyone’s expectations.
I’m just so proud of them. They put their own lives at risk to go in and help a Covid-positive patient who went into anaphylactic shock. They went in, she saved her life.
I’m so proud. I’m proud of each and every one of them. I thank them. I know that Queenslanders are proud of them as well. And of course they’ll go into isolation now, because they just went in and did exactly what anyone who works in our health service would do.
So congratulations to each and every one of them. It just happens so quickly. There was no hesitation. They just went in and helped out. And thankfully the woman survived that particular episode.
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Queensland records two local Covid-19 cases
Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has just stepped up and has announced two local cases have been recorded in the state overnight, both already in home quarantine:
We have three new cases, but one is in overseas and detected in hotel quarantine.
Two are locally acquired and both of these were already detected in home quarantine and they are linked to the Carindale daughter.
So we have absolutely no concerns about these two. So this is fantastic news.
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We are about to hear from the Queensland premier when she steps up for her daily press conference, so why don’t we recap what happened in the state yesterday.
On Wednesday Queensland recorded one new locally acquired case of Covid-19, with hopes growing that the state’s five outbreaks are now well and truly under control.
Chief health officer Jeannette Young said the person who tested positive yesterday has the Alpha variant, was asymptomatic and had been in home quarantine during their entire infectious period, and therefore ws of little to no risk to the community.
Meanwhile, federal home affairs minister Karen Andrews lashed out at the premier over her planned trip to Tokyo to present the Brisbane 2032 Olympic bid to the International Olympic Committee.
More than 77,000 people have signed a petition calling the Australian border force to deny Palaszczuk a travel exemption after she successfully lobbied the federal government to halve international arrivals at last Friday’s national cabinet.
Andrews told 4BC radio:
It’s the absolute hypocrisy that is really getting right up the nose with Queenslanders at the moment.
Federal sports minister Richard Colbeck and Brisbane lord mayor Adrian Schrinner will also be travelling with Palaszczuk.
Andrews said the issue was not whether the trip was legitimate but that the premier’s strong advocacy for cutting quarantine places to make it much harder for Australians stranded overseas to get home:
Yet she is fine to go overseas when it suits her and even take up one of the very limited places in hotel quarantine now, or give herself approval to go over cap in Queensland with her and her entourage.
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NBA star Patty Mills says being the first Australian Indigenous Olympic flagbearer adds “fuel to the fire” to win Australia’s first men’s basketball medal.
Mills and swimmer Cate Campbell will be joint flagbearers at the 23 July opening ceremony for the Tokyo Games, reports Steve Larkin from AAP.
Australia’s men’s basketballers have never won an Olympic medal, finishing fourth four times – most recently at the 2016 Rio Games.
And in Tokyo they’ll be without Philadelphia star Ben Simmons, who opted to work on his game in the off-season rather than suit up for the Boomers.
But with Mills and an NBA-hardened core featuring the likes of Joe Ingles, Matthew Dellavedova, Aron Baynes and Dante Exum, the Boomers carry medal intentions into Tokyo:
The expectation is there from our team standpoint ...
We understand what is at stake and what we’re trying to achieve and make history in that sense.
But I think the confidence and the comfortableness that we all have comes from the years and years of experiences and just being together for so long.
And the new boys and the young boys have just added to the group, along with the experienced coaching staff as well.
We’re here to ... be able to achieve something that we have never achieved before.
The Boomers’ opening match against Nigeria is two days after the opening ceremony:
I don’t think it’s going to be tough at all to be able to balance them both ...
For me, who really gets going off stuff like this, it complements it, it’s fuel to the fire. It just adds that other burning sensation to be able to go on and achieve a gold medal.
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As expected, Gladys Berejiklian is up at 11am AEST.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian, Health Minister Brad Hazzard, NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant and NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Gary Worboys will provide an update on COVID-19, 11am #auspol
— Political Alert (@political_alert) July 7, 2021
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Victoria records no local cases of Covid-19
Victoria has recorded its eighth straight local Covid-free day!
They’ve also given us a second consecutive triple doughnut day to celebrate as well.
Reported yesterday: 0 new local cases and no new cases acquired overseas.
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) July 7, 2021
- 15,875 vaccine doses were administered
- 27,420 test results were received.
More later: https://t.co/lIUrl0ZEco#COVID19Vic #COVID19VicData pic.twitter.com/UVKMA2xPaR
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So it is very, very cold in Melbourne at the moment, but according to Seven News meteorologist Jane Bunn, there is no way to tell how cold it really is:
#brrrrrr its cold outside #melbourneweather!
— Jane Bunn (@JaneBunn) July 7, 2021
How cold?
We don't know.
The weather station broke at 4:30am so there is no way to tell.
Any other industry would have a tech sorting that out straight away, but not the old and slow weather bureau...
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Federal health minister Greg Hunt seems very confident this morning that more vaccines are on their way. The question remains though, exactly how many?
Firstly I am increasingly confident that we’ll be able to bring forward supplies in August from later on in the year.
We’ve had excellent fully reliable supplies from Pfizer. We had record vaccinations yesterday.
We’ve had increased Pfizer go out this week to GPs as a starting point, so 165,000 people yesterday. I’m increasingly confident that we will have additional supplies arriving on shore in August and we’ll have confirmation in the coming days, but we’re quietly working behind the scenes every single day to ensure that, and that’s beginning to bear fruit.
In terms of the whole national vaccination program. Firstly, thank you to everybody for coming forward. Secondly, please keep coming forward for first and second doses.
I won’t put a particular date on our goal is to ensure that every Australian who is eligible and wants a vaccination gets that opportunity this year and with these numbers we’re on track to achieve that.
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Greg Hunt then moved over to Nine’s Today show where he seems much more comfortable blaming individuals for Sydney’s continued outbreak, rather than the state government:
Look, it is a serious situation. We think that the New South Wales government is doing an outstanding job*, and the public have been overwhelmingly observing the difficult, challenging lockdown rules.
There are some that have breached it ... To those small number who have not been observing the rules it could been observing the rules it could be your mum or your grandma, your granddad who suffers as a result, so we’re doing a great job as a nation.
The rest of the world wishes they were us. But what we need to do is to continue to A, be vaccinated**, but B, where there are challenges, sufficient as in particular south-west Sydney, more broadly across Sydney, please make sure that you’re following the social distancing rules, because anyone can save a life, or inadvertently risk a life.
*Do we?
**Dude, trust me, we are TRYING to get vaccinated.
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Oh, by the way, we will be hearing from the Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to get the state’s case numbers at 10am AEST.
Greg Hunt! You know it’s OK to say NSW had a bad idea, every once in a while?
When Brad Hazzard criticises you, you can criticise him for suggesting that, after 18 months of eliminating Covid-19, NSW might just throw open the door because they had three weeks of semi-hard lockdown.
But no, Hunt doesn’t seem to want to do that:
What we have achieved up to both a national approach and appropriate state responses, has been arguably one of the outstanding results in the world*.
It is never easy and we trust NSW**. We trust the way they have managed of issues, and what I would say is we are very confident that the common nation of measures there, borders, testing, tracing, distancing, vaccination, all of these things will work in the law Australians that are vaccinated, over 8.5 million people, and those numbers are increasing significantly.
Again, as I say, it was a record yesterday and I am increasingly confident about bringing forward more vaccines in August. These things are all working, so challenges, but can we do as a nation, absolutely and we will do it as a nation. I believe we will.
*Yes, that is why we shouldn’t quit at the final hurdle.
**OK, but please still keep an eye on them.
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Sunrise host David Koch kept pushing for an answer on that:
My point is, Greg Hunt, that if Sydney breaks rank away from elimination and suppression, we basically got seven different countries here in Australia ... it means no one in NSW will be able to travel to any other state and no one interstate will be able to come to NSW. So that has got to be an issue?
Hunt:
It was only last week national cabinet met, so overwhelmingly, the states and territories are working together and working with the commonwealth ...
Koch:
Do you think the other states will accept NSW doing that?
Hunt:
What I think, is that NSW will ultimately be able to get on top of this.
It is a challenge and it will inevitably, in a world of 4 million lives lost, in a world of over 100 and over 180 million cases, big cases that come in Australia, but just continue to fight and its people to continue to come forward.
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Now federal health minister Greg Hunt has been out and about, doing the media rounds this morning (although, much to the annoyance of Michael Rowland, he refused to appear on ABC News Breakfast).
Despite everything that’s happened in the last week Hunt still maintains that NSW has been a “gold standard” in Covid-19 management.
He was just asked on Sunrise if he agreed with the NSW comments that we may eventually just have to live with the virus if lockdowns don’t crush the virus soon ... and he didn’t really answer:
[It’s been] our goal all the way along ... to ensure that is as fewer cases as possible.
NSW has been a global standout, not just an Australian standout, and we are confident in their testing and tracing, that chasing is a global gold standard.
We will work through it together and yesterday was a record vaccination date for Australia, so thank you to Australians – over 165,000 vaccinations.
We are increasingly confident we are able to bring forward additional suppliers in August.
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WA premier threatens indefinite border closure to NSW
Ummmmmmmmm ...... So WA premier Mark McGowan is warning there could be an indefinite hard border to NSW if the state doesn’t manage to get the Delta variant outbreak under control.
This all came after NSW health minister Brad Hazzard was asked what would happen if an extra week of lockdown failed to crush the virus around Sydney, and many people interpreted his answer to be suggesting that NSW might then just throw in the towel:
I think at some stage, if the individuals that we need don’t hear [NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant’s] message and don’t respond, then at some point we’re going to move to a stage where we’re going to have to accept that the virus has a life which will continue in the community,
This obviously hasn’t gelled well with many NSW residents, as well as other Australian states and territories who have managed to get themselves back to being relatively Covid-19 free.
For McGowan, who has a notoriously low-risk appetite when it comes to Covid-19, it looks as though living with Covid-19 before mass vaccination simply isn’t an option:
Our latest outbreak came about because a West Australian was infected in Sydney and returned home to Perth ...
Until we have high levels of vaccination we should not support a model whereby the virus is permanently allowed to spread. Such an approach would require ongoing rules and restrictions directed towards any state that allowed that to happen.
NSW needs to do what Victoria did last year and crush and kill the virus. Any alternative approach which allows the virus to spread would imperil the whole country before such time as we have achieved mass vaccination.
WA really does love to hint at a WAxit, don’t they? For the sake of all families that are spread between WA and NSW, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that!
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Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk could fly to Tokyo to present Brisbane’s 2032 Olympic bid while the city is in a state of emergency, reports Marty Silk from AAP.
The Japan Times and numerous media outlets have reported that Tokyo will be placed in a state of emergency until 22 August after the city recorded 920 Covid-19 virus cases on Wednesday.
Palaszczuk is fully vaccinated with the Pfizer and will be travelling later this month with federal sports minister Richard Colbeck and Brisbane lord mayor Adrian Schrinner.
It’s understood that the trip is not set in stone and premier’s office will take the chief health officer’s advice on whether it’s safe for her to travel to Japan or not.
The trip has been panned by Australians stranded overseas and political opponents after Palaszczuk successfully lobbied for quarantine caps to be halved at national cabinet last week.
An online petition calling for the premier to be denied a travel exemption to visit Tokyo had garnered more than 76,000 signatures on Thursday.
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Vibe.
Pretty sure most people just want to be able to be vaccinated so that we can indeed, live with the virus
— Amy Remeikis (@AmyRemeikis) July 7, 2021
This is an interesting point from Nine News political reporter Chris O’Keefe.
Ironic that @Dom_Perrottet is asking for JobKeeper now, when he called on it to end last year. “I believe that JobKeeper should end. We cannot continue to make decisions today that impact generations to come to pay back the depth of the circumstance we find ourselves in.” https://t.co/k6LwIs19nt
— Chris O'Keefe (@cokeefe9) July 7, 2021
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Australia will send 2.5m AstraZeneca vaccine doses to Indonesia and will fund 1,000 ventilators as the country battles record-high Covid cases that are pushing the health system to breaking point.
The aid package, announced on Wednesday night, is in response to growing calls for Australia to help its most populous neighbour.
Indonesia reported on Tuesday a record daily high of more than 31,189 new coronavirus cases and 728 deaths but it is feared the true numbers may be higher because of low testing rates.
The Australian foreign affairs minister, Marise Payne, said she had spoken to her Indonesian counterpart, Retno Marsudi, on Wednesday to confirm “immediate health support”:
Australia stands with our close partner and neighbour Indonesia as it responds to a significant surge in Covid-19 cases.
You can read the full report below:
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OK, I’ll stop posting about football soon, but I’m actually starting to get pumped about it! The excitement is contagious!
But one last post to remind you that in some corners of this Earth (the UK) the Guardian is actually a physical newspaper as well! How wild!
Tomorrow’s Guardian… pic.twitter.com/zSqqA0hMvi
— Owen Gibson (@owen_g) July 7, 2021
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The Morrison government’s own independent advisory body on the national disability insurance scheme has said a contentious plan to introduce independent assessments shouldn’t go ahead in its “current form”.
In response to the Independent Advisory Council advice published on Wednesday, the National Disability Insurance Agency vowed to modify the proposal, which is set to be debated at a high-stakes meeting between federal, state and territory ministers later this week.
The advisory council noted it was only asked to advise on potential changes to the policy, rather than whether the reform should go ahead.
But in a scathing assessment, it recommended the policy “not proceed in the current form”, referring to the independent assessments model used in a trial that took place earlier this year.
You can read the full story below:
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No! Yes! Pandemonium.
— Mayor's Press Office (@LDN_pressoffice) July 7, 2021
The Trafalgar Square #EURO2020 Fan Zone erupts! #ENGDEN #ENG pic.twitter.com/M6NAQTCUD1
South Australia will consider scrapping some Covid-19 border restrictions as the risk posed by virus outbreaks in other states begins to ease.
The state’s transition committee will meet on Thursday to consider the border rules imposed after local virus cases emerged in NSW, Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia, reports Tim Dornin from AAP.
SA now has hard border closures in place with WA, NSW, the ACT, the NT and Queensland.
Most of those could go, though the ban on travellers from NSW and the ACT is likely to stay with a virus lockdown for Sydney extended for another week.
Earlier this week South Australia dropped testing requirements for travellers from Victoria and also eased a range of local virus measures. The changes also returned the state to a general density rule of three people to every 4 sq m.
Public and family gatherings increased to 200 people while drinking while standing up and dancing returned. Mask-wearing rules and advisories were also dropped.
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And here we go! The full rundown on that amazing semi-final victory from England:
England have reached their first final at a major men’s tournament since 1966 after a 2-1 extra-time win over Denmark. Harry Kane’s goal, scored on the rebound after Kasper Schmeichel had saved his penalty, earned victory on a nerve-shredding night at Wembley.
Mikkel Damsgaard had fired Denmark ahead with half an hour played, beating Jordan Pickford with a superb strike from a 25-yard free-kick. England rallied and five minutes before the break, Bukayo Saka’s low cross towards Sterling was turned in by Danish defender Simon Kjær.
In the second half, Schmeichel tipped Harry Maguire’s header away before Kane went down in the area but was penalised for a push.
England cranked up the pressure in extra-time with Kane and Jack Grealish going close, before Sterling went down in the penalty area under pressure from Joakim Mæhle and Mathias Jensen.
You can read it all below:
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The Victorian government will provide sick leave to casual workers in a trial program developed in response to the spread of coronavirus in insecure workplaces during Melbourne’s second wave.
The program will provide up to five days of sick or carer’s leave, at minimum wage rates, to workers in high-risk industries including aged care staff, cleaners, supermarket workers, hospitality workers and security guards. It is set to begin in early 2022, and consultation will open this month.
The workplace safety minister, Ingrid Stitt, said the trial program would mean workers did not have to choose between taking a sick day and being able to pay rent.
You can read the full report below:
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Finally! A football reference I can understand!
i love how the #euro2020 final is the top vs the bottom of eurovision 2021 #eng #ita pic.twitter.com/5LoNN8laqE
— Lara (@ilcuoredilara) July 7, 2021
England defeats Denmark in the Euro 2020 semi-final
Woohoo! England has defeated Denmark in the Euro 2020 semi-final! (I don’t know what this means, but I think it is exciting.)
I believe England has only reached the semi-finals four times in like 55 years! How fun!
This means England will go on to battle it out with Italy for the cup.
If you want to get all the updates from someone who knows much more than me, check out our live coverage with Paul Doyle below!
One of Australia’s largest aged care providers says just 15% of its staff are fully vaccinated and it has urged the federal government to send vaccination teams into nursing homes to fix the “main barrier” to a rapid rollout.
RSL LifeCare, which operates 28 aged care homes across Covid-hit New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, has revealed 27% of its staff have received a first dose and 15% are fully vaccinated.
That is a lower vaccination rate than SummitCare’s Baulkham Hills aged care home – the site of a growing outbreak in Sydney – where two-thirds of staff remain unvaccinated.
The federal government last week mandated vaccines for aged care workers, compelling them to get a first dose by September or be barred from the sector.
You can read the full report below:
Masks will be mandatory for all greater Sydney high school students
Speaking of the road out of lockdown, NSW teachers and senior students in greater Sydney and surrounds will have to wear masks if they return to school next week.
Education minister Sarah Mitchell said the new Covid-safe rules apply to schools inside areas impacted by the stay-at-home orders. This is greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Wollongong and Shellharbour.
Masks would be mandatory for all staff in all school settings, as well as students from year 7 (12- and 13-year-olds) upwards if they need to return to campus. Most students will be learning from home in this period but schools remain open for those who need it.
Mitchell said she understood it was a challenging time for students, staff and parents but schools were prepared to manage the restrictions.
In regional areas, masks will be recommended for all staff in all school settings as well as high school students.
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Welcome to Thursday
A very, very good day to you all, I simply cannot believe it’s only Thursday and I intend to complain about it all morning.
I’m Matilda Boseley and there is plenty of news to get through.
After announcing that the greater Sydney lockdown will be extended for an additional week, NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian warned that harsher localised restrictions could be introduced for three local government areas in the city’s south-west if Covid-19 continues to spread rapidly in the area.
The Fairfield, Liverpool and Canterbury-Bankstown LGAs are some of the most multicultural area in Australia, raising criticism from the community that the government could be attempting to “pass the buck” of Covid-19 on to migrant populations.
Yesterday Berejiklian warned that case numbers would spike in the coming days due to the highly infectious Delta strain of the virus spreading rapidly in these communities, and urged residents not to visit family, take unnecessary trips to the shops or really leave their homes at all unless absolutely necessary:
Most of us have stocked up on groceries, probably have more things than we need, so please avoid leaving the house, avoid going to indoor areas, avoid any activity unless absolutely necessary.
NSW recorded 27 new local cases yesterday but just 13 of the new cases were in isolation for the entirety of their infectious period.
We’re expecting to get an update on today’s numbers about 11am, and Berejiklian has flagged she may also reveal a roadmap for how the city will come out of lockdown. So stick around!
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.
Let’s jump into the day!
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