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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Royce Kurmelovs and Michael McGowan (earlier)

More than 32,000 new Covid cases recorded nationwide – as it happened

What we learned today, Sunday 2 January

With the day drawing to a close, I’ll leave the live blog there. Here’s your sparks-notes list of what happened today:

  • NSW reported 18,278 cases on Sunday, slightly down from yesterday with a record positivity rate of 20% and 1,066 people currently in hospital with the virus.
  • Victoria recorded 7,172 Covid cases and three deaths.
  • Queensland recorded 3,587 cases, an increase on yesterday’s numbers.
  • Tasmania recorded a big jump, reporting 404 new Covid cases, with a positivity rate of 26% from 1,542 tests performed.
  • South Australia has recorded 2,298 new cases, a slight increase on yesterday with 82 people in hospital.
  • There were 506 Covid-19 cases recorded in the Australian Capital Territory.
  • A security guard at a Western Australian hotel quarantine facility has contracted Covid-19 and is now in isolation themselves.
  • In New South Wales, the historic Manly ferry MV Baragoola has sunk in Sydney Harbour.
  • Labor leader Anthony Albanese has announced a future government will prioritise a fast rail link between Sydney and Newcastle should they win the next election.

Thanks for reading. We’ll be back bright and early tomorrow morning.

Updated

A grassfire threatening residents in Melbourne’s outer south-east has been brought under control, AAP reports.

Firefighters had warned Pakenham and Nar Nar Goon residents to move at least two streets away from the fire just after 3pm on Sunday.

By 4.15pm the alert was downgraded as crews had contained the blaze, although smoke was visible in neighbouring suburbs.

A number of fires broke out across Victoria on Sunday, following several days of hot weather.

In the state’s north, Kotupna, Lower Moira and Yambuna residents have been urged to stay close to a building where they can shelter due to a bushfire near the Goulburn River.

Locals should stay informed and monitor conditions, including increased wind speed, change in wind direction and smoke.

Updated

A security guard at a Western Australian hotel quarantine site has tested positive for Covid-19.

In a statement released late on Sunday, WA Health said the case is not linked to other known outbreaks and is currently being investigated to learn how the guard contracted the illness and what variant of Covid-19 he has.

The guard is being transferred to hotel quarantine after returning a positive result on a routine test that is undertaken as part of his employment.

Three identified close contacts are also isolating and will be tested. They are all asymptomatic.

Western Australia has only 39 active cases with a total of 1,168 cases identified to date.

Updated

There may be few or no official restrictions, but word is it feels very much like a “soft lockdown” in Sydney today.

Residents in Melbourne’s outer south-east are being urged to move at least two streets away from an out-of-control grassfire, AAP Reports.

A Watch and Act emergency alert has been issued for a grassfire on Ryan Road in Pakenham, with residents and anyone who lives in nearby Nar Nar Goon warned to move away from the fire.

“If you live directly next to grassland, you may need to move two or more streets away from the fire. Grassfires are unlikely to spread past the first row of houses,” the alert, sent just after 3pm on Sunday, said.

The fire is travelling north down Ryan Road towards Princes Highway, with firefighters requesting a firefighting aircraft for assistance.

Firefighters were battling a number of fires across Victoria on Sunday, following several days of hot weather.

A grassfire in Melbourne’s west just after 1pm covered 2 hectares.

About 40 firefighters attacked the blaze, on Sheahan Road in Truganina, bringing it under control just before 2pm.

Updated

Historic Manly ferry MV Baragoola sinks in Sydney Harbour

A historic Manly ferry has sunk in Sydney Harbour overnight putting an end to a decades-long campaign to restore it to its former glory.

Two men called NSW Fire and Rescue for help in bailing water from the MV Baragoola at 10.30pm on Saturday night but were forced to escape on a small boat when the vessel began to take on water.

By the time police arrived the 99-year-old boat had sunk 10 metres at its mooring on the former wharf at Balls Head Bay and had begun to break apart.

Efforts to conserve the ferry – the last built in Sydney – had been under way for the last two decades with the vessel passing through the hands of several owners before landing with the Baragoola Preservation Association.

A post to the group’s Facebook page last night said they had “received word” of the sinking but that the group had “handed the vessel over to” another as “as Covid and lack of access made it untenable”.

Efforts are being made to stop debris and other pollutants from escaping into the bay, while people are being asked to stay away from any salvage operation.

Updated

In more Covid news, an unofficial account tracking the spread in Tasmania puts the test positivity rate in the state at a whopping 26% – though this can be accounted for by the recent changes to testing.

Updated

You may have seen in the last few days several stories from my colleague Anne Davies exploring the newly released 2001 cabinet papers to understand what the government of John Howard was thinking on issues like social security, refugees and climate change.

But did you know that Howard personally reviewed the visa application of Eminem after a campaign by conservative family groups to have him barred from entering into the country? Howard ultimately deferred to immigration minister Philip Ruddock but regretted the decision wasn’t his.

Updated

The daily release of the latest exposure sites may be a thing of the past across most of the country, but not so in Western Australia where health authorities have added almost two dozen new locations this morning.

There are too many to list in full, but most appear to be clustered south of Perth around Bunbury.

Find the full list here.

Federal communications minister Paul Fletcher is responding to Labor’s high-speed rail pledge, calling Anthony Albanese’s speech an “election stunt”. Fletcher says Albanese should explain how he intends to pay for the project and suggests Labor would look to raise taxes. It is perhaps a good reminder that a federal election needs to be held by May.

Get the full story on Labor’s proposal below:

Updated

Former cricketer Glenn McGrath tests positive for Covid ahead of SCG Test

Glenn McGrath has tested positive for Covid-19, three days out from the start of the SCG Test, AAP reports.

McGrath, who has helped turn Australia’s year-opening Test into a fundraising drive to support those with breast cancer, is isolating at home and feels well.

There is hope McGrath will return a negative test in time to attend day three of the SCG Test, now known as Jane McGrath Day.

The former paceman will have a virtual presence at the ground on Monday, when both sides are presented with their baggy pink caps.

Updated

For decades, wave riders have blazed a trail into little-known coastal towns – and in their wake come the planners and developers.

When Clint Bryan bought his house 40 minutes north of Perth city, one consideration was paramount: it had to be near his favourite surf break.

And sure enough, his Kallaroo home is just five minutes’ walk from the Indian Ocean. The suburb name is a Noongar word meaning “road to the water”.

But by the end of this summer, the waves that Bryan built his life around will disappear as the beach is redeveloped for the $252m Ocean Reef Marina.

To read Narelle Towie’s summer feature on the battle to protect Australia’s surf breaks, click below:

Marshall says he believes transmission rates will be lower in South Australia than other places:

It’s probably one of the safest places to have been in the world over the last two years. Now we are confronted with a mighty battle on our hands but just like we’ve risen to the challenge with previous waves, we will do exactly the same with this one.

Updated

By my count, the South Australia premier has used the word “flex” eight times during this presser to describe efforts to ensure the state’s health system can cope with an influx of cases.

Some have noticed this and have thoughts ...

Updated

Speaking about a situation that developed yesterday among the Indigenous community in Port Augusta, Marshall says there are three people in the area with confirmed cases but the situation now appears less serious than initially thought.

“We’ve dodged the bullet with a very vulnerable community in Port Augusta.”

On prisons, however, things are not so good:

“We now have 60 COVID positive patients within the prison system at the moment. The majority of those are within the Adelaide women’s prison as well as other locations in Adelaide. We now have one positive case among a worker at the Port Augusta prison.”

82 people in hospital as South Australia records 2,298 new Covid cases

South Australian premier Steven Marshall speaking now, kicking off his press conference with a call for people to get vaccinated as Omicron spreads.

The state had 21,140 tests yesterday, with 2,298 cases and 82 people in hospital. Seven people are in ICU.

Updated

ACT records 506 new Covid cases

As we’re waiting for the South Australia presser, the ACT have released its numbers. There are 506 new cases in the territory making a total of 1,827. Nine in hospital, one in ICU and one person on ventilation.

Updated

Victoria’s early childhood minister Ingrid Stitt said the state’s testing system was managing to cope despite “unprecedented demand” in recent days.

AAP reports:

Despite reports that some people were waiting up to four days for their Covid-19 test results, she said results were “overwhelmingly” still coming through within 24 to 48 hours.

I think yesterday’s heat, which affected some of our centres, may have something to do with some of the longer waits.

We are committed to making sure that we continue to deliver results as quickly as possible and I know that our hardworking pathology services are working really closely with us on that.

She said the state’s health minister will make an announcement on widening access to rapid antigen tests within days.

We will have more to say in the next few days about how we will distribute rapid antigen tests for those who are eligible to use that as a way of ensuring they remain Covid-safe.

Updated

If you’re looking to get tested in South Australia today, wait times at sites across the Adelaide metropolitan area are looking pretty friendly:

Updated

The speech is interesting as Albanese is laying out his pitch for the prime ministership, outlining a vision for a more active government, an expansion to Medicare and a plan to encourage Australian manufacturing and better services. He has been at pains to pay tribute to coal mine workers, while attempting to thread the needle on climate change:

Coal and coal work will continue to play an important part of your economy. But there are opportunities to diversify the products that you export and sell. The energy mix of this region of our country will change. That’s a simple inescapable reality of trading on the global market. Decisions get made in boardrooms in Beijing, New York and Tokyo that directly affect us here. But it’s also the opportunity in front of us now.

Updated

On the actual proposal, Albanese says his vision is for a high-speed rail line to run up the east coast, with the “corridor from Newcastle to Sydney which includes stops at the Central Coast our first priority”.

My vision is for high-speed rail that runs from Brisbane grabbing jobs and connecting communities up and down the east coast of Australia overcoming the tyranny of distance held regions back.

And:

It will make the region more ambitious of a change to closer collaboration and integration as well as an incentive for people looking to relocate to the route. It will bring economic benefits to local industries like tourism and hospitality. And high-speed rail is a game changer for workers commuting to Sydney.

Gosford train station
Anthony Albanese says a high-speed rail from Brisbane to Sydney, with stops including Newcastle and the Central Coast, ‘will bring economic benefits to local communities’. Photograph: Carly Earl/The Guardian

Updated

Albanese kicks off the speech not talking about light rail, but talking about aged care, child care and the need to “bring the country back together”.

We’re a dynamic nation that is stronger when we work together, when we pull together.

The Labor leader then gets fired up, attacking the government and the prime minister over the handling of the pandemic.

It is beyond comprehension that the same mistakes are being made on the rollout of booster shots. The same mistakes are being made in aged care. The same mistakes are being made in disability, the same mistakes are being made in testing capacity, and they’re not even pretending to play a role in securing a supply of rapid antigen tests.

Updated

Labor opposition leader Anthony Albanese is in Newcastle this morning where he is starting a press conference to talk about his $500m plan for high-speed rail to link Sydney and the Hunter Valley.

Updated

It’s only a brief update this morning but Dr Gerrard hands over to deputy police commissioner Peter Martin who gives an update on tropical cyclone Seth, a category 1 cyclone that is currently sitting 630km east of Hervey Bay.

Martin says the cyclone is moving south and is expected to slow down before turning to the south-west on Sunday afternoon before losing its severity on Monday. He also urges caution for anyone in the region who is heading to the coast today:

What we are expecting to see is very high tides on the coast in our low-lying areas, potentially some flooding as a result of those high tides, and some severe weather action on the coast with respect to waves and damaging surf. It is really important that anybody going to the coast today and over the next couple of days is very mindful that there will be significant surf on the coast, damaging waves, and some very high tides which will cause rips along the coast and some local flooding.

Updated

Dr Gerrard says five people in intensive care in the sunshine state, but none are on ventilators. Two are pregnant women, one who isn’t vaccinated. He is also trying to get people used to the idea that there will be large numbers of case numbers:

The issue we are facing is of course that with the degree of contagiousness of this virus, we are going to be seeing very large numbers of cases, even though the severity is clearly going to be less, we are going to see very large numbers of cases and a small proportion of a very large number is still a large number.

He also includes a call for pregnant women to get vaccinated:

Many people are not aware that in pregnancy, your level of immunity is slightly suppressed. The theory is that it is to prevent the mother’s body from rejecting the baby as a foreign invader. So pregnancy it very slightly, it lowers your level of immunity in pregnant women. This means pregnant women are more susceptible to a number of different infections, including Covid-19. That is why it is so critical pregnant women get vaccinated.

Updated

Queensland records 3,587 new Covid cases

And we’re kicking off with the numbers from Queensland as the state’s chief health officer Dr John Gerrard is speaking now at the daily press conference.

Updated

Happy Sunday everyone. It’s a new year, a new day and I’m here with a fresh pot of coffee. I’ll be taking you through to the afternoon, so if you see something you think should be on the blog, you can find me at @RoyceRk2.

That’s where I leave you for today. I’ll hand you over to my colleague Royce Kurmelovs.

Police in the New South Wales Hunter region are conducting a recovery operation after the body of a man was discovered inside a submerged vehicle in Port Stephens today.

Just after 4.30am emergency services were called to the Soldier Point boat ramp, about an hour north of Newcastle, following reports of a vehicle in the water.

Officers attached to Port Stephens-Hunter Police District attended and located a white hatchback fully submerged.

The body of a man, yet to be formally identified, was found within the vehicle.

A crime scene has been established and a recovery operation is underway.

Police say an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident has commenced and that a report will be prepared for the state coroner.

Updated

Tasmania records 404 new Covid cases

Tasmania has recorded 404 new cases of Covid-19, with three people in hospital.

The state has a first-dose vaccination rate of 97.74% in the 16+ population.

Updated

Large swells caused by Cyclone Seth have forced the closure of Noosa Beach on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast
Large swells caused by Cyclone Seth have forced the closure of Noosa Beach on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast Photograph: Alison Rourke/The Guardian
Large swells caused by Cyclone Seth have forced the closure of Noosa Beach on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
Large swells caused by Cyclone Seth have forced the closure of Noosa Beach on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. However surfers persisted. Photograph: Alison Rourke/The Guardian

University of NSW epidemiologist Mary-Louise McLaws with some thoughts on the supply of rapid antigen tests this morning.

Updated

Fast rail linking Sydney and the Hunter will be prioritised under a Labor government, opposition leader Anthony Albanese says.

AAP reports that the first step towards high-speed rail linking major cities, the route would deliver speeds of more than 250km/h, cutting the journey time from Sydney to Newcastle to 45 minutes, down from two-and-a-half hours.

The most recent report into high-speed rail found the Sydney to Newcastle route should be the first component of an eventual line to Brisbane.

Albanese will announce his government would make the works a key priority for a new high-speed rail authority, and also provide $500m funding in its first budget to begin corridor acquisition, planning and early works.

At a speech to be given in Newcastle on Sunday, Albanese will outline a vision for high-speed rail between Brisbane and Melbourne.

Australia is the only inhabited continent on earth not developing high-speed rail.

Fast and high-speed rail will be an important element of Labor’s smart regionalisation plan that recognises that decentralisation is critical for Australia.

Updated

As I mentioned earlier, the prime minister is monitoring for Covid-19 symptoms after a positive case attended his press conference at Sydney’s Kirribilli House.

Scott Morrison and chief medical officer Paul Kelly held the press conference on Wednesday, 29 December, to announce a snap national cabinet meeting.

The press conference was held outdoors and members of the press were wearing face masks.

Morrison does not need to isolate or take a PCR test under NSW Health guidelines.

Changes to isolation and testing requirements were ushered in by the national cabinet meeting on Thursday as cases across the country soared.

Updated

Dangerous surf and abnormally high tides likely in south-east Queensland and north-east New South Wales, thanks to Cyclone Seth.

Updated

NSW hospitalisations rise by 18% in one day, 20% positivity rate

Perhaps the most significant figure in those NSW Health stats is the hospitalisations.

The state now had 1,066 people hospitalised with Covid-19. That’s 163 more than yesterday, or about an 18% jump since. By yesterday that number had already more than doubled since Christmas.

The state’s positivity rate – the number of tests which result in a positive result – is now about 20%.

Updated

The New South Wales government has been at pains to urge people not to get tested unless they have symptoms or fall under the new category of a close contact, but that doesn’t appear to have totally solved the issue of long lines at testing clinics, as our economic correspondent Peter Hannam is discovering this morning.

Updated

Victoria records 7,172 cases of Covid-19

And in Victoria, it’s 7,172 cases and three deaths.

Updated

NSW records 18,278 cases of Covid-19

New South Wales has recorded 18,278 new cases in the 24 hours to 8pm last night and two people have died.

It is worth noting that while the number of positive cases has dropped from previous days, so too has the number of tests, which dropped below 100,000 for the first time in quite a while.

Updated

Good morning on this second day of 2022.

We’ll have the latest Covid numbers for NSW and Victoria shortly, but first a quick recap. Yesterday, NSW recorded 22,577 cases and four deaths, while in Victoria daily cases rose to 7,442 and nine people lost their lives.

The hospital systems are under pressure particularly in NSW where 901 Covid patients are admitted, including 79 in ICU. That’s prompted NSW to exempt health workers from Covid isolation rules.

It comes as AAP reports the prime minister is monitoring for Covid symptoms after a positive case attended his press conference at Sydney’s Kirribilli House.

Scott Morrison and chief medical officer Paul Kelly held the press conference on Wednesday, 29 December, to announce a snap national cabinet meeting. It was outdoors and those attending were wearing masks.

Updated

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