What we learned, Wednesday 12 April
That is where we will leave the blog for Wednesday. Thanks for following along. Here’s what made the news today:
- Victoria announced plans to build a $50m mRNA vaccine manufacturing facility. It comes as the federal government is still considering the business case for building mRNA manufacturing capability in Australia, amid issues with sourcing enough Covid-19 vaccines this year.
- NSW Health is investigating whether transmission of the South African variant of Covid-19 occurred between three returned travellers who stayed at the Mecure on George Street earlier this month, and urgently contacting guests who have since left quarantine.
- The federal government has closed a loophole which would have allowed Australians travelling to New Zealand in the new trans-Tasman bubble to travel to other countries.
- Activists have failed in their latest attempt to stop the duplication of a highway through part of western Victoria they say contains culturally significant sacred trees.
- People used early access to super as part of the pandemic relief to make mortgage payments or pay household bills, according to the ABS.
- The NSW government will pay Chinese-owned mining giant Shenhua $100m to withdraw from its Watermark coalmine project on the fertile Liverpool Plains in the state’s north-west slopes
- Former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins says she is still waiting to organise a meeting with the PM two weeks after it was offered, but Scott Morrison says it is “in process”.
Updated
International travel loophole closed
The government has closed a loophole that would have allowed Australians to use New Zealand as a stepping stone to travelling to another country following the opening of the Trans Tasman travel bubble.
On Monday, health minister Greg Hunt amended the biosecurity legislation to specify that Australians could not go to any country other than New Zealand. Unlike Australia, New Zealand does not have an outbound travel ban.
A health department spokesperson:
Travellers should be aware that international travel to any other country, except New Zealand, continues to pose a significant risk to public health, and for that reason outgoing travel to other countries remains restricted.
“Australians considering travel outside of Australia or New Zealand are still required to apply for an exemption from the outgoing travel restrictions through ABF, and ensure they review the information available on Smartraveller relevant to their destination.”
Hunt made amendments to explicitly state that the exemption to the ban on overseas travel only applied for a person leaving Australia to travel to and stay in New Zealand, “not where the traveller intends to travel to New Zealand for the purpose of, or with the intention of, travelling to a third country”. You can read the explanatory statement on the changes here.
Updated
NSW investigating hotel quarantine transmission
The New South Wales health department says it is investigating potential transmission of Covid-19 between people staying in hotel quarantine at the Mercure hotel on George St in Sydney’s CBD.
The returned travellers arrived on 3 April on the same flight, and stayed in adjacent rooms.
All three, two of whom are members of the same family, tested negative on day two tests, but then tested positive later on.
The two family members were in one room on the 10th floor of the hotel, while the third person was in an adjacent room. The first two tested positive on days seven and 10, while the third tested positive on day 12.
Genomic testing shows they share the same viral sequence for the B1.351 variant of concern, first identified in South Africa.
NSW health is now contacting people who were staying on the same floor between 7 and 12 April but were subsequently released from hotel quarantine, telling them to get tested and isolate until 14 days from the day they left quarantine.
Hotel staff who worked on the floor are being tested and are self-isolating.
The three cases have been transferred to special health accommodation, where they will remain until no longer infectious.
Updated
I logged on mid-morning and didn’t quite understand what all the Big Bird news was about, but we have a story on that now.
Here’s a bit more on the head of Dfat’s comments regarding Australia’s approach to Myanmar, via AAP.
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade secretary Frances Adamson told the Asia Society on Wednesday the situation in Myanmar was “one of the sharpest challenges our region faces”.
“Where the human rights of people are undermined or violated in our region, Australia will continue to voice our concerns,” she said.
Adamson described it as “a security, political and humanitarian crisis that is not only catastrophic for the people of Myanmar but imperils regional stability and enmires ASEAN in issues that divert attention from the priorities of economic recovery and strategic agency”.
“We’re engaging with our international partners to respond and doing what we can to support the people of Myanmar through our development program, without in any way conferring legitimacy on the military authorities,” she said.
Myanmar has been in crisis since the military seized power from Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government in February.
The nation has seen a series of protests against the coup despite a brutal crackdown by the junta on dissent.
The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners says 738 people have been killed by security forces since the coup and 3,300 people are currently in detention, including 20 who have been sentenced to death.
Updated
When the discussion moves to climate change policy, Peter Khalil brings up the PM having a go at people who live in the inner city:
“He couldn’t help himself – he had to whack so-called inner-city elites at wine bars, sipping lattes. He is unwilling to move on climate change. He is only moving because the Biden administration is making a call on this and showing leadership internationally, including engaging with China on commitments and trying to work cooperatively together on what is a global issue.”
Dave Sharma, who represents the very inner-city seat of Wentworth, says the comment was “common sense”:
“I think it was making a pretty commonsense observation that the whole of the country needs to get behind this effort. Our emissions footprint, our high-intensive industries like heavy, natural resource extractions are in our bush areas. If we don’t have our fellow Australians in heavy industry areas onboard, this effort will fail.
To go to Peter’s point, we had Peter’s own resources spokeswoman out there saying how much she loves coal and they’d never shut down a coal mine. Labor recognises you have to take the whole country with you on this.”
Updated
On ABC News, Liberal MP Dave Sharma is asked about the comments from Wang Xining, the deputy head of the Chinese embassy in Canberra, that Australia’s relationship deteriorated with the Huawei ban. He said he took note of the remark:
“It is clear that China remains unhappy with our decision to exclude Huawei from our 5G network. That was taken for good reasons around national security and sovereignty. A lot of nations have followed our lead around the world. Just as China see those elements as critical infrastructure under its own control as well. I didn’t think it was a watermark or landmark speech.”
Labor MP Peter Khalil said he was surprised by the remarks:
“It demonstrates almost a psychological insight into a very hypersensitive world view where around every corner they see an enemy or competitor, thinking that everyone is sort of around, when all we’ve really wanted to do for decades, really, is to partner with China and have a constructive, mutually beneficial relationship, particularly on trade and on economic matters, which we have largely had.
“You see this kind of additional aggression from China, particularly in the last couple of years, with the wolf warrior, the sort of wolf diplomacy, and the very aggressive stance taken against many countries – not just Australia, by the way, but some of the Scandinavian countries have been punished by China as well. I think we need to work hard to build that relationship and give them the confidence we’re not out to slaughter them. We want to have a partnership.”
Updated
In case you wanted more photos of Victoria’s chief health officer, Prof Brett Sutton, getting his first AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine shot at one of the new mass vaccination hubs.
Today, @VictorianCHO, Brett Sutton, rolled up his sleeve to receive the COVID vaccine at our high-volume COVID-19 Vaccination Centre at the Royal Exhibition Building. [1/3] pic.twitter.com/VFgHdVVJZy
— St Vincent's (@StVincentsMelb) April 21, 2021
The federal department of health has commented on the man in Brisbane who went to hospital after receiving the Pfizer vaccine. It says:
“The department of health’s Vaccine Operations Centre [VOC] is aware of reports of an adverse event following immunisation in Queensland. The VOC is working closely with QLD Health to investigate these reports.The department of health does not comment publicly on details of individual adverse event following immunisation reports submitted to the TGA, in order to protect patient confidentiality.
“We take all reports of adverse reactions very seriously and they are reviewed through the appropriate channels. The head of the TGA has recently noted that there are over 50 blood clots per day in Australia and cautioned that no presumptions should be made about the causation or nature of events which follow vaccination until such time as there has been an investigation.”
South Australia Health has identified a suitable Covid-19 quarantine site for international students but the state government is still working through issues with the commonwealth to allow their return, AAP reports.
Chief public health officer Nicola Spurrier said a team within the department had been looking for a suitable site after the successful isolation of seasonal workers from overseas in the state’s Riverland region.
“We do have somewhere that we feel is suitable. It’s somewhere that will be safe and suitable for students,” she told ABC radio on Wednesday.
“We’ve looked at the ventilation and such like. My team are putting together a report that will come to me.”
SA has been working on the return of international students for some time but efforts have largely been hijacked by Covid-19 outbreaks either locally or interstate and other logistical issues.
SA health minister Stephen Wade said it remained something the government was exploring with other agencies as well as federal authorities.
“Universities have a strong interest in trying to have a pathway for international students to return,” he said.
“To be frank, the commonwealth is being quite rigorous in what it’s expecting of states to support such a program.
“So we continue to work through those issues.”
Wade said any return of students would also need to “synchronise” with the academic year.
On Victoria’s announcement it would build its own mRNA vaccine manufacturing facility, Scott Morrison said he “welcomed the announcement” and that the Commonwealth will follow, but said no one would be able to manufacture mRNA to meet the need this year:
“A year ago, mRNA vaccines were a theory, largely, around the world, but Covid and the vaccine of mRNA production has made that a reality now. mRNA vaccines will be important for vaccine element in the future. And Australia will be a part of. And my government will be a part of. State governments will be a part of.”
He said the Victorian facility plan was not in the place of any commonwealth plan:
“That is not done in place of the commonwealth, it is done, and I’m sure as other states will look to establish this capability as well, those were state governments do, that is part of the job. Certainly the commonwealth will be seeking to support what we could do in this area as well, the commonwealth will ensure that CSL is able to produce only what are the countries in the world, only about 20 of us who can produce Covid-19 vaccine.”
Updated
Brittany Higgins meeting 'in process', PM says
Former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins tweeted earlier today that despite the offer from the PM to meet earlier this month, his office hadn’t been in contact to arrange the meeting.
While it’s disappointing that I haven’t heard from the Prime Minister’s office since they initially made contact on the 6th of April - I’m hopeful the meeting will proceed.
— Brittany Higgins (@BrittHiggins_) April 21, 2021
After two months, a national protest and countless other horrifying stories - the time for action is now.
Scott Morrison said it is “in process”:
“That is in process, we have from Brittany last week, it is an important meeting and I look forward to having it. We will be following up on that now, and I look forward to having the meeting arranged soon.”
Updated
These five hydrogen hubs have been announced but not yet decided, so although he is on the Central Coast today, it’s not yet decided whether, say the Central Coast, where Scott Morrison is holding the press conference, will be chosen. Energy minister Angus Taylor says it will be a competitive grant process.
“We very much want to see great projects brought forward, great project involved collections of organisations working together, the hydrogen produces, the hydrogen uses, the energy generators, all of those different parts of the harbour, as well as the potential for the right skills to be brought to bear, all of this components that make a successful hub, coming forward in the proposals, ultimately as a process, but the fact that we are now going to award five, not just one, says to you, says to everybody, that Australia is a place where we can really lead the world on this, and Australia has technology, skills, and indeed the existing energy hubs which form the foundation of what will be, we think, fantastic hydrogen hubs for Australia and the world.”
Scott Morrison is asked about whether hydrogen will be used by industry, he says he saw in the Pilbara plans for later this year for hydrogen-powered trucks.
He claims that just like “Silcon Valley”, the Central Coast could become the “Hydrogen Valley”.
“That is why it is so exciting for regions in Australia, because it will see our regions, not just propelled, but transformed along the way. So we want to see that happening as soon as possible, the whole world does, because it is a huge part of the answer, to the question we are all trying to ensure that we can address. That is what I will be joining President Biden and many other world leaders over the next couple of days.”
Updated
PM press conference starts
Prime minister Scott Morrison is speaking on the Central Coast about the announcement of carbon capture and storage technology as part of his motioning towards net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
He says Australia “will play a huge part” in getting to net zero globally, and then starts talking up technology, and gas, and carbon capture and storage and not through taxing:
There will be emissions in the future and there will be in 2050. And carbon capture use and storage is essential in ensuring that that can be accommodated. Up there on the Gorgon project, Angus can talk more about that, but that is one of the world’s largest sites for carbon capture use and storage with some 4m tons I think it is already. A real project, actually happening.
So Australia has to pioneer both of these technologies and be right out there in front. That is how you get there, that is how we achieve what we are all trying to achieve. A lower emissions future, sure, but not at the price of taxing our heavy industries of the planet.”
You can read what we wrote about the announcement earlier today below.
Updated
Senior Chinese official blames Huawei ban for bad Australian relations
A senior Chinese diplomat has accused the Australian government of triggering the downward spiral in the relationship by “conniving with the United States in a very unethical, illegal, immoral suppression” of Chinese telco Huawei.
Wang Xining, the deputy head of the Chinese embassy in Canberra, told the National Press Club today that China had “done nothing intentionally to hurt this relationship”. But he argued China had observed “too many incidents over the past few years” over China’s interests being hurt.
Wang cited the Turnbull government’s ban on high-risk vendors, such as Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE, from Australia’s 5G network in 2018. This has been raised numerous times in diplomatic exchanges between the two countries as an ongoing source of friction.
Wang said Australia was among the first countries to “forcefully” accuse Huawei of posing a possible security threat, but he argued no evidence had been presented to substantiate those claims. He said Australia had persuaded other countries to take a similar approach.
“I think Australia connived with the United States in a very unethical, illegal, immoral suppression of Chinese companies.”
Wang told a report that Huawei’s Australian operations “suffered a lot because of the unethical deeds by your government”. He also took a swipe at Australia’s broadband technology, saying speeds were “much slower than some of the developing countries”.
In an apparent reference to Malcolm Turnbull, Wang said “one of your retired senior politician claimed in his memoir that he’s the one” who had persuaded then US president Donald Trump about the security threat of Huawei. But Wang said reporters should ask Trump about this claim to establish “who’s the real culprit and who’s the accomplice”.
Wang also renewed criticism of the Australian government for blocking several Chinese investment proposals.
Photograph: Getty Images
Updated
If you’re in the Illawarra or greater Sydney and you see smoke, this may be why.
Residents are likely to see and smell smoke from hazard reduction burns across Illawarra and Greater Sydney (particularly western Sydney) regions. Smoke may settle overnight due to cooler conditions and is likely to clear as the day warms up. More details: https://t.co/XrE2qbtArn pic.twitter.com/N17nWDWKlY
— NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) April 21, 2021
Updated
That PM press conference is a little late (well, half an hour) but we will hopefully have something soon.
We are waiting on the federal health authorities to provide more detail on the man in Queensland who attended hospital three days after receiving the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine. But there is some important information to keep in mind in the meantime. He reportedly experienced blood clotting, Nine News said.
But there is nothing to suggest the man was hospitalised with the same type of serious but extremely rare clotting believed to be associated with the AstraZeneca vaccine. Most cases of these rare clots following vaccination with the AstraZeneca dose occurred in veins in the brain (a condition called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, or CVST) though some occurred in other areas including veins to the abdomen (splanchnic vein thrombosis).
Symptoms in almost all cases develop between day four and 21, which doesn’t match with reports of the Queensland man reportedly attending hospital on day three. The man is no longer in hospital; he would likely still be there if he had serious and severe clotting.
Queensland deputy premier Steven Miles said:
It’s too early to say whether this incident is linked to the Pfizer vaccine.
Millions have been vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine in the US, and the data to date from those vaccinations is convincing that it is not associated with CVST or splanchnic vein thrombosis. While there have been reports of other less severe forms of clotting following vaccination with all types of vaccines, this clotting does not seem to be occurring at a higher rate than would be seen by chance in the general population.
In other words, it is likely just a coincidence that these people developed clotting after the vaccine, and they would have developed the clots regardless.
Nine News also reports the Queensland man recently had knee surgery. Such surgery carries a risk of developing deep vein thrombosis, a type of clotting deep in the veins.
A Queensland Health spokesperson said the department was aware of the media reports about the 40-year-old man who had presented to a hospital following the Pfizer vaccine.
The spokesperson said:
The patient presented to a private hospital, is not currently admitted and any queries should be directed to the federal government. In Queensland, all adverse events in relation to the Covid-19 vaccines are reported to the Therapeutic Goods Administration. The TGA will then undertake an assessment and determine whether there is any clinical link to the vaccination.
Updated
South Australia reports two new cases of Covid-19, both in medi-hotels.
South Australian COVID-19 update 21/4/21. For more information, go to https://t.co/e4B14lR2Vd or contact the South Australian COVID-19 Information Line on 1800 253 787. pic.twitter.com/NYFPSpCCTe
— SA Health (@SAHealth) April 21, 2021
You might have seen the story in the Daily Telegraph, or blazoned on commercial breakfast news shows, about outrage over Black Lives Matter posters with anti-police comments written on them being put up in a year 5 and 6 classroom in Lindfield Learning Village, northern Sydney.
The posters were taken down, a review has been called, and it prompted the NSW police minister David Elliott to call for the teacher to be sacked.
A One Nation member of the NSW parliament’s upper house, Mark Latham, in the inquiry looking into his anti-trans education bill, referenced the story and asked NSW Teachers Federation officials if it showed the need for his bill to remove “political, ideological, hateful dogma” from classrooms, and then later admitted he was the source of the story in the Telegraph.
“I refer to the poster I gave the Telegraph, so I’ve seen the poster, pictures of the poster ... Impeccable sources.”
Updated
The Australian Medical Association says the “reset” of the vaccine rollout needs to have clear targets, including bringing forward vaccinations for over-50s.
The AMA president, Dr Omar Khorshid, said ahead of Thursday’s national cabinet meeting that the primary healthcare network was ready to vaccinate Australians 50 years and over but it needed the supply of the vaccine to improve.
It is reassuring that national cabinet has already reiterated that general practice remains the primary model of rolling out vaccinations for Australians 50 years of age and older.
GPs have a proven record of vaccination, and are ready, willing and able to vaccinate many more people. We are seeing vacant appointment times and we need to ensure that these are filled each and every day.
The AMA also wants the Medicare system to recognise patients can spend extra time with their doctors if they have concerns about the vaccine.
Khorshid said:
We know that once patients have the chance to discuss their concerns with their GP, vaccination is more likely to occur.
Updated
Brittany Higgins says she is still waiting to hear back from the prime minister’s office regarding a meeting with Scott Morrison that was offered on 6 April.
While it’s disappointing that I haven’t heard from the Prime Minister’s office since they initially made contact on the 6th of April - I’m hopeful the meeting will proceed.
— Brittany Higgins (@BrittHiggins_) April 21, 2021
After two months, a national protest and countless other horrifying stories - the time for action is now.
Updated
NSW government to pay Shenhua mining company $100m to exit coal mine
The NSW government will pay Chinese-owned mining giant Shenhua $100m to withdraw from its Watermark coal mine project on the fertile Liverpool Plains in the state’s north-west slopes, AAP reports.
The government in mid-2017 announced it would buy back more than half of Shenhua’s licence for more than $262m to protect farming land.
It agreed on Wednesday to buy back the remainder of the licence, which had been initially approved in 2008.
Shenhua will withdraw its mining lease application and surrender its development consent for the site, and the NSW government will cancel the exploration licence for the site.
Deputy premier John Barilaro said the NSW government needed to “find a balance” between key regional industries such as mining, agriculture and horse breeding.
The government argued the Liverpool Plains region contained “prime agricultural land” which could not be blighted.
Barilaro said in a statement:
This decision will deliver certainty to farmers and the Liverpool Plains community, while guaranteeing protection to parcels of land with high value biodiversity.
The Nature Conservation Council said it welcomed the cancellation of the exploration licence and argued it was the best outcome for nature, local farmers and the climate.
Council chief executive Chris Gambian said in a statement:
This will mark the end of a 12-year campaign by locals and conservation groups to protect rare woodlands and threatened species, including a colony of 250 koalas and endangered swift parrots and regent honeyeaters.
It is regrettable that local communities had to endure more than a decade of stress and anxiety for a project that should never have been approved.
If it had gone ahead, this mine would have been devastating for threatened woodlands and wildlife and resulted in millions of tonnes of coal being dug up and burned for the next 30 years.
Updated
Queensland man treated for blood clots after getting Pfizer jab
AAP is reporting a Queensland police officer is being treated for blood clots following getting the Pfizer vaccine, but I think it’s important to note no link has been drawn between the two yet.
The 40-year-old man who worked patrolling the state’s quarantine hotels received the vaccine on Sunday, Nine News reported.
He was rushed to hospital after developing the clots on Wednesday and is being treated.
It is understood Queensland Health and the Therapeutic Goods Administration are investigating, but they have not made any formal statement.
If confirmed it will be the first reported incident of a patient developing blood clots after getting the Pfizer vaccine in Australia.
People aged under 50 are being advised to take that vaccine over the AstraZeneca jab amid concerns over rare blood clots.
So far three people have developed clots in Australia after being given the AstraZeneca vaccine. They include 48-year-old Genene Norris, who died in NSW last week after developing blood clots.
The TGA said her death was likely linked to her vaccination.
Updated
There’s a prime minister’s press conference from Berkley Vale, NSW, scheduled for 2.30pm AEST.
Updated
Newly-appointed former Liberal minister turned small business ombudsman Bruce Billson has called on Australia Post to defer plans to stop delivering perishable goods such as foods.
Australia Post announced it would cease delivering perishables from 30 June, blaming complex food safety regulations that differ in various states.
Billson said it should be delayed so Australia Post can work through issues with the businesses that rely on Australia Post to deliver food across Australia.
Given Australia Post has 80% share of the total delivery market, this abrupt decision could prove to be devastating to those small business food producers who rely on this essential postage service.
So many small businesses moved to selling their products online as a result of the Covid crisis. They need some additional time to consider what options they have to fulfil their orders.
We strongly encourage Australia Post to consider the impact this will have on their small business customers and to work with regulators to find a way to continue this essential service.
Updated
The foreign minister, Marise Payne, has launched the “International cyber and critical technology engagement strategy” today.
By the sounds of it, a lot of it is focused on helping countries in our region out with cyber security, with the backdrop being Australia feels the need to invest heavily in technology in the nations of our Pacific neighbours in particular lest that space be filled by China.
Payne’s office said the strategy had several pillars including:
- Australia will co-sponsor a proposal to establish a new United Nations program of action for responsible state behaviour in cyberspace
- The flagship cyber cooperation program will become the cyber and critical tech cooperation program, including an additional $20.5m to strengthen cyber and critical technology resilience in south-east Asia
- We will contribute a further $17m to support neighbours in the Pacific to strengthen their cyber capabilities and resilience, including to fight cybercrime, improve online safety, and counter disinformation and misinformation
- Australia will also support a partnership with Standards Australia in south-east Asia, a partnership with the University of Technology, Sydney, in south-east Asia and a partnership with Trustwave in Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu
Updated
Victorian Nationals MP Tim McCurdy’s court case over alleged real estate fraud has been dismissed.
The case against Vic Nationals MP Tim McCurdy has been dismissed in the Country Court. @abcmelbourne
— Richard Willingham (@rwillingham) April 21, 2021
The ABC reports the judge found there was no evidence that a jury could find McCurdy guilty of the charges.
Judge George Georgiou said there was no evidence that a jury could lawfully find Mr McCurdy guilty of five fraud charges #springst
— Richard Willingham (@rwillingham) April 21, 2021
Updated
With that, I might leave you for the day. Josh Taylor is here to carry on through the rest of the afternoon!
Victorian court rejects activists' challenge over sacred trees
Activists have failed in their latest attempt to stop the duplication of a highway through part of western Victoria they say is culturally significant, reports Karen Sweeney from AAP.
Protests and legal challenges have plagued the duplication of the Western Highway, which runs between Melbourne and Adelaide.
Mairianne and Iona Mackenzie and activist group Keep The Original Route Supporters had sought a judicial review of ministerial decisions around duplication of a section between Beaufort and Ararat.
Ministerial decisions and assessments were partly based on works by VicRoads that incorrectly estimated the number of large old trees that would be affected by the works.
The Mackenzies claimed the incorrect estimate invalidated the decisions and it was therefore unlawful for VicRoads to proceed with section 2B works – about 12.5km of new road between Buangor and Ararat.
But that claim was rejected by the supreme court and on Wednesday the court of appeal refused the Mackenzies permission to challenge that ruling.
In a unanimous decision, the judges said that “none of the grounds of appeal had any real prospect of success”.
In addition, they considered that the works are now substantially completed.
A separate challenge over the duplication works is also being run by Djab Wurrung elder Marjorie Thorpe.
She says as a descendant and elder it is her responsibility as a custodian of the land to protect areas of cultural significance, including six trees.
Updated
Home payments top uses of early super withdrawals
The Australian Bureau of Statistics has some household spending statistics out, including how people made use of lump sums from their superannuation totalling up to $20,000.
The ABS found the main uses of the early drawdown of super were:
- Paying the mortgage or rent (29%)
- Paying household bills (27%)
- Credit cards and other personal debt (15%)
- Adding to savings (13%)
- Paying off a car or vehicle (6%)
- “Other” – including purchase of food, medical supplies and non-alcoholic beverages (12%)
The stats are of interest because of reports that people were drawing down to spend on gambling and alcohol - although these don’t seem to be options provided to respondents.
The Morrison government has been unrepentant about uses such as paying down debt and adding to savings, saying those decrease interest payments and increase capacity for future spending.
However, if one in eight were able to bank the funds, it does raise the question of whether they needed to raid their retirement fund at all.
The ABS found that average payments from government increased from $211 in the September 2019 quarter to $300 in the pandemic year but household income remained unchanged, showing that government payments such as jobseeker and jobkeeper propped up households.
In the September 2020 quarter, 32% of households experienced at least one indicator of financial stress, but fewer households in the lowest quintile reported this (thank you, coronavirus supplement).
Over 30% of households (3 million) had planned domestic travel deferred or cancelled due to Covid-19, with average out-of-pocket costs of $2,898. The majority (63%) of these households still intended to take this travel once relevant travel restrictions were lifted, with 10% not intending to rebook domestic travel.
Similarly, 27% (2.6 million) of households with international travel plans deferred or cancelled intended to take international travel once restrictions were lifted. The average cost of that travel was reported at $7,536.
Updated
My esteemed colleague Calla Wahlquist has pointed to me that the Orange-bellied parrot is not flightless, as I stated previously, because obviously they fly across the Bass Strait – a fact that was also in my blog post.
This has been corrected and I’m horrified to learn that it was me and not the fat parrot that is the dumb one.
A researcher has previously called them “morons”, but see below:
Updated
New Zealand’s Covid-19 response minister Chris Hipkins has provided more detail on the New Zealand border worker who tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday.
Whole-genome sequencing of the worker’s test showed found it was indistinguishable from that of a quarantined passenger who arrived in the country on 10 April, and whose plane the worker had cleaned. Both genomes match the UK variant, B117.
Hipkins said that so far all of the worker’s close contacts had returned negative tests.
The case is not expected to have any impact on the trans-Tasman travel bubble; it now appears to be clearly linked to the border and has not yet caused any further cases.
New Zealand authorities have previously said quarantine-free travel could be shut down if there were multiple cases of unknown origin.
Updated
Victorian chief health Brett Sutton is all vaxxed up!
Don’t know what you call a selfie post-vaccine. But here’s my #vaxxie and couldn’t be happier. Caring, professional and efficient approach of everyone at the Royal Exhibition Buildings, especially the @StVincentsMelb staff. Thank you! pic.twitter.com/gmAKMDeuI8
— Chief Health Officer, Victoria (@VictorianCHO) April 21, 2021
(Remember when all of us in Melbourne went crazy in lockdown and made doona covers with his face on it? In hindsight that was weird, wasn’t it?)
Updated
Mark Butler was asked if we should follow countries such as Denmark which have paused the rollout of AstraZeneca altogether. He said:
No, I think it is important that we do, as we have done for the whole of this pandemic, and that is follow public health advice.
That has served Australia very, very well over the course of this last 12 months and I think marks us out very favourably in comparison to some countries where that public health advice has been the subject of political dispute.
What we have done as a Labor party, as an opposition, is to follow the advice of groups like the TGA, the Therapeutic Goods Administration and the Advisory Group on Immunisation and we intend to do that in the future.
Updated
Mark Butler has commended the Victorian government who today announced they would be investing $50m into trying to domestically manufacture mRNA vaccines such as Pfizer.
(Not that unexpected honestly that Labor would like another Labor government’s ideas).
As we have seen time and time again in this pandemic a state government has had to step in where Scott Morrison has been too slow to act ...
Experts have been calling for months now for Australia to build an mRNA manufacturing capability here in Australia.
Germany, for example, recognised that having secure, local supplies of this state-of-the-art vaccine capability was a critical question of supply security and they built that capability in just six months.
All we have seen in this government is millions of dollars handed over to private consultants to prepare a business case that they won’t release to the Australian public but no real action.
We welcome the announcement by the Victorian government but Scott Morrison should have acted on this before now.
Updated
Labor’s shadow health minister has called on the government to be more transparent about the state of the Australian vaccine rollout:
Residents of aged square facilities have still not been fully vaccinated. More than 99% of residents of disability facilities still have not been fully vaccinated. Australians living with disability have been abandoned by Scott Morrison in this vaccine rollout.
Still the government won’t release data on how many of the frontline workers caring for Australians in aged care and disability facilities have been vaccinated.
Again they promised full vaccination by Easter. A union survey released this morning indicates that 85%, almost all, workers in aged care facilities, still haven’t even received a first dose of their Covid-19 vaccine.
Yesterday we also heard evidence from the government department that modelling has been prepared for new targets and new timelines for Scott Morrison’s vaccine rollout. Scott Morrison has to release those new timeframes. He has to release that modelling.
Every single target and promise that Scott Morrison gave to the Australian people about this vaccine rollout has not been fulfilled. Australians deserve to know when they are going to be vaccinated. Australian business deserves to know that they can plan their recovery with confidence.
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The shadow health minister Mark Butler is speaking now.
Updated
Remember those extraordinarily dumb flightless parrots that we have been trying to save from extinction?
Well, the Victorian government is planning on releasing 36 of them back into the wild today in order to help boost populations.
The Victorian minister for environment Lily D’Ambrosio said this was in a bid to attract migrating birds and give them a better chance of survival.
The very dumb and fat* birds will be released at the Spit Nature Conservation Reserve near Werribee’s Western Treatment Plant today.
Around 180 orange-bellied parrots are expected to head north this autumn from the Tasmanian breeding grounds to the mainland, a big improvement on previous years. It’s hoped these captive birds will meet up and shack up with them, and continue to build the colony.
D’Ambrosio released a statement today:
The orange-bellied parrot is one of the world’s rarest birds and innovative projects like this are vitally important to ensure its survival.
In the last four years this species has gone from being at imminent risk of extinction in the wild, to numbers in the wild being at a 10-year high – and it’s wonderful to be part of the recovery program during this exciting time.
But I think Guardian Australia report Calla Wahlquist sums it up best:
The Victorian government are releasing 36 of the world's least capable parrots, orange-bellied parrots, into the wild today.
— Calla Wahlquist (@callapilla) April 21, 2021
I wish them well but I have absolutely no faith in their abilities.
*This is a personal and biased opinion of the birds, not scientific fact.
Updated
NSW reports no new local coronavirus cases, but eight in hotel quarantine
Oh and no local Covid-19 in NSW either.
NSW recorded no new locally acquired cases of #COVID19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) April 21, 2021
Eight new cases were acquired overseas to 8pm last night, bringing the total number of cases in NSW since the beginning of the pandemic to 5,206. pic.twitter.com/3WuQkyDIoW
Updated
Queensland records no new local coronavirus cases
There have been no local cases of Covid-19 in Queensland today.
Updated
.@VictorianCHO Brett Sutton rolls up the sleeve to receive his first AstraZeneca jab@9NewsMelb pic.twitter.com/Eoaq1t7GBK
— Dougal Beatty (@DougalBeatty) April 21, 2021
Here is a quick update on the death of Gold Coast woman Kelly Wilkinson.
Just a reminder that some of the details below are particularly challenging.
A lawyer who spoke with the man accused of killing Gold Coast mother-of-three Wilkinson and setting her body alight says no one could have predicted the tragedy, reports AAP.
Thirty-four-year-old Brian Earl Johnston, of New Beith, is charged with murder, breaching a domestic violence order and his bail conditions after the burned body of Wilkinson was found in an Arundel backyard.
Johnston was arrested on Tuesday just two blocks from the property, where his former partner’s body was found, and he is suffering burns to his hands and possibly his airway.
He remained under police guard in hospital as his charges were mentioned Wednesday morning in Southport magistrates court.
After the brief mention, lawyer Chris Hannay said outside court that Johnston was “in a pretty bad way”.
Hannay had met with Johnstone on Sunday, less than 48 hours before it’s alleged he attacked and murdered Wilkinson.
On Sunday, I got some instructions from him in relation to some other fairly serious matters that he has been charged with, and I haven’t spoken to him since.
Johnstone did not appear distressed or agitated for the weekend conference, Hannay said.
Not really, he was pretty coherent ...
We took suitable instructions. He was there with a colleague of his.
We went through a whole lot of things about the domestic violence issues with the DV and the kids and the family.
Obviously, no one expected this to happen, but everyone thought that they were just chugging along as a normal process.
Johnston cannot apply for bail in the magistrates court and was formally remanded in custody until 4 June.
Hannay said Johnstone was expected to apply for supreme court bail in the coming months.
A reminder, if these reports are particularly difficult for you, you can call the national family violence hotline, 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) or the national helpline on Lifeline 13 11 14.
Updated
There are two police officers in Australia awaiting trial for murder for the deaths of JC and Kumanjayi Walker, and a prison guard awaiting trial for manslaughter for the death of Dwayne Johnstone.
— Calla Wahlquist (@callapilla) April 21, 2021
As you look to the US, remember to keep an eye on our own courts.
Ummmmm, are you seriously telling me you haven’t listened to the most recent episode of the Full Story podcast yet?
Karishma Luthria shines a light on period poverty, why it has been a blind spot in Australian politics for decades and how we can change that for all women, trans and nonbinary people.
Have a listen on the podcast app of your choice or by clicking the link below:
Updated
The federal government is urging veterans and their families, ex-service organisations, states and territories and other interested parties to have their say on the terms of reference for the royal commission into defence and veteran suicide.
The call follows Scott Morrison’s announcement on Monday that he would launch a royal commission amid mounting political pressure to address the issue.
The minister for veterans’ affairs and defence personnel, Darren Chester, said he would oversee a public consultation process over the coming weeks “to ensure the royal commission is focused and based on the experiences and perspectives of those who have been impacted by defence and veteran suicide”.
In a statement issued this morning, Chester said:
We must all work together to ensure that this royal commission can start promptly and put us on the path to a better understanding of suicide in the serving and ex-serving community, and importantly, how we can continue to improve the supports available to service men and women, and their families.
You can see the broad themes for the terms of reference here and find out how to contribute to the consultation process here.
- For those needing support, the Defence all-hours Support Line is a confidential telephone and online service for ADF members and their families: 1800 628 036.
- Open Arms provides 24-hour free and confidential counselling and support for current and former ADF members and their families 1800 011 046, or through SafeZone on 1800 142 072.
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Former military leaders warn climate change will threaten Australian security
It seems as though everyone is getting on board the “we need to take climate change seriously” train nowadays, even groups you would probably never expect.
The most recent addition to the growing chorus of people demanding Australia take more action to prepare for and mitigate the threat of climate change is the Australia Security Leaders Climate Group, comprised of “former members of the Australian defence force, defence sector and security practitioners”.
The group is warning that Australia is “ill-prepared” for how accelerating climate change could threaten Australia’s security and this morning called for an urgent “whole-of-nation climate and security risk assessment”.
A spokesperson released a statement this morning:
The group says a Whole-of-Nation Climate and Security Risk Assessment is required for Australia to fully comprehend the scale, risk and impacts of climate change on Australia and our region, including on social cohesion, energy security and import and export markets ...
The assessment should also outline a framework for how our nation can adequately respond to these threats.
Former chief of the defence force, Prof Admiral Chris Barrie, is among the leaders of the new group. He said climate change is a “fundamental threat” to our nation:
As ex-service members and experienced practitioners of national and international security who have witnessed up-close the devastation of war and crisis, we recognise that climate change is a fundamental threat to the security and prosperity of all Australians.
Across our region, climate change is an existential threat to many Indo-Pacific countries that are especially vulnerable to sea-level rise and extreme weather events.
Yet Australia is ill-prepared for climate impacts, with climate-security risks not being fully assessed or understood in Australia.
We are being left behind, with some of our closest allies already taking action. In the US, the Biden administration has elevated climate change to a high-level national security issue, with significant stature within national security decision-making.
Updated
Fewer than 7% of disability care residents have so far received a dose of Covid vaccine, leaving 25,000 residents unvaccinated despite being in the top priority group.
Federal health department officials revealed on Tuesday that aged care residents had been prioritised meaning residents of 6,000 disability care facilities were yet to receive even one dose.
The department secretary, Prof Brendan Murphy, confirmed at the Senate Covid-19 inquiry that Australia was still aiming to vaccinate its entire vulnerable population by mid-year. But he refused to provide updated targets for the broader vaccination program citing increased hesitancy and uncertainty of supply.
Murphy conceded a warning against giving AstraZeneca to people aged under 50 due to rare blood clots has caused a spike in vaccine hesitancy, although the chief medical officer, Prof Paul Kelly, argued this was also being driven by decreasing rates of people believing they were at risk of contracting Covid-19.
You can read the full report from Paul Karp and Sarah Martin below:
The Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing @Mark_Butler_MP is in Sydney today and will hold a doorstop on the vaccine rollout at 11:30am #auspol
— Political Alert (@political_alert) April 21, 2021
Just sticking with that mRNA announcement in Victoria for a moment. The goal here is, quite obviously, to manufacture Pfizer vaccines, which would alleviate our reliance on imports.
But developing the manufacturing capability is not the only barrier to that. Australia would also need to enter negotiations with Pfizer to obtain the licensing needed to make a version of their vaccine onshore.
I spoke to Prof Thomas Preiss, a molecular biologist with the Australian National University who specialises in mRNA, about this earlier this month. He said that, provided a licensing agreement was reached, Australia could be making vaccines relatively quickly.
In fact, he said, if the federal government had heeded warnings last year, Australia could already be manufacturing mRNA vaccines.
Provided that these companies were willing to strike such licensing deals, local mRNA manufacturing facilities could now be up and running and producing an mRNA vaccine.
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Acting Premier @JamesMerlinoMP says bigger crowds at AFL crowds under active consideration by Public Health
— Simon Love (@SimoLove) April 21, 2021
He says RSL put in application for 8000 to be allowed at ANZAC Day March. That’s up from the 5,500 which was approved a few weeks ago. @10NewsFirstMelb #springst
Queensland's gender pay gap bigger than nation's
Queensland’s gender pay gap is bigger than the national average with the premier admitting more work needs to be done, reports AAP.
The 2020 Gender Equality Report Cards shows women earned $1,485.10 on average per week in the state, compared with men earning $1,753.70.
That puts Queensland’s gender pay gap at 15.3%, compared with 14% nationally, said the report released on Wednesday.
Women in the state are more than twice as likely to work part time and also receive almost 33% less in superannuation.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said on Twitter that women comprise 54% of government board members, which is 4% more than the target she set in 2015.
I am proud to lead a government that supports equality and justice for women.
We are at a turning point in history: now is the time to take real, enduring action to address gender inequality.
— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) April 20, 2021
That’s why I called on the Prime Minister to put this on the National Cabinet agenda and host a National Women's Summit. pic.twitter.com/OAMr3MkOGi
Eight of the state’s 18 cabinet members are also women – but they only comprise 16% of chief executives and managing directors in the private sector, compared with 23.4% nationally.
The premier admits the gender pay gap also needs to be reduced, and said it was time to take national action to address gender inequality in safety and economics.
We know there’s more work to be done ...
That’s why I called on the prime minister to put this on the national cabinet agenda and host a national women’s summit ...
We’ll continue to work every day to make Queensland a place where women and girls can live safely, pursue a career, and achieve everything they dream of.
The state report comes ahead of a national cabinet meeting in Darwin in July which will examine state and federal spending programs focused on women’s economic security.
The leaders are expected to develop a national women’s economic security plan similar to an existing scheme focused on eliminating domestic violence.
A national women’s safety summit will also be held in July, with the location to be announced.
Updated
So far there have been some disappointing numbers turning out for the Victorian mass vaccination hubs.
The ABC is currently reporting that so far only a few dozen people have lined up for the jab at one of the two hubs in the CBD.
Currently, only people over 70 are eligible for the vaccine, but Victoria is hoping to open this up to everyone over 50 after tomorrow’s national cabinet meeting.
Updated
Vouchers! Vouchers! Come and get your Vouchers!
South Australia, Victoria and NSW residents can apply now to enter the ballot to receive and $50-$200 vouchers that can be used on tourism experiences within SA.
All up there are 45,000 vouchers available for South Australia residents and 5,000 for those from Victoria and NSW.
Experience more of #SouthAustralia for less and support #SAJobs.
— Steven Marshall, MP (@marshall_steven) April 20, 2021
The ballot for the Great State Experience Vourcher is now open & will close at 10pm ACST Friday 23 April.
You can nominate for a $50, $100 or a $200 voucher.
Visit https://t.co/NJnD9xXRyc for details. @tourismsa pic.twitter.com/At2EU1qUdl
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Thumbs-up from George Turbiak. He’s just had an AstraZeneca shot at the @MCEC. The 72yo was in and out in 45mins after booking yesterday via phone. Says the whole process was very smooth. pic.twitter.com/ZRIzHSiwRB
— Blake Johnson (@BlakeJohnson) April 20, 2021
Victoria plans to manufacture mRNA vaccines domestically
Victoria has just announced it will commit $50m to establish a domestic mRNA manufacturing capability, which would be able to produce mRNA vaccines like those produced by Pfizer and Moderna.
Australia currently lacks the ability to manufacture mRNA type vaccines, leaving us entirely reliant on imports. That’s despite long-standing calls from scientists, including the Australian Academy of Science to develop such a capability.
Late last year, the federal government commissioned consultants McKinsey to develop a business case for local mRNA manufacturing and has identified it as a national priority.
But it is yet to take concrete steps towards developing such a capability, saying it would take 12 months at least.
Victoria on Wednesday put $50m forward to develop mRNA vaccine and therapeutic manufacturing, in conjunction with the Commonwealth, Monash University, the University of Melbourne, the Doherty Institute and other researchers.
The move is designed to provide vaccine security in an environment of high global demand for mRNA vaccines.
Acting premier James Merlino said:
It is vital that we can develop and manufacture mRNA vaccines and treatments locally to ensure we can have vaccine security here in Australia and across the region.
Updated
More to come on this soon.
Victoria will provide $50 million to establish mRNA vaccine manufacturing in Melbourne. More to come via @AAPNewswire pic.twitter.com/mThycYNnei
— Benita Kolovos 🐯 (@benitakolovos) April 20, 2021
Updated
The doors have opened 40 minutes early here at the Royal Exhibition Building vaccine super site. There was already a few keen patients lined up out the front. Most told me they’ve researched AstraZeneca and are ready and willing to roll up their sleeve @9NewsMelb pic.twitter.com/Y7dj5nGCuq
— Steph Anderson (@_StephAnderson) April 20, 2021
Updated
Victoria records no new local Covid cases
There have been no local Covid-19 cases in Victoria today!
Yesterday there were no new local cases and 3 new cases acquired overseas (currently in hotel quarantine).
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) April 20, 2021
- 4,006 vaccine doses were administered
- 12,606 test results were received
Got symptoms? Get tested.
More later: https://t.co/2vKbgKHFvv#COVID19Vic #COVID19VicData pic.twitter.com/mOlZ6pcUUW
Updated
Man charged with alleged murder of Kelly Wilkinson will not front court in person this morning
The man who allegedly murdered Gold Coast mother of three Kelly Wilkinson will not be present for the first court mention of his case, reports AAP.
The 34-year-old New Beith man was on Tuesday evening charged with murder and breaching a domestic violence order after the burned body of Wilkinson was found in a Gold Coast backyard.
The man was Tuesday near the Arundel property, suffering burns to his hands and possibly his airway.
He remains under police guard in Gold Coast University hospital and his case will be heard this morning at Southport magistrates court, but police say he will not be present in court for the matter.
Detective Inspector Chris Ahearn yesterday confirmed Wilkinson and the man were known to each other.
The male person we located and the deceased female person were known to each other, and potentially in a previous relationship ...
So that is the subject of one of the avenues of our ongoing investigation into this matter ...
It was obviously a very confronting scene, a female person deceased in the rear yard of a residence, apparently suffering from burn-type injuries.
He said three children, all under the age of nine and present at the time of the incident, may have witnessed Wilkinson’s death.
Just a reminder, if these reports are particularly difficult for you, you can call the national family violence hotline, 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) or the national helpline on Lifeline 13 11 14.
Updated
Scenes from outside the Royal Exhibition building mass vaccination hub in Melbourne today.
As of today, anyone over 70, with or without an appointment can go there to get vaccinated.
From watching Contagion too many times last year, to seeing long lines for real mass vaccination centres. What a time. pic.twitter.com/RFakbKuZtI
— Osman Faruqi (@oz_f) April 20, 2021
Updated
Brittany Higgins outlines plan for meeting with prime minister
Brittany Higgins says she plans to use a meeting with Scott Morrison to pursue measures to “counter the systemic coercive control inside Parliament House”.
Higgins, whose account of an alleged rape by a colleague in Parliament House in 2019 has fuelled calls for systemic changes, has written to the prime minister’s chief of staff John Kunkel to once again suggest potential dates for a meeting in Canberra in late April.
In the new letter, Higgins says she appreciated the invitation to meet with Morrison as she considers it an opportunity “to fix a broken system and ensure no other staff has to experience something similar in Parliament House again”.
She says political advisers have very few workplace protections, resources and confidential reporting mechanisms.
Higgins outlines the main items she would like to raise in the meeting with Morrison, including reforms to the Members of Parliament (Staff) Act, which she says currently gives parliamentarians the ability to terminate staff without given reason. The legislation should change to make staff terminations more in line with the Fair Work Act, she argues.
Higgins also wants an independent complaints body to replace the “largely impotent” system run by the Department of Finance. She is seeking improved protocols and procedures at the Department of Parliamentary Services staff.
In the letter, Higgins writes that ministerial security employees should have the ability to “refuse access to a clearly inebriated person at 1am over the weekend” and “call an ambulance in the wake of finding a partially naked unconscious” woman. Her other request is for the government to be transparent with the public about who sits on the government staffing committee known as the “star chamber” who ultimately make decisions on who is allowed to become a political adviser.
In a statement, Higgins said she had publicly and privately accepted the invitation to meet with the prime minister “in the spirit of reform”.
She said:
There are a number of measures that could be adopted to counter the systemic coercive control inside Parliament House and help address the power disparity between staffers and parliamentarians. It’s disappointing that I haven’t heard back from his office despite the prime minister’s repeated commentary about a proposed meeting.
Updated
Australia’s top foreign affairs official says Canberra is deepening relationships with south-east Asian countries as they deal with “a more assertive, ideological and transactional China”.
Frances Adamson, the secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, will say Australia’s regional engagement “must evolve to support the stable and prosperous neighbourhood we need” in an address to an Asia Society event in Melbourne at midday today.
According to her prepared remarks, Adamson will say competition between the United States and China is “impacting all aspects of global policy”, and Australian leaders and policy makers “are navigating a new and immensely challenging period in the Indo-Pacific”:
Pressure on rules, norms and institutions is more acute, and tensions over territorial claims are escalating. The deployment of new threats like cyber-attacks and foreign interference is growing in frequency and sophistication. And, of course, Covid-19 has shown that Australia is only as healthy, strong and prosperous as our neighbourhood.
Adamson says she has accompanied the prime minister and ministers on visits and in meetings with south-east Asian counterparts over the past five years, and there has been “a discernible shift in the nature of the conversation”.
Like Australia, she says, countries in the region are grappling with these “uncomfortable” trends and “seeking a settling point that does not diminish their voice or agency in the region”.But Adamson warns of a knowledge gap among Australians about the region, pointing to data showing just 1200 university students were studying south-east Asian languages in 2019 - half as many as 20 years ago.
Adamson will describe the military coup in Myanmar as one of the “one of the sharpest challenges our region faces” that is not only “catastrophic” for the people of the country but a broader threat to regional stability.
Acting premier of Victoria James Merlino says he hopes the state vaccination hubs will be open to anyone over 50 (rather than the current minimum age of 70) after tomorrow’s national cabinet meeting.
He spoke to the media this morning:
We want to maximise the opportunity for older Victorians and older Australians to get vaccinated with AstraZeneca, but at an appropriate time, we need to bring forward the opportunity for 50 to 69 years’ olds to get vaxinated as well. That will be confirmed at national cabinet on Thursday.
Updated
Two former prime ministers, Kevin Rudd and Malcolm Turnbull, have written an opinion piece for the Guardian arguing that the world shouldn’t give up hope on Australia just yet.
Here is a little bit of that:
It was always expected that Joe Biden’s election would be a massive shot in the arm for international climate action, but the scale of that boost has been genuinely surprising.
The new president has now invited 40 world leaders to a virtual climate change summit coinciding with Earth Day this Thursday. China’s Xi Jinping will be there, following productive face-to-face talks last week between Biden’s climate envoy, John Kerry, and his Chinese counterpart, Xie Zhenhua, in Shanghai. Even Vladimir Putin is attending, despite divisions between Washington and the Russian leader over new sanctions.
Japan, South Korea and Canada are all expected to announce new medium-term 2030 emissions reduction plans this week, after earlier refusing to do so. Even China – the world’s largest emitter – last week signalled they may also be prepared to do more this decade above and beyond commitments they made at the end of last year.
Our country, however, continues to bury its head in the sand, despite the fact that Australia remains dangerously at risk of the economic and environmental consequences that will come from the climate crisis barrelling towards us.
You can read the full piece below:
Updated
Some more good news this morning! It looks like the (extraordinarily expensive) big bird costume stolen from a circus in South Australia has been returned.
I’ll bring you updates though out the morning.
Big Bird found, returned to the Circus, a witness saw two people running away from the scene @7NewsAdelaide pic.twitter.com/yFiyU6Vjl8
— Peter Caldicott (@pcaldicott7) April 20, 2021
Dan Tehan is in Europe at the moment, largely to argue our case to the EU in order to get a steadier stream of vaccines flowing.
But according to UK newspaper the Telegraph, he is in for a stern talking-to from the UK’s international trade secretary Liz Truss while he is there.
Allies of Truss say she plans to sit Aussie trade minister Tehan “in the Locarno Room [in Foreign Office] in an uncomfortable chair, so he has to deal with her directly for 9 hours”.
— Lucy Fisher (@LOS_Fisher) April 20, 2021
They add “Australia need to show us the colour of their money” and match “words with action”.
Truss has accused Australia of being “glacially slow” on unblocking negotiations for a free trade agreement.
Apparently plans stalled since Tehan took over from Simon Birmingham in December.
Good luck mate!
Updated
If you are an older Victorian reading this and were wondering how you could pop down to a vaccination hub to get the jab today, chief health officer Brett Sutton has laid out what you should do.
You don't need an appointment but bookings are encouraged - make one by calling 1800 675 398 (select option 3, option 2, option 2). The COVID vaccines protect you really well from this potentially life-threatening virus.
— Chief Health Officer, Victoria (@VictorianCHO) April 20, 2021
Good morning!
Matilda Boseley here, to get you through the Wednesday blues.
Despite the attention of the world being on Minneapolis, there is still plenty of news happening in Australia today, and I intend to bring all of it straight to you. (Well at least the interesting bits.)
The start with, three Victorian mass vaccination hubs will open their doors today to anyone over 70, with or without bookings, as states start ramping up vaccination efforts.
These new hubs are located at the Royal Exhibition building, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre and Geelong’s former Ford factory. They are currently offering only the AstraZeneca jab, with Pfizer doses still prioritised for healthcare workers under 50 at hospital vaccination clinics.
Acting premier James Merlino has spoken to media this morning:
This is one way that we can expedite the vaccine rollout, as quickly as possible, particularly to our most vulnerable cohort …
We did take a hit to public confidence in our vaccination program. But we are seeing, particularly in older Victorians, them coming forward, and being very keen.
Victoria has also resumed its rollout of the AstraZeneca shot to eligible people under 50 after it was paused on 9 April, when Australian health officials confirmed a link between the vaccine and rare but potentially deadly blood clots. Those under the age of 50 will be required to sign a consent form outlining the risks of taking the vaccine. But to help quell fears the state’s chief health officer professor Brett Sutton will receive his first AZ jab today.
Our health services have worked hard to deliver the AstraZeneca vaccine to the highest safety standards. The risk of really serious adverse events is rare, which is why I'm getting my vaccination. The best vaccine to get is the one available right now.
— Chief Health Officer, Victoria (@VictorianCHO) April 20, 2021
Well let’s not delay any longer, and jump into the days news!
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