Photograph: Getty Images
End of day summary
That is where we will leave the live blog for Monday, barring any major breaking news. Nino will be back with you tomorrow morning, and I’ll be back on the afternoon slog. Until then, here’s what we learned today:
- New Zealand has agreed to a proposal for a trans-Tasman travel bubble, expected to likely be put in place in February, allowing people living in Australia to travel to New Zealand without needing to quarantine for 14 days. It would also mean Kiwis visiting Australia would not need to quarantine on their return.
- A Victorian parliament report on the state’s contact tracing system has said Victoria should have rolled out its “world class” system in place today well before the second wave, and found the health department ignored warnings about issues with contact tracing before the pandemic.
- Wild weather has led to potential flooding and erosion events in northern NSW and southern Queensland.
- New South Wales has removed the two-visitor rule from aged care facilities just in time for Christmas.
- Fraser Island will reopen to visitors after a fire that had been burning for more than eight weeks was brought under control.
- Australia has recorded another day of no community transmission for Covid-19, with all new cases reported today confined to returned travellers in hotel quarantine.
On the coming cabinet reshuffle following former finance minister Mathias Cormann leaving parliament, the health minister, Greg Hunt, has said he expects to stay in his current portfolio, AAP reports.
Hunt told reporters in Melbourne on Monday:
My expectation is I will be remaining in the same role – that is what I would want to do and the prime minister has indicated the same thing.
This pandemic is not over and there is important work to do. His belief and my belief is continuity in health at this time is fundamental for confidence.
Asked whether the reshuffle was timed to ensure Australians were focused on things other than politics, Mr Hunt said it was more about parliament finishing for the year and MYEFO being the main focus this week.
Once that is done the prime minister will be able to focus on the last part of the puzzle before Christmas.
Liberal frontbencher Simon Birmingham took on Senator Cormann’s finance and government Senate manager role, in addition to his trade portfolio.
It’s widely expected he will hold onto the finance role but a new trade minister will be appointed.
Nationals frontbencher David Littleproud said the trade portfolio was a “natural fit” for a Nationals member. He told the ABC:
I think the National party has had a very long history with trade and obviously we represent regional and rural Australia.
Those are discussions the DPM and the PM are having now, with a new trade minister being announced within the next week.
Updated
The extent of the erosion in Byron Bay, on the far north coast of NSW.
The tides have finally receded here at #ByronBay and this is what’s left of the beach... @7NewsSydney pic.twitter.com/WCBKufQg3Q
— Sarina Andaloro (@sarina_andaloro) December 14, 2020
On my earlier post about the issues reaching non-English speaking households, associate professor Julian Rait, the president of the Australian Victorian Medical Association, tells ABC TV that GPs should be brought into the contact tracing process.
He said:
[GPs are] more trusted than government in many – particularly culturally diverse communities that may not have English as their first language.
They may derive from countries where government is mistrusted and as a consequence they look to their local medical professionals to provide reassurance and knowledge about health. And I think in that situation that contact tracing would have been very much enhanced if GPs were engaged, particularly in these culturally and linguistically diverse communities, which were unfortunately very much a focus of some of our infection clusters.
Hunt said the AMA was surprised the Victorian health department had been so defensive in admitting its mistakes.
The problem with the health department in Victoria is it had a completely different approach to things where it tried to hide mistakes, obfuscate and tried to carry on without change. And I’m very pleased that there has been an awareness now that that particular type of culture is flawed and having a learning culture – one that is more attuned to community safety and improvement – is a better way to go. And I hope that now the department is being split in two and that there is new leadership, that we will see the desired change.
Updated
'No red flags' on Covid vaccines, health minister says
Health minister Greg Hunt has indicated Australians could start being vaccinated against Covid-19 by March.
AAP reports Hunt expects to have early assessment of two leading vaccines – one from Pfizer and the other from AstraZeneca – by the end of January.
Australian regulators will then be asked to give the drugs the tick of approval, putting the national rollout on track to begin in March.
Hunt spoke to the global chief executive of AstraZeneca at the weekend.
The company is working to finalise issues, including the size of the first vaccine dose and the time before the follow-up shot.
Hunt told reporters in Melbourne on Monday:
There are no red flags at this stage. There are only green lights.
Updated
Police have blitzed more than 1,000 pubs and other licensed venues in regional NSW to check they are complying with Covid-safety rules and crack down on alcohol-related crime, AAP reports.
Only 19 venues were issued warnings of the 1,056 inspected by police, and none were issued with infringements.
But 65 people were arrested and 68 charges laid, including assault, resisting arrest, possessing prohibited drugs and malicious damage.
Police found 146 breaches of the Liquor and Gaming Act and issued 37 infringements.
Out of 1,165 random breath checks, 35 people were found to be over the limit.
Updated
Labor MP Stephen Jones and Liberal MP Katie Allen were asked about our report on ABC chair Ita Buttrose’s draft letter responding to communications minister Paul Fletcher’s complaint about Four Corners.
Allen said it was appropriate for the ABC to be accountable to its shareholders – eg the government – but Jones said every Australian was standing with Buttrose:
The minister who was supposed to be the protector of the ABC has decided instead that he will be the shop steward for every Liberal party sook who does not like what the ABC may write or publish from time to time.
He has sent a scathing letter and published it, rudely. The objective of the letter was to bully the ABC – it was dripping with threat.
Updated
Here is my full report on the Victorian parliament’s contact tracing report.
One important point, I think, that has not been given as much focus as it should is the issues the Victorian government had reaching culturally and linguistically diverse communities. Millions in funding has now been provided, but the inquiry heard it was late – not coming until August.
The Victorian government told the inquiry 50% of Covid-19 cases in the state were among people who were born outside of Australia, despite that cohort making up just 30% of the total population.
A total of 29% of cases spoke a language other than English at home which the initial contact tracing system failed to adequately address. The committee reported there were problems with information being translated and a lack of engagement with affected communities.
The report stated:
It is vitally important that Victoria’s culturally and linguistically diverse communities have easy access to detailed and up-to-date information about testing and contact tracing delivered in a suitable language or format.
Updated
Rudd is also calling for a boycott of Realestate.com.au for buying or renting homes, saying it is the “principal cash cow” for Rupert Murdoch in Australia.
Rudd told the ABC:
If you are concerned about climate change and if you are fed up with the Murdoch media running a totally hostile agenda towards governments of whichever persuasion, Liberal or Labor, limiting effective action on climate change, then say no to Murdoch’s realestate.com.au.
Updated
Former prime minister Kevin Rudd has said the leaking of the news that apparently the Five Eyes nations are considering coordinated retaliatory sanctions against China to be “dumb and dumber” from the Morrison government.
Rudd said:
It is part of the hallmark of the current Morrison government’s approach to the China strategy to leak stuff to the papers rather than attend to the business of prosecuting an effective operational strategy for dealing with Beijing.
Go back to what I’ve been saying some months: the Morrison government in general should talk less and do more, if it’s serious about sustaining a relationship with Beijing, despite the difficulties.
Rudd said that by making political pronouncements, the government might appear “hairy-chested” in Australia but just encourages retaliation from China.
He also had not very flattering things to say about the Australian newspaper’s report on Chinese Communist party members working in Australia, pointing out there were 92 million members of the party in China:
It stands to reason, therefore, that when people are being employed in institutions around the world, be they by corporations or consulates general, in terms of the local staff, a proportion of those are going to end up being members of the Communist party. The challenge for governments and corporations is to determine whether any individual employees are a security threat.
Updated
Agriculture minister David Littleproud told the ABC the expected shortfall in farm labour due to a lack of people coming to Australia on temporary work visas to be up to 26,000 over summer.
He said 22,000 were ready to come here and work, but warned that if states did not put in place plans to get the people here to quarantine, it would lead to higher prices for food.
We have been unable to get health officials excited about the fact and the crisis that we are coming towards. We are now in a juncture where this is going to spread from being a problem in the north, right down to New South Wales, Victoria and into Tasmania.
Updated
The minister for agriculture, drought and emergency management, David Littleproud, has told ABC TV Australia is well prepared for flood events this summer, but that he is very concerned about the heavy rain in northern NSW and southern Queensland.
These types of scenarios are played out well before we get to this part of the year. We are working through scenarios not just for bushfire but for all types of disaster, whether it be flooding or through cyclones.
We are working through that in a coordinated approach, a nationally coordinated mechanism where – although emergency service commissioners work together in understanding what that looks like and, in fact, the federal government itself – we have role-played a scenario with our Emergency Management Australia to make sure that we are pulling the right levers from my department, right through to defence and working through the protocols, the trusted protocols we have put in place over many years in regards to tasking requests from the state through to federal government agencies.
Littleproud says the federal government, the states and local councils all have a role to play in mitigating potential erosion issues on the coastline as part of the disaster reduction framework.
Updated
If you were hoping to grab some of the Victorian government’s vouchers for travelling into regional Victoria for a holiday, you have missed out on the second round, with AAP reporting 30,000 vouchers sold in 31 minutes.
An extra 30,000 Regional Travel Voucher Scheme vouchers, worth $200 apiece, were snapped up within 31 minutes of becoming available from midday on Monday via a new-look state government webpage.
Friday’s initial allocation of 40,000 vouchers took several hours to be exhausted, as Business Victoria’s website crashed within minutes under the weight of heavy traffic.
The department said the website received 800,000 visits by 5pm on Friday and confirmed just after 9.30pm that all 40,000 had been claimed.
Apart from some users reporting brief technical issues, the relaunch on Monday appeared to go off without a hitch in an encouraging sign for future rounds opening to the public on 20 January and 30 March.
Updated
AAP reports the extreme weather in northern NSW and south-east Queensland will continue to intensify overnight.
Sites in NSW’s Northern Rivers district had about 400mm of rain in just a few days, the Bureau of Meteorology’s Jane Golding told reporters on Monday.
Some locations near the Queensland-NSW border were inundated with 180mm of rain on Sunday.
And there was no relief as conditions deteriorated throughout Monday.
Wind gusts have been as high as 104km/h at Cape Byron and are increasing, with the weather bureau warning of winds strong enough to bring down trees and power lines.
Other beaches along the NSW northern coast are being eroded after huge tides, gale force winds and heavy rain washed away much of the Main Beach at the popular tourist town of Byron Bay.
Surf Life Saving NSW chief executive Steve Pearce told reporters:
We’re seeing the largest coastal erosion we’ve seen in many years, particularly around the Byron Bay area, which is completely changing the entire landscape of the beaches.
Powerful waves are expected to continue to batter the NSW mid-north coast, almost as far south as Newcastle.
The rains will likely ease later on Tuesday.
Updated
The Bureau of Meteorology is warning of major erosion in coastal parts of southern Queensland and north-eastern NSW after the wild weather the past day.
#SevereWeather Update: Far southern Queensland & NE NSW coastal areas are experiencing a major erosion event as Spring tides, heavy rainfall & damaging winds exacerbate conditions created by a low pressure system. Follow @QldFES advice. #QLDweather updates https://t.co/kUzaJgTZ5i pic.twitter.com/uKSDzygEAv
— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) December 14, 2020
Updated
Here’s an update on the story Guardian Australia reported last week about Yuvraj Krishna, a four-year-old Sydney boy with autism stranded in India and separated from his father since March.
He has missed specialist treatment for so long he has become non-verbal.
After the story was published, Yuvraj, his seven-year-old brother Ayushmaan and mother Tulika were offered seats on a Qantas repatriation flight that leaves India in the coming days.
However, they will be among 39,000 Australians who will miss Christmas at home. They will spend the holiday in quarantine.
The family is among those stranded in September that prime minister Scott Morrison claimed would be home by Christmas.
On Friday, a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesman said there were around 39,000 Australians who had registered with Dfat as being overseas and wanting to return home but could not.
The family had previously claimed they were removed from Dfat’s list of those wanting to return home but being unable to do so – an experience Labor has branded a government tactic to avoid “bad headlines” regarding the increasing numbers of stranded Australians.
Dfat has previously denied artificially depressing statistics on those who want to return.
Updated
The ACT has reported no new cases of Covid-19, meaning the territory still has no active cases.
Businesses have until Wednesday to register for the Check-in Canberra app to be able to increase the capacity they can have in their venues.
Scorched Fraser Island to reopen to visitors
Visitors will be allowed back on to parts of World Heritage-listed K’gari/Fraser island from tomorrow after a fire that scorched more than half the island was brought under control.
Rain over recent days has dampened down the blaze that has been burning for more than eight weeks and is thought to have started from an illegal campfire.
Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service said there were still areas that would stay closed while hazard assessments were carried out on roads and walking tracks.
Fallen trees are blocking some tracks, while there are concerns other trees could topple as a result of fire and water-bombing destabilising roots.
Restrictions on access to the eastern beach of K'gari-Fraser Island will be lifted tomorrow. This means visitors will be able to travel to K'gari's townships. Resorts along with private accommodation such as beach houses & Airbnbs will be able to reopen in time for Christmas. pic.twitter.com/Xrq0WP9lJo
— Qld Park Alerts (@QldParkAlerts) December 13, 2020
The island, about 250km north of Brisbane, is on the northern edge of severe weather hitting the state’s south-east and the north of New South Wales, with wind gusts and heavy downpours forecast over the coming hours.
Popular spots including Lake Mackenzie, Central Station, Eli Creek and Lake Wabby would all be open from Tuesday, the Queensland government said, and some camping areas were also reopening. Visitors should check the government’s park alerts website.
Some ecologists fear the scale and intensity of the fire could have a major impact on the island’s unique habitats.
K’gari is the world’s biggest sand island and its rainforests, beaches, freshwater lakes and ancient sand dunes attract more than half a million visitors a year.
Updated
A bit more on the man who tested positive to Covid-19 in South Australia, from AAP.
The man was already in hotel quarantine but is the first person to now be moved to one of two specially prepared floors at a medi-hotel in Adelaide for Covid-positive cases.
The designated floors will offer greater security, with extra spacing between guests and other measures to avoid a repeat of last month’s Parafield cluster of coronavirus cases.
The outbreak, which eventually grew to 33 cases, was sparked when a security guard at a quarantine hotel picked up the virus from someone who had recently returned from the UK.
SA premier Steven Marshall said on Monday:
What we’ve implemented is a new program that is really going to be belt and brace, a program which is going to isolate anyone who contracts this disease.
They’re going to be put into a special, dedicated arrangement. They’re only going to be supervised by SA police.
This is a great development and it will assure the people of South Australia that we won’t be taking any chances whatsoever.
We’ve had advice that having the two dedicated floors provides us with a very safe situation.
However, Marshall said plans were still underway to move to a standalone facility and SA Health was in the process of finalising a location.
Updated
And with that, I’ll hand over the blog to the ever capable Josh Taylor to take you through the rest of the day’s news. Enjoy the rest of your Monday!
Bill to decriminalise small amounts of heroin, ice and other drugs to be introduced in ACT
A bill that would legalise the possession of small amounts of MDMA, heroin and ice is set to be introduced in the ACT.
Labor MLA Michael Pettersson will introduce the bill and says people caught with small amounts of the drugs should not face criminal convictions. He told the ABC:
We’ve had laws of prohibition in place for about 100 years. In that 100 years, somehow, 43% of Australians have used an illicit substance including cannabis. That tells me that the criminal justice system isn’t the deterrent we think it is.
Pettersson said support for decriminalisation was “way out ahead” of politicians, citing the National Drug Strategy Household Survey released in July.
The bill proposes to allow possession of up to 2g of cocaine, heroin or methamphetamines, and 0.5g of MDMA.
Updated
NSW police have busted a cockfighting syndicate in Catherine Field yesterday.
Seventy-one fighting cockerels were seized, following a joint investigation into animal cruelty offences, with 35 men detained at the property.
Organised Crime Squad detectives, together with @RSPCANSW Inspectors, have dismantled an illegal cockfighting syndicate and seized 71 fighting cockerels, following a joint investigation into animal cruelty offences.https://t.co/CtdHPqYHhY pic.twitter.com/kozqnpklSz
— NSW Police Force (@nswpolice) December 14, 2020
Police say officers also seized $107,170 and several electronic devices from the premises, which will undergo further examination.
The animals were seized by RSPCA NSW Inspectors, with some taken into veterinary care for serious injuries.
Updated
Northern Territory reports two new Covid cases
The Northern Territory has recorded two new cases of Covid-19 in the past 48 hours.
An 88-year-old male and and 18-year-old male, both arrivals on international flights, contracted the virus, bringing the total cases since repatriation flights to NT began to 31.
The 88-year-old-man is in isolation at the Royal Darwin Hospital as he is being treated for other non-Covid related health issues, whilst the 18-year-old is asymptomatic and in quarantine.
Updated
Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau has welcomed the first batch of Covid-19 vaccines to Canada.
The first batch of doses of Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine have arrived in Canada. pic.twitter.com/xSvwkRROKo
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) December 14, 2020
The initial 30,000 doses will be distributed across 14 sites in Canada, with the most vulnerable, including the elderly and frontline workers, to receive the first doses.
Canada and the US are set to be the first western countries to begin vaccinating against the virus, after the UK.
Updated
An update now on the refugees who’ve been detained at Mantra Preston for over a year, with the Australian Border Force announcing they will be transferred instead of released:
Breaking : Today ABF at 1:30 pm announced that all the refugees (who have been locked up in the Mantra prison for more than a year) will be transferred to another detention soon. NO VISA. #auspoI
— Moz_azimi (@AzimiMoz) December 14, 2020
BREAKING- huge blow to the men held in detention at @MantraHotels on Bell, as they are going to be transferred but not released. This is so wrong. This is emotional abuse and psychological torture of the highest degree. #auspol https://t.co/5gpzJCaWcM
— Alex Bhathal (@alexbhathal) December 14, 2020
Updated
Greg Hunt says Australia 'absolutely' likely to approve trans-Tasman travel bubble if virus is controlled
Greg Hunt has welcomed Jacinda Ardern’s announcement of an “in-principle” trans-Tasman travel bubble from early next year, saying it is “good for Australians, and good for New Zealanders”.
New Zealanders can travel to Australia without the need to quarantine, although must quarantine on the way back. The travel bubble would mean travel could go in both directions for the first time since the borders shut early on in the pandemic response.
That just means more people getting to see their loved ones, or people being able to take a well earned break, and that’s good for Australians and it’s good for New Zealanders.
The Australian government is “absolutely” likely to approve the travel bubble, Hunt said, if both countries maintain their control over the virus and was the first step to bringing back “normality” to international travel.
We welcome the advice from New Zealand. It is the second half of the equation. We consciously opened up Australia to people coming from New Zealand because their case numbers were negligible and we knew there would come a time when our case numbers gave them confidence.
So this is a sign that New Zealand and Australia are not just working together, but that families can be back together in both directions. Friends can be back together in both directions. Flights can be full in both directions which is good for the economy, good for our airlines and it is good for both countries.
Updated
Three dams across Brisbane are now overflowing due to the heavy rainfall lashing the city.
Little Nerang, Lake Macdonald (Six Mile Creek), and the Wappa dams have all reached over 100% as of around 10 am today, with the Wappa dam at 108% currently.
Lake Macdonald Dam is now spilling excess water. Details https://t.co/6b9lv0fRo2 pic.twitter.com/UtzIjGzWdj
— Seqwater (@Seqwater) December 14, 2020
According to Seqwater, the entire water grid storage capacity is still at only 56.1%, but has lifted by 1.2% in the past seven days.
It comes as a severe thunderstorm warning was issued for Wide Bay, and as the Bureau of Meteorology warns of strong winds over Brisbane.
Very windy over #Brisbane right now! The dark blue blob over the city is an area where winds are >90km/h, off the end of the red colour scale on Doppler radar. These winds are a bit above the ground, with conditions at street level less intense. Warnings: https://t.co/p1IivTxOJQ pic.twitter.com/7ycYhuiNXr
— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) December 14, 2020
And now, some reactions to the exciting news that the New Zealand government has agreed in principle to establish a travel bubble with Australia:
This is a smart move by NZ in my opinion.
— Ray (@ScallywagRay) December 14, 2020
5mil to 25mil, one would think it will be a financial win for NZ...
New Zealand Cabinet agrees to trans-Tasman bubble with Australia, Jacinda Ardern says https://t.co/y8C7KQJCvv
oh hi. i get to see my family in a few months because both our countries are doing the charlie sheen and "duh, winning" the pandemica fight.
— (insertnamehere) (@PinkNarcosis) December 14, 2020
New Zealand travel bubble with Australia coming in early 2021, NZ PM confirms https://t.co/ZSmsDKi4uu
an nz/aus travel bubble? in March? [insert my longest and loydest screech here]
— carla.txt (@carlafiorenzo) December 14, 2020
Trans-tasman bubble by end of 1st quarter 2021?
— Cassy Kenworthy (@CassyNZ) December 14, 2020
*frantically googles Hamilton Australian Tour dates* pic.twitter.com/PgVkh9lnp5
Final word from the New Zealand Warriors, who clearly have a genius running their Twitter account:
Did someone say bubble? 👀🙏🏽😅#LetsGoneBubble pic.twitter.com/CCckWKt6oS
— Vodafone Warriors (@NZWarriors) December 14, 2020
Updated
A new survey by the Australian Bureau of Statistics has found Australians are feeling less nervous or overwhelmed than when the second wave of the pandemic gripped Victoria.
The survey followed up on questions first asked in August, when the second wave was at its peak and nationwide restrictions were still in place.
It found that fewer people were feeling restless or fidgety than when they were first asked, with the survey also showing drops in feelings of nervousness and that everything was an effort.
The survey also delved into spending habits, and unsurprisingly, online sales are beginning to dominate.
One in three people now prefer to shop online, according to the survey, with many Australians saying they felt uncomfortable spending time in large shopping centres.
Two in five people say they feel somewhat uncomfortable shopping at large complexes due to coronavirus.
Updated
South Australia records first Covid case in more than two weeks
South Australia has reported its first Covid-19 case in more than two weeks with a returned traveller testing positive for the virus, AAP reports.
SA Health says the man in his 40s is in hotel quarantine and is the state’s only active infection.
He recently returned from overseas and tested positive with his day one test.
Before Monday, SA had gone 15 days with no new cases amid growing signs the recent Parafield cluster had been brought under control.
The cluster currently stands at 33 cases with two people considered close contacts still in isolation.
The new infection also comes as SA reduced the coronavirus restrictions that were put in place when the outbreak first emerged.
The changes allow for stand-up drinking in pubs, restaurants and cafes and increase the cap on family gatherings to 50.
Weddings and funerals will be able to cater for up to 200 people.
Also from Monday, the government has dropped its general direction for people to work at home where possible.
The new QR code check-in system, already in use across the hospitality sector, has expanded to include supermarkets and all other retail outlets.
Updated
Ita Buttrose to tell Paul Fletcher concerns of 'toxic work culture' brought about Four Corners episode
The Nine newspapers are reporting that ABC chair Ita Buttrose will tell Communications minister Paul Fletcher the Four Corners episode that riled up the government came about after female politicians raised concerns regarding Canberra’s “toxic work culture”.
The report says Buttrose will tell Fletcher that the politicians voluntarily raised the concerns when contacted about a different story.
Fletcher said yesterday he had no intention of sacking Buttrose, but said in Hobart this morning that he expected a response to his letter detailing his concerns with the program.
Updated
Phil Taylor reports from Auckland:
New Zealand’s government has agreed an Australia travel bubble will open in the first quarter of 2021.
A lot of preparation needs to be done, prime minister Jacinda Ardern said after her cabinet meeting today. The opening of the bubble is contingent on Australia’s government signing it off, and that the Covid-19 situation in either country doesn’t change.
“It is our intention to name a date ... in the New Year, once remaining details are locked down,” Ardern says.
New Zealand currently has the lowest Covid-19 mortality rate and lowest number of active cases of OECD countries.
Segregation of passengers from “safe zone” travellers and Covid-19 affected countries is one of the things that need to be worked through before it can be finalised.
Another is a contingency plan in case there’s a resurgence in Australia and how a “flood” of returning Kiwis would be managed if that eventuated.
Ardern said she could not give a definitive date but said one-way travel with the Cook Islands will come before the Australian travel bubble.
Covid-19 response minister Chris Hipkins planned to visit Auckland airport tomorrow to see possible arrangements. Hipkins said airlines needed time to gear up staffing to cater for the additional traffic.
Updated
New Zealand agrees to travel bubble with Australia
The New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern has said her cabinet has agreed to an Australia travel bubble that will open in the first quarter of 2021.
The exact date and details will be announced next year and the Australian government would still need to sign off on the arrangement.
The agreement depends on no new Covid-19 outbreaks being recorded.
Updated
Will Treasurer Josh Frydenberg deliver another nice set of numbers later this week? AAP reckons it’s likely:
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg is expected to hand down a modestly improved budget position when his mid-year review is released later this week.
It may be only a couple of months since he delivered his delayed 2020/21 budget, but a lot has happened in the interim.
The economy is rebounding more strongly from recession than had been anticipated, the unemployment rate looks to have peaked at a lower rate than feared, and the iron ore price is going through the roof.
“The imminent budget update should show a better bottom line,” Deloitte Access Economics’ Chris Richardson told AAP.
But Richardson and other economists aren’t getting carried away by the string of positive developments.
The 2020/21 budget deficit is still likely to be around a whopping $200bn, slightly smaller than the record $214bn announced on 6 October.
But at least it is heading in the right direction.
The government’s most recent monthly financial statement for October showed the budget position was $3.6bn smaller than expected after the first four months of the financial year.
Improving employment means fewer businesses are claiming the jobkeeper wage supplement, which ANZ calculates could be around $10bn less over the December 2020 and March 2021 quarters than the government expected.
But the potential revenue raiser is the spike in the iron ore price to a seven-year high above $US150 per tonne.
That compares with Treasury’s forecast of just $US55 per tonne for 2020/21 at the time of the budget.
“The stronger than expected iron ore price is a particularly important revenue booster, as it lifts company profits,” ANZ senior economist Cherelle Murphy says.
She says this unexpected spike in iron ore prices could add billions of dollars to the bottom line.
“Although how prices, iron ore export volumes and the Australian dollar behave through the rest of the year are also important determinants,” Murphy says.
Even so, such developments will help absorb new spending initiatives since October.
These include Covid-19 vaccine manufacturing capability, which Deloitte puts at $1bn over 12 years, and extensions to the jobseeker coronavirus supplement ($3.2bn this year) and homebuilder ($240m).
There was also a spray of initiatives announced on Monday – from small business energy and oil refineries support measures to aviation industry and university research assistance.
The Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook, to give its formal title, is also expected to see upgrades to economic forecasts after growth rebounded by a stronger 3.3% in the September quarter.
The unemployment rate is also below where Treasury had anticipated it would be by now – seven per cent rather that eight per cent.
Economists expect Thursday’s labour force report for November will show the jobless rate sticking at seven per cent.
As such, AMP Capital chief economist Shane Oliver expects growth for 2020/21 will be upgraded to flat (0.0 per cent) from a 1.5% contraction, and the jobless rate revised down to seven per cent from 7.25% for the financial year ending 30 June, 2021.
Updated
We’ve shown you a lot of images of battered beaches, but things were pretty wild overnight a little further inland too.
Conditions have been particularly severe further inland on the Gold Coast. Thankfully the damage to this roof isn’t too bad.
— Jacob Chicco (@JacobChicco) December 14, 2020
This is just one of 71 active @QLDSESVA jobs. @10NewsFirstQLD pic.twitter.com/zbrgJsO78j
NSW's aged care visitor limits ease before Christmas
The New South Wales health department is easing aged care visitor limits before Christmas, with the two-visitor rule removed from tomorrow.
“The risk of transmission in the community is now low enough to facilitate the easing of restrictions for aged care, just as the NSW government has eased restrictions across many other areas,” NSW Health’s director of aged care, Stefanie Williams, said in a statement.
Social connections are important to all of us, but particularly to residents in aged care. We are very pleased to enable residents to spend time with more of their loved ones this festive season, and to provide this certainty for families as they finalise their plans.
We understand that this year has been difficult for everyone, and we are grateful to residents and their loved ones for their patience and understanding.
Performers like choirs and musicians can also visit for the first time since March.
Updated
Two more Victorian police officers have been charged with allegedly leaking information regarding the arrest of former AFL coach Dani Laidley.
Victoria police confirmed in a statement that a senior constable has been charged with misconduct in public office, unauthorised access of police information and two counts of unauthorised disclosure of police information.
He remains suspended and will appear at the Melbourne magistrates court on 11 February.
A constable has been charged with two counts of unauthorised disclosure of police information.
He has been transferred to other duties and will appear at the Ringwood magistrates court on 5 February.
“The investigation into these serious acts of misconduct remains ongoing,” police said.
A leading senior constable has already been charged in relation to the leak of photos of Laidley, who was arrested in May.
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Victoria's contact tracing system was overwhelmed, Fiona Patten says
More from Fiona Patten on contact tracing and testing, following the release of an inquiry report:
Certainly there is ongoing improvements being – happening in the department of health and we saw that in the report. So what the contact tracing and the public health officers that Victoria had and the systems we had in March are very different to the systems we have today.
Our system was overwhelmed. It was completely overwhelmed. We couldn’t cope with what we had and that was a mistake we should have had the foresight to recognise that.
We were offered systems that were being in use in other jurisdictions and we didn’t take up that offer when we should have.
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Reason party MP Fiona Patten, who sat on the Victorian parliamentary committee that has released a report today into the state’s contact tracing and testing regime, is speaking to the media:
This was a very, very quick investigation. We turned it around in about six weeks.
We were somewhat surprised by the cooperation that we had from the government on this. I think everybody wants to be able to learn from the past and ensure that what we have now is the most robust scheme that will keep us safe going forward.
There is certainly a change needed in the health department. We’re one of the few states that still has a very centralised system, but it’s centralised but it’s devolved. So the ability to collect information throughout the state was difficult.
The Andrews government announced earlier this month it would separate the health department into two new departments.
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If you’re looking for something to get you through to lunch, this from the weekend is worth a read:
More detail released from the office of Victorian chief health officer Brett Sutton about the single new case recorded in hotel quarantine:
Victoria has recorded one new case of coronavirus today in a hotel quarantine resident.
The case, a female in her 30s, has mild symptoms and does not require hospital care.
This brings the number of internationally acquired cases since Victoria commenced receiving international arrivals to 7 – which is an increase of 1 since yesterday.
This is the 45th straight day where Victoria has recorded zero daily community transmission cases. There are no new deaths.
Victoria has now recorded a total of 20,352 confirmed cases, including those diagnosed in quarantine.
“Positive results are to be expected, and our quarantine system has been designed on the premise that we would have return travellers test positive,” Victorian chief health officer Professor Brett Sutton said.
“While we’d all prefer there were no active cases, changes made to strengthen the system will ensure that we manage this in a way that keeps returning travellers, the workers caring for them and the Victorian community as safe as possible.”
All arrivals are tested if they show symptoms, as well as at day 3 and day 11 of their 14-day quarantine.
Evidence from our earlier hotel quarantine program showed that just over one in every 100 returned travellers tested positive during their quarantine period.
The likelihood of a positive case will vary depending on which country someone has arrived from, but we would expect to see at least a similar rate of positive cases being diagnosed in the coming weeks.
Prior to international travellers arriving once again in Victoria, the last new case of coronavirus in Victoria was reported on 30 October 2020. At that time there were 71 active cases in Victoria.
Victoria resumed its hotel quarantine operations on 7 December. The provision of mandatory quarantine for returned overseas travellers is overseen by Covid-19 Quarantine Victoria (CQV).
International arrivals will initially be capped at an average of 160 passengers per day, with the program to be continually assessed before a decision is made to increase the number of arrivals.
It remains vitally important that any Victorians with any Covid-19 symptoms, no matter how mild, stay home and get tested. Testing site details, including opening hours, are available at: dhhs.vic.gov.au/where-get-tested-covid-19
A total of 3,693,158 test results have been received in Victoria which is an increase of 5,024 since yesterday.
A permit is no longer required to enter Victoria from South Australia.Based on current Covid exposure dates in South Australia, this requirement ended 12th December at 11.59pm.
Information regarding Covid-19 is available at the Department of Health and Human Services website or by calling 1800 675 398.
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Looping back around to pick up more details out of a Victorian parliamentary committee report into Covid-19 contact tracing and testing in the state.
“The overarching issue for many stakeholders was a perceived reluctance from the Victorian government to appropriately prepare for the Covid-19 pandemic,” the report found.
“This meant that much of the government’s responses have been crisis built and reactive leading to several mistakes and shortcomings that significantly impeded the effective operation of the system.
“Several submissions to the inquiry mentioned a range of reports that were provided to the Victorian government which identified resourcing issues within the communicable disease prevention and control team of the Department of Health and Human Services.”
One submission noted by the committee was Tom Voigt, the former acting manager of the DHHS communicable disease prevention and control unit.
Voigt stated in his submission that a report he provided the DHHS in May 2019 recommended an increase of about 60% to the public health team, increasing the number of full-time officers from 14 to 24. About six months later, Covid-19 was first detected.
The committee recommended the establishment of a trained reserve workforce for future public health emergencies, and an increase to DHHS public health units and contact tracing teams.
There have been several other recommendations made by the committee, including the research and development of saliva testing or other noninvasive, quick turnaround tests.
More work also should be done to ensure the testing and tracing regime had accurate record keeping, provided results within 24 hours, had a surge workforce available, and was available for people who spoke languages other than English.
The committee urged the government to be more transparent by publishing records of the cost of the testing regime and contact tracing system, including resourcing and staffing by third parties, and the basis for its response.
“The committee acknowledges the Victorian government for its commitment to inform the Victorian public through press conferences and key statistics posted on websites. However, the committee notes that there has been limited information communicated to the Victorian public about the processes and systems of the contact tracing system.
“A number of third-party providers have been involved in Victoria’s testing and contact tracing efforts but there is limited information on how these companies were chosen or the specific nature of their involvement.
“The primary goal of protecting public health in relation to the Victoria government’s Covid-19 response would be supported by greater transparency and openness in these areas.”
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NSW reports no new locally acquired Covid cases
New South Wales recorded no new locally acquired cases of Covid-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night, according to NSW health.
Three cases were reported in overseas travellers.
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Glass panels have fallen from a building in Surfer’s Paradise, leading to road closures. These pics are from nearby Budds Beach.
Budds Beachの現場からは以上です😇 pic.twitter.com/HwbK1WROtR
— ゆういち/Gold Coast🏳️🌈🇦🇺 (@Horrie_Bradshaw) December 13, 2020
Communications minister Paul Fletcher has also spoken to media in Hobart today, where he again addressed the rolling maul that is the government’s response to the ABC’s recent Four Corners program.
Yesterday he confirmed he had no intention of sacking ABC chair Ita Buttrose.
Two weeks ago Fletcher wrote to Buttrose – whom the government appointed in 2019 – to ask a series of questions about the Four Corners program that alleged inappropriate conduct by two ministers, including whether it met the standards of accurate and impartial journalism.
“The questions I’ve asked of the ABC board go to whether they are satisfied that they’ve met their duty. It is a set of detailed questions. I look forward to a set of detailed and substantive answers,” Fletcher said today.
“I make the point, the ABC has independent editorial decisions. That’s as it should be. Editorial decisions should not be made and are not made by the government of the day. They’re made by the ABC.
“My questions in that letter go to how the board are satisfied how they’ve executed their duties. It is a set of serious questions and I look forward to a set of serious answers.”
Fletcher also spoke about the news media bargaining code, which was introduced to parliament last week and will force Facebook and Google to negotiate with major Australian media organisations on how much they pay for news on their platforms.
“The digital platform are the unavoidable partners of media businesses. But today there is a substantial imbalance in bargaining power.
“In short, Australian news media could not get Google and Facebook to sit down at the table and ... negotiate a deal with them.”
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Energy minister Angus Taylor has just finished speaking in Geelong, confirming funding announcements for $83.5m in incentive payments to oil refineries.
Only a little of the press conference was broadcast on the ABC, a reasonable judgment call given this quote from Taylor: “At the end of the day we’d like more crude oil produced in this country. The only way to solve that problem is to have more crude oil produced in Australia.”
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Victoria publishes report into state's Covid contact-tracing and testing regime
A Victorian parliamentary committee has published its report into the state’s Covid-19 contact tracing and testing regime.
It has made 19 recommendations, including:
- That the public health system requires review, testing and
enhancement and a more decentralised, community-based approach; - The public accounts and estimates committee examine several issues in its inquiry into the Covid-19 pandemic response, such as current contracts with private providers of testing and contact tracing;
- Ensuring the testing regime includes diverse processes for different cohorts and testing sites have good territorial reach;
- Asymptomatic testing should continue to be voluntary for all Victorians; and
- Pending further research, wastewater testing should be part of an ongoing disease surveillance program.
We will have more on the report throughout the day.
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Swells of between five and 10 metres are forecast for the Gold Coast today, the ABC has just reported. King tides are due in about an hour.
Winds gusting at over 80 km an hour at the Gold Coast Seaway, and over 100 km an hour off Cape Moreton at the moment. Conditions not too far off those of a category one cyclone @9NewsGoldCoast @9NewsQueensland pic.twitter.com/wSPnPOIPRi
— Luke Bradnam (@LukeBradnam) December 13, 2020
The Queensland Fire and Emergency Service is urging people to have evacuation plans in place in case of flooding, including in inland areas of the south-east.
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Resources minister Keith Pitts rules out Chinese iron ore levies
Resources minister Keith Pitt has ruled out slapping tariffs on Australian iron ore exports to China as a trade war worsens by the day, AAP reports.
His predecessor Matt Canavan has called for an iron ore levy as punishment for Chinese trade strikes against Australian wine, seafood, beef and barley.
Canavan argues the penalty should be raised every time China takes further action against Australian exports.
Pitt has quashed his National party colleague’s suggestion.
“Backbenchers are entitled to their views, we work under the rules-based trading system, and Australia will meet its commitments,” he told ABC radio on Monday.
China relies on importing iron ore as a vital ingredient for its ongoing infrastructure stimulus programs.
For the time being, it cannot source iron ore in sufficient quantity anywhere else, giving Australia some leverage in trade negotiations.
It is one of the few areas Australia holds the power in the two-way relationship.
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The Gold Coast is the Foam Coast.
Main Beach #GoldCoast earlier this morning. pic.twitter.com/b9w2V9a8RR
— Paul Syvret (@PSyvret) December 13, 2020
Here is a piece by Elias Visontay on erosion at Byron from October.
Hard to know how the beach will look when the tide goes out.
From Clarke’s looking toward Main Beach where the most damage has been done pic.twitter.com/zZzs4Yuq4x
— Annie O'Rourke (@Founder89oE) December 13, 2020
Take your waders if you want a walk on the beach in Byron today (that is a joke absolutely do not walk on the beach)
The beach has been swallowed and the tide is still coming in at #ByronBay. Waves beginning to hit our car... @7NewsSydney pic.twitter.com/uWHslnToRa
— Sarina Andaloro (@sarina_andaloro) December 13, 2020
This footage from Byron is particularly hairy.
Anything to get the shot, right? pic.twitter.com/VbaUxdHiED
— Ben Grubb 🐛 (@bengrubb) December 13, 2020
Oh, John le Carre has died. He was 89.
Also we’re asking for your votes for a New Year’s Eve playlist to end all playlists as we bid good riddance to 2020.
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This is a lovely feature about the Melbourne to Warrnambool bike race, if you want something to distract you this Monday morning:
The New York Times is reporting that officials in the White House will be among the first in the US to get the Covid-19 vaccine.
Staffers who work closely with Donald Trump have been told they are scheduled to receive injections of the vaccine soon, at a time when the first doses are being distributed only to high-risk healthcare workers, according to two sources familiar with the distribution plans.
Doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, which received Food and Drug Administration last week, are now being shipped to all 50 states for distribution.
Trump, the first lady, Melania Trump, and a half-dozen advisers tested positive at the end of September and early October. A few weeks later, Vice-President Mike Pence’s chief of staff, Marc Short, and a handful of other Pence staff members and advisers tested positive.
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Wild weather pummels Queensland and NSW
Oh, and there’s more rain coming, according to AAP:
Wild weather is set to continue to pummel parts of south-east Queensland and northern NSW for several days, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
The BoM on Sunday warned that wild weather affecting northern NSW was building up, with heavy rain, damaging winds, potentially serious flooding and dangerous surf conditions expected.
It said heavy rainfall over Leycester Creek and Wilsons River from Friday to Sunday had caused significant rises in river levels.
Minor flooding was expected at Lismore on Sunday night, with further rises to the moderate flood level possible late on Monday and into Tuesday.
Heavy rainfall was expected to become severe again over parts of the mid-north coast and Northern Rivers from Sunday night into Monday morning.
“Rainfall rates could be locally enhanced with thunderstorms, leading to the possibility of very heavy rainfall and dangerous flash flooding,” the BoM said.
“At this stage, the widespread heavy rainfall is expected to ease late Tuesday or early Wednesday.
“Thunderstorms may still produce localised heavy falls that may lead to flash flooding during Wednesday.”
The BoM also warned damaging winds averaging 60-70km/h were likely along NSW’s coastal fringe from Yamba to as far south as Crescent Head on Monday.
Waves possibly exceeding five metres in the surf zone could also be expected from Yamba to Port Macquarie.
This comes after four people were rescued from floodwaters in NSW on Saturday night and about 20 caravaners were moved to higher ground.
Emergency services received more than 1,200 calls for assistance for roof damage and leaks, inundation and fallen trees.
Communities in flood-prone areas spent Sunday sandbagging low-lying areas and preparing properties.
Meanwhile, a surface trough was expected to deepen off the south-east Queensland coast on either Sunday night or Monday morning, the BoM said.
A low-pressure system is likely to form along this trough and approach the south-east Queensland coast.
The BoM said damaging winds, heavy rainfall, abnormally high tides and damaging surf could be expected in the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Moreton Island, North Stradbroke Island, Sunshine Coast, Fraser Island, Caboolture, Cleveland, Redcliffe, Jimboomba, Beaudesert and Springbrook.
It also issued a minor flood warning for the Logan and Albert rivers.
“The rains are here and they are coming significantly and in a heavy severe way ... similar to a category one cyclone event,” the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services minister Mark Ryan told reporters on Sunday.
All Gold Coast beaches were closed on Sunday, along with the majority of Sunshine Coast beaches.
Meanwhile, a flood warning is in place for Western Australia’s De Grey River catchment after a tropical low dumped heavy rain from the Pilbara to the border with South Australia.
The system crossed the coast near Port Hedland on Friday and it started bucketing down as the weather system moved southeast towards the Goldfields.
A flood warning was issued on Sunday night for residents in the Fortescue River catchment.
Warnings were also issued for the Sandy Desert, Warburton District and Salt Lakes District rivers.
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Queensland man dead and police dog hurt in robbery
There was a horrible incident in Queensland last night. This is from AAP:
A man has died after being tasered by police investigating a robbery in southern Queensland, with a police dog and his handler stabbed during the arrest.
The Ethical Standards Command now investigating the incident at Mount Lofty in Toowoomba on Sunday night.
The 32-year-old senior constable and police dog Turbo had been responding to reports of the break-in on Warana Avenue, when they were confronted by the man armed with a pair of scissors.
Police say the 31-year-old lunged at the officer, slashing him on the face and stabbing him.
He then stabbed Turbo a number of times in the chest, before being tasered and arrested.
The alleged thief was treated at the scene but had a medical episode while being transported to St Vincent’s hospital, and died soon after.
Turbo remains in a serious but stable condition, and is being cared for by a local vet.
His handler has been treated for minor stab wounds.
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Spare a thought (and maybe raise a stein over your festive lunch) for Germany, which will be in lockdown this Christmas.
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Victoria reports one Covid case in hotel quarantine
The is one new internationally acquired Covid-19 case in Victoria but the streak of days without a locally acquired case now stands at 45!
Yesterday there were 0 new local cases, 0 lost lives, and 1 internationally acquired & in quarantine case. There are now 7 active cases. 5,024 results were received. More info: https://t.co/lIUrl0ZEco… #COVID19VicData #EveryTestHelps #StaySafeStayOpen pic.twitter.com/qDie4zTsS7
— VicGovDHHS (@VicGovDHHS) December 13, 2020
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Byron Bay beach smashed by storm
The storm has also absolutely smashed the beach at Byron Bay, judging by this footage from the Nine Network. Wonder what all those people who relocated there for work make of it ...
Byron Bay's famous beach has all but disappeared, as wild weather continues to slam northern New South Wales and south-east Queensland.
— 9News Australia (@9NewsAUS) December 13, 2020
For the latest: https://t.co/vCpDOiP5iW @hansinclair9 #9News pic.twitter.com/Sd7kKetV71
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In case you missed this news, there were violent clashes in Washington in the lead-up to electoral college members casting their official ballots on Monday (US time).
Usually, the official ballot process simply formalises the results of the election. But this year, Republican officials have been pressured by President Donald Trump and his team to ignore the popular vote in some states and cast ballots for Trump, rather than the president-elect, Joe Biden.
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Joy to the world, the Bob has come.
BOB KATTER CHRISTMAS EDITION pic.twitter.com/o5zvUgQERw
— Hannah Jane Parkinson (@ladyhaja) December 13, 2020
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The Herald Sun is reporting that the Portland aluminium smelter in south-west Victoria has received a $76.8m lifeline from the federal government.
Alcoa will receive four years of guaranteed payments for its smelter – which uses 10% of the state’s electricity – to power down at times of peak demand, according to the report.
We can expect the energy minister, Angus Taylor, to speak more about this in Geelong later today.
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Here’s some vision of the Currumbin Surf Club from this morning of the aftermath from last night’s violent storm ...
Wild and woolly @vikingssurfclub this morn as the high tide approaches pic.twitter.com/J8kXO3hgAa
— Greg Stolz (@GregStolzJourno) December 13, 2020
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The Morrison government will today announce how much each university will receive in research funding next year.
Universities – which have been under financial pressure during the pandemic this year and have already shed thousands of jobs – are being promised nearly $3bn in research block grants in 2021.
The funding includes $1.06bn for the research training program, $926m in base funding for the research support program and $1bn in additional research funding that was announced in the October budget. It is being divided among 42 providers across the country.
In a statement issued this morning, the federal education minister, Dan Tehan, said the government was “investing record funding in university research to help find solutions to Australia’s challenges and drive our recovery from Covid-19”.
“Our investment in research will also safeguard thousands of researcher jobs and directly support more than 40,000 Master’s and PhD students next year to advance their research studies,” he said.
The $2.99bn in block grants for 2021 compares with the $1.96bn distributed to 42 providers through the two key programs in 2020. The main difference is the $1bn top-up funding for the research support program that the government flagged in the budget.
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Victorian contact tracing report due
Victoria will learn if its contact tracing shortcomings have been remedied since the system was “overwhelmed” during the state’s deadly second wave, AAP reports.
A report into the state’s contract tracing program will be tabled in Victorian parliament on Monday after it was put under the microscope by an upper house inquiry.
Headed by the Reason party MP, Fiona Patten, the parliamentary inquiry investigated issues with contact tracing across the second wave – which led to more than 18,000 infections and 800 deaths – and the regime’s readiness to quash future outbreaks.
Dr Alan Finkel, who conducted a review of the nation’s contact tracing capabilities, said Victoria’s system wasn’t designed for the influx of coronavirus cases it experienced.
“Unless you are fully prepared for that in terms of training, anticipation and preventative measures to slow the rate of increase in the first place, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and yes, Victoria was overwhelmed,” he told the parliamentary inquiry on 18 November.
Victoria’s chief health officer, Brett Sutton, said the system had broken down as cases climbed above 200 but he was “confident” infections would not rise to that point again.
If they do, the newly appointed Department of Health and Human Services secretary, Euan Wallace, estimated improvements would mean Victoria “could cope with 500 new cases a day”.
The inquiry previously heard the state’s system was largely paper-based and relied on contact tracers to manually enter information into an IT system, with Finkel suggesting some cases had been lost or duplicated.
Victoria has since moved to a digitised system, created by the US tech firm Salesforce, which automates the process end to end.
Salesforce’s Pip Marlow told the inquiry the software had been offered to the government in March but it wasn’t until 24 July that the government requested a presentation from the company.
A contract between the two parties was signed in late August, with the system due to be fully integrated by this month.
Wallace argued it wouldn’t have been a sound idea to make the switch earlier, even though the old IT platform hampered the identification of confirmed cases, as it didn’t sort negative and positive test results.
“I don’t think anyone would contemplate at the height of the pandemic ... ‘let’s down tools and build a brand new platform’,” he said. “That just isn’t an appropriate decision.”
The AMA’s Victorian president, Julian Rait, also accused DHHS of having cultural flaws over its perceived reluctance to confront imperfection in its Covid-19 response.
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The Coalition will use this week’s budget update to bring forward incentive payments to oil refineries that keep their operations in Australia.
The energy minister, Angus Taylor, will flag $83.5m in government funding for the first six months of the scheme when he visits the Geelong Viva Energy Refinery today.
For six months from 1 January 2021, major domestic refineries will receive a minimum one cent payment for each litre of petrol, diesel, and jet fuel. The payments will be conditional on refineries agreeing to continue to operate for the life of the program and committing to open their books.
The government had already signalled it wanted to set up a market mechanism to incentivise domestic refining as part of a fuel security package unveiled in the October budget.
It’s understood this long-term market mechanism will come into effect by July 2021 but the government is still working on the design, with legislation to be introduced to parliament early next year. In the meantime, the government will bring forward a version of the scheme to January – but fully funded by the commonwealth.
In a statement distributed to reporters before the announcement, Taylor described the move as “immediate and decisive action to keep our domestic refineries operating”:
The Covid-19 pandemic continues to place immense pressure on our refineries and the many Australians employed in the fuel sector … The production payments will help the industry withstand the economic shock of this crisis, protecting local jobs and industry, bolstering our fuel security and shielding motorists from higher prices.
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Flood warnings amid wild weather
Our friends at the Australian Associated Press have filed this on some vicious storms overnight:
There have been more than 50 calls for help overnight to the NSW State Emergency Services as wild weather pummels the north of the state and parts of south-east Queensland.
The BoM is warning that wild weather in northern NSW this week will bring heavy rain, damaging winds, flooding as well as dangerous surf conditions.
The SES says more than 700 calls for help have been made since Friday and 57 overnight, while a severe weather warning for very heavy rainfall is current for the Northern Rivers area.
More SES personnel have been sent to the affected area to help after volunteers performed five flood rescues over the weekend in the northern rivers areas, Tweed Heads and Byron Bay.
The SES said heavy rainfall over Leycester Creek and the Wilsons River at Lismore is likely to reach the minor flood level (4.20 metres) around midday on Monday with roads and low lying farm land and rural properties most likely to be inundated with flood waters.
Further rises to the minor flood levels are possible at Billinudgel and Mullumbimby with minor flooding expected along Marshalls Creek and the Brunswick River. During Monday and Tuesday, minor to moderate flooding is possible along the Bellinger River at Thora and Bellingen.
This will result in low-lying areas being impacted by floodwaters along the Bellinger River, possibly impacting on the communities of Darkwood, Thora, Bellingen, Repton, Mylestom and surrounding areas.
The Tweed River at Tumbulgum is likely to reach the minor flood level (1.40m) on Monday with the high tide.
The SES says the flood situation is being monitored and revised warnings will be issued should the situation change.
People in areas likely to be impacted by flooding should refrain from driving or walking through flood water, take note of road closures and monitor emergency warnings and severe weather updates.
The BoM says thunderstorms could lead to the possibility of very heavy rainfall and dangerous flash flooding.
“At this stage, the widespread heavy rainfall is expected to ease late Tuesday or early Wednesday,” the BOM said.
“Thunderstorms may still produce localised heavy falls that may lead to flash flooding during Wednesday.”
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Morning all, thanks for joining us for another week of news.
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